Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electronic Cigarette Use among Mississippi Adults, 2015

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine in the form of aerosol. We identify differences and associations in e-cigarette use by sociodemographic characteristics and describe the reported reasons for initiating use among Mississippi adults. We used the 2015 Mississippi Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which collected information on e-cigarette use from 6,035 respondents. The prevalence of current e-cigarette use and having ever tried an e-cigarette was determined overall and by sociodemographic characteristics. Weighted prevalences and 95% confidence intervals were calculated, and prevalences for subgroups were compared using the X2 tests and associations were assessed using logistic regression. In 2015, 4.7% of Mississippi adults currently used e-cigarettes, while 20.5% had ever tried an e-cigarette. The prevalence of current e-cigarette use was significantly higher for young adults, whites, men, individuals unable to work, those with income $35,000–$49,999, and current smokers compared to their counterparts. Similar results were observed for having ever tried an e-cigarette. E-cigarette use was associated with age, race, income, and smoking status. Most (71.2%) of current e-cigarette users and over half (52.1%) of those who have ever tried e-cigarettes reported that a main reason for trying or using e-cigarettes was “to cut down or quit smoking. ”
Modular and Hierarchically Modular Organization of Brain Networks

Brain networks are increasingly understood as one of a large class of information processing systems that share important organizational principles in common, including the property of a modular community structure. A module is topologically defined as a subset of highly inter-connected nodes which are relatively sparsely connected to nodes in other modules. In brain networks, topological modules are often made up of anatomically neighboring and/or functionally related cortical regions, and inter-modular connections tend to be relatively long distance. Moreover, brain networks and many other complex systems demonstrate the property of hierarchical modularity, or modularity on several topological scales: within each module there will be a set of sub-modules, and within each sub-module a set of sub-sub-modules, etc. There are several general advantages to modular and hierarchically modular network organization, including greater robustness, adaptivity, and evolvability of network function. In this context, we review some of the mathematical concepts available for quantitative analysis of (hierarchical) modularity in brain networks and we summarize some of the recent work investigating modularity of structural and functional brain networks derived from analysis of human neuroimaging data.
Cellular Response Assessment to Zirconia-Alumina Composite: An In Vitro Experimental Study

The biocompatibility of zirconia-alumina composite was evaluated with HOS osteoblast like cell models. A total of 18 zirconia-alumina composite disc (diameter: 19mm and thickness: 1.5mm) were prepared and divided into two groups. Half of the discs were sandblasted with 50µm alumina particles. Mean values of surface roughness (Ra) were 0.1 µm and 0.9-1.48 µm for smooth and sandblasted sample respectively. The cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation on the specimen were evaluated by the Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), Methylthiazole Sulfate (MTS) analysis, Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) activity, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). There was no significant difference in cellular response between two groups. The analysis of the RT-PCR showed that the amount of Cyclin D1(mRNA expression) was not statistically significant different between two groups after 24 hours as well, however markedly decreased in the smooth surface after 72 hours. This indicated that the rough one might have a more favorable cellular proliferation compared to smooth one in long term evaluation. Further study will be necessary.
Modelling of oxygen vacancy aggregates in monoclinic HfO2: can they contribute to conductive filament formation?

Formation of metal rich conductive filaments and their rearrangements determine the switching characteristics in HfO2 based resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices. The initiation of a filament formation process may occur either via aggregation of pre-existing vacancies randomly distributed in the oxide or via generation of new oxygen vacancies close to the pre-existing ones. We evaluate the feasibility of vacancy aggregation processes by calculating the structures and binding energies of oxygen vacancy aggregates consisting of 2, 3 and 4 vacancies in bulk monoclinic (m)-HfO2 using density functional theory (DFT). We demonstrate that formation of neutral oxygen vacancy aggregates is accompanied by small energy gain, which depends on the size and shape of the aggregate. In the most strongly bound configurations, vacancies are unscreened by Hf cations and form voids within the crystal, with the larger aggregates having larger binding energy per vacancy (−0.11 to −0.18 eV). The negatively charged di-vacancy was found to have similar binding energies to the neutral one, while the positively charged di-vacancy was found to be unstable. Thus aggregation process of either neutral or negatively charged oxygen vacancies is energetically feasible.
Parathyroid Hormone Enhances Early and Suppresses Late Stages of Osteogenic and Chondrogenic Development in a BMP‐Dependent Mesenchymal Differentiation System (C3H10T½)

The role of parathyroid hormone (PTH) upon osteo‐/chondrogenic development was investigated in a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)‐dependent differentiation system involving the recombinant expression of BMPs in mesenchymal progenitor cells (C3H10T½). The constitutive expression of the PTH/PTH related protein receptor in this system led to a marked stimulation of chondrogenic and osteogenic development, while the permanent application of the ligand PTH(1–34) resulted in opposite responses by stimulating the early and suppressing the late stages of osteo‐/chondrogenic development. These contrasting effects of PTH(1–34) on osteogenic and chondrocytic development seem, therefore, to depend on the cellular state of differentiation. The osteogenic and chondrocytic differentiation potential was substantiated histologically and by genetic analyses of marker genes like c‐fos, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, collagen α1(I), and collagen α1(II). The capacity to regulate osteogenic and chondrogenic development is located in the amino‐terminal (1–34) region of the PTH molecule and seems to be mediated by the cyclic adenosine monophosphate signaling cascade. The application of other PTH domains like PTH(28–48) and PTH(53–84) did not exhibit significant responses. PTH acts as an essential factor in mesenchymal development controlling rates of differentiation into the osteogenic or chondrogenic lineage. The analysis of PTH effects in this system demonstrates the value of recombinant mesenchymal progenitor cells in the in vitro analysis of osteo‐/chondrogenic development.
Effects of Host Variability on the Spread of Invasive Forest Diseases

Biological invasions, resulting from deliberate and unintentional species transfers of insects, fungal and oomycete organisms, are a major consequence of globalization and pose a significant threat to biodiversity. Limiting damage by non-indigenous forest pathogens requires an understanding of their current and potential distributions, factors affecting disease spread, and development of appropriate management measures. In this review, we synthesize innate characteristics of invading organisms (notably mating system, reproduction type, and dispersal mechanisms) and key factors of the host population (namely host diversity, host connectivity, and host susceptibility) that govern spread and impact of invasive forest pathogens at various scales post-introduction and establishment. We examine spread dynamics for well-known invasive forest pathogens, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (T. Kowalski) Baral, Queloz, Hosoya, comb. nov., causing ash dieback in Europe, and Cryphonectria parasitica, (Murr.) Barr, causing chestnut blight in both North America and Europe, illustrating the importance of host variability (diversity, connectivity, susceptibility) in their invasion success. While alien pathogen entry has proven difficult to control, and new biological introductions are indeed inevitable, elucidating the key processes underlying host variability is crucial for scientists and managers aimed at developing effective strategies to prevent future movement of organisms and preserve intact ecosystems.
Method to improve preheated and fired strengths of haematite pellets using boron compounds with organic binders

Organic binders as alternatives to bentonite in iron ore pelletisation have found limited application since they fail to give enough mechanical strength to preheated and fired pellets. This paper describes the use of alternative binders to bentonite for haematite ore pelletisation. Organic binders (carboxyl methyl cellulose, corn starch, dextrin) and agglomeration aid chemicals (polymer and flocculants) and boron compounds (colemanite and borax pentahydrate) were tested as binder alone or in combination. The influence of the boron compound added organic binders on the preheated and fired pellet strengths was determined. The results showed that the compressive strengths of preheated pellets at 1000°C made with organic binders can be improved with the addition of colemanite. The compressive strengths of fired pellets at 1300°C produced with organic binders plus colemanite were found to be significantly greater than those of pellets bonded with the reference bentonite binder.
Stable Greedy

Commodity solid state drives (SSDs) have recently begun involving the adoption of powerful controllers for multichannel flash management at the page level. However, many of these models still use primitive garbage-collection algorithms, because previous approaches are subject to poor scalability with high-capacity flash memory. This study presents Stable Greedy for garbage collection in page-mapping multichannel SSDs. Stable Greedy identifies page-accurate data hotness using block-level information, and jointly considers block space utilization and block stability for victim selection. Its design considers flash wear leveling for SSD lifetime enhancement at the block level as well as at the channel level. Stable Greedy runs at a constant time, and requires limited RAM space. The simulation results revealed that Stable Greedy outperformed previous methods considerably under various workloads and multichannel architectures. Stable Greedy was successfully implemented on the OpenSSD platform, and the actual performance measurements were consistent with the simulation results.
ATTAINING MEAN SQUARE BOUNDEDNESS OF A NEUTRALLY STABLE NOISY LINEAR SYSTEM WITH A BOUNDED CONTROL INPUT

Abstract. We construct control policies that ensure bounded variance of a noisy neutrally stable linear system in closed-loop. It is assumed that the noise sequence is an independent collection of random vectors, enters the dynamics affinely, and has bounded fourth moment. The magnitude of the control is required to be of the order of (the uniform bound on) the first moment of the noise, and the policies we obtain are simple and computable.
CD34, CD117, and Ki-67 Expression in Phyllodes Tumor of the Breast: An Immunohistochemical Study of 33 Cases

Phyllodes tumors (PTs) of the breast are biphasic lesions, comprising an epithelial component set within a neoplastic spindle-celled stroma. These tumors have been classified as benign, borderline, and malignant based on a combination of histological criteria, including stromal cellularity, nuclear pleomorphism, mitotic rate, stromal overgrowth, and margin appearance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of CD34, CD117 (c-kit), and Ki-67 in PT of the breast and attempt to correlate the staining pattern with tumor grade by morphology. Immunohistochemical expression of CD117, CD34, and Ki-67 was studied on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissue material from 33 cases of PT. Histologically, there were 21 benign, 6 borderline, and 6 malignant (high-grade) tumors. All 6 histologically malignant PTs were positive for CD117 (100%), but only 1 marked with CD34 (16.7%). Borderline PTs frequently coexpressed CD34 and CD117 (66.7%). The benign PTs, on the other hand, most commonly (52.4%) showed a CD34(+)/CD117(-) immunoprofile with 33.3% cases coexpressing the markers: that is, CD34(+)/CD117(+). Although most benign PTs (80.6%) showed a Ki-67 of <2%, a few cases showed slightly higher proliferation indices. This study indicates that CD34 and CD117 are differentially expressed in benign and malignant PTs. These markers, therefore, in combination, may be used as an adjunct to morphology in the subclassification of PTs.
Clinical impact of PET/MR imaging in patients with cancer undergoing same-day PET/CT: initial experience in 134 patients--a hypothesis-generating exploratory study.

PURPOSE To compare the clinical impact of combined positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to that of combined PET and computed tomography (CT) performed on the same day in patients with cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS This HIPAA-compliant retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board. Patients gave written informed consent for study enrollment, including the possibility to use their imaging and clinical data in future evaluations. A total of 134 patients with cancer with a non-central nervous system primary neoplasm underwent same-day fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT and FDG PET/MR imaging. PET/CT and PET/MR studies were independently interpreted by teams of radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians. Four readers, divided into two teams composed of one radiologist and one nuclear medicine physician each, read all 134 studies. The referring physician classified discordance between PET/CT and PET/MR observations either as findings affecting clinical management or as findings not affecting clinical management. Data were compared with the χ(2) test. RESULTS Findings affecting clinical management were noted for PET/CT studies but not for PET/MR studies in two (1.5%) of 134 patients and for PET/MR studies but not for PET/CT studies in 24 (17.9%) of 134 patients. The discrepancies between findings affecting clinical management detected with PET/MR imaging over those detected with PET/CT were significant (P < .001). CONCLUSION In these patients, PET/MR imaging alone contributed to clinical management more often than did PET/CT alone. PET/MR imaging provides information that affects the care of patients with cancer and is unavailable from PET/CT. Online supplemental material is available for this article.
Estimation of project success using Bayesian classifier

The software projects are considered to be successful if the cost and the duration are within the estimated ones and the quality is satisfactory. To attain project success, the project management, in which the final status of project is estimated, must be incorporated.In this paper, we consider estimation of the final status(that is, successful or unsuccessful) of project by applying Bayesian classifier to metrics data collected from project. In order to attain high estimation accuracy rate, we must select only a set of appropriate metrics to be applied. Here we consider two selection methods: the first method by the experts and the second method by the statistical test.Then we conducted an experiment using 28 project data and 29 metrics data in an organization of a certain company. The result showed that the method by the test gave higher accuracy rates than the method by the experts, and Bayesian classifier with the test method is effective to estimate project success.
Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma in African Americans

Primary open-angle glaucoma is more common and more refractory to treatment, with higher rates of blindness in patients of African descent. The reason for this differential burden of glaucoma is multifactorial and may include differences in socioeconomic characteristics, systemic risk factors, and ocular characteristics between African Americans and Caucasian Americans. This article will review the literature concerning this health disparity, concentrating on racial differences in ocular characteristics that may impart this increase risk of open-angle glaucoma.
Risk Factors for Campylobacteriosis of Chicken, Ruminant, and Environmental Origin: A Combined Case-Control and Source Attribution Analysis

Background Campylobacteriosis contributes strongly to the disease burden of food-borne pathogens. Case-control studies are limited in attributing human infections to the different reservoirs because they can only trace back to the points of exposure, which may not point to the original reservoirs because of cross-contamination. Human Campylobacter infections can be attributed to specific reservoirs by estimating the extent of subtype sharing between strains from humans and reservoirs using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Methodology/Principal Findings We investigated risk factors for human campylobacteriosis caused by Campylobacter strains attributed to different reservoirs. Sequence types (STs) were determined for 696 C. jejuni and 41 C. coli strains from endemic human cases included in a case-control study. The asymmetric island model, a population genetics approach for modeling Campylobacter evolution and transmission, attributed these cases to four putative animal reservoirs (chicken, cattle, sheep, pig) and to the environment (water, sand, wild birds) considered as a proxy for other unidentified reservoirs. Most cases were attributed to chicken (66%) and cattle (21%), identified as the main reservoirs in The Netherlands. Consuming chicken was a risk factor for campylobacteriosis caused by chicken-associated STs, whereas consuming beef and pork were protective. Risk factors for campylobacteriosis caused by ruminant-associated STs were contact with animals, barbecuing in non-urban areas, consumption of tripe, and never/seldom chicken consumption. Consuming game and swimming in a domestic swimming pool during springtime were risk factors for campylobacteriosis caused by environment-associated STs. Infections with chicken- and ruminant-associated STs were only partially explained by food-borne transmission; direct contact and environmental pathways were also important. Conclusion/Significance This is the first case-control study in which risk factors for campylobacteriosis are investigated in relation to the attributed reservoirs based on MLST profiles. Combining epidemiological and source attribution data improved campylobacteriosis risk factor identification and characterization, generated hypotheses, and showed that genotype-based source attribution is epidemiologically sensible.
Determination of the relationship between microstructure and constitutive behaviour of nodular cast iron with a unit cell model

Unit cell models have been proposed to predict the constitutive law and failure of ductile materials with complex microstructures, such as ferritic nodular cast iron and particulate metal matrix composites (PMMCs). The present contribution aims to extend this modelling approach to the prediction of the constitutive response of nodular cast iron with a mixed ferritic/pearlitic matrix. The finite element method is used within the framework of continuum mechanics to carry out the calculations. The effect of some microstructural features, such as graphite volume fraction and ferrite-pearlite ratio of the matrix, on the mechanical performance is determined. The computational results are compared to results obtained in a previous experimental activity on nodular cast irons.
A Routing Metric for Load Balance in Wireless Mesh Networks

Existing routing protocols such as AODV were used to simplify the shortest path metric. It assumes that all link quality must be the same. It does not consider link quality such as bandwidth, packet loss rate, packet size, etc. Several performance metrics that consider different link quality for WMNs such as ETX and ETT. Although, these metrics can provide more effective performance than the hop count metric, they did not consider the backbone feature of WMNs. In this paper, a new routing metric for load balancing in WMNs is proposed. These routing metric is called expected transmission time-load balancing (ETT-LB) and this metric is using ETT and bandwidth usage.
Optimal Calibration of Map-Based Energy Management for Plug-In Parallel Hybrid Configurations: A Hybrid Optimal Control Approach

In this paper, an optimization framework for the calibration of energy management in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) is proposed. The framework is based on the modeling of hybrid vehicles as hybrid systems in the mathematical sense, i.e., as a system, whose input is composed of continuous and discrete variables. This allows for the flexible integration of discrete decisions, such as drive modes and gear selection. Hybrid optimal control problems are then formulated, which seek optimal continuous and discrete system inputs, and methods for the efficient solution are described. The framework also allows for the incorporation of losses that occur due to a change in a discrete variable. The results can then be used to automatically calculate lookup tables for optimal gear shifts, optimal torque split between the motor/generator and the internal combustion engine, and the determination of the drive mode (electric or hybrid mode). It is demonstrated that when switching cost is disregarded, the main challenge is still finding the initial costate value. Practical strategies for determining the costate value online are described, containing a rule-based method, a CO2 optimal method, and predictive energy management. The most important implementation issues are discussed, and the results of real-world experiments of predictive energy management are shown.
Racial and socioeconomic disparities in pediatric and young adult liver transplant outcomes

Racial and socioeconomic disparities exist in liver transplantation (LT) outcomes among adults, but little research exists for pediatric LT populations. We examined racial differences in graft survival and mortality within a retrospective cohort of pediatric and young adult LT recipients at a large children's transplant center in the Southeast between 1998 and 2011. The association between race/ethnicity and rates of graft failure and mortality was examined with Cox proportional hazards models that were adjusted for demographic and clinical factors as well as individual‐level and census tract–level socioeconomic status (SES). Among the 208 LT recipients, 51.0% were white, 34.6% were black, and 14.4% were other race/ethnicity. Graft survival and patient survival were higher for whites versus minorities 1, 3, 5, and 10 years after transplantation. The 10‐year graft survival rates were 84% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 76%‐91%] for white patients, 60% (95% CI = 46%‐74%) for black patients, and 49% (95% CI = 23%‐77%) for other race/ethnicity patients. The 10‐year patient survival rates were 92% (95% CI = 84%‐96%), 65% (95% CI = 52%‐79%), and 76% (95% CI = 54%‐97%) for the white, black, and other race/ethnicity groups, respectively. In analyses adjusted for demographic, clinical, and socioeconomic characteristics, the rates of graft failure [black: hazard ratio (HR) = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.29‐5.45; other: HR = 3.01, 95% CI = 1.23‐7.35] and mortality (black: HR = 4.24, 95% CI = 1.54‐11.69; other: HR = 3.09, 95% CI = 0.78‐12.19) were higher for minority groups versus whites. In conclusion, at a large pediatric transplant center in the Southeastern United States, racial/ethnic disparities exist in pediatric and young adult LT outcomes that are not fully explained by measured SES and clinical factors. Liver Transpl 20:100–115, 2014. © 2013 AASLD.