Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shortened telomeres in circulating leukocytes of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

RATIONALE Telomere length is considered a marker for biological aging. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be associated with premature aging. OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that patients with COPD experience accelerated telomere shortening and that inflammation is linked to this process. METHODS We measured telomere length, using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based method, and plasma levels of various cytokines in 136 patients with COPD, 113 age- and sex-matched smokers, and 42 nonsmokers with normal lung function. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Median (range) telomere length ratio was significantly lower in patients with COPD (0.57 [0.23-1.18]) than in control smokers (0.79 [0.34-1.58]) or nonsmokers (0.85 [0.38-1.55]) (P < 0.001). The difference remained highly significant when using logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, and tobacco exposure. Both females and males with COPD had shorter telomere length than same-sex control subjects. Telomere length was related to age in patients and control subjects but was shorter in patients than in control subjects in all age groups. No relationship was found between telomere length and tobacco exposure in patients or control subjects, with no difference between control smokers and nonsmokers. In patients with COPD, telomere length was related to PaO2 (P < 0.001) and PaCO2 (P < 0.001) but not to lung function parameters or the BODE Index. Patients with COPD also had elevated plasma levels of various cytokines, interleukin-6 correlating negatively with telomere length (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Given that in vivo telomere length reflects cellular turnover and exposure to oxidative and inflammatory damage, our data support accelerated aging in COPD.
Body Fat Distribution, Liver Enzymes, and Risk of Hypertension: Evidence From the Western New York Study

&ggr;-Glutamyltransferase (GGT) has been associated with hypertension (HTN); however, the nature of this association remains unclear. GGT is a marker of alcohol consumption, but it is also related to the infiltration of fat in the liver (fatty liver). The association between GGT and HTN was examined in a 6-year longitudinal investigation among 1455 men and women who returned for the follow-up visit. Baseline variables included serum GGT, blood pressure, and anthropometric measures. Incident HTN was defined as blood pressure ≥140/90 or on antihypertensive medication at the follow-up visit. To eliminate individuals with potential liver pathology, analyses focused only on individuals with GGT within its normal range (n=897). Participants were divided in quintiles (Q) based on their baseline GGT levels. Multiple logistic regression analyses [odds ratio (95% confidence intervals)] revealed a significant association of GGT with incident hypertension [2.1 (1.1 to 4.0) Q5 versus Q1]. In subgroup analyses, GGT and HTN were significantly associated among both noncurrent and current drinkers, but only for participants above the median of anthropometric measures [eg, body mass index >26.4, 2.3 (0.9 to 5.7), waist circumference >86.1 cm, 3.7 (1.4 to 9.9), and abdominal height >19.8 cm, 3.1 (1.2 to 8.5), for Q5 versus Q1, in fully adjusted models]. These findings suggest that the association between GGT and hypertension is not caused solely by alcohol consumption and indicate that serum GGT, within its normal range, may predict hypertension among individuals with increased central fat distribution, suggesting that fatty liver may represent an important underlying mechanism for this association.
A Case‐Cohort Design for Assessing Covariate Effects in Longitudinal Studies

Summary The case‐cohort design for longitudinal data consists of a subcohort sampled at the beginning of the study that is followed repeatedly over time, and a case sample that is ascertained through the course of the study. Although some members in the subcohort may experience events over the study period, we refer to it as the “control‐cohort. ” The case sample is a random sample of subjects not in the control‐cohort, who have experienced at least one event during the study period. Different correlations among repeated observations on the same individual are accommodated by a two‐level random‐effects model. This design allows consistent estimation of all parameters estimable in a cohort design and is a cost‐effective way to study the effects of covariates on repeated observations of relatively rare binary outcomes when exposure assessment is expensive. It is an extension of the case‐cohort design ( Prentice, 1986 , Biometrika73, 1–11) and the bidirectional case‐crossover design ( Navidi, 1998 , Biometrics54, 596–605). A simulation study compares the efficiency of the longitudinal case‐cohort design to a full cohort analysis, and we find that in certain situations up to 90% efficiency can be obtained with half the sample size required for a full cohort analysis. A bootstrap method is presented that permits testing for intra‐subject homogeneity in the presence of unidentifiable nuisance parameters in the two‐level random‐effects model. As an illustration we apply the design to data from an ongoing study of childhood asthma.
Altered expression of microRNA miR‐21, miR‐155, and let‐7a and their roles in pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors

MicroRNA (miRNA) has a critical effect on tumorigenesis through post‐transcriptional modification and is considered to be potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring. We evaluated the expression pattern of three selected miRNAs (miR‐21, miR‐155, and let‐7a) to evaluate their potential roles by quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction using formalin‐fixed and paraffin‐embedded tissues of 63 surgically resected pulmonary neuroendocrine (NE) tumors (19 typical carcinoids (TCs), 6 atypical carcinoids (ACs), 19 large cell NE carcinomas (LCNECs), and 19 small cell lung carcinomas (SCLCs). Control amplification for U6 small nuclear RNA (U6) was performed in all samples. Normalized Ct values were calculated (CtExperimental miRNA‐CtU6) for each case and recorded. The expression levels of miR‐21 and miR‐155 were significantly higher in high‐grade NE carcinomas (LCNECs and SCLCs) than in carcinoid tumors (TCs and ACs) (each P < 0.001). The expression level of miR‐21 in carcinoid tumors with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than in carcinoid tumors without lymph node metastasis (P= 0.010). To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to examine the expression patterns of miR‐21 and miR‐155 as an adjunctive diagnostic tool or clinically relevant biomarkers for pulmonary NE tumors.
Multimodel assessment of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere: Extratropics

A multimodel assessment of the performance of chemistry-climate models (CCMs) in the extratropical upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UTLS) is conducted for the first time. Process-oriented diagnostics are used to validate dynamical and transport characteristics of 18 CCMs using meteorological analyses and aircraft and satellite observations. The main dynamical and chemical climatological characteristics of the extratropical UTLS are generally well represented by the models, despite the limited horizontal and vertical resolution. The seasonal cycle of lowermost stratospheric mass is realistic, however with a wide spread in its mean value. A tropopause inversion layer is present in most models, although the maximum in static stability is located too high above the tropopause and is somewhat too weak, as expected from limited model resolution. Similar comments apply to the extratropical tropopause transition layer. The seasonality in lower stratospheric chemical tracers is consistent with the seasonality in the Brewer-Dobson circulation. Both vertical and meridional tracer gradients are of similar strength to those found in observations. Models that perform less well tend to use a semi-Lagrangian transport scheme and/or have a very low resolution. Two models, and the multimodel mean, score consistently well on all diagnostics, while seven other models score well on all diagnostics except the seasonal cycle of water vapor. Only four of the models are consistently below average. The lack of tropospheric chemistry in most models limits their evaluation in the upper troposphere. Finally, the UTLS is relatively sparsely sampled by observations, limiting our ability to quantitatively evaluate many aspects of model performance.
A HIERARCHICAL MODEL OF SPEECH AND VOICE PERCEPTION BASED ON TIME RESOLUTION

The theoretical model presented aims primarily at explaining the large variability encountered in speech analysis. It implements a joint processing of speech and voice, and a hierarchy of 6 levels based on time resolution: cochlear output, acoustical indices, phonetic features, phonemes, words, concepts. Perception is viewed as the cooperation of two information flows, bottom-up and top-down. The hierarchy employs processing modules of the same type, one between any pair of adjacent levels. The function of the module is to associate two time-varying patterns. Then each processing step is presented, with its specific units and its time characteristics. Finally some phonetic notions and problems are examined in the light of the model: pitch, formants, vowel normalization, motor theory, relations between voice and speech.
An Economical Class of Droop-Compensated Generalized Comb Filters: Analysis and Design

In this brief, we address the design of economical recursive generalized comb filters (GCFs) by proposing an efficient technique to quantize the multipliers in the z -transfer function employing power-of-2 (PO2) terms. GCFs are efficient anti-aliasing decimation filters with improved selectivity and quantization noise rejection performance around the so-called folding bands with respect to classical comb filters. The proposed quantization technique guarantees perfect pole-zero cancelation in the rational z-transfer function of the GCFs, thus totally avoiding instability problems. Moreover, we propose the use of a simple droop compensator for the sake of recovering the passband droop distorting the useful digital signal in the baseband. A design example is proposed with the aim of showing the application of the proposed technique, and a practical architecture of a sample third-order GCF is discussed.
Immersive Virtual Video Game Play and Presence: Influences on Aggressive Feelings and Behavior

Immersive virtual environment technology (IVET) allows developers to create simulated environments that can engage users in context relevant behaviors and that can produce relatively intense user experiences for purposes such as entertainment (e.g., video games), phobia desensitization, and training. We predicted that playing a violent video game using an IVET platform would lead to increased presence and aggressive feelings and behavior compared to playing on a less immersive desktop platform. The results of two experiments supported this hypothesis. The data suggest that presence mediated the relationship between playing platform and aggressive feelings but not the relationship between playing platform and aggressive behavior. Finally, we explored the utility of using cardiovascular measures within this research paradigm.
The Relationship between Use of Technology and Parent-Adolescents Social Relationship.

Today’s adolescents have unprecedented access to modern technology and use them in expected and unexpected ways. Adolescents spend many hours a day using the technology, and the vast majority of them have access to Internet, cell phones, smart phone, video games and many other forms of modern technology. With the increased role of modern technology in the adolescents’ lives has come the increased concern about how adolescents might be affected. This may take them away from important social interactions that develop in-person relationships. A good parent-teen relationship is important for adolescent health and development. The more time spent on television, computers, cell phone and video games leads to a lower quality of attachment to parents. This descriptive correlation study was aimed to investigate the relationship between adolescents' use of technology and their parent' social relationship. The study was conducted on randomly selected Preparatory and Secondary Schools from two governorates, Egypt. The data was collected during the first term of academic year 2015/2016. The participants for this study were 230 students (92 boys and 138 girls), with their ages ranging from 12 to 18 years. The self-report questionnaire sheet was developed by the researchers. The study concluded that there was a highly statistical correlation between adolescents' technology usage and social interaction with their parents. The study recommended that Parents need to educate themselves about social media and the ways their teens may use it, as well as the common risks, to help them understand and navigate the technologies. Moreover, parents' discussions are positive for teens and can result in less risky online behaviors. Future researches are needed to consider interviewing both parent and child together at the same time to get both parties’ perspectives on the same issues discussed. Key Wards: Technology, Parent, Adolescents, Teen age, Youth, Social Relationship.
A spiral model of musical decision-making

This paper describes a model of how musicians make decisions about performing notated music. The model builds on psychological theories of decision-making and was developed from empirical studies of Western art music performance that aimed to identify intuitive and deliberate processes of decision-making, a distinction consistent with dual-process theories of cognition. The model proposes that the proportion of intuitive (Type 1) and deliberate (Type 2) decision-making processes changes with increasing expertise and conceptualizes this change as movement along a continually narrowing upward spiral where the primary axis signifies principal decision-making type and the vertical axis marks level of expertise. The model is intended to have implications for the development of expertise as described in two main phases. The first is movement from a primarily intuitive approach in the early stages of learning toward greater deliberation as analytical techniques are applied during practice. The second phase occurs as deliberate decisions gradually become automatic (procedural), increasing the role of intuitive processes. As a performer examines more issues or reconsiders decisions, the spiral motion toward the deliberate side and back to the intuitive is repeated indefinitely. With increasing expertise, the spiral tightens to signify greater control over decision type selection. The model draws on existing theories, particularly Evans’ (2011) Intervention Model of dual-process theories, Cognitive Continuum Theory Hammond et al. (1987), Hammond (2007), Baylor’s (2001) U-shaped model for the development of intuition by level of expertise. By theorizing how musical decision-making operates over time and with increasing expertise, this model could be used as a framework for future research in music performance studies and performance science more generally.
Tracking the History and Ecological Changes of Rising Double-Crested Cormorant Populations Using Pond Sediments from Islands in Eastern Lake Ontario

In the Laurentian Great Lakes region, the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) has seen a thousand-fold population increase in recent decades. These large colonies of birds now often conflict with socioeconomic interests, particularly due to perceived competition with fisheries and the destruction of terrestrial vegetation in nesting habitats. Here we use dated sediment cores from ponds on islands in eastern Lake Ontario that receive waste inputs from dense colonies of cormorants and ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) to chronicle the population rise of these species and assess their long-term ecological impacts. Modern water chemistry sampling from these sites reveals drastically elevated nutrient and major ion concentrations compared to reference ponds not influenced by waterbirds. Geochemical tracers in dated sediment cores, particularly δ15N and chlorophyll-a concentrations, track waterbird influences over time. Fossil diatom assemblages were dominated by species tolerant of hyper-eutrophic and polluted systems, which is in marked contrast to assemblages in reference sites. In addition to establishing long-term ecological impacts, this multi-proxy paleoecological approach can be used to determine whether islands of concern have been long-term nesting sites or were only recently colonized by cormorant or ring-billed gull populations across the Great Lakes, facilitating informed management decisions about controversial culling programs.
Aphid feeding response and microsatellite-based genetic diversity among diploid Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv accessions

False brome grass, Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv, has been proposed as a new model species to bridge rice and temperate cereal crops for genomics research. However, much basic information for this species is still lacking. In this study, six diploid B. distachyon (2n = 2x = 10) accessions (Bd1-1, Bd2-3, Bd3-1, Bd18-1, Bd21 and BD29) were evaluated for their response to infestation by two cereal aphid pests of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): the greenbug, Schizaphis graminum Rondani, and the Russian wheat aphid (RWA), Diuraphis noxia Mordvilko. Through database mining of B. distachyon expressed sequence tag (EST) and genomic DNA sequences, 160 EST- and 21 genomic microsatellite markers were developed and used to evaluate genetic diversity among the B. distachyon accessions. All six accessions were resistant to RWA biotype RWA1 but showed distinct responses to feeding by greenbug biotypes C and E, as well as RWA2 RWAs. Although microsatellite-based genetic diversity among different accessions was generally low, Bd1-1 and BD29 were the most diverged from the other four lines. The genetic divergence was correlated with geographical distances between the Brachypodium accessions. Comparison of simple sequence repeat polymorphisms in three inbred lines (Bd2-3, Bd3-1 and Bd18-1) with their respective original parental lines revealed no effect of inbreeding on genetic diversity. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that Aegilops tauschii (Coss.) Schmal. , the D genome donor of common wheat, was closer to B. distachyon than to rice. The greenbug - B. distachyon system seems to be a model of choice for plant–aphid interaction studies in the grass genome.
A TEMPORAL MINIMUM DESCRIPTION LENGTH POLICY FOR EVOLVING NEURAL NETWORKS

One of the most important issues for computational methods is their time complexity. This paper introduces a temporal MDL (minimum description length) policy for evolving neural networks based on their execution time on the hosting hardware. Temporal MDL implements an adaptive selection pressure based on the actual processing time of the evolving solutions and thus favors creation of faster, more compact networks for the given data. Temporal MDL reduces the time complexity directly and the network size indirectly. The latter helps generalization and reduces model variance, making the temporal MDL a viable candidate for regularization. This methodology is especially important for time-critical applications. Mackey-Glass time series prediction results are presented for evolutionary distributed time lag neural networks with temporal MDL to demonstrate the above stated capabilities. INTRODUCTION Bias-variance dilemma is an important issue in neural network design. Besides validation-based early stopping, regularization is an effective method for helping networks’ generalization capabilities by penalizing more complex solutions and reducing unwanted variance. This is especially important when the training data is scarce and one does not have the luxury of setting aside a part of data for validation-based early stopping, which is usually the case for many real world applications (Haykin, 1999). Speaking of real world applications, time is usually one of the most important factors in computing systems, especially for time-critical applications. Furthermore, temporal agility has been mentioned as an indicator of machine intelligence (Kurzweil, 2000). Traditional regularization techniques such as Akaike information criterion (Box et al, 1994) do not deal with the actual time complexity. Here we introduce a practical minimum description length procedure in the context of evolutionary neural networks that will address this issue. TEMPORAL MINIMUM DESCRIPTION LENGTH AND NEURAL NETWORKS Our hypothesis is as follows: since the actual training time for a neural network on a given computational platform is directly related to its size, then penalizing each network not only for its error but also its time complexity should reduce its space complexity which has been reported by other researchers as a successful form of regularization (Principe et al, 2000; Sathyanarayan and Kumar, 1996; Hansen and Yu, 2001). This favoring of parsimony through selection pressure on both error and actual computation
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Graves' Disease in One Patient: The Extremes of Thyroid Dysfunction Associated with Interferon Treatment

Autoimmune thyroid disease associated with interferon therapy can manifest as destructive thyroiditis, Graves' Hyperthyroidism, and autoimmune (often subclinical) hypothyroidism, the latter persisting in many patients. There are scare reports of a single patient developing extremes of autoimmune thyroid disease activated by the immunomodulatory effects of interferon. A 60-year-old man received 48 weeks of pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy for chronic HCV. Six months into treatment, he reported fatigue, weight gain, and slowed cognition. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was 58.8 mIU/L [0.27–4.2], fT4 11.1 pmol/L [12–25], and fT3 4.2 pmol/L [2.5–6.0] with elevated anti-TPO (983 IU/mL [<35]) and anti-TG (733 U/mL [<80]) antibodies. He commenced thyroxine with initial clinical and biochemical resolution but developed symptoms of hyperthyroidism with weight loss and tremor 14 months later. Serum TSH was <0.02 mIU/L, fT4 54.3 pmol/L, and fT3 20.2 pmol/L, with an elevated TSH receptor (TRAb, 4.0 U/L [<1.0]), anti-TPO (1,163 IU/mL) and anti-TG (114 U/mL) antibodies. Technetium scan confirmed Graves' Disease with bilateral diffuse increased tracer uptake (5.9% [0.5–3.5%]). The patient commenced carbimazole therapy for 6 months. Treatment was ceased following spontaneous clinical and biochemical remission (TSH 3.84 mIU/L, fT4 17pmol/L, fT3 4.5 pmol/L, and TRAb <1 U/L). This raises the need to monitor thyroid function closely in patients both during and following completion of interferon treatment.