Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predicting Future Asthma Morbidity in Preschool Inner-City Children

Background and aims: Children living in the inner city are particularly vulnerable to asthma. While we know much about factors that affect near-term outcomes in inner-city children, there is little evidence to guide clinicians on what to expect in the coming years, especially in preschool children. The purpose of our study was to determine which clinical and environmental factors are predictive of poor long-term asthma control in preschool inner-city children. Materials and methods: Baseline characteristics determined to be potential predictors of asthma severity were examined: demographics, asthma symptoms, medication use, healthcare utilization, early life medical history, family history, allergen exposure and allergic disease, and pollutant exposure. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression to examine the association of predictors of asthma severity with healthcare utilization at 2 years. Results: Of the 150 children at baseline, the follow-up rate was 83% at 2 years; therefore, 124 children were included in final analyses. At baseline, the mean age was 4.4 years and participants were predominantly African-American (90%). Most of the children were atopic and 32.5% reported using inhaled corticosteroids. Nighttime awakening from asthma and a history of pneumonia were predictive of future poor control. Conclusion: Preschool children with nighttime awakening from asthma and a history of pneumonia may deserve closer monitoring to prevent future asthma morbidity.
Customer Order Flow and Exchange Rate Movements: Is There Really Information Content?

In this paper we analyse the information content of the customer order flow seen by a leading European commercial bank’s foreign exchange desk. We attempt to distinguish between three different explanations given in the literature for the positive contemporaneous correlation between exchange rate changes and net order flows. We discount the liquidity effect since otherwise equivalent order flows from different counterparties have different correlations with exchange rate changes. While it is harder to discount the feedback trading explanation we find evidence that a measure of the degree of informedness of customers widely used in the equity microstructure literature closely corresponds to the size of the correlation between order flow and exchange rate changes. We argue that customer order flows do contain information.
DIVERGENCE IS FOCUSED ON FEW GENOMIC REGIONS EARLY IN SPECIATION: INCIPIENT SPECIATION OF SUNFLOWER ECOTYPES

Early in speciation, as populations undergo the transition from local adaptation to incipient species, is when a number of transient, but potentially important, processes appear to be most easily detected. These include signatures of selective sweeps that can point to asymmetry in selection between habitats, divergence hitchhiking, and associations of adaptive genes with environments. In a genomic comparison of ecotypes of the prairie sunflower, Helianthus petiolaris, occurring at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (Colorado), we found that selective sweeps were mainly restricted to the dune ecotype and that there was variation across the genome in whether proximity to the nondune population constrained or promoted divergence. The major regions of divergence were few and large between ecotypes, in contrast with an interspecific comparison between H. petiolaris and a sympatric congener, Helianthus annuus. In general, the large regions of divergence observed in the ecotypic comparison swamped locus‐specific associations with environmental variables. In both comparisons, regions of high divergence occurred in portions of the genetic map with high marker density, probably reflecting regions of low recombination. The difference in genomic distributions of highly divergent regions between ecotypic and interspecific comparisons highlights the value of studies spanning the spectrum of speciation in related taxa.
Upper bounds on the size of grain-correcting codes

In this paper, we re-visit the combinatorial error model of Mazumdar et al. [3] that models errors in high-density magnetic recording caused by lack of knowledge of grain boundaries in the recording medium. We present new upper bounds on the cardinality/rate of binary block codes that correct errors within this model.
Quantitative measurement of joint space narrowing progression in hip osteoarthritis: a longitudinal retrospective study of patients treated by total hip arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the rate of progression of radiological joint space narrowing (JSN) in patients operated on for hip osteoarthritis (OA) and to determine its predictive factors. METHODS STUDY DESIGN retrospective longitudinal trial of 61 patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA) for hip OA (69 operated hips). Mean follow-up 81.2 +/- 9.9 months. Collected data: (1) standing frontal radiographs of the pelvis from diagnosis to surgery (246 films) for morphological evaluation and quantitative measurement of joint space width (JSW) (computerized reading of digitized X-rays); (2) demographic data (sex, age, body mass index, smoking status, professional and sporting activities, family history of OA); (3) clinical data (age at onset-diagnosis and THA, drug consumption, time from diagnosis to permanent disability, OA at other joints, previous THA of the contralateral hip). STATISTICS multivariate analysis. RESULTS The yearly mean narrowing (YMN) of MeanJSW was 0.43 +/- 0.43 mm/yr (median 0.29, range 0.03-2.55). YMN correlated inversely with joint space width at operation and follow-up duration, and was increased in atrophic OA (r = 0.71). The time between diagnosis and THA correlated with JSW at diagnosis, and was inversely correlated with age at onset and YMN. It was longer in patients with hypertrophic OA (r = 0.69). CONCLUSION Rapid progression of JSN, older age and absence of osteophytes appear to be the main factors leading to THA.
Prevention of recrudescent malaria in nude mice by thymic grafting or by treatment with hyperimmune serum

Nude mice died when infected with the normally avirulent malarial parasite Plasmodium berghei yoelii. Furthermore, malaria recrudesced in Nu/Nu mice after the termination of acute disease by treatment with clindamycin. Recrudescence was not observed in Nu/Nu mice that had been grafted with thymic tissue or treated with hyperimmune serum. Mice mad B cell deficient by treatment with anti-mu-chain serum also died when infected with P. berghei yoelii. The data suggest that a crucial role of the thymus in preventing recrudescent malaria in this model system is to provide a helper function in the production of protective antibody.
Evolution of extreme resistance to ionizing radiation via genetic adaptation of DNA repair

By directed evolution in the laboratory, we previously generated populations of Escherichia coli that exhibit a complex new phenotype, extreme resistance to ionizing radiation (IR). The molecular basis of this extremophile phenotype, involving strain isolates with a 3-4 order of magnitude increase in IR resistance at 3000 Gy, is now addressed. Of 69 mutations identified in one of our most highly adapted isolates, functional experiments demonstrate that the IR resistance phenotype is almost entirely accounted for by only three of these nucleotide changes, in the DNA metabolism genes recA, dnaB, and yfjK. Four additional genetic changes make small but measurable contributions. Whereas multiple contributions to IR resistance are evident in this study, our results highlight a particular adaptation mechanism not adequately considered in studies to date: Genetic innovations involving pre-existing DNA repair functions can play a predominant role in the acquisition of an IR resistance phenotype. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.01322. 001
Activation of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase ameliorates spontaneous hypertension in an animal model via modulation of eNOS activity.

AIMS Hypertension is one of the most common human diseases worldwide, and extensive research efforts are focused upon the identification and utilizing of novel therapeutic drug targets. Nitric oxide (NO) produced by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) is an important regulator of blood pressure (BP). β-Lapachone (βL), a well-known substrate of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), increases the cellular NAD(+)/NADH ratio via the activation of NQO1. In this study, we evaluated whether βL-induced activation of NQO1 modulates BP in an animal model of hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), primary human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC), and endothelial cell lines were used to investigate the hypotensive effect of βL and its mode of action. βL treatment stimulated endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation in response to acetylcholine in aorta of SHR and dramatically lowered BP in SHR, but the hypotensive effect was completely blocked by eNOS inhibition with ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester. Aortic eNOS phosphorylation and eNOS protein expression were significantly increased in βL-treated SHR. In vitro studies revealed that βL treatment elevated the intracellular NAD(+)/NADH ratio and concentration of free Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i), and resulted in Akt/AMP-activated protein kinase/eNOS activation. These effects were abolished by NQO1 siRNA and [Ca(2+)]i inhibition through a ryanodine receptor blockade. CONCLUSION This study is the first to demonstrate that NQO1 activation has a hypotensive effect mediated by eNOS activation via cellular NAD(+)/NADH ratio modulation in an animal model. These results provide strong evidence suggesting NQO1 might be a new therapeutic target for hypertension.
The pre-log of Gaussian broadcast with feedback can be two

A generic intuition says that the pre-log, or multiplexing gain, cannot be larger than the minimum of the number of transmit and receive dimensions. This suggests that for the scalar broadcast channel, the pre-log cannot exceed one. By contrast, in this note, we show that when the noises are anti-correlated and feedback is present, then a pre-log of two can be attained. In other words, in this special case, in the limit of high SNR, the scalar Gaussian broadcast channel turns into two parallel AWGN channels. Achievability is established via a coding strategy due to Schalkwijk, Kailath, and Ozarow.
Major contribution of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ depletion during long-lasting activation of skeletal muscle

Depolarization of skeletal muscle fibers induces sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release and contraction that progressively decline while depolarization is maintained. Voltage-dependent inactivation of SR Ca2+ release channels and SR Ca2+ depletion are the two processes proposed to explain the decline of SR Ca2+ release during long-lasting depolarizations. However, the relative contribution of these processes, especially under physiological conditions of activation, is not clearly established. Using Fura-2 and Fluo-5N to monitor cytosolic and SR Ca2+ changes, respectively, in voltage-controlled mouse muscle fibers, we show that 2-min conditioning depolarizations reduce voltage-activated cytosolic Ca2+ signals with a V1/2 of −53 mV but also induce SR Ca2+ depletion that decreased the releasable pool of Ca2+ with the same voltage sensitivity. In contrast, measurement of SR Ca2+ changes indicated that SR Ca2+ release channels were inactivated after SR had been depleted and in response to much higher depolarizations with a V1/2 of −13 mV. In response to trains of action potentials, cytosolic Ca2+ signals decayed with time, whereas SR Ca2+ changes remained stable over 1-min stimulation, demonstrating that SR Ca2+ depletion is exclusively responsible for the decline of SR Ca2+ release under physiological conditions of excitation. These results suggest that previous studies using steady-state inactivation protocols to investigate the voltage dependence of Ca2+ release inactivation in fact probed the voltage dependence of SR Ca2+ depletion, and that SR Ca2+ depletion is the only process that leads to Ca2+ release decline during continuous stimulation of skeletal muscle.
Electron Microscopic Analysis of a Spherical Mitochondrial Structure*

Background: Mitochondria are dynamic organelles with variable morphological features under different functional status. Results: Mitochondria treated with an uncoupler presented a spherical structure with an internal lumen containing cytosolic materials as defined by serial sections and electron tomography. Conclusion: Mitochondria were able to undergo a three-dimensional structural transformation under oxidative stress. Significance: Mitochondrial spheroid formation represents a novel mitochondrial dynamics. Mitochondria undergo dynamic structural alterations to meet changing needs and to maintain homeostasis. We report here a novel mitochondrial structure. Conventional transmission electron microscopic examination of murine embryonic fibroblasts treated with carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), a mitochondrial uncoupler, found that more than half of the mitochondria presented a ring-shaped or C-shaped morphology. Many of these mitochondria seemed to have engulfed various cytosolic components. Serial sections through individual mitochondria indicated that they formed a ball-like structure with an internal lumen surrounded by the membranes and containing cytosolic materials. Notably, the lumen was connected to the external cytoplasm through a small opening. Electron tomographic reconstruction of the mitochondrial spheroids demonstrated the membrane topology and confirmed the vesicular configuration of this mitochondrial structure. The outside periphery and the lumen were defined by the outer membranes, which were lined with the inner membranes. Matrix and cristae were retained but distributed unevenly with less being kept near the luminal opening. Mitochondrial spheroids seem to form in response to oxidative mitochondrial damage independently of mitophagy. The structural features of the mitochondrial spheroids thus represent a novel mitochondrial dynamics.
Efficient Value of Information Computation

One of the most useful sensitivity analysis techniques of decision analysis is the computation of value of information (or clairvoyance), the difference in value obtained by changing the decisions by which some of the uncertainties are observed. In this paper, some simple but powerful extensions to previous algorithms are introduced which allow an efficient value of information calculation on the rooted cluster tree (or strong junction tree) used to solve the original decision problem.
Evaluating learning-strategy components: Being fair (Commentary on Ambridge, Pine, and Lieven)

I completely agree with Ambridge, Pine, and Lieven (AP&L) that anyone proposing a learning-strategy component needs to demonstrate precisely how that component helps solve the language acquisition task. To this end, I discuss how computational modeling is a tool well suited to doing exactly this, and that it has the added benefit of highlighting hidden assumptions underlying learning strategies. I also suggest general criteria relating to utility and usability that we can use to evaluate potential learning strategies. As a response to AP&L’s request for universal grammar (UG) components that actually do work, I additionally provide a review of one potentially UG component that is part of a successful learning strategy for syntactic islands, and that satisfies the evaluation criteria I propose.
A revised SAS macro for maximum likelihood estimation of prevalence ratios using the COPY method

In a recent article (Approaches for estimating prevalence ratios. Occup Environ Med 2008; 65 :501–6) in the Education series of this Journal, Deddens and Petersen discuss several methods for modelling and estimating prevalence ratios. When the underlying distribution of the dependent variable is binomial, and the log of the binomial probability is related to a set of independent variables in a linear manner, approximate maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) of the model parameters and prevalence ratios can be obtained with one of the methods, namely the COPY method. In 2003, Deddens et al supplied a macro for performing the COPY method calculations.1 They also provided a SAS macro for obtaining the exact MLEs for the simple case in which the model contained a single one degree of freedom independent variable. In addition they provided a theorem for any number of independent variables, provided there was only one point where the MLE of the probability of …
Automatic Question Pattern Generation for Ontology-based Question Answering

This paper presents an automatic question pattern generation method for ontology-based question answering with the use of textual entailment. In this method, a set of question patterns, called predictive questions, which are predicted to be asked by users in a domain, were generated on the basis of a domain ontology. Their corresponding query templates, which can be used to extract answers to the predictive questions from a knowledge base, were generated as well. The process of producing these question patterns and query templates is described and discussed in the context of the “Movies & Cinemas” domain. An evaluation was carried out to assess the quality of the generated question patterns with the help of a textual entailment engine.
Biliary sclerosis in patients receiving hepatic arterial infusions of floxuridine.

High response rates have been reported with hepatic intra-arterial infusions of floxuridine in patients having colorectal carcinoma metastatic to the liver. The major toxicity of this therapy has been described as "chemical hepatitis. " In a randomized trial of intravenous v intra-arterial floxuridine, we observed that all 35 patients receiving intra-arterial therapy developed significant increases in alkaline phosphatase and, in some cases, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transminase and/or bilirubin. Seven patients receiving intra-arterial therapy were studied with cholangiography which, in all cases, demonstrated sclerosis of the intrahepatic and/or extrahepatic bile ducts. In addition, liver biopsies showed cholestasis and pericholangitis with minimal hepatocyte damage. These findings suggest that "biliary sclerosis" rather than "chemical hepatitis" is the predominant toxicity associated with hepatic intra-arterial infusions of floxuridine.
Lessons Learned from Toulouse and Buncefield Disasters: From Risk Analysis Failures to the Identification of Atypical Scenarios Through a Better Knowledge Management

The recent occurrence of severe major accidents has brought to light flaws and limitations of hazard identification (HAZID) processes performed for safety reports, as in the accidents at Toulouse (France) and Buncefield (UK), where the accident scenarios that occurred were not captured by HAZID techniques. This study focuses on this type of atypical accident scenario deviating from normal expectations. The main purpose is to analyze the examples of atypical accidents mentioned and to attempt to identify them through the application of a well‐known methodology such as the bow‐tie analysis.
Physiological control of repressible acid phosphatase gene transcripts in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have examined the regulation of repressible acid phosphatase (APase; orthophosphoric-monoester phosphohydrolase [acid optimum], EC 3.1.3.2) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae at the physiological and molecular levels, through a series of repression and derepression experiments. We demonstrated that APase synthesis is tightly regulated throughout the growth phase and is influenced by exogenous and endogenous Pi pools. During growth in a nonlimiting Pi medium, APase is repressed. When external Pi becomes limiting, there is a biphasic appearance of APase mRNA and enzyme. Our data on APase mRNA half-lives and on the flux of intracellular Pi and polyphosphate during derepression are consistent with a mechanism of transcriptional autoregulation for the biphasic appearance of APase mRNA. Accordingly, preculture concentrations of Pi control the level of corepressor generated from intracellular polyphosphate degradation. When cells are fully derepressed, APase mRNA levels are constant, and the maximal linear accumulation rate of APase is observed. A scheme to integrate phosphorus metabolism and phosphatase regulation in S. cerevisiae is proposed.
Polarized Light Studies of Corneal Structure *

THE importance of the cornea as the major refracting surface of the eye and the peculiar circumstance of its transparency have given rise to investigations since early times. Recent work on the hydration properties of the cornea, for example that of Cogan and Kinsey (1942) and Hart and Chandler (1948), seems to indicate that the problem of transparency will be solved only by an attack over a wide field. It is also apparent from the literature that our knowledge of the fine corneal structure is still limited, and that comparatively little has been done to apply techniques other than that of visual microscopy. These include the use of the electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, and polarized light, all of which have been applied with success to the elucidation of the structure of other tissues. The literature contains reports of investigations of eye tissues by electron microscopy (Sebruyns, 1950) and of x-ray diffraction (Hertel, 1933), and a paper describing the use of an ultra-violet absorption technique for investigating corneal transparency (Caspersson and Engstrom, 1946). The relevant literature on polarized light is quoted by Cogan (1941), and has been briefly reviewed by Stanworth and Naylor (1950). In the'latter paper the phenomenon of the interference figure was discussed in terms of photo-elasticity and crystal optics. The qualitative results of this investigation together with some additional observations made by the present author have been further analysed (Stanworth and Naylor, 1952), and it has been shown that the coefficient of birefringence of the cornea is 0.0014. Considered as a lamina made up of a series of anisotropic fibres arranged randomly in layers parallel to the surface, the coefficient of birefringence of the constituent fibres, according to theoretical calculations, should be about 0 0028, i.e., twice that of the lamina. The term " birefringence" is often used in different ways, and various adjectives have been employed by different authors to connote specific meanings. In its widest sense it is synonymous with double-refraction or optical anisotropy in indicating that light travels at different speeds-and that, therefore, different refractive indices are found for the substanceaccording to the direction of travel and the direction of vibration of the incident light. When used quantitatively," effective birefringence " indicates