Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Number of teeth and nutritional status in Thai older people.

OBJECTIVE To assess the association between the number of natural teeth and nutritional status in older Thai people aged 60-74 years. RESEARCH DESIGN A cross-sectional study. METHOD Stratified purposive sampling from senior citizen centres, households in sub-districts and municipal communities in Chiang Mai metropolitan area. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The number of natural teeth and underweight status. RESULTS Mean Body Mass Index was 22.1 (+/- 4.0) kg/m2 in the whole sample; 29.4% of the total sample were underweight. After controlling for confounders (personal income and age), there was a significant association between BMI and number of teeth. The crude odds ratio of underweight were 2.42 for 19 or less natural teeth and 2.84 for no natural teeth compared to 20 teeth or above (P < 0.001). A significant association was also found between number of natural teeth and being underweight (< 20 kg/m2) in the older age group (68-74 years) after controlling for personal income, gender, education and current smoking (odds ratio = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.25, 4.13). CONCLUSIONS The results support the association between the number of natural teeth and being underweight.
Spatio-temporal analysis of P300 using ICA and SSLOFO

Spatial information of EEG source activity revealed by inverse methods may contribute to an improvement of the BCI systems. This paper proposes an approach that integrates the independent component analysis (ICA) and a newly developed inverse algorithm termed SSLOFO to robustly reconstruct cortical sources of P300. The target independent components are first extracted using a spatio-temporal optimization process and then SSLOFO is employed to localize the sources of the target components. Preliminary studies demonstrate our method is able to localize sources of P300 based on 5-trial-averaged EEG and the results are consistent with the findings of other functional imaging studies such as fMRl. The robustness of our approach is also proved by a study which indicates the P300 sources are stably reconstructed around the left and right TPJ areas
Examining the Relationship Between Computer Familiarity and Performance on Computer‐Based Language Tasks

The planned introduction of a computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test raises concerns that language proficiency will be confounded with computer proficiency, introducing construct-irrelevant variance to the measurement of examinees' English-language abilities. We administered a questionnaire focusing on examinees' computer familiarity to 90,000 TOEFL test takers. A group of 1,200 “low-computer-familiar” and “high-computer-familiar” examinees from 12 international sites worked through a computer tutorial and a set of 60 computer-based TOEFL test items. We found no meaningful relationship between level of computer familiarity and level of performance on the computerized language tasks after controlling for English language ability. We concluded that no evidence exists of an adverse relationship between computer familiarity and computer-based TOEFL test performance due to lack of prior computer experience.
Stabilizing and Direction Control of Efficient 3-D Biped Walking Based on PDAC

This paper proposes a 3-D biped dynamic walking algorithm based on passive dynamic autonomous control (PDAC). The robot dynamics is modeled as an autonomous system of a 3-D inverted pendulum by applying the PDAC concept that is based on the assumption of point contact of the robot foot and the virtual constraint as to robot joints. Due to autonomy, there are two conservative quantities named ldquoPDAC constant,rdquo which determine the velocity and direction of the biped walking. We also propose the convergence algorithm to make PDAC constants converge to arbitrary values, so that walking velocity and direction are controllable. Finally, experimental results validate the performance and the energy efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
A comparative assessment of different current-cycling procedures for testing power connections

This paper describes the results of comparative evaluation of a number of underground power connections performed under testing conditions as prescribed by the ANSI C119.4 standard and also according to the new accelerated current-cycling test developed at IREQ. The results show that the ANSI testing procedure failed to detect degradation occurring at the conductor-connector interface whereas the new accelerated current cycling test was far more sensitive to deterioration of this contact interface. In view of these findings, the ANSI and CSA current cycling testing procedures have to be re-examined and revised within the framework of the theory of electrical contacts and the knowledge of the factors affecting the connector performance under different environmental and operating conditions.
Attitudes toward Statistics Assessments

Although statistics instructors have attempted to improve the cognitive aspects of instruction, particularly with respect to assessments, relatively little attention has been paid to non-cognitive issues, including students' attitudes, feelings, beliefs, perceptions, motivations, and interests. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to determine (1) the methods of statistics assessments that students most prefer; (2) the methods of statistics assessment that students feel induce the least amount of anxiety; (3) the methods of statistics assessments that students most rate as inducing higher-order thinking; (4) the characteristics of students with the most negative overall attitudes toward statistics assessments; and (5) how students rate performance assessments and authentic assessments. Findings revealed that students appear most to prefer statistics examinations in which at least limited supporting material is permitted. Interestingly, assessments in which some form of supporting material is allowed appeared to be more popular than are examinations with no time constraints. However, examinations that are untimed and in which supporting material is allowed were regarded best as inducing the least amount of anxiety, as increasing levels of performance, and as promoting higher-order thinking. Overall, students tended to rate performance assessments the most highly. Unfortunately, authentic assessments were not rated as highly as were performance assessments. Canonical correlation analyses suggested that age, the number of college-level mathematics courses, the number of years elapsed since students' last statistics class, and levels of statistics anxiety are determinants of these attitudes. The implications of these findings are discussed, and recommendations for future research are presented.
Exenatide Affects Circulating Cardiovascular Risk Biomarkers Independently of Changes in Body Composition

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of exenatide on body composition and circulating cardiovascular risk biomarkers. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Metformin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes (N = 69) were randomized to exenatide or insulin glargine and treated for 1 year. Body composition was evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Additionally, body weight, waist circumference, and cardiovascular biomarkers were measured. RESULTS Treatment with exenatide for 1 year significantly reduced body weight, waist circumference, and total body and trunkal fat mass by 6, 5, 11, and 13%, respectively. In addition, exenatide increased total adiponectin by 12% and reduced high-sensitivity C-reactive protein by 61%. Insulin glargine significantly reduced endothelin-1 by 7%. These changes were statistically independent of the change in total body fat mass and body weight. CONCLUSIONS Exenatide treatment for 1 year reduced body fat mass and improved the profile of circulating biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. No significant changes were seen with insulin glargine except a trend for reduced endothelin-1 levels.
Use of statins and risk of fractures.

CONTEXT Previous studies have reported lower fracture risks in patients taking 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins). OBJECTIVE To investigate risk of fracture among statin users. DESIGN Case-control study of data from the General Practice Research Database (GPRD). SETTING A total of 683 general clinical practices in the United Kingdom. PATIENTS Cases were 81 880 patients aged 50 years or older who had a fracture of the vertebrae, clavicle, humerus, radius/ulna, carpus, hip, ankle, or foot occurring between the enrollment date of their practice into the GPRD and July 1999, paired with 81 880 age-, sex-, and practice-matched controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Risk of fracture in current users vs nonusers of statins. Odds ratios were estimated from conditional logistic regression and adjusted for smoking, medications and illnesses associated with fracture risk, and body mass index when known. RESULTS The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for current use of statins compared with nonuse was 1.01 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88-1.16). For forearm, hip, and vertebral fractures, the ORs were 1.01 (95% CI, 0.80-1.27), 0.59 (95% CI, 0.31-1.13), and 1.15 (95% CI, 0.62-2.14), respectively. Relative to nonuse, a statin dosage of less than 20 mg/d (standardized to simvastatin) was associated with an adjusted OR of fracture of 1.13 (95% CI, 0.96-1.33); this OR was 1.07 (95% CI, 0.82-1.38) at dosages of 20 to 39.9 mg/d and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.47-1.53) at dosages of 40 mg/d or more. The adjusted OR was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.50-1.01) for statin use durations of 0 to 3 months, 1.31 (95% CI, 0.87-1.95) for durations of 3 to 6 months, 1.14 (95% CI, 0.82-1.58) for durations of 6 to 12 months, and 1.17 (95% CI, 0.99-1.40) for durations of more than 12 months. CONCLUSION In this study, use of statins at dosages prescribed in clinical practice was not associated with a reduction in risk of fracture.
Trade Liberalisation and Plant Exit in New Zealand Manufacturing

Data on New Zealand manufacturing plants are used to examine the impact of trade liberalization on plant exit. Recent theories suggest that the prospect of a declining market might cause firms to adopt strategic behavior that causes low cost plants to exit first. This hypothesis is generally unsupported. Surviving plants were larger, lower cost, and were owned by specialized firms with few plants. Plant costs were more important than firm size for explaining the plant-closing behavior of single-plant firms. Diversified, multiplant firms were more likely to close plants and were influenced by plant size but not plant costs. Copyright 1996 by MIT Press.
Phenomenology of depression in children and adolescents.

ABSTRACT A clinical population of children and adolescents was assessed using a structured diagnostic interview. Forty-five children and 50 adolescents were given a diagnosis of Major Depression. The children and adolescents did not differ from each other in symptom presentation. Nearly half of the subjects had coexisting separation anxiety disorders regardless of age group or sex. Subjects with combined depression and anxiety were more severely depressed than subjects with depression alone. A sizable minority, especially preadolescent male subjects, also had a conduct disorder associated with depression. Parental histories of anxiety disorders did not correlate with coexisting anxiety in their children. The young subjects differed little in symptom presentation from adult depressives. These data lend further support to the utility of adult diagnostic criteria in children and adolescents. The presence of associated disorders may significantly affect depressive symptomatology
How flow cytometry is changing the study of TB immunology and clinical diagnosis

The application of flow cytometry has hugely advanced the field of tuberculosis (TB) across all areas of research ranging from diagnostic tests to understanding the underlying immunology. As cellular responses are understood to be the mainstay of the immune response in the control of TB it is very likely that polychromatic flow will become the tool of choice for assessing the effects of vaccination. Results are particularly encouraging in this area. The development of a new type of diagnostic test, a prototype of which has been reported, may be the spin‐off of a broad and systematic approach to understanding and profiling the T‐cell response to TB. It is obvious that flow cytometry will not be able to address all research questions in the field of TB. However, its enormous flexibility as a technology will make it the tool of choice in many situations. An ever increasing availability of flow cytometers, even in resource‐poor countries, will rapidly change the face of TB research and management in the years ahead. © 2008 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
On the Utility of Short Echo Time (TE) Single Voxel 1H–MRS in Non–Invasive Detection of 2–Hydroxyglutarate (2HG); Challenges and Potential Improvement Illustrated with Animal Models Using MRUI and LCModel

Mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH1/2) are frequently found in brain tumors, and the resulting onco–metabolite, 2–hydroxyglutarate (2HG), has been suggested to be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of the diseases. Indeed, recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility of non–invasively detecting 2HG by using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H–MRS). Due to severe spectral overlaps of 2HG with its background metabolites and spectral baselines, however, the majority of those previous studies employed spectral editing methods with long echo times (TEs) instead of the most commonly used short TE approach with spectral fitting. Consequently, the results obtained with spectral editing methods may potentially be prone to errors resulting from substantial signal loss due to relaxation. Given that the spectral region where the main signal of 2HG resides is particularly sensitive to spectral baseline in metabolite quantification, we have investigated the impact of incorporating voxel–specifically measured baselines into the spectral basis set on the performance of the conventional short TE approach in 2HG detection in rodent models (Fisher 344 rats; n = 19) of IDH1/2 mutant–overexpressing F98 glioma at 9.4T. Metabolite spectra were acquired (SPECIAL sequence) for a tumor region and the contralateral normal region of the brain for each animal. For the estimation of spectral baselines metabolite–nulled spectra were obtained (double–inversion–recovery SPECIAL sequence) for each individual voxels. Data were post–processed with and without the measured baselines using MRUI and LCModel—the two most widely used data post–processing packages. Our results demonstrate that in–vivo detection of 2HG using the conventional short TE approach is challenging even at 9.4T. However, incorporation of voxel–specifically measured spectral baselines may potentially improve its performance. Upon more thorough validation in a larger number of animals and more importantly in human patients, the potential utility of the proposed short TE acquisition with voxel–specific baseline measurement approach in 2HG detection may need to be considered in the study design.
A Longitudinal Study of the Antecedents and Consequences of Collective Personality

In this study, we explored the development and relevance of collective personality to group effectiveness. To this end, we followed a sample of 94 newly formed groups over a 4-month period. First, the results showed support for the emergence of a Big Five structure of collective personality over time. This factor structure appeared to be well developed sometime between 2 and 3 months after group formation. Second, many group personality composition variables were significant antecedents of corresponding collective traits over time. Third, collective Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability predicted group task performance, group social loafing, and group task conflict, after controlling for group personality composition and group ability composition. These findings highlight the potential usefulness of collective personality traits in understanding group outcomes.
Altered HCN4 channel C-linker interaction is associated with familial tachycardia-bradycardia syndrome and atrial fibrillation.

AIMS HCN4 channels are involved in generation, regulation, and stabilization of heart rhythm and channel dysfunction is associated with inherited sinus bradycardia. We asked whether dysfunctional HCN4 channels also contribute to the generation of cardiac tachyarrhythmias. METHODS AND RESULTS In a candidate gene approach, we screened 422 patients with atrial and/or ventricular tachyarrhythmias and detected a novel HCN4 gene mutation that replaced the positively charged lysine 530 with an asparagine (HCN4-K530N) in a highly conserved region of the C-linker. The index patient developed tachycardia-bradycardia syndrome and persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) in an age-dependent fashion. Pedigree analysis identified eight affected family members with a similar course of disease. Whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology of HEK293 cells showed that homomeric mutant channels almost are indistinguishable from wild-type channels. In contrast, heteromeric channels composed of mutant and wild-type subunits displayed a significant hyperpolarizing shift in the half-maximal activation voltage. This may be caused by a shift in the equilibrium between the tonically inhibited nucleotide-free state of the C-terminal domain of HCN4 believed to consist of a 'dimer of dimers' and the activated ligand-bound tetrameric form, leading to an increased inhibition of activity in heteromeric channels. CONCLUSION Altered C-linker oligomerization in heteromeric channels is considered to promote familial tachycardia-bradycardia syndrome and persistent AF, indicating that f-channel dysfunction contributes to the development of atrial tachyarrhythmias.
Polynomial Kernels and Wideness Properties of Nowhere Dense Graph Classes

Nowhere dense classes of graphs [21, 22] are very general classes of uniformly sparse graphs with several seemingly unrelated characterisations. From an algorithmic perspective, a characterisation of these classes in terms of uniform quasi-wideness, a concept originating in finite model theory, has proved to be particularly useful. Uniform quasi-wideness is used in many fpt-algorithms on nowhere dense classes. However, the existing constructions showing the equivalence of nowhere denseness and uniform quasi-wideness imply a non-elementary blow up in the parameter dependence of the fpt-algorithms, making them infeasible in practice. As a first main result of this article, we use tools from logic, in particular from a sub-field of model theory known as stability theory, to establish polynomial bounds for the equivalence of nowhere denseness and uniform quasi-wideness. A powerful method in parameterized complexity theory is to compute a problem kernel in a pre-computation step, that is, to reduce the input instance in polynomial time to a sub-instance of size bounded in the parameter only (independently of the input graph size). Our new tools allow us to obtain for every fixed radius r ∈ N a polynomial kernel for the distance-r dominating set problem on nowhere dense classes of graphs. This result is particularly interesting, as it implies that for every class C of graphs that is closed under taking subgraphs, the distance-r dominating set problem admits a kernel on C for every value of r if, and only if, it already admits a polynomial kernel for every value of r (under the standard assumption of parameterized complexity theory that FPT ≠ W[2]).
Walking in VR: Measuring Presence and Simulator Sickness in First-Person Virtual Reality Games

Presence is often used as a quality measure for virtual reality experiences. It refers to the sensation of “being there” that users feel while wearing a head-mounted display. In contrast, simulator sickness refers to the feeling of unease of some users while experiencing virtual motion. Nowadays, many virtual reality games do not allow the player to walk, trying to minimize the generation of unpleasant symptoms. This study explores how presence is affected by the ability to walk in VR games, as well as how simulator sickness actually grows when the player takes a virtual stroll. For this purpose, two prototypes of a small puzzle were built. In the first one, the player is able to walk, whereas the second one does not allow the user to move in any way. Presence and simulator sickness were measured using standard questionnaires while real players faced our puzzle. The results point to a strong correlation between the action of walking and an increment of the level of presence achieved by the subjects. However, there is no clear correspondence between walking and simulator sickness in our experiment. This last observation opens the way for further research and questioning of early studies about simulator sickness, as technical differences between current virtual reality devices and older ones may influence how uncomfortable users feel while wearing them.
Methyl 2-Cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9-dien-28-oate Decreases Specificity Protein Transcription Factors and Inhibits Pancreatic Tumor Growth: Role of MicroRNA-27a

The anticancer agent 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO) and its methyl ester (CDDO-Me) typically induce a broad spectrum of growth-inhibitory, proapoptotic, and antiangiogenic responses. Treatment of Panc1, Panc28, and L3.6pL pancreatic cancer cells with low micromolar concentrations of CDDO or CDDO-Me resulted in growth inhibition, induction of apoptosis, and down-regulation of cyclin D1, survivin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and its receptor (VEGFR2). RNA interference studies indicate that these repressed genes are regulated by specificity protein (Sp) transcription factors Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4, and Western blot analysis of lysates from pancreatic cancer cells treated with CDDO and CDDO-Me shows for the first time that both compounds decreased the expression of Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4. Moreover, CDDO-Me (7.5 mg/kg/day) also inhibited pancreatic human L3.6pL tumor growth and down-regulated Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4 in tumors using an orthotopic pancreatic cancer model. CDDO-Me also induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in Panc1 and L3.6pL cells, and cotreatment with antioxidants (glutathione and dithiothreitol) blocked the formation of ROS, reversed the loss of MMP, and inhibited down-regulation of Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4. Repression of Sp and Sp-dependent genes by CDDO-Me was due to the down-regulation of microRNA-27a and induction of zinc finger and BTB domain containing 10 (ZBTB10), an Sp repressor, and these responses were also reversed by antioxidants. Thus, the anticancer activity of CDDO-Me is due, in part, to activation of ROS, which in turn targets the microRNA-27a:ZBTB10-Sp transcription factor axis. This results in decreased expression of Sp-regulated genes, growth inhibition, induction of apoptosis, and antiangiogenic responses.