Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early-life Exposure to Organophosphate Pesticides and Pediatric Respiratory Symptoms in the CHAMACOS Cohort

Background: Although pesticide use is widespread, the possible effect of early-life exposure to organophosphate (OP) on pediatric respiratory health is not well described. Objectives: We investigated the relationship between early-life exposure to OPs and respiratory outcomes. Methods: Participants included 359 mothers and children from the CHAMACOS birth cohort. Dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites of OP pesticides, specifically diethyl (DE) and dimethyl (DM) phosphate metabolites, were measured in urine from mothers twice during pregnancy (mean = 13 and 26 weeks gestation) and from children five times during childhood (0.5–5 years). Childhood DAP concentrations were estimated by the area under curve (AUC). Mothers reported their child’s respiratory symptoms at 5 and 7 years of age. We used generalized estimating equations (GEE) to examine associations of prenatal and childhood DAP concentrations with repeated measures of respiratory symptoms and exercise-induced coughing at 5 and 7 years of age, adjusting for child’s sex and age, maternal smoking during pregnancy, secondhand tobacco smoke, season of birth, PM2.5, breastfeeding, mold and cockroaches in home, and distance from highway. Results: Higher prenatal DAP concentrations, particularly DE, were nonsignificantly associated with respiratory symptoms in the previous 12 months at 5 or 7 years of age [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) per 10-fold increase = 1.44; 95% CI: 0.98, 2.12]. This association was strongest with total DAP and DE from the second half of pregnancy (aOR per 10-fold increase = 1.77; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.95; and 1.61; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.39, respectively). Childhood DAP, DE, and DM concentrations were associated with respiratory symptoms and exercise-induced coughing in the previous 12 months at 5 or 7 years of age (total DAPs: aOR per 10-fold increase = 2.53; 95% CI: 1.32, 4.86; and aOR = 5.40; 95% CI: 2.10, 13.91, respectively). Conclusions: Early-life exposure to OP pesticides was associated with respiratory symptoms consistent with possible asthma in childhood. Citation: Raanan R, Harley KG, Balmes JR, Bradman A, Lipsett M, Eskenazi B. 2015. Early-life exposure to organophosphate pesticides and pediatric respiratory symptoms in the CHAMACOS cohort. Environ Health Perspect 123:179–185; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1408235
On Polyhedral Approximations of the Second-Order Cone

We demonstrate that a conic quadratic problem, is "polynomially reducible" to Linear Programming. We demonstrate this by constructing, for every , an LP program (explicitly given in terms of e and the data of (CQP)) with the following properties:(i)the number dimx + dimu of variables and the number dimp of constraints in (LP) do not exceed (ii)every feasible solutionx to (CQP) can be extended to a feasible solution ( x, u) to (LP); (iii)if ( x, u) is feasible for (LP), thenx satisfies the "e-relaxed" constraints of (CQP), namely,
Exploring Gradients in Electrophoretic Separation and Preconcentration on Miniaturized Devices

Over the last two decades, miniaturization, integration, and automation have made microfluidic systems popular. Core to advances in microfluidics are numerous electrophoretic separation and preconcentration strategies, some finding their origins on bench-top systems. Among them, gradient-based strategies are especially effective in addressing sensitivity challenges. This review introduces several gradient-based techniques according to a broad definition, including conductivity, field, and concentration, organized by the method of gradient generation. Each technique is introduced and described, and recent seminal advances explored.
7 Hypogonadism After Childhood Cancer Treatment

Long-term survival of children with cancer has greatly improved in the last decades due to effective treatment, especially multiagent chemotherapy (ChT). The chief concern is now being directed toward the late effects of treatment. Endocrine glands, gonads in particular, are very susceptible to damaging effects of anticancer therapy. The damaging effect of both ChT and radiotherapy (RT) on gonads is well known (Cohen 2003, Diamond et al. 2001, Spoudeas 2002). In a study of 2283 long-term survivors of childhood cancer Byrne and colleagues found that RT below the diaphragm depressed fertility in both sexes for about 25%, ChT with alkylating agents (AA) with or without RT below the diaphragm depressed fertility by 60% in men, in women, however, AA therapy administered alone had no apparent effect on fertility (Byrne et al. 1987). Hypogonadism is most often due to direct damage by ChT, RT and/or surgery, rarely is due to damage to the hypothalamus and/or pituitary gland (Cicognani et al. 2003, Müller 2003). The gonads have two main functions, the production of sex hormones (estrogens and testosterone) and germ cells (ova and sperm). Both of them depend on a normal function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Long term survivors of childhood cancer are at risk of hypogonadism related to gonadotropin secretion, but more frequently hypogonadism is caused by direct damage of testes or ovaries. In human testis two functions are combined: sex steroid production and sperm production. Germ cells form sperm, Sertoli cells support and nurture the developing germ cells and Leydig cells produce testosterone. These three cell types are organized into two functional compartments: germ cells and Sertoli cells form the seminiferous tubules where spermatogenesis takes place, and the network of Leydig cells are responsible for the production of testosterone, which is necessary for normal spermatogenesis. These two compartments are under separate controls and affected in different ways by cancer treatments (Meistrich 2009, Shalet 2009, Sklar 1999). In the ovary, follicle is the site where the production of sex hormones and germ cells takes place. As a result, when ovarian failure occurs, both sex hormone production and fertility are disrupted. Germ cells in the ovary unlike spermatogonial cells lack the ability of repopulation. Preliminary stages of oogenesis are completed shortly after birth, the dominant part of the cell population in ovary being oocytes in the stationary stage of prophase. Older age is an important risk factor for ovarian failure following childhood
Aging: changes in cardiac alpha 1-adrenoceptor responsiveness and expression.

Several investigators have reported a diminished responsiveness of senescent cardiac muscle to norepinephrine and beta-adrenoceptor agonists. In contrast, relatively little is known regarding the effects of aging on myocardial actions mediated specifically by alpha-adrenoceptor stimulation. Thus, the current study examined aging-dependent changes in: (a) the inotropic response to methoxamine, an alpha-adrenoceptor agonist; (b) characteristics of myocardial alpha 1-adrenoceptors as monitored by specific [3H]prazosin binding; and (c) steady state levels of alpha 1-adrenoceptor mRNA as determined by Northern blot analysis. Cardiac preparations were isolated from 4-, 14-, and 25-month-old F344 rats. An aging-associated decline was observed in the maximum positive inotropic effect elicited by methoxamine in right ventricular strips (160 +/- 23, 134 +/- 13 and 79 +/- 26% increase above control developed tension in 4, 14 and 25 months, respectively) with no change in ED50 values. [3H]Prazosin binding to ventricular sarcolemmal membranes revealed a reduction in receptor number (82 +/- 7, 69 +/- 6 and 59 +/- 5 fmol/mg protein in 4, 14 and 25 months, respectively); the apparent dissociation constant was not affected. Steady state levels of alpha 1-adrenoceptor mRNA decreased progressively between 4 and 25 months of age (14- and 25-month levels were approximately 71 and 38% of 4 months, respectively), while steady state levels of beta-actin mRNA did not change with age. These results suggest that the aging-related decline in alpha 1-adrenergic responsiveness in rat ventricular muscle is mediated, at least in part, by a decrease in cardiac alpha 1-adrenoceptor density. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Robust linear beamformer designs for CoMP AF relaying in downlink multi-cell networks

Robust beamforming methods are studied to support relay-assisted coordinated multi-point (CoMP) retransmissions in downlink multi-cell networks. Linear beamformers (BFers) for relay stations of different cells are jointly designed to maintain, in a CoMP amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying manner, the target signal to interference-plus-noise ratios (SINR) at the cellular boundaries of this type of networks. Considering the feasibility in realizations, BFer designs are only allowed to use the channel state information (CSI) feedbacks of the wireless links inside a network. This kind of designs turns out to be a challenging optimization problem when attempting to maintain the SINR under the estimation and quantization errors in CSI. A conservative criterion and solution method is proposed for this robust design problem. Despite the conservativeness, the proposed method appears to provide an effective BFer design for CoMP AF relaying, either from the perspective of power consumption or from the viewpoints of BFers' complexity and feasibility in syntheses. Simulations also show that when applying the proposed CoMP AF relaying method in Automatic Retransmission reQuest (ARQ), data throughput can be efficiently increased for users close to the joint cellular boundaries inside a multi-cell network.
RCA CONCRETE: A STUDY OF PROPERTIES IN THE FRESH STATE, STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT AND DURABILITY

This paper describes a study undertaken to examine the use of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) in concrete mixes. The effect of RCA on concrete ceiling strength is also discussed. The workability tests showed a reduction in slump with increasing proportion of RCA in the mix, but it remained within allowable margins (+/- 25mm). The mixes with more than 50% coarse or 30% fine RCA were found to be harsh and exhibit increased bleeding. This inherent instability can be overcome by using a filler material, such as coarse PFA. The results showed that the original concrete type had little or no influence on the strength development of concrete. Up to 30% coarse or 20% fine RCA was also found to have a negligible effect on strength but thereafter, there was a gradual reduction in strength with increasing RCA content. A method of accommodating the effects of high proportion of RCA, involving simple adjustment to the water/cement ratio of the mix was proposed. It was shown that RCA concrete can develop engineering properties and durability similar to natural aggregate concrete, providing equal 28 day strength is achieved. Issues relating practical use are also discussed. For the covering abstract see ITRD E112391.
Management of colovesical fistula

The clinical presentation and management of 24 patients treated for colovesical fistula were reviewed. It is concluded that an aggressive investigative approach in the management of patients with suspected colovesical fistula is rewarding. Cystoscopy and barium enema appear to be the most useful investigative tools. Once found the fistulae should be managed surgically. Radical excision of the sigmoid colon with primary anastomosis is the treatment of choice and is accompanied by no mortality and a very low complication rate.
A Life-Long Approach to Physical Activity for Brain Health

It is well established that engaging in lifelong Physical activity (PA) can help delay the onset of many chronic lifestyle related and non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. Additionally, growing evidence also documents the importance of PA for brain health, with numerous studies indicating regular engagement in physical activities may be protective against cognitive decline and dementia in late life. Indeed, the link between PA and brain health may be different at each stage of life from childhood, mid-life and late life. Building on this emerging body of multidisciplinary research, this review aims to summarize the current body of evidence linking regular PA and brain health across the lifespan. Specifically, we will focus on the relationship between PA and brain health at three distinct stages of life: childhood and adolescence, mid-life, late life in cognitively healthy adults and later life in adults living with age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Chemical composition of Galactic OB stars - I. CNO abundances in O9 stars

We present NLTE abundances of CNO for a sample of four O9 stars in the Galaxy, together with new determinations of their stellar parameters, Te ,l ogg, (He) and microturbulence. These new analyses take into account the eect of line{blocking in the spectral synthesis with our classical NLTE, plane{parallel and hydrostatic model atmospheres. The sample includes three O9 He normal stars: two dwarfs, HD 214680 and HD 34078, and one supergiant, HD 209975, and one fast rotating giant with a preliminary high He overabundance, HD 191423 with (He) = 0:20. We nd rst that the consideration of microturbulence in the spectral synthesis for the fast rotator leads to a considerably lower He abundance, (He) = 0:12. The CNO abundances of the three He normal stars are in good agreement with the values in the literature for Galactic B dwarfs with no evidence of mixing, and show that they all have the same chemical composition. We also discuss however the possible CNO contamination of the supergiant HD 209975. For the fast rotator we nd that the abundances show the trend of the CNO contamination: a N overabundance together with C and O depletion. The N/C and N/O ratios of our stars as a function of their projected rotational velocities are consistent with the predictions of the recent evolutionary models of Meynet & Maeder (2000).
A cohort study of tumoral LINE-1 hypomethylation and prognosis in colon cancer.

Genome-wide DNA hypomethylation plays has an important role in genomic instability and colorectal carcinogenesis. However, the relationship between cellular DNA methylation level and patient outcome remains uncertain. Using 643 colon cancers in two independent prospective cohorts, we quantified DNA methylation in repetitive long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1) elements using pyrosequencing, which is a good indicator of global DNA methylation level. We used Cox proportional hazard models to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) of colon cancer-specific and overall mortality, adjusting for patient and tumoral features, including CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP). Statistical tests were two-sided. LINE-1 hypomethylation was linearly associated with a statistically significant increase in colon cancer-specific mortality (for a 30% decrease in LINE-1 methylation: multivariable HR = 2.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.42 to 3.94; P(trend) < . 001) and overall mortality (multivariable HR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.25 to 2.75; P(trend) = . 002). The association was consistent across the two independent cohorts and strata of clinical and molecular characteristics, including sex, age, tumor location, stage, and CIMP, microsatellite instability, KRAS, BRAF, p53, and chromosomal instability status. In conclusion, tumoral LINE-1 hypomethylation is independently associated with shorter survival among colon cancer patients.
A Brain-Machine Interface Based on ERD/ERS for an Upper-Limb Exoskeleton Control

To recognize the user’s motion intention, brain-machine interfaces (BMI) usually decode movements from cortical activity to control exoskeletons and neuroprostheses for daily activities. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether self-induced variations of the electroencephalogram (EEG) can be useful as control signals for an upper-limb exoskeleton developed by us. A BMI based on event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) is proposed. In the decoder-training phase, we investigate the offline classification performance of left versus right hand and left hand versus both feet by using motor execution (ME) or motor imagery (MI). The results indicate that the accuracies of ME sessions are higher than those of MI sessions, and left hand versus both feet paradigm achieves a better classification performance, which would be used in the online-control phase. In the online-control phase, the trained decoder is tested in two scenarios (wearing or without wearing the exoskeleton). The MI and ME sessions wearing the exoskeleton achieve mean classification accuracy of 84.29% ± 2.11% and 87.37% ± 3.06%, respectively. The present study demonstrates that the proposed BMI is effective to control the upper-limb exoskeleton, and provides a practical method by non-invasive EEG signal associated with human natural behavior for clinical applications.
Delivering Rural Health in a Changing Health Model

Objectives: An exploratory examination of rural hospital staff experiences to determine whether the physical state of rural healthcare facilities influence the healthcare experience and perception of care quality. Background: Rural hospitals have served as the backbone of rural communities in the United States. Over time, these facilities have witnessed enhanced expectations, expanding their scope of operations from acute care to diversified services through linked provider networks and disaster management. Simultaneously, financial challenges, increasing emphasis on safety and quality, and the Affordable Care Act have introduced new challenges for rural hospitals. Currently, there is little empirical knowledge in this domain from a facility perspective. Methods: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted, involving semistructured interviews of upper and mid-level administrators in four rural hospitals located in West Texas. All questions attempted to obtain the subject’s knowledge, ideas, and opinions concerning the physical design of the hospitals and the hospital experience. Results: According to data on staff experiences, two classes of factors surfaced as potential influencers of hospital experience and care quality: (1) care configuration and (2) outdated building. Care configuration pertains to positioning facilities designed with inpatient care focus to a market expanding in outpatient services. Outdated buildings affect several issue including perceived provider quality and spatial accommodations for safe/efficient care and thereby also affecting the healthcare experience. Conclusions: Physical infrastructure of rural hospitals may have important and meaningful implications for population health performance in rural America.
Neighborhood complexity and kernelization for nowhere dense classes of graphs

We prove that whenever G is a graph from a nowhere dense graph class C, and A is a subset of vertices of G, then the number of subsets of A that are realized as intersections of A with r-neighborhoods of vertices of G is at most f(r,eps)|A|^(1+eps), where r is any positive integer, eps is any positive real, and f is a function that depends only on the class C. This yields a characterization of nowhere dense classes of graphs in terms of neighborhood complexity, which answers a question posed by [Reidl et al., CoRR, 2016]. As an algorithmic application of the above result, we show that for every fixed integer r, the parameterized Distance-r Dominating Set problem admits an almost linear kernel on any nowhere dense graph class. This proves a conjecture posed by [Drange et al., STACS 2016], and shows that the limit of parameterized tractability of Distance-r Dominating Set on subgraph-closed graph classes lies exactly on the boundary between nowhere denseness and somewhere denseness.
Mechanisms of Control of the Free Ca2+ Concentration in the Endoplasmic Reticulum of Mouse Pancreatic β-Cells

OBJECTIVE Sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2b (SERCA2b) and SERCA3 pump Ca2+ in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of pancreatic β-cells. We studied their role in the control of the free ER Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]ER) and the role of SERCA3 in the control of insulin secretion and ER stress. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS β-Cell [Ca2+]ER of SERCA3+/+ and SERCA3−/− mice was monitored with an adenovirus encoding the low Ca2+-affinity sensor D4 addressed to the ER (D4ER) under the control of the insulin promoter. Free cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) and [Ca2+]ER were simultaneously recorded. Insulin secretion and mRNA levels of ER stress genes were studied. RESULTS Glucose elicited synchronized [Ca2+]ER and [Ca2+]c oscillations. [Ca2+]ER oscillations were smaller in SERCA3−/− than in SERCA3+/+ β-cells. Stimulating cell metabolism with various [glucose] in the presence of diazoxide induced a similar dose-dependent [Ca2+]ER rise in SERCA3+/+ and SERCA3−/− β-cells. In a Ca2+-free medium, glucose moderately raised [Ca2+]ER from a highly buffered cytosolic Ca2+ pool. Increasing [Ca2+]c with high [K] elicited a [Ca2+]ER rise that was larger but more transient in SERCA3+/+ than SERCA3−/− β-cells because of the activation of a Ca2+ release from the ER in SERCA3+/+ β-cells. Glucose-induced insulin release was larger in SERCA3−/− than SERCA3+/+ islets. SERCA3 ablation did not induce ER stress. CONCLUSIONS [Ca2+]c and [Ca2+]ER oscillate in phase in response to glucose. Upon [Ca2+]c increase, Ca2+ is taken up by SERCA2b and SERCA3. Strong Ca2+ influx triggers a Ca2+ release from the ER that depends on SERCA3. SERCA3 deficiency neither impairs Ca2+ uptake by the ER upon cell metabolism acceleration and insulin release nor induces ER stress.
Understanding Factors Affecting Consumer Adoption of Broadband in India: A Pilot Study

The aim of this study is to provide an initial understanding of the factors affecting the adoption of broadband Internet in a developing country context, in this instance India. In order to achieve this aim, this study identified and examined various attitudinal, normative and control factors and their possible influence upon broadband adoption. The data on these variables was collected using a survey approach. The findings of this article suggest that relative advantage, hedonic outcomes and cost are significant factors for explaining consumersâ€™ behavioral intentions to adopt broadband in India. The article also outlines the limitations of this study, and directions for future research.
A Review of Interventions to Reduce Mechanical Restraint and Seclusion among Adult Psychiatric Inpatients

This review examines the nature and effectiveness of interventions to reduce the use of mechanical restraint and seclusion among adult psychiatric inpatients. Thirty-six post-1960 empirical studies were identified. The interventions were diverse, but commonly included new restraint or seclusion policies, staffing changes, staff training, case review procedures, or crisis management initiatives. Most studies reported reduced levels of mechanical restraint and/or seclusion, but the standard of evidence was poor. The research did not address which programme components were most successful. More attention should be paid to understanding how interventions work, particularly from the perspective of nursing staff, an issue that is largely overlooked.