Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Respiratory and Other Health Effects Reported in Children Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster of 11 September 2001

Background Effects of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster on children’s respiratory health have not been definitively established. Objective This report describes respiratory health findings among children who were < 18 years of age on 11 September 2001 (9/11) and examine associations between disaster-related exposures and respiratory health. Methods Children recruited for the WTC Health Registry (WTCHR) included child residents and students (kindergarten through 12th grade) in Manhattan south of Canal Street, children who were south of Chambers Street on 9/11, and adolescent disaster-related workers or volunteers. We collected data via computer-assisted telephone interviews in 2003–2004, with interview by adult proxy for children still < 18 years of age at that time. We compared age-specific asthma prevalence with National Health Interview Survey estimates. Results Among 3,184 children enrolled, 28% were < 5 years of age on 9/11; 34%, 5–11 years; and 39%, 12–17 years. Forty-five percent had a report of dust cloud exposure on 9/11. Half (53%) reported at least one new or worsened respiratory symptom, and 5.7% reported new asthma diagnoses. Before 9/11, age-specific asthma prevalence in enrolled children was similar to national estimates, but prevalence at interview was elevated among enrollees < 5 years of age. Dust cloud exposure was associated with new asthma diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio = 2.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.5–3.5). Conclusions Asthma prevalence after 9/11 among WTCHR enrollees < 5 years of age was higher than national estimates, and new asthma diagnosis was associated with dust cloud exposure in all age groups. We will determine severity of asthma and persistence of other respiratory symptoms on follow-up surveys.
Factorized Asymptotic Bayesian Inference for Latent Feature Models

This paper extends factorized asymptotic Bayesian (FAB) inference for latent feature models (LFMs). FAB inference has not been applicable to models, including LFMs, without a specific condition on the Hessian matrix of a complete log-likelihood, which is required to derive a "factorized information criterion" (FIC). Our asymptotic analysis of the Hessian matrix of LFMs shows that FIC of LFMs has the same form as those of mixture models. FAB/LFMs have several desirable properties (e.g., automatic hidden states selection and parameter identifiability) and empirically perform better than state-of-the-art Indian Buffet processes in terms of model selection, prediction, and computational efficiency.
Metric Structure of the Space of Two-Qubit Gates, Perfect Entanglers and Quantum Control

We derive expressions for the invariant length element and measure for the simple compact Lie group SU(4) in a coordinate system particularly suitable for treating entanglement in quantum information processing. Using this metric, we compute the invariant volume of the space of two-qubit perfect entanglers. We find that this volume corresponds to more than 84% of the total invariant volume of the space of two-qubit gates. This same metric is also used to determine the effective target sizes that selected gates will present in any quantum-control procedure designed to implement them.
Rejection: A Possible Consequence of Seeking Help for Mental Disorders

The effects of seeking help for problems of disturbed behavior are examined to determine the extent to which attidudes toward an individual exhibiting symptoms of mental illness are predicated on knowledge of the particular help-source that the individual is consulting. The term "help-source" refers to the clergyman, the physician, the psychiatrist, and the mental hospital. A Graeco-Latin Square design, used with 300 respondents, provided a large amount of information from a relatively small number of observations. The findings indicate that individuals described as exhibiting identical behavior are increasingly rejected as they are described as utilizing no help, utilizing a clergyman, a physician, a psychiatrist, or a mental hospital.
Toxicological Effects of the Different Substances in Tobacco Smoke on Human Embryonic Development by a Systems Chemo-Biology Approach

The physiological and molecular effects of tobacco smoke in adult humans and the development of cancer have been well described. In contrast, how tobacco smoke affects embryonic development remains poorly understood. Morphological studies of the fetuses of smoking pregnant women have shown various physical deformities induced by constant fetal exposure to tobacco components, especially nicotine. In addition, nicotine exposure decreases fetal body weight and bone/cartilage growth in addition to decreasing cranial diameter and tibia length. Unfortunately, the molecular pathways leading to these morphological anomalies are not completely understood. In this study, we applied interactome data mining tools and small compound interaction networks to elucidate possible molecular pathways associated with the effects of tobacco smoke components during embryonic development in pregnant female smokers. Our analysis showed a relationship between nicotine and 50 additional harmful substances involved in a variety of biological process that can cause abnormal proliferation, impaired cell differentiation, and increased oxidative stress. We also describe how nicotine can negatively affect retinoic acid signaling and cell differentiation through inhibition of retinoic acid receptors. In addition, nicotine causes a stress reaction and/or a pro-inflammatory response that inhibits the agonistic action of retinoic acid. Moreover, we show that the effect of cigarette smoke on the developing fetus could represent systemic and aggressive impacts in the short term, causing malformations during certain stages of development. Our work provides the first approach describing how different tobacco constituents affect a broad range of biological process in human embryonic development.
Modeling of dependent competing risks by first passage times of Wiener processes

Consider the competing risks situation for a component which may be subject to either a failure or a preventive maintenance action, where the latter will prevent the failure. It is then reasonable to expect a dependence between the time to failure and the time to preventive maintenance. This paper briefly reviews some modeling approaches and introduces a new approach based on modeling of the degradation of a component by means of Wiener processes, with failure corresponding to the first crossing of a certain level, and potential time for maintenance corresponding to the crossing of a certain lower degradation level.
Biodiversity and Fishery Sustainability in the Lake Victoria Basin: An Unexpected Marriage?

Abstract Lake Victoria is Africa's single most important source of inland fishery production. After it was initially fished down in the first half of the 20th century, Lake Victoria became home to a series of introduced food fishes, culminating in the eventual demographic dominance of the Nile perch, Lates niloticus. Simultaneously with the changes in fish stocks, Lake Victoria experienced dramatic changes in its ecology. The lake fishery during most of the 20th century was a multispecies fishery resting on a diverse lake ecosystem, in which native food fishes were targeted. The lake ended the century with a much more productive fishery, but one in which three species—two of them introduced—made up the majority of the catch. Although many fish stocks in Lake Victoria had declined before the expansion of the Nile perch population, a dramatic increase in the population size of Nile perch in the 1980s roughly coincided with the drastic decline or disappearance of many indigenous species. Now, two decades after the rise of Nile perch in Lake Victoria, this species has shown signs of being overfished, and some of the native species that were in retreat—or even thought extinct—are now reemerging. Data on the resurgence of the indigenous species suggest that heavy fishing of Nile perch may enhance biodiversity; this has spawned renewed interest in management options that promote both fishery sustainability and biodiversity conservation.
Culture and Formal Social Control: The Effect of the Code of the Street on Police and Court Decision-making

Objectives. Drawing on several interrelated lines of scholarship, we argue that cultural beliefs at individual and neighborhood levels may affect police and court decisions. We hypothesize that individuals who more strongly adhere to the code of the street or reside in areas where the street code culture is more strongly embraced will be more likely to be arrested and convicted, and that neighborhood-level effects will amplify the effect of street code adherence. Methods. To test these hypotheses, data from the Family and Community Health Study are examined using multilevel modeling. Results. Blacks who more strongly adhered to street code beliefs were more likely to be arrested and convicted; this effect was greater among those who resided in areas where the code of the street belief system was more entrenched. Conclusions. The findings highlight the potential usefulness of a focus on culture for understanding the exercise of formal social control.
Coupled analytical and numerical approach to uncovering new regulatory mechanisms of intracellular processes

Coupled analytical and numerical approach to uncovering new regulatory mechanisms of intracellular processes The paper deals with the analysis of signaling pathways aimed at uncovering new regulatory processes regulating cell responses. First, general issues of comparing simulation and experimental data are discussed, and various aspects of data normalization are covered. Then, a model of a particular signaling pathway, induced by Interferon-β, is briefly introduced. It serves as an example illustrating how mathematical modeling can be used for inferring the structure of a regulatory system governing the dynamics of intracellular processes. In this pathway, experimental results suggest that a hitherto unknown process is responsible for a decrease in the levels of one of the important molecules used in the pathway. Then, equilibrium points of the model are analyzed, allowing the rejection of all but one explanation of the phenomena observed experimentally. Numerical simulations confirm that the model can mimic the dynamics of the processes in the pathway under consideration. Finally, some remarks about the applicability of the method based on an analysis of equilibrium points are made.
Effect of cathodal high-voltage electrical stimulation on pain in women with TMD.

BACKGROUND Pain is the main symptom of patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of cathodal high-voltage electrical stimulation (HVES) on pain intensity in women with TMD. METHODS Twenty women with TMD (24.25 ± 8.90 years old) participated in the study. They were divided into experimental group (EG, n=10), which received 10 applications of HVES, and placebo group (PG, n=10), which received sham treatment with disconnected HVES equipment. For the sample selection, we used the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorder (RDC/TMD). Pain level was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) applied prior to and after the tenth application of HVES. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS Ten applications of HVES reduced pain intensity in the EG (p=0.01). In the PG, there was no significant difference (p=0.20). After the application of HVES, no difference was found (p=0.65) between the groups. CONCLUSION The cathodal HVES was effective in reducing pain in women with TMD. Trial Registration RBR-4bk94x.
Mercury speciation and effects on soil microbial activities

To study Hg toxicity on soil microbes and their activities, it is necessary to understand its various forms in soils. The objectives of this study were to investigate Hg speciation in four soil types spiked with Hg (300 mg kg−1 soil) and its effects on soil microbial respiration and enzymes (amidohydrolases and phosphatase) activities. An assessment of the chemical forms, amounts, reactions, and mobility of Hg in soils and sediments is of significant importance to improve and maintain soil and environmental health and sustainability. Mercury speciation analysis was investigated under acidic and alkaline conditions using a modified sequential procedure, which differentiates Hg into the four distinct fractions. Soil microbial respiration and enzymes activities were determined under laboratory settings, by incubating the soils at 25°C for 30 days, and then determining the amount of CO2 evolved. Speciation results revealed that the water soluble form was the least, with < 1% of the total Hg in the soil types investigated irrespective of the pH condition, while the residual fraction was the most abundant (> 80%) in Canisteo, Houston, and Ketona soils under acidic conditions and < 35% in Decatur soil. Under alkaline conditions, the residual fraction was ≤ 70% in Canisteo, Houston, and ketona and ≤ 29% in Decatur soil. The exchangeable fraction was the second most abundant fraction in the soils used ranging from 3.7–50.0% under acid conditions and 16.9–52.1% under alkaline conditions indicating that Hg desorption was found to be more favorable under alkaline than acidic conditions. Soil respiration was suppressed by Hg especially at the 100 mg kg−1 concentration level. Amidohydrolases and phosphatases' response in the presence of Hg was variable. Amidohydrolases were more sensitive to Hg (18–90%) than phosphatase (0–35%) in all soils. This study demonstrated that the forms in which Hg exist in soils may determine its bioavailability and toxicity. Also microbial respiration and enzyme activities are potential bioindicators of heavy metal contamination of the environment.
Occupational Mobility of Black Men: 1962-1973

William Julius Wilson argues that the gains in employment and occupational status that blacks made during the 1960s bred class cleavages that did not exist within the black population prior to 1960. This paper presents a new analysis of data on interand intragenerational mobility of black menfrom the OCG surveys of 1962 and 1973 that supports Wilson's argument. Three important class effects of the type hypothesized by Wilson arefound. First, class effects on intragenerational mobility between 1962 and 1973 were significantfor blacks; these class effects were similar to class effects among whites. Second, class differences in intergenerational mobility increased between 1962 and 1973. Finally, upward mobility between 1962 and 1973 was greatest among men from the most advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. The analysis also reveals an important role for public-sector employment in both occupational upgrading among black men and the emergence of class cleavages within the black population. The public sector provided more highand middle-status occupations for black men than did the private sector. On the other hand, the public sector was more selective in recruiting blacks from middle class and skilled manual backgrounds than was the private sector.
To the Editor

The recent article by Jentsch TJ (1) reports that, “the contention that lubiprostone activates ClC-2 [type 2 chloride channels] is questionable . ” Furthermore, it states that, “ClC-2 activation might rather be useful in diarrhea, but detrimental in obstipation. ” Subsequent to this review article, studies were published using HEK293 cells transfected with human ClC-2 in single channels. The results from these trials confirm that lubiprostone activates ClC-2 (2). Lubiprostone is a prostone that has been extensively shown to treat constipation in well-controlled clinical trials involving thousands of humans (3,4). Lubiprostone received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2006 under the trade name AMITIZA® for the long-term treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation in adults (5). The approved labeling specifically includes a contraindication to lubiprostone’s use in severe diarrhea. The inference that lubiprostone might be useful in the treatment of diarrhea and contraindicated with constipation is medically unsound.
A Linear Model for the Estimation of Fuel Consumption and the Impact Evaluation of Advanced Driving Assistance Systems

Reduction of the environmental impact of cars represents one of the biggest transport industry challenges. Beyond more efficient engines, a promising approach is to use eco-driving technologies that help drivers achieve lower fuel consumption and emission levels. In this study, a real-time microscopic fuel consumption model was developed. It was designed to be integrated into simulation platforms for the design and testing of Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS), aimed at keeping the vehicle within the environmentally friendly driving zone and hence reducing harmful exhaust gases. To allow integration in platforms employed at early stages of ADAS development and testing, the model was kept very simple and dependent on a few easily computable variables. To show the feasibility of the identification of the model (and to validate it), a large experiment involving more than 100 drivers and about 8000 km of driving was carried out using an instrumented vehicle. An instantaneous model was identified based on vehicle speed, acceleration level and gas pedal excursion, applicable in an extra-urban traffic context. Both instantaneous and aggregate validation was performed and the model was shown to estimate vehicle fuel consumption consistently with in-field instantaneous measurements. Very accurate estimations were also shown for the aggregate consumption of each driving session.
Study of health problems and nutritional status of tea garden population of Assam.

BACKGROUND Assam is the highest tea producer state in the country. There is scarcity of reliable information on health and nutritional status among tea garden population of Assam to enable initiating public health response to their health needs. AIMS To describe health problems and nutritional status among tea garden population of Assam. SETTINGS AND DESIGN Community-based cross-sectional survey in eight randomly selected tea gardens of Dibrugarh district of Assam. MATERIALS AND METHODS Socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of participants were recorded. Health problems and nutritional status were assessed through medical examination, evaluation of medical records, anthropometry and laboratory investigations. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Percentage prevalence; Chi-square test was applied wherever applicable. RESULTS Out of 4,016 participants, 1,863 were male and 2,153 were female. They were mostly illiterate and nearly 52.9% (1,197 of 2,264) of adults were manual workers in the garden. Alcohol and oral tobacco use were common. Prevalence of underweight among children was 59.9% (357 of 596) and thinness among adults was 69.9% (1,213 of 1,735). Anemia was widespread. Worm infection (65.4%, 217 of 332); skin problems; respiratory infections, including tuberculosis; filariasis were present in a significant way. Children suffered more in various diseases. Major noncommunicable diseases like hypertension, stroke were emerging in the community and were associated with modifiable risk factors like alcohol and tobacco use. CONCLUSION Health status of the population can be ameliorated through better hygienic practices, environmental sanitation, creating health awareness, nutritional intervention and overall improvement of socioeconomic conditions of the population.
Evidence for hyperplasia in mesenteric resistance vessels of spontaneously hypertensive rats using a three-dimensional disector.

Cellular dimensions in mesenteric resistance vessels from 10 spontaneously hypertensive rats and 10 Wistar-Kyoto rats have been determined using a random volume with an unbiased counting rule as the counting unit (the disector). With this method, vessels first were mounted on a myograph. Media thickness (spontaneously hypertensive rats, 11.3 micron; Wistar-Kyoto rats, 8.6 micron; P less than 0.01), lumen diameter (spontaneously hypertensive rats, 178 micron; Wistar-Kyoto rats, 194 micron; P greater than 0.1), and maximum active wall tension response (spontaneously hypertensive rats, 3.2 N/m; Wistar-Kyoto rats, 2.5 N/m; P less than 0.05) were determined. After fixation, serial sections normal to the long axis of the smooth muscle cells were made. In each vessel, the disector was a defined volume of the vessel wall (volume ca. 25 X 10(3) micron3) which was contained in about eight of these sections. The number of nuclei within the disector was counted using an unbiased, three-dimensional counting rule. On the basis that cells were mononuclear (an assumption that was tested), the ratio of this number divided by disector volume equaled the numerical cellular density. Measurement of the fraction of media taken up by smooth muscle cells then gave mean cell volume (spontaneously hypertensive rats, 563 micron3; Wistar-Kyoto rats, 615 micron3; P greater than 0.1). From the myograph measurements, the number of cells per unit length (spontaneously hypertensive rats, 10.4/micron; Wistar-Kyoto rats, 7.4/micron; P less than 0.05) and maximum force production per cell (spontaneously hypertensive rats, 5.1 microN; Wistar-Kyoto rats, 5.7 microN; P greater than 0.1) could then be calculated. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Comparison between the Personality Dimensions of Delinquents and Non-Delinquents of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan

This study was an attempt to find out the comparison between the personality dimensions of delinquents and non delinquents of Khyber Pukhtonkhwa (KPK). Eysenck personality Questionnaire (junior) (Urdu Version 2007) was administered on the sample of 400 (Delinquents = 200, non-delinquents = 200). Delinquents were the inmates in different jails of KPK while non-delinquents were the students of different colleges of KPK. It was hypothesized that the delinquents will score higher on all the four dimensions of Eysenck personality scale as compared to non delinquents. Findings of the study confirmed the said hypothesis. It was proved that delinquents have higher scores of psychoticism, neuroticism, extraversion, and lie as compared to non-delinquents. The findings of this study can help the parents, teachers, and the law departments to focus on the construction of healthy personality so that the rate of crimes among adolescents can be minimized.
Feeling Conflicted and Seeking Information

To date, little research has examined the impact of attitudinal ambivalence on attitude-congruent selective exposure. Past research would suggest that strong/univalent rather than weak/ambivalent attitudes should be more predictive of proattitudinal information seeking. Although ambivalent attitude structure might weaken the attitude’s effect on seeking proattitudinal information, we believe that conflicted attitudes might also motivate attitude-congruent selective exposure because proattitudinal information should be effective in reducing ambivalence. Two studies provide evidence that the effects of ambivalence on information choices depend on amount of issue knowledge. That is, ambivalence motivates attitude-consistent exposure when issue knowledge is relatively low because less familiar information is perceived to be effective at reducing ambivalence. Conversely, when knowledge is relatively high, more unambivalent (univalent) attitudes predicted attitude-consistent information seeking.