Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moderate Symptom-Based Exacerbations as Predictors of Severe Claims-Based Exacerbations in Asthma

Objectives. Asthma exacerbations have well-established clinical and economic impact, yet lack consensus on characterization of an episode’s severity. Asthma treatment guidelines outline the concept of a moderate asthma exacerbation; however, a clear definition that can be operationalized has not been proposed, Methods. Adult asthma (ICD-9: 493.XX) patients, with at least 9 months of continuous enrolment in the Fallon Community Health Plan were included in the retrospective cohort study. Patients diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or other lower respiratory tract conditions were excluded. The first reported asthma-related event following a 2-week symptom-free period was designated as the index event. Asthma-related events were categorized as (1) moderate exacerbations (symptom-based) or (2) severe exacerbations (claims-based). Timing between and temporal sequence of asthma-related events along with average costs were calculated, Results. Of 3126 eligible patients, 55% reported an asthma-related event followed by a recurrent event(s). Moderate exacerbations followed by recurrent moderate exacerbations were most frequent (20%) with the shortest interval between exacerbations (mean: 83 days [SD 87]). Moderate exacerbations followed by severe exacerbations occurred in 16% of patients with an average of 176.74 (SD 176.94) days between events, Conclusions. Patient report of asthma bothersome enough to initiate contact with a clinician, but not requiring oral corticosteroid (OCS), is a definition for a moderate exacerbation that can be operationalized for research purposes. Further work is needed to demonstrate whether identification of moderate exacerbations will allow interventions that impact the frequency and timing of future exacerbations.
Behavior and performance of emerging market investors: Evidence from China

We study brokerage account data from China to study investing behavior and trading performance in an emerging market. We find that Chinese investors exhibit behavioral biases (i.e., they seem overconfident, inclined toward a disposition effect, and exhibit a representativeness bias) and make poor ex post trading decisions. We also consider potential cross-sectional determinants of investing behavior. Specifically, we identify (1) investors who have accumulated relatively more years of investing experience, (2) middle-aged investors, (3) active investors, (4) investors with relatively more wealth, and (5) investors from the more cosmopolitan Chinese cities, to see if these investors are less prone to exhibiting behavioral biases. Oftentimes, the answer seems to be ‘no.’ JEL classification: G10
Photo‐sharing platforms key for characterising niche and distribution in poorly studied taxa

The continuing advancement of new technologies is making available novel sources of occurrence data, such as photo‐sharing platforms. Using three Iberian Argiope spider species as models, this study aimed to compare the quality of three data sources – existing scientific literature, a biodiversity‐focused photo‐sharing citizen science project, and a photo‐sharing social network – and the results derived from niche and distribution analyses. Data sources were compared in terms of sample size, spatial clustering, and coverage, degree of climatic niche completeness, and in their consistency in the characterisation of response curves. Possible biases towards big cities and protected natural areas were identified, and species distribution models were parameterised and compared. Photo records provided the largest number of occurrences, whereas data from scientific literature showed the worst spatial coverage. Records from the citizen science project yielded the highest degree of niche completeness. All data sources showed some bias towards big cities and protected areas. Data from existing scientific literature yielded the worst range representations and, accordingly, the most different distribution models, whereas the models based on two photo‐vouchered sources were very similar. Range and niche analyses using records from different sources may yield disparate results. Occurrence data from existing scientific literature may not be enough to develop robust niche analyses nor to characterise recent range changes of poorly studied taxa. Photo‐sharing platforms provide updated chorological information and have the potential to increase sample sizes dramatically, which is an important data property in distribution and niche modelling.
PHENOTYPIC ALTERATIONS IN THE COLONIAL MORPHOLOGY OF BRUCELLA ABORTUS DUE TO A BACTERIOPHAGE CARRIER STATE

Jones, Lois M. (University of Wisconsin, Madison), C. R. McDuff, and J. B. Wilson. Phenotypic alterations in the colonial morphology of Brucella abortus due to a bacteriophage carrier state. J. Bacteriol. 83:860–866. 1962. —In the course of examining a number of Brucella cultures with a brucellaphage, it was observed that B. abortus cultures of intermediate colonial morphology, which had a blue-gray colonial appearance, were not lysed within 24 hr; in 48 hr they had developed sticky white growth in the area of the phage drop. When this growth was streaked on agar plates, both white and blue-gray colonies developed. White colonies which were sticky always carried phage and upon restreaking always gave rise to both white and blue-gray colonies. White colonies which were not sticky were rough and phage resistant. Blue-gray colonies produced only blue-gray colonies, did not carry phage, and were similar to the parent in their response to phage. When sticky white colonies were incubated for 6 hr or more in phage antiserum, all phage was eliminated and only blue-gray colonies developed. It was believed that the sticky white colonies were carrier clones in which lysis was delayed until after cell division, thus resulting in the establishment of a colony containing some phage-free progeny. With the accumulation of phage, the colony became sticky. This effect may be caused by the action of bacteriophage enzymes on the cell walls. Brucellaphage had an extremely slow rate of adsorption on a culture of intermediate colonial morphology. A phage mutant which was more strongly lytic for cultures of intermediate colonial morphology was selected from the original phage. The adsorption rate of this phage was more rapid and the latent period shorter. A serological difference between phages could not be demonstrated.
NonAbelian solitons in N=4 gauged supergravity and leading order string theory

We study static, spherically symmetric, and purely magnetic solutions of the N=4 gauged supergravity in four dimensions. A systematic analysis of the supersymmetry conditions reveals solutions which preserve 1/4 of the supersymmetries and are characterized by a BPS-monopole-type gauge field and a globally hyperbolic, everywhere regular geometry. We show that the theory in which these solutions arise can be obtained via compactification of ten-dimensional supergravity on the group manifold. This result is then used to lift the solutions to ten dimensions.
Baseline Description of the Juvenile Localized Scleroderma Subgroup From the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Legacy Registry

Localized scleroderma (LS) is a chronic inflammatory and fibrosing skin disorder. We present baseline data on the juvenile LS (jLS) cohort from the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Legacy Registry, a multicenter observational registry of pediatric rheumatologic disorders.
Learning to hesitate

We investigate how people make choices when they are unsure about the value of the options they face and have to decide whether to choose now or wait and acquire more information first. In an experiment, we find that participants deviate from optimal information acquisition in a systematic manner. They acquire too much information (when they should only collect little) or not enough (when they should collect a lot). We show that this pattern can be explained as naturally emerging from Fechner cognitive errors. Over time participants tend to learn to approximate the optimal strategy when information is relatively costly.
Allocative Efficiency of Markets with Zero-Intelligence Traders: Market as a Partial Substitute for Individual Rationality

We report market experiments in which human traders are replaced by "zero-intelligence" programs that submit random bids and offers. Imposing a budget constraint (i.e., not permitting traders to sell below their costs or buy above their values) is sufficient to raise the allocative efficiency of these auctions close to 100 percent. Allocative efficiency of a double auction derives largely from its structure, independent of traders' motivation, intelligence, or learning. Adam Smith's invisible hand may be more powerful than some may have thought; it can generate aggregate rationality not only from individual rationality but also from individual irrationality.
Prediction of fatty acid composition of vegetable oils based on rheological measurements using nonlinear models

The aim of this study was to model the fatty acid composition of vegetable oils by using the adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and artificial neural network (ANN) based on rheological measurements. For this aim, seven different refined vegetable oils (hazelnut, soybean, sunflower, olive, canola, corn, and cotton seed) were used. Olive oil had the highest viscosity value of 0.067 Pa s. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to determine the correlations among the fatty acids of the oils to reduce parameters which were modeled. PC1 composed of C18:0, C18:1, C18:2, and C20:0 as PC2 composed of C16:0, C18:3, and C22:0. After determination of the fatty acid composition and the rheological properties of the oils, ANN and ANFIS models were established. The inputs were selected as oil type, shear rate and shear stress and the outputs were C16:0 and C18:2. The root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and determination coefficient (R2) were used for testing the accuracy of the models. This comparison showed that ANFIS and ANN achieved a satisfactory prediction for fatty acid composition of the vegetable oils studied and ANFIS is better than ANN. Practical applications: Determination of the fatty acid composition of vegetable oils is important for the assessment of the purity of the oils as well as the nutritional quality. The fatty acid composition of the oils affects their rheological characteristics. Rheological measurements are easier than chromatographic analysis. Therefore, we aimed to establish a model for prediction of the fatty acid composition of the oils based on their rheological behaviors.
Gender Differences in Sleep Disturbance among Elderly Koreans: Hallym Aging Study

Sleep is an important component in our lives as it is necessary throughout one’s entire life span. This study was conducted to elucidate whether there are gender differences in sleep quality and what factors can affect sleep quality in community-dwelling elderly Koreans. A total of 382 subjects (175 males and 207 females) were recruited among elderly aged 45 or over who participated in the 2010 Hallym Aging Study (HAS). They were invited to a general hospital and were evaluated for socioeconomic status, smoking history, and various clinical measures. Sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A higher score indicates poorer subjective sleep quality, (PSQI global score > 5 suggests sleep disturbance). After adjusting for potential covariates, our results show that alcohol increases the odds for poor sleep (odds ratio [OR] = 3.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11–10.10) in males. In females, lack of exercise was the major risk factor of poor sleep as they are 4.46 times more likely to suffer from low sleep quality than those who exercise regularly (95% CI=1.56–13.75). Stress was also a risk factor for poor sleep. It was 5.60 times higher in the “always have stress” group than the “do not have stress” group (95% CI = 1.54–20.34). Thus, alcohol consumption is associated with men’s sleep quality, while exercise and stress level affect women’s.
Rotary gallop in the untethered quadrupedal robot scout II

This paper discusses recent galloping results obtained using the Scout II quadrupedal robot, an underactuated robot with minimal sensing. The rotary variation of the gallop has been implemented, resulting in a motion which demonstrates both emergent stability and a circular trajectory, as predicted in earlier simulation studies by other researchers. It also demonstrates phase relationships in the leg touchdown pattern which resemble results from biology.
Socioeconomic Position, But Not African Genomic Ancestry, Is Associated With Blood Pressure in the Bambui-Epigen (Brazil) Cohort Study of Aging

The study objective is to examine the role of African genome origin on baseline and 11-year blood pressure trajectories in community-based ethnoracially admixed older adults in Brazil. Data come from 1272 participants (aged ≥60 years) of the Bambui cohort study of aging during 11 years of follow-up. Outcome measures were systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and hypertension control. Potential confounding variables were demographic characteristics, socioeconomic position (schooling and household income), and health indicators (smoking, sedentary lifestyle, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, waist circumference, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases), including antihypertensive drug use. We used 370 539 single-nucleotide polymorphisms to estimate each individual’s African, European, and Native American trihybrid ancestry proportions. Median African, European, and Native American ancestry were 9.6%, 84.0%, and 5.3%, respectively. Among those with African ancestry, 59.4% came from East and 40.6% from West Africa. Baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressure, controlled hypertension, and their respective trajectories, were not significantly (P>0.05) associated with level (in quintiles) of African genomic ancestry. Similar results were found for West and East African subcontinental origins. Lower schooling level (<4 years versus higher) showed a significant and positive association with systolic blood pressure (Adjusted &bgr;=2.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.85–4.99). Lower monthly household income per capita (<USD 180.00 versus higher) showed an inverse association with hypertension control (&bgr;=−0.35; 95% confidence interval, −0.63 to −0.08, respectively). Our results support the view that favors social and environmental factors as determinants of blood pressure and hypertension control.
Synergistic and Antagonistic Effects of Poultry Manure and Phosphate Rock on Soil P Availability, Ryegrass Production, and P Uptake

To maintain grassland productivity and limit resource depletion, scarce mineral P (phosphorus) fertilizers must be replaced by alternative P sources. The effect of these amendments on plant growth may depend on physicochemical soil parameters, in particular pH. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of soil pH on biomass production, P use efficiency, and soil P forms after P amendment application (100 mg kg−1 P) using poultry manure compost (PM), rock phosphate (RP), and their combination (PMRP). We performed a growth chamber experiment with ryegrass plants (Lolium perenne) grown on two soil types with contrasting pH under controlled conditions for 7 weeks. Chemical P fractions, biomass production, and P concentrations were measured to calculate plant uptake and P use efficiency. We found a strong synergistic effect on the available soil P, while antagonistic effects were observed for ryegrass production and P uptake. We conclude that although the combination of PM and RP has positive effects in terms of soil P availability, the combined effects of the mixture must be taken into account and further evaluated for different soil types and grassland plants to maximize synergistic effects and to minimize antagonistic ones.
Four corner arthrodesis limited to the centre using a scaphoid one piece graft and a dorsal circular plate

We present 20 patients, who had a four corner arthrodesis, from July 2006 to March 2008, using a dorsal circular plate, to treat scaphoid nonunion and scapholunate dissociation with advanced collapse (SNAC, SLAC). The surgical technique was a fusion restricted to the central area filled with one piece of cancellous bone graft taken from the excised scaphoid. Wrist motion, grip strength, and Disabilities of Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score improved after surgery at a mean follow-up of 20.2 months. Fusion occurred in 19/20 patients. Two patients (10%) had persistent pain. The rest had a good clinical result. We found that four-corner fusion using a dorsal circular plate using the specific technical modifications was successful.
Effect of Area on Color Harmony in Simulated Interiors

The main aim of this study is to examine the effect of area on color harmony in simulated interior spaces. The secondary aim of the study is to investigate how the term color harmony is defined and the link between color harmony and related terms used to define it. These terms can explain why a color scheme is evaluated as harmonious. Four sets of three-color combinations created by using the hues red, blue, yellow, green, purple, and orange were studied in a simulated office interior emphasizing different proportional use of each color. Firstly, participants evaluated harmony content of the images. Sec-ondly, they evaluated each image regarding the terms related to color harmony. Findings indicated that area had an effect on color harmony for two of the color combinations (warm & cool). However, there were no strong but rather moderate and weak correlations between color harmony and the terms.
Global measures of outcome in a controlled comparison of pharmacological and psychological treatment of panic disorder and agoraphobia in primary care.

BACKGROUND Panic disorder, with and without agoraphobia, is a prevalent condition which presents primarily in general practice. Previous clinical outcome studies have been conducted mainly in specialist university departments or hospital settings, and have tended to employ complex rating scales that are not well suited for use as outcome measures in primary care. AIM To evaluate the outcome, in a primary care setting, of fluvoxamine versus cognitive behaviour therapy, each used alone and in combination in a double-blind placebo-controlled framework, balanced for therapist contact. METHOD A total of 149 patients satisfying DSMIII-R criteria for panic disorder were randomly allocated to receive one of the following: fluvoxamine, placebo, fluvoxamine plus cognitive behaviour therapy, placebo plus cognitive behaviour therapy, and cognitive behaviour therapy alone. These five treatment groups represent the minimum number acceptable for such a comparison to be made. All patients received an identical schedule of contact over 13 weeks. Measures of symptom severity, general health and social disruption were taken at entry point and end point; measures of change in symptoms were taken at end point only. Outcome was reported in terms of brief global ratings of severity of illness and change in symptoms, and of ratings of general health and social disruption that are suitable for use in general practice. RESULTS All active treatment groups showed statistically significant advantages over placebo over a range of outcome ratings. The groups employing cognitive behaviour therapy showed the most robust and consistent response. CONCLUSION The brief global measures reported here proved adequate to the task of assessing treatment outcome. Results indicate that treatments including cognitive behaviour therapy can be effective in the treatment of panic disorder and agoraphobia in primary care.
Asymptotic Mutual Information for the Two-Groups Stochastic Block Model

We develop an information-theoretic view of the stochastic block model, a popular statistical model for the large-scale structure of complex networks. A graph $G$ from such a model is generated by first assigning vertex labels at random from a finite alphabet, and then connecting vertices with edge probabilities depending on the labels of the endpoints. In the case of the symmetric two-group model, we establish an explicit `single-letter' characterization of the per-vertex mutual information between the vertex labels and the graph. The explicit expression of the mutual information is intimately related to estimation-theoretic quantities, and --in particular-- reveals a phase transition at the critical point for community detection. Below the critical point the per-vertex mutual information is asymptotically the same as if edges were independent. Correspondingly, no algorithm can estimate the partition better than random guessing. Conversely, above the threshold, the per-vertex mutual information is strictly smaller than the independent-edges upper bound. In this regime there exists a procedure that estimates the vertex labels better than random guessing.
Molecular mechanisms of etoposide

Etoposide derives from podophyllotoxin, a toxin found in the American Mayapple. It was first synthesized in 1966 and approved for cancer therapy in 1983 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Hande, 1998[25]). Starting from 1980s several studies demonstrated that etoposide targets DNA topoisomerase II activities thus leading to the production of DNA breaks and eliciting a response that affects several aspects of cell metabolisms. In this review we will focus on molecular mechanisms that account for the biological effect of etoposide.
Use of the monoclonal antibody WR17, identifying the CD37 gp40–45 Kd antigen complex, in the diagnosis of B‐lymphoid malignancy

The distribution of the gp40–45 Kd antigen bound by the WR17 monoclonal antibody of IgG2 subclass in normal lymphoid tissue was characterized by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining with flow cytometric analysis. The predominant staining pattern observed was characteristic of an anti‐pan‐B‐lymphocyte reagent. Weak reactions were observed by immunofluorescence staining of viable cell suspensions with all neutrophils and T‐lymphocytes in some normal donors. In tissue sections, B‐lymphocytes were stained and no cross reactions were observed with T‐lymphocytes, although macrophages stained in some sections.
Effect of resveratrol on pancreatic oxygen free radicals in rats with severe acute pancreatitis.

AIM To investigate the therapeutic effects of resveratrol (RESV) as a free radical scavenger on experimental severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS Seventy-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into sham operation group, SAP group, and resveratrol-treated group. Pancreatitis was induced by intraductal administration of 0.1 mL/kg 4% sodium taurocholate. RESV was given intravenously at a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight. All animals were killed at 3, 6, 12 h after induction of the model. Serum amylase, pancreatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were determined. Pathologic changes of the pancreas were observed under optical microscope. RESULTS The serum amylase, pancreatic MPO and the score of pathologic damage increased after the induction of pancreatitis, early (3, 6 h) SAP samples were characterized by decreased pancreatic SOD and increased pancreatic MDA. Resveratrol exhibited a protective effect against lipid peroxidation in cell membrane caused by oxygen free radicals in the early stage of SAP. This attenuation of the redox state impairment reduced cellular oxidative damage, as reflected by lower serum amylase, less severe pancreatic lesions, normal pancreatic MDA levels, as well as diminished neutrophil infiltration in pancreas. CONCLUSION RESV may exert its therapeutic effect on SAP by lowering pancreatic oxidative free radicals and reducing pancreatic tissue infiltration of neutrophils.