Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel approach for monitoring tobacco use in local communities by wastewater analysis

Objective We propose a novel approach for measuring tobacco use in a community through the chemical analysis of nicotine metabolites in urban wastewater. It offers frequent monitoring and ‘real-time’, ‘evidence-based’ estimates of tobacco consumption which may complement epidemiological surveillance systems normally repeated only every few years. Methods Two urinary metabolites of nicotine, namely cotinine and trans-3′-hydroxycotinine, were selected as biomarkers of tobacco consumption in urban wastewater. During smoking, a known amount of nicotine is absorbed and after metabolism excreted as metabolites in urine, ending up in the wastewater; quantitative analysis of the metabolites in the wastewater allows back-calculation of the nicotine collectively absorbed by the population producing the sewage and, indirectly, their tobacco use. Representative samples of wastewater were collected from sewage treatment plants in eight Italian cities and analysed by mass spectrometry. Mass loads of the metabolites were used to estimate nicotine consumption. Results Wastewater analysis in the cities under study was used to estimate the number of cigarettes smoked, in order to compare the results of this study with those obtained from population surveys. The number of cigarettes calculated with the two methods were closely comparable and wastewater analysis was sufficiently sensitive to confirm the differences in tobacco consumption between northern and southern Italy, previously described in population surveys. Conclusions The described approach can serve as a supplementary indicator of tobacco consumption in local communities. This approach can provide objective and updated information, which are useful to assess the efficacy of tobacco-control interventions, with the aim of designing and implementing effective tobacco control plans.
Space-time block coding for spatial modulation

Space-time block coded spatial modulation (STBC-SM), which employs space-time block coding (STBC) for spatial modulation (SM), is proposed as a new multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission scheme. In the STBC-SM scheme, the transmitted information symbols are expanded not only to the space and time domains but also to the spatial (antenna) domain, therefore both core STBC and antenna indices carry information. A general framework is presented for the design of the STBC-SM scheme for any number of transmit antennas. The proposed scheme is optimized by deriving its diversity and coding gains to exploit the diversity advantage of STBC. A low-complexity maximum likelihood (ML) decoder is given for the new scheme. It is shown by computer simulations that STBC-SM provides approximately 3–5 dB (depending on the spectral efficiency) better error performance than SM and V-BLAST systems.
Uplink capacity optimization by power allocation for multimedia CDMA networks with imperfect power control

A closed-form capacity quasi-optimal power allocation scheme is presented for the uplink of multimedia code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems with randomized received signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) resulted from the errors of power control. The optimality in capacity comes from that this scheme provides class-dependent SIR margins subject to the constraint of differentiated outage requirements. The statistics of signal under imperfect power control is modeled as lognormal random variable. The objective of capacity maximization is formulated as the minimization of total average received powers since the capacity of a CDMA system is interference limited. Under this model, we first derive the necessary conditions that a capacity-optimal power allocation should satisfy. By using conservative bounds, we provide a closed-form approximate solution to this optimization problem. This approximate solution provides nearly the same admissible region for multimedia traffic under imperfect power control as the accurate solution (the optimal one) does. The closed-form quasi-optimal power allocation scheme proposed in this paper is just based on this approximate solution. By numerical example we verify our analysis and show that great capacity gain (e.g., 92% as a maximum in the example) can be achieved by our scheme over its counterpart.
The influence of debris cover and glacial lakes on the recession of glaciers in Sikkim Himalaya, India

We investigated area changes in glaciers covering an area of similar to 200 km(2) in the Tista basin, Sikkim, Eastern Indian Himalaya, between similar to 1990 and 2010 using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Indian Remote-sensing Satellite (IRS) images and related the changes to debris cover, supraglacial lakes and moraine-dam lakes. The glaciers lost an area of 3.3 +/- 0.8% between 1989/90 and 2010. More detailed analysis revealed an area loss of 2.00 +/- 0.82, 2.56 +/- 0.61 and 2.28 +/- 2.01 km(2) for the periods 1989-97, 1997-2004/05 and 2004-2009/10, respectively. This indicates an accelerated retreat of glaciers after 1997. On further analysis, we observed (1) the formation and expansion of supraglacial lakes on many debris-covered glaciers and (2) the merging of these lakes over time, leading to the development of large moraine-dam lakes. We also observed that debris-covered glaciers with lakes lose a greater area than debris-covered glaciers without lakes and debris-free glaciers. The climatic data for 24 years (1987-2011), measured at the Gangtok meteorological station (1812 m a.s.l.), showed that the region experienced a 1.0 degrees C rise in the summer minimum temperature and a 2.0 degrees C rise in the winter minimum temperature, indicating hotter summers and warmer winters. There was no significant trend in the total annual precipitation. We find that glacier retreat is caused mainly by a temperature increase and that debris-covered glaciers can retreat at a faster rate than debris-free glaciers, if associated with lakes.
On the naturalness of software

Natural languages like English are rich, complex, and powerful. The highly creative and graceful use of languages like English and Tamil, by masters like Shakespeare and Avvaiyar, can certainly delight and inspire. But in practice, given cognitive constraints and the exigencies of daily life, most human utterances are far simpler and much more repetitive and predictable. In fact, these utterances can be very usefully modeled using modern statistical methods. This fact has led to the phenomenal success of statistical approaches to speech recognition, natural language translation, question-answering, and text mining and comprehension. We begin with the conjecture that most software is also natural, in the sense that it is created by humans at work, with all the attendant constraints and limitations - and thus, like natural language, it is also likely to be repetitive and predictable. We then proceed to ask whether a) code can be usefully modeled by statistical language models and b) such models can be leveraged to support software engineers. Using the widely adopted n-gram model, we provide empirical evidence supportive of a positive answer to both these questions. We show that code is also very repetitive, and in fact even more so than natural languages. As an example use of the model, we have developed a simple code completion engine for Java that, despite its simplicity, already improves Eclipse's built-in completion capability. We conclude the paper by laying out a vision for future research in this area.
How job demands, resources, and burnout predict objective performance: A constructive replication

Abstract The present study uses the Job Demands-Resources model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007) to examine how job characteristics and burnout (exhaustion and cynicism) contribute to explaining variance in objective team performance. A central assumption in the model is that working characteristics evoke two psychologically different processes. In the first process, job demands lead to constant psychological overtaxing and in the long run to exhaustion. In the second process, a lack of job resources precludes actual goal accomplishment, leading to cynicism. In the present study these two processes were used to predict objective team performance. A total of 176 employees from a temporary employment agency completed questionnaires on job characteristics and burnout. These self-reports were linked to information from the company's management information system about teams’ (N=71) objective sales performance (actual sales divided by the stated objectives) during the 3 months after the questionnaire data collection period. The results of structural equation modeling analyses did not support the hypothesis that exhaustion mediates the relationship between job demands and performance, but confirmed that cynicism mediates the relationship between job resources and performance suggesting that work conditions influence performance particularly through the attitudinal component of burnout.
Recanalization of Large Intracranial Vessels Using the Penumbra System: A Single-Center Experience

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The PS is an innovative mechanical device designed to recanalize large-vessel occlusions by thrombus aspiration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and neurologic outcome of patients treated with the PS in the setting of acute ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 91 patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion were treated with the PS and were included in our retrospective study. In 14 patients, only the PS was used for treatment; in 77 patients, mechanical recanalization was combined with IA and/or IV thrombolysis. Outcome was measured by using the mRS; recanalization was assessed with the TICI score. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 62 ± 19.4 years; the average NIHSS score at hospital admission was 17. Successful recanalization was achieved in 77% of patients. Median time from arterial puncture to recanalization was 49 minutes (quartiles, 31–86 minutes). At follow-up, 36% of the patients showed an NIHSS improvement of ≥10%, and 34% of the patients with an anterior circulation occlusion had an mRS score of ≤2, whereas only 7% of the patients with a posterior occlusion had a favorable outcome at follow-up. In total, 20 patients died during hospitalization; none of these deaths were device-related. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the PS was an effective device for mechanical recanalization. Successful recanalization with the PS was associated with significant improvement of functional outcome in patients experiencing ischemic stroke secondary to anterior circulation occlusions.
Sexual Dimorphism of Adipose and Hepatic Aquaglyceroporins in Health and Metabolic Disorders

Gender differences in the relative risk of developing metabolic complications, such as insulin resistance or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), have been reported. The deregulation of glycerol metabolism partly contributes to the onset of these metabolic diseases, since glycerol constitutes a key substrate for the synthesis of triacylglycerols (TAGs) as well as for hepatic gluconeogenesis. The present mini-review covers the sex-related differences in glycerol metabolism and aquaglyceroporins (AQPs) and its impact in the control of adipose and hepatic fat accumulation as well as in whole-body glucose homeostasis. Plasma glycerol concentrations are increased in women compared to men probably due to the higher lipolytic rate and larger AQP7 amounts in visceral fat as well as the well-known sexual dimorphism in fat mass with women showing higher adiposity. AQP9 represents the primary route for glycerol uptake in hepatocytes, where glycerol is converted by the glycerol-kinase enzyme into glycerol-3-phosphate, a key substrate for de novo synthesis of glucose and TAG. In spite of showing similar hepatic AQP9 protein, women exhibit lower hepatocyte glycerol permeability than men, which might contribute to their lower prevalence of insulin resistance and NAFLD.
Sensitivity Curve Approximation using Linear Algebra

Calibration of color cameras requires that a calibration pattern is recorded and color responsivity curves are estimated from the recorded data. Very often, these curves are sampled at discrete wavelength, so that the calibration problem can be written as a system of linear equations. The solution of the – usually overdetermined – problem is subject to a constrained optimization problem, as these curves need to have a certain shape. In this article we apply different methods to incorporate constraints into the estimation problem while still keeping the problem linear.
Design of a 2-Dimensional , Pseudo-Voltage-Domain , Silicon Cochlea

A 2-dimensional cochlear model offers several advantages over the usual 1-dimensional implementations. It allows to properly model the different modes of wave propagation through the cochlea. Furthermore, the number of filters per octave can be increased without increasing the delay along the cochlea, which is not possible with a 1dimensional model. Another practical advantage of the 2-D implementation is that a defect in one of the filters does not disable all filters with a lower characteristic frequency. We have designed an analogue VLSI implementation of a 2-D cochlear model that uses a grid of transistors to model the cochlear fluid mass. The operation of this grid is linear in the pseudo-voltage domain. We present in this paper a pseudo-voltage domain resonator compatible with the resistive grid. Simulations of the resonator and the full implementation of the 2-D cochlea are presented.
Sparse representations in unions of bases

The purpose of this correspondence is to generalize a result by Donoho and Huo and Elad and Bruckstein on sparse representations of signals in a union of two orthonormal bases for R/sup N/. We consider general (redundant) dictionaries for R/sup N/, and derive sufficient conditions for having unique sparse representations of signals in such dictionaries. The special case where the dictionary is given by the union of L/spl ges/2 orthonormal bases for R/sup N/ is studied in more detail. In particular, it is proved that the result of Donoho and Huo, concerning the replacement of the /spl lscr//sup 0/ optimization problem with a linear programming problem when searching for sparse representations, has an analog for dictionaries that may be highly redundant.
Rapid G protein-regulated activation event involved in lymphocyte binding to high endothelial venules

The homing of blood borne lymphocytes into lymph nodes and Peyer's patches is mediated in part by recognition and binding to specialized high endothelial venules (HEV). Here we demonstrate that a rapid pertussis toxin-sensitive lymphocyte activation event can participate in lymphocyte recognition of HEV. In situ video microscopic analyses of lymphocyte interactions with HEV in exteriorized mouse Peyer's patches reveal that pertussis toxin has no effect on an initial "rolling" displayed by many lymphocytes, but inhibits an activation-dependent "sticking" event required for lymphocyte arrest. This is the first demonstration that physiologic lymphocyte-endothelial interactions can involve sequential rolling, activation, and activation-dependent arrest, previously shown only for neutrophils. The inhibitory effect of the toxin is dependent on its G protein-modifying ADP- ribosyltransferase activity and can be reversed by phorbol myristic acetate, which bypasses cell surface receptors to trigger activation- dependent adhesion. Lymphocyte sticking can occur within 1-3 s after initiation of rolling. We conclude that a rapid receptor-mediated activation event involving G protein signaling can trigger stable lymphocyte attachment to HEV in vivo, and may play a critical role in regulating lymphocyte homing.
Management of behavioral problems in Alzheimer's disease

ABSTRACT Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex progressive brain degenerative disorder that has effects on multiple cerebral systems. In addition to cognitive and functional decline, diverse behavioral changes manifest with increasing severity over time, presenting significant management challenges for caregivers and health care professionals. Almost all patients with AD are affected by neuropsychiatric symptoms at some point during their illness; in some cases, symptoms occur prior to diagnosis of the dementia syndrome. Further, behavioral factors have been identified, which may have their origins in particular neurobiological processes, and respond to particular management strategies. Improved clarification of causes, triggers, and presentation of neuropsychiatric symptoms will guide both research and clinical decision-making. Measurement of neuropsychiatric symptoms in AD is most commonly by means of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory; its utility and future development are discussed, as are the limitations and difficulties encountered when quantifying behavioral responses in clinical trials. Evidence from clinical trials of both non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments, and from neurobiological studies, provides a range of management options that can be tailored to individual needs. We suggest that non-pharmacological interventions (including psychosocial/psychological counseling, interpersonal management and environmental management) should be attempted first, followed by the least harmful medication for the shortest time possible. Pharmacological treatment options, such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, need careful consideration of the benefits and limitations of each drug class.
Effect of mevalonate biosynthesis inhibitor on some biochemical parameters during pregnancy in rats

To evaluate the detriments accompanying the inhibition of de novo cholesterol biosynthesis pathway using 3- hydroxy 3methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors in addition to appraising the effect of progesterone restriction on normal pregnant rats. Thirty of 1 st day gestation rat females were submitted to the experiment, divided into two groups (15 rats each), control pregnant treated with deionized water and the other group treated with simvastatin (100 mg. kg -1 BW. day -1 ) for twenty days by oral intubation. Serum and tissue samples from liver, ovary and placenta were obtained at the days, 1 st , 15 th and 20 th of the treatment. Results of statistic indicated a significant (P�0.01) decrease in the percentage of serum total cholesterol (58%), triglycerides (58%) and progesterone (60%) at the day 20 th of simvastatin treatment versus to control, at the same time glucose level and alkaline phosphatase activity elevation were obtained in simvastatin- treated group. Non of albumin, total protein levels and transaminase enzymes revealed significant alteration at the end of treatment. Total cholesterol of liver, ovary and placenta manifested a significant decrease (P �0.01) (71%, 39%, 62% respectively) since 15 th day of treatment. In conclusion, the inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis pathway during pregnancy suppresses the progesterone secretion and alter some biochemical parameters with depletion of cholesterol pool from tissues which may lead to an intense changes responsible for pregnancy failure.
Effects of early‐life exposure to Western diet and wheel access on metabolic syndrome profiles in mice bred for high voluntary exercise

Experimental studies manipulating diet and exercise have shown varying effects on metabolic syndrome components in both humans and rodents. To examine the potential interactive effects of diet, exercise and genetic background, we studied mice from four replicate lines bred (52 generations) for high voluntary wheel running (HR lines) and four unselected control lines (C). At weaning, animals were housed for 60 days with or without wheels and fed either a standard chow or Western diet (WD, 42% kcal from fat). Four serial (three juvenile and one adult) blood samples were taken to measure fasting total cholesterol (TC), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), triglycerides and glucose. Western diet was obesogenic for all mice, even after accounting for the amount of wheel running and kilojoules consumed. Western diet significantly raised glucose as well as TC and HDL‐C concentrations. At the level of individual variation (repeatability), there was a modest correlation (r = 0.3–0.5) of blood lipids over time, which was reduced with wheel access and/or WD. Neither genetic selection history nor wheel access had a statistically significant effect on blood lipids. However, HR and C mice had divergent ontogenetic trajectories for body mass and caloric intake. HR mice also had lower adiposity, an effect that was dependent on wheel access. The environmental factors of diet and wheel access had pronounced effects on body mass, food consumption and fasting glucose concentrations, interacting with each other and/or with genetic strain. These data underscore the importance (and often unpredictable nature) of genotype‐by‐environment and environment‐by‐environment interactions when studying body weight regulation.
Opposition-based particle swarm algorithm with cauchy mutation

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) has shown its fast search speed in many complicated optimization and search problems. However, PSO could often easily fall into local optima. This paper presents an Opposition-based PSO (OPSO) to accelerate the convergence of PSO and avoid premature convergence. The proposed method employs opposition-based learning for each particle and applies a dynamic Cauchy mutation on the best particle. Experimental results on many well- known benchmark optimization problems have shown that OPSO could successfully deal with those difficult multimodal functions while maintaining fast search speed on those simple unimodal functions in the function optimization.
The Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus in Patients with Primary Hyperparathyroidism and Among Their Relatives

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in a series of 205 patients with proven primary hyperparathyroidism was 7.8% (16 patients). Eight patients were known to have diabetes at first attendance (prevalence 3.9%), four were discovered at the time of diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism (combined prevalence 5.9%) and four subsequently. Diabetes had been diagnosed from age 39 yr onwards, and in those with diabetes hyperparathyroidism was diagnosed at age 44 yr or later. The prevalence of diabetes in primary hyperparathyroidism is significantly greater than in a series of 200 consecutive non‐hyperparathyroid outpatients attending the same unit (3.0%, p < 0.05), or in the general populations of Oxford and Poole, after matching for age and sex (p < 0.05), or in the combined populations of Oxford, Poole, and Southall (white population) (p < 0.05) after similar matching. However, the prevalence of diabetes in hyperparathyroidism did not differ significantly from that of the white population of Coventry, where the prevalence is higher than that of Oxford, Poole and Southall. For hyperparathyroid patients presenting at age 40 yr or over, the prevalence of known diabetes (4.7%) is significantly greater than in the general populations at similar age of Oxford, Poole, and Southall.