Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of risk factors for stroke incidence and stroke mortality in 20 years of follow-up in men and women in the Renfrew/Paisley Study in Scotland.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The aim of this study was to relate risk factors in middle-aged men and women to stroke incidence (defined by having a hospital discharge with a main diagnosis of stroke) and compare this with the associations between risk factors and stroke mortality. METHODS In the early to mid-1970s, when they were 45 to 64 years of age, 7052 men and 8354 women from the Renfrew/Paisley prospective cohort study in Scotland were screened. Risk factors measured included blood pressure, blood cholesterol and glucose, respiratory function, cardiothoracic ratio, smoking habit, height, body mass index, preexisting coronary heart disease, and diabetes. These were related to stroke incidence over 20 years of follow-up. RESULTS Diastolic and systolic blood pressure, smoking, cardiothoracic ratio, preexisting coronary heart disease, and diabetes were positively related to stroke incidence for men and women, whereas adjusted FEV(1) (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) and height were negatively related. Cholesterol was not related to stroke. Glucose for nondiabetic subjects had a U-shaped relationship with stroke. Body mass index was not clearly related to stroke, although participants with the highest body mass index had the highest stroke rate. Former smokers had similar stroke rates to never-smokers. Tests between the associations of risk factors and stroke incidence revealed these were not statistically different from the associations with stroke mortality. CONCLUSIONS The risk factors had a similar effect on stroke incidence as on stroke mortality. Epidemiological studies with information on stroke mortality are likely to give results applicable to stroke incidence.
Infants' object location and identity processing in spatial scenes: an ERP study

Fast detection and identification of objects in an environment is important for using objects as landmarks during navigation. While adults rapidly process objects within an environment and use landmarks during navigation, infants do not routinely use distal landmarks below the age of 18 months. In the current event‐related potential (ERP) study we adopted an oddball paradigm to examine whether infants are capable of processing objects in environments, which is a prerequisite for using objects as landmarks.
Socio-Economic Inequalities, Out-of-Pocket Payment and Consumers' Satisfaction with Primary Health Care: Data from the National Adult Consumers' Satisfaction Survey in Serbia 2009–2015

Citation: Vojvodic K, Terzic-Supic Z, Santric-Milicevic M and Wolf GW (2017) Socio-Economic Inequalities, Out-of-Pocket Payment and Consumers’ Satisfaction with Primary Health Care: Data from the National Adult Consumers’ Satisfaction Survey in Serbia 2009–2015. Front. Pharmacol. 8:147. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2017. 00147 Socio-Economic Inequalities, Out-of-Pocket Payment and Consumers’ Satisfaction with Primary Health Care: Data from the National Adult Consumers’ Satisfaction Survey in Serbia 2009–2015
Towards closed-loop dynamical wind farm control: model development and control applications

Electricity consumption is increasing on a global level. In 2017, non-renewable energy sources such as crude oil, natural gas and coal provided 76% of the required energy, while 24% came from renewable sources such as hydro, wind and solar. Non-renewable sources are finite because they do not replenish rapidly enough relative to the rate at which they are being used, and harvesting these resources is environmental costly. Since renewable energy sources replenish naturally in a relatively short period of time and are cleaner, they are suitable for the sustainable production of electricity.
On the Expressiveness of Linearity vs Persistence in the Asychronous Pi-Calculus

We present an expressiveness study of linearity and persistence of processes. We choose the pi-calculus, one of the main representatives of process calculi, as a framework to conduct our study. We consider four fragments of the pi-calculus. Each one singles out a natural source of linearity/persistence also present in other frameworks such as concurrent constraint programming (CCP), linear CCP, and several calculi for security. The study is presented by providing (or proving the non-existence of) encodings among the fragments, a processes-as-formulae interpretation and a reduction from, Minsky machines
The garbage collection advantage: improving program locality

As improvements in processor speed continue to outpace improvements in cache and memory speed, poor locality increasingly degrades performance. Because copying garbage collectors move objects, they have an opportunity to improve locality. However, no static copying order is guaranteed to match program traversal orders. This paper introduces online object reordering (OOR) which includes a new dynamic, online class analysis for Java that detects program traversal patterns and exploits them in a copying collector. OOR uses run-time method sampling that drives just-in-time (JIT) compilation. For each hot (frequently executed) method, OOR analysis identifies the hot field accesses. At garbage collection time, the OOR collector then copies referents of hot fields together with their parent. Enhancements include static analysis to exclude accesses in cold basic blocks, heuristics that decay heat to respond to phase changes, and a separate space for hot objects. The overhead of OOR is on average negligible and always less than 2% on Java benchmarks in Jikes RVM with MMTk. We compare program performance of OOR to static class-oblivious copying orders (e.g., breadth and depth first). Performance variation due to static orders is often low, but can be up to 25%. In contrast, OOR matches or improves upon the best static order since its history-based copying tunes memory layout to program traversal.
Neuropeptide Y mRNA and immunoreactivity in hypothalamic neuroendocrine neurons: effects of adrenalectomy and chronic osmotic stimulation

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) coexists with vasopressin or oxytocin in magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial tract. Using quantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry and immunohistochemistry, we have studied the effects of adrenalectomy and chronic osmotic stimulation, either alone or in combination, on NPY mRNA expression and NPY immunoreactivity in magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamic paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei, and arcuate nucleus (Arc). Adrenalectomy and chronic osmotic stimulation each increased NPY mRNA levels in magnocellular neurons of the PVN and SON, while the combination of both treatments had an additive effect. In the Arc, only the combination of adrenalectomy and chronic osmotic stimulation increased NPY mRNA levels. Chronic osmotic stimulation also resulted in a marked increase of NPY-immunoreactive magnocellular perikarya in the PVN and SON. In contrast, adrenalectomy had only minor effects on the number of NPY-immunoreactive magnocellular PVN/SON perikarya. Neither chronic osmotic stimulation nor adrenalectomy affected the number of NPY-immunoreactive Arc perikarya. However, adrenalectomy decreased the number of NPY-immunoreactive nerve terminals in the external zone of the median eminence, while chronic osmotic stimulation increased the number of immunoreactive nerve fibers in the internal zone of the median eminence. The present study provides evidence that adrenalectomy and chronic osmotic stimulation can separately influence NPY gene transcription in magnocellular hypothalamo-neurohypophysial neurons, while only the combined effect of adrenalectomy and chronic osmotic stimulation increases NPY mRNA expression in neurons of the Arc.
Amlodipine Metabolism in Human Liver Microsomes and Roles of CYP3A4/5 in the Dihydropyridine Dehydrogenation

Amlodipine is a commonly prescribed calcium channel blocker for the treatment of hypertension and ischemic heart disease. The drug is slowly cleared in humans primarily via dehydrogenation of its dihydropyridine moiety to a pyridine derivative (M9). Results from clinical drug-drug interaction studies suggest that CYP3A4/5 mediate metabolism of amlodipine. However, attempts to identify a role of CYP3A5 in amlodipine metabolism in humans based on its pharmacokinetic differences between CYP3A5 expressers and nonexpressers failed. Objectives of this study were to determine the metabolite profile of amlodipine (a racemic mixture and S-isomer) in human liver microsomes (HLM), and to identify the cytochrome P450 (P450) enzyme(s) involved in the M9 formation. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis showed that amlodipine was mainly converted to M9 in HLM incubation. M9 underwent further O-demethylation, O-dealkylation, and oxidative deamination to various pyridine derivatives. This observation is consistent with amlodipine metabolism in humans. Incubations of amlodipine with HLM in the presence of selective P450 inhibitors showed that both ketoconazole (an inhibitor of CYP3A4/5) and CYP3cide (an inhibitor of CYP3A4) completely blocked the M9 formation, whereas chemical inhibitors of other P450 enzymes had little effect. Furthermore, metabolism of amlodipine in expressed human P450 enzymes showed that only CYP3A4 had significant activity in amlodipine dehydrogenation. Metabolite profiles and P450 reaction phenotyping data of a racemic mixture and S-isomer of amlodipine were very similar. The results from this study suggest that CYP3A4, rather than CYP3A5, plays a key role in metabolic clearance of amlodipine in humans.
Low-complexity Image-based 3D Gaming

In this paper we present a low-complexity capturing and real-time rendering technique for interactive and photorealistic immersive gaming applications using 3D anaglyph vision. In contrast to conventional geometry-based rendering engines, this approach uses image-based techniques to guarantee high quality graphics that can be achieved at low computational costs. In combination with explicit depth information, interactive and augmented environments can be represented. The rendering process is simplified by approximating perspective projection to allow high quality graphics along with an interactive game-play even on mobile devices. Results show that depth perception is not affected by the introduced distortions.
Sequence Variations of Latent Membrane Protein 2A in Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Gastric Carcinomas from Guangzhou, Southern China

Latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A), expressed in most Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated malignancies, has been demonstrated to be responsible for the maintenance of latent infection and epithelial cell transformation. Besides, it could also act as the target for a CTL-based therapy for EBV-associated malignancies. In the present study, sequence variations of LMP2A in EBV-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) and healthy EBV carriers from Guangzhou, southern China, where nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is endemic, were investigated. Widespread sequence variations in the LMP2A gene were found, with no sequence identical to the B95.8 prototype. No consistent mutation was detected in all isolates. The immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) and PY motifs in the amino terminus of LMP2A were strictly conserved, suggesting their important roles in virus infection; while 8 of the 17 identified CTL epitopes in the transmembrane region of LMP2A were affected by at least one point mutation, which may implicate that the effect of LMP2A polymorphisms should be considered when LMP2A-targeted immunotherapy is conducted. The polymorphisms of LMP2A in EBVaGC in gastric remnant carcinoma (GRC) were for the first time investigated in the world. The LMP2A sequence variations in EBVaGC in GRC were somewhat different from those in EBVaGC in conventional gastric carcinoma. The sequence variations of LMP2A in EBVaGC were similar to those in throat washing of healthy EBV carriers, indicating that these variations are due to geographic-associated polymorphisms rather than EBVaGC-associated mutations. This, to our best knowledge, is the first detailed investigation of LMP2A polymorphisms in EBVaGC in Guangzhou, southern China, where NPC is endemic.
Effect of Tea Catechins on Cellular Lipid Peroxidation and Cytotoxicity in HepG2 Cells

Tea catechins inhibited TBARS accumulation in HepG2 cells, the order of effectiveness being (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)>(−)-epigallocatechin (EGC)≥(−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG)>(−)-epicatechin (EC). EGCG and EGC protected the depletion of α-tocopherol in the cells, and the glutathione content was enhanced by all four catechins. Moreover, all four catechins suppressed the formation of glutathione disulfide and the activation of glutathione peroxidase induced by tert-butylated hydroperoxide.
Transmission of a continuous signal via one-bit capacity channel

We study the problem of the transmission of currently observed time variable signals via a channel that is capable of sending a single binary signal only for each measurement of the underlying process. For encoding and decoding, we suggest a modification othe adaptive delta modulation algorithm. This modification ensures tracking of time variable signals. We obtained upper estimates for the error for the case of noiseless transmission.
Individuality in bird migration: routes and timing

The exploration of animal migration has entered a new era with individual-based tracking during multiple years. Here, we investigated repeated migratory journeys of a long-distance migrating bird, the marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus, in order to analyse the variation within and between individuals with respect to routes and timing. We found that there was a stronger individual repeatability in time than in space. Thus, the annual timing of migration varied much less between repeated journeys of the same individual than between different individuals, while there was considerable variation in the routes of the same individual on repeated journeys. The overall contrast in repeatability between time and space was unexpected and may be owing to strong endogenous control of timing, while short-term variation in environmental conditions (weather and habitat) might promote route flexibility. The individual variation in migration routes indicates that the birds navigate mainly by other means than detailed route recapitulation based on landmark recognition.
The Livehoods Project: Utilizing Social Media to Understand the Dynamics of a City

Studying the social dynamics of a city on a large scale has tra- ditionally been a challenging endeavor, requiring long hours of observation and interviews, usually resulting in only a par- tial depiction of reality. At the same time, the boundaries of municipal organizational units, such as neighborhoods and districts, are largely statically defined by the city government and do not always reflect the character of life in these ar- eas. To address both difficulties, we introduce a clustering model and research methodology for studying the structure and composition of a city based on the social media its res- idents generate. We use data from approximately 18 million check-ins collected from users of a location-based online so- cial network. The resulting clusters, which we call Livehoods, are representations of the dynamic urban areas that comprise the city. We take an interdisciplinary approach to validating these clusters, interviewing 27 residents of Pittsburgh, PA, to see how their perceptions of the city project onto our findings there. Our results provide strong support for the discovered clusters, showing how Livehoods reveal the distinctly charac- terized areas of the city and the forces that shape them.
Heparin Mimetics: Their Therapeutic Potential

Heparin mimetics are synthetic and semi-synthetic compounds that are highly sulfated, structurally distinct analogues of glycosaminoglycans. These mimetics are often rationally designed to increase potency and binding selectivity towards specific proteins involved in disease manifestations. Some of the major therapeutic arenas towards which heparin mimetics are targeted include: coagulation and thrombosis, cancers, and inflammatory diseases. Although Fondaparinux, a rationally designed heparin mimetic, is now approved for prophylaxis and treatment of venous thromboembolism, the search for novel anticoagulant heparin mimetics with increased affinity and fewer side effects remains a subject of research. However, increasingly, research is focusing on the non-anticoagulant activities of these molecules. Heparin mimetics have potential as anti-cancer agents due to their ability to: (1) inhibit heparanase, an endoglycosidase which facilitates the spread of tumor cells; and (2) inhibit angiogenesis by binding to growth factors. The heparin mimetic, PI-88 is in clinical trials for post-surgical hepatocellular carcinoma and advanced melanoma. The anti-inflammatory properties of heparin mimetics have primarily been attributed to their ability to interact with: complement system proteins, selectins and chemokines; each of which function differently to facilitate inflammation. The efficacy of low/non-anticoagulant heparin mimetics in animal models of different inflammatory diseases has been demonstrated. These findings, plus clinical data that indicates heparin has anti-inflammatory activity, will raise the momentum for developing heparin mimetics as a new class of therapeutic agent for inflammatory diseases.
Design of an energy-efficient cross-layer protocol for mobile ad hoc networks

Reducing energy consumption for data transmissions and prolonging network lifetime are crucial in the design of energy-efficient routing protocols. The proportion of successful data transmissions is significant for the reduction of data transmission and traffic load energy consumption, although the energy remaining in node is important for prolonging network lifetime. In this study, the authors propose an energy-efficient cross-layer design for the network layer and medium access control (MAC) layer that reduces energy consumption and prolongs network lifetime. In the network layer, a minimum transmission energy consumption (MTEC) routing protocol is proposed for selecting the MTEC path for data transmission, based on the proportion of successful data transmissions, the number of channel events, the remaining node energy of nodes and the traffic load of nodes. The authors design an adaptive contention window (ACW) for the MAC layer that provides nodes with high successful transmission rates with greater opportunity for contending for a channel to save energy. They used simulations to compare the proposed cross-layer design (MTEC with ACW) with related protocols, including dynamic source routing, traffic-size aware and the Varaprasad routing protocol. The simulation results showed that the proposed cross-layer design (MTEC with ACW) provided better packet delivery rate and throughput than existing protocols. MTEC with ACW also exhibited lower-energy consumption during data transmission and a higher network lifetime than existing protocols.
Rapid shape detection signals in area V4

Vision in foveate animals is an active process that requires rapid and constant decision-making. For example, when a new object appears in the visual field, we can quickly decide to inspect it by directing our eyes to the object's location. We studied the contribution of primate area V4 to these types of rapid foveation decisions. Animals performed a reaction time task that required them to report when any shape appeared within a peripherally-located noisy stimulus by making a saccade to the stimulus location. We found that about half of the randomly sampled V4 neurons not only rapidly and precisely represented the appearance of this shape, but they were also predictive of the animal's saccades. A neuron's ability to predict the animal's saccades was not related to the specificity with which the cell represented a single type of shape but rather to its ability to signal whether any shape was present. This relationship between sensory sensitivity and behavioral predictiveness was not due to global effects such as alertness, as it was equally likely to be observed for cells with increases and decreases in firing rate. Careful analysis of the timescales of reliability in these neurons implies that they reflect both feedforward and feedback shape detecting processes. In approximately 7% of our recorded sample, individual neurons were able to predict both the delay and precision of the animal's shape detection performance. This suggests that a subset of V4 neurons may have been directly and causally contributing to task performance and that area V4 likely plays a critical role in guiding rapid, form-based foveation decisions.
Characteristics of Opioid-Using Pregnant Women Who Accept or Refuse Participation in a Clinical Trial: Screening Results from the MOTHER Study

Background: Although concerns arise about the generalizability of results from Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), few studies systematically examine this issue. Objectives: This study compared the characteristics of 427 opioid-using pregnant women who did (n = 208) and did not consent (n = 219) to enrollment in a multicenter clinical trial of agonist medications (i.e., the MOTHER study). Methods: Logistic regression models were used to compare consenters and non-consenters to examine the effect of screening variables on the likelihood of consenting. Results: Of nine characteristics examined, most differences did not reach statistical significance. Consenting participants were less likely than non-consenting women to be currently enrolled in a methadone maintenance program (74.5% vs. 84.5%, p =.01). Conclusion and Scientific Significance: These data show that the recruited sample of drug-dependent pregnant women enrolled in an intensive RCT is representative of the larger population of treated opioid-dependent patients and supports the generalizability of randomized controlled trials in this population.
Microeconomics of the Australian Labour Market

The Australian labour market is in a constant state of adjustment to external and internal shocks. Changes in aggregate demand, tastes and preferences, technology, institutions and government policies, and world trade conditions are examples of secular, cyclical and random forces for change. They induce changes in decisions of households to offer labour and acquire skills, and in decisions of firms to hire labour. Price, quantity and quality signalling mechanisms are involved in directing and co-ordinating labour market responses to the shocks. This paper reviews the literature on the underlying demand and supply functions, and the adjustment mechanisms for the Australian labour market in aggregate, and for components such as occupations, industries, skill levels, gender, age, regions and hours of work. In particular, it focuses on insights provided about unemployment and its composition.
Understanding the regenerative comparator circuit

The regenerative comparator circuit which lies at the heart of A/D conversion, slicer circuits, and memory sensing, is unstable, time-varying, nonlinear, and with multiple equilibria. That does not mean, as this paper shows, that it cannot be understood with simple equivalent circuits that reveal its dynamics completely, and enable it to be designed to specifications on static and dynamic offset and noise. The analysis is applied to the StrongArm latch.