Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Childhood GERD is a Risk Factor for GERD in Adolescents and Young Adults

OBJECTIVE:The clinical course of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in children without comorbid illness (neurological deficits, congenital esophageal anomalies, chronic obstructive airway conditions) is unclear. Whether GERD in childhood progresses or predisposes to GERD in adulthood remains unknown.METHODS:We identified a cohort of individuals endoscopically diagnosed with GERD in childhood between 1990 and 1996. We excluded patients with comorbid illnesses. Eligible persons were contacted by telephone in person or through a household member and requested to complete a validated (in adults) symptom questionnaire between February 2001 and February 2003. Respondents were invited to undergo an upper endoscopy or to share results of any endoscopic examination performed within the past 12 months. We calculated the proportion of persons with GERD symptoms (monthly, weekly), and with current use of antisecretory medications (histamine-2-receptror antagonists [H2RA], proton pump inhibitors [PPI]). RESULTS:A total of 207 persons satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were contacted. Of those, 80 (39%) completed the questionnaire and 14/80 (18%) had an upper endoscopy. The mean age of participants was 20 years (SD = 4, range 10–40); most were Caucasian (73%), and 60% were female. GERD was documented at a mean age of 5 years (approximately a 15-yr duration of follow-up). Most participants (64/80, 80%) had at least monthly heartburn and/or acid regurgitation reported within the past 12 months; 18/80 (23%) reported at least weekly symptoms, and an additional three patients were asymptomatic but taking antisecretory therapy (H2RA or PPI). If all nonresponders were considered free of symptoms, then at least 31% had monthly symptoms, and 9% had weekly symptoms. Overall, 24 (30%) were currently taking either H2RA or PPI, and 19 patients had undergone fundoplication. There were no statistically significant differences between those who reported monthly GERD symptoms, weekly GERD symptoms, or no GERD symptoms as far as demographic features, age of GERD onset, receipt of fundoplication, or current GERD treatment. At endoscopy, three patients had mild to moderate erosive esophagitis.CONCLUSIONS:GERD in otherwise normal children can persist through adolescence and adulthood in a significant proportion of patients who continue to have GERD symptoms and signs, and use antisecretory medications. Childhood GERD is a risk factor for GERD in adolescence and adulthood.
An incremental sampling-based algorithm for stochastic optimal control

In this paper, we consider a class of continuous-time, continuous-space stochastic optimal control problems. Using the Markov chain approximation method and recent advances in sampling-based algorithms for deterministic path planning, we propose a novel algorithm called the incremental Markov Decision Process to incrementally compute control policies that approximate arbitrarily well an optimal policy in terms of the expected cost. The main idea behind the algorithm is to generate a sequence of finite discretizations of the original problem through random sampling of the state space. At each iteration, the discretized problem is a Markov Decision Process that serves as an incrementally refined model of the original problem. We show that with probability one, (i) the sequence of the optimal value functions for each of the discretized problems converges uniformly to the optimal value function of the original stochastic optimal control problem, and (ii) the original optimal value function can be computed efficiently in an incremental manner using asynchronous value iterations. Thus, the proposed algorithm provides an anytime approach to the computation of optimal control policies of the continuous problem. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated on motion planning and control problems in cluttered environments in the presence of process noise.
Factors influencing the intended use of web portals

Purpose – A lack of differentiation in the function and appearance of web portals has led to fierce competition; attracting users' attention is no doubt the most important factor for portal success. This study aims to combine rational assessment factors and non‐rational assessment factors to examine their impact on the intended use of portals.Design/methodology/approach – The research participants were individuals who have experience using web portals. A total of 215 valid questionnaires were collected. Structural equation modelling was used to test the research hypothesis.Findings – This study is based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), a significant model in MIS research. The results show that all assessment factors have an impact on the intended use of web portals.Research limitations/implications – TAM emphasised perceived usefulness as the key determinant of user acceptance of technology. This study finds, however, that in the portal context, non‐rational assessment factors such as perceived p.
Density of karst depressions in Yucatán state, Mexico

The abundance of karst depressions in Yucatán has been widely recognized, but they have not been classified or quantified despite their importance in land-use planning. Our objective was to study the types and areas of the sinkholes, uvalas, and poljes and identify their patterns of spatial distribution. We used 58 topographic maps (1:50,000) from INEGI, from which we extracted the depressions and bodies of water. For typology, we used a circularity index and the shape and area of the depressions. For single-density analysis, we extracted the centroids and added an inventory of karst features (cenotes, caves). We counted 6717 depressions with a total area of 454 km and 750 karst features. We identified 4620 dolines (34 km), mainly in plateaus below 30 masl. In number, they are followed by uvalas (2021) and poljes (76), occupying together a similar area (210 km) and dominating in elevations higher than 30 masl. Eighty percent of the dolines were automatically labeled. The density of depressions allowed us to identify the “ring of cenotes” and the “field of dolines” according to two main types of factors, structural and climatic. The typology and density of the depressions could be used as geomorphological differentiation criteria in the vast plateaus of central and eastern parts of the state.
The Role of Interleukin-15 Polymorphisms in Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Background Interleukin-15 (IL-15) plays important roles in the immune system and in the development of hematopoietic cells. Previous studies revealed that five SNPs in IL-15, rs10519612, rs10519613, rs35964658, rs17007695 and rs17015014, were significantly associated with childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) treatment response. In adult ALL, the expression of IL-15 was also correlated with the immunophenotypes of ALL. Therefore, we hypothesize that SNPs of IL-15 might also be associated with adult ALL. Methods and Findings We genotyped the above five SNPs of IL-15 gene by PCR-RFLP assays in adult ALL case-control studies. The current study included 121 adult ALL patients and 263 healthy controls. IL-15 genotypes and haplotypes were determined and the associations with the risk of ALL were analyzed by logistic regression. SNPs rs10519612 and rs17007695 were significantly associated with ALL (P = 0.013 and P = 0.001). We observed a 2-fold and 2.4-fold excess risk of developing ALL for the rs10519612 CC and rs17007695 TC genotype carriers compared with non-carriers, respectively. Haplotype analysis revealed that haplotypes ACAC, CAGT and CCAT were significantly associated with adult B-ALL, while haplotype CCAT conferred susceptibility to T-ALL. Conclusion These findings suggest that IL-15 gene polymorphisms are significantly associated with ALL in adult Chinese population.
Effective Visual Working Memory Capacity: An Emergent Effect from the Neural Dynamics in an Attractor Network

The study of working memory capacity is of outmost importance in cognitive psychology as working memory is at the basis of general cognitive function. Although the working memory capacity limit has been thoroughly studied, its origin still remains a matter of strong debate. Only recently has the role of visual saliency in modulating working memory storage capacity been assessed experimentally and proved to provide valuable insights into working memory function. In the computational arena, attractor networks have successfully accounted for psychophysical and neurophysiological data in numerous working memory tasks given their ability to produce a sustained elevated firing rate during a delay period. Here we investigate the mechanisms underlying working memory capacity by means of a biophysically-realistic attractor network with spiking neurons while accounting for two recent experimental observations: 1) the presence of a visually salient item reduces the number of items that can be held in working memory, and 2) visually salient items are commonly kept in memory at the cost of not keeping as many non-salient items. Our model suggests that working memory capacity is determined by two fundamental processes: encoding of visual items into working memory and maintenance of the encoded items upon their removal from the visual display. While maintenance critically depends on the constraints that lateral inhibition imposes to the mnemonic activity, encoding is limited by the ability of the stimulated neural assemblies to reach a sufficiently high level of excitation, a process governed by the dynamics of competition and cooperation among neuronal pools. Encoding is therefore contingent upon the visual working memory task and has led us to introduce the concept of effective working memory capacity (eWMC) in contrast to the maximal upper capacity limit only reached under ideal conditions.
Insulin growth factor-binding protein 2 is a candidate biomarker for PTEN status and PI3K/Akt pathway activation in glioblastoma and prostate cancer

PTEN is an important tumor-suppressor gene associated with many cancers. Through expression profiling of glioblastoma tissue samples and prostate cancer xenografts, we identified a molecular signature for loss of the PTEN tumor suppressor in glioblastoma and prostate tumors. The PTEN signature consists of a minimum of nine genes, several of which are involved in various pathways already implicated in tumor formation. Among these signature genes, the most significant was an increase in insulin growth factor-binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2) mRNA. Up-regulation of IGFBP-2 was confirmed at the protein level by Western blot analysis and validated in samples not included in the microarray analysis. The link between IGFBP-2 and PTEN was of particular interest because elevated serum IGFBP-2 levels have been reported in patients with prostate and brain tumors. To further investigate this link, we determined that IGFBP-2 expression is negatively regulated by PTEN and positively regulated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt activation. In addition, Akt-driven transformation is impaired in IGFBP2−/− mouse embryo fibroblasts, implicating a functional role for IGFBP-2 in PTEN signaling. Collectively, these studies establish that PTEN and IGFBP-2 expression are inversely correlated in human brain and prostate cancers and implicate serum IGFBP-2 levels as a potential serum biomarker of PTEN status and PI3K Akt pathway activation in cancer patients.
Anti-VSG antibodies induce an increase in Trypanosoma evansi intracellular Ca2+ concentration

SUMMARY Trypanosoma evansi and Trypanosoma vivax have shown a very high immunological cross-reactivity. Anti-T. vivax antibodies were used to monitor changes in the T. evansi intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) by fluorometric ratio imaging from single parasites. A short-time exposure of T. evansi parasites to sera from T. vivax-infected bovines induced an increase in [Ca2+]i, which generated their complete lysis. The parasite [Ca2+]i boost was reduced but not eliminated in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ or following serum decomplementation. Decomplemented anti-T. evansi VSG antibodies also produced an increase in the parasite [Ca2+]i, in the presence of extracellular Ca2+. Furthermore, this Ca2+ signal was reduced following blockage with Ni2+ or in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, suggesting that this response was a combination of an influx of Ca2+ throughout membrane channels and a release of this ion from intracellular stores. The observed Ca2+ signal was specific since (i) it was completely eliminated following pre-incubation of the anti-VSG antibodies with the purified soluble VSG, and (ii) affinity-purified anti-VSG antibodies also generated an increase in [Ca2+]i by measurements on single cells or parasite populations. We also showed that an increase of the T. evansi [Ca2+]i by the calcium A-23187 ionophore led to VSG release from the parasite surface. In addition, in vivo immunofluorescence labelling revealed that anti-VSG antibodies induced the formation of raft patches of VSG on the parasite surface. This is the first study to identify a ligand that is coupled to calcium flux in salivarian trypanosomes.
Experimental Investigation of the Dynamic Characteristics of Laminated Composite Beams

The laminated composite beams are basic structural components used in a variety of engineering structures such as airplane wings, helicopter blades and turbine blades as well as many others in the aerospace, mechanical, and civil industries. An important element in the dynamic analysis of composite beams is the computation of their natural frequencies and mode shapes. This is important because composite beam structures often operate in complex environmental conditions and are frequently exposed to a variety of dynamic excitations. In this paper, a combined finite element and experimental approach is used to characterize the vibration behavior of composite beams. To this end, some beams are made using the hand-lay-up process. Glass fiber is used as reinforcement in the form of bidirectional fabric and general purpose polyester resin as matrix for the composite material of beams. Experimental dynamic tests are carried out using specimens with different fiber orientations. From the results, the influence of fiber orientations on the flexural natural frequencies is investigated. Also, these experiments are used to validate the results obtained from the finite element software ANSYS. Index Term – Composite beams, Dynamic tests, Finite element method, Natural frequencies
Respiratory infections in coal miners exposed to nitrogen oxides.

Coal miners working underground may be exposed chronically to low levels of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide from diesel engine emissions and from the use of explosives for blasting. The aims of this study were to establish whether long-term exposures to low concentrations of these gases at nine British coal mines had been associated with increased susceptibility to respiratory infections and, if so, to estimate the relative risks for different levels of exposure. The nine mines concerned had been involved, since 1954, in a prospective epidemiological study of coal miners' health. Median levels of nitrogen oxides in 4,933 pairs of full-shift samples, taken at the mines during the years 1976 through 1982 were 0.2 ppm nitric oxide and 0.03 ppm nitrogen dioxide; 10 percent of the concentrations exceeded 1.1 ppm nitric oxide and 0.08 ppm nitrogen dioxide. Multiple regression estimates of concentrations associated with different underground locations, types of work, and mining conditions at each mine were combined with detailed records of miners' attendance at work at similar locations in earlier years. These retrospective estimates of individuals' underground exposures to nitrogen oxides referred to between five- and 16-year periods of exposure. Also available for study were records of the men's exposures to respirable mine dusts and information from five-yearly medical surveys about their smoking habits, respiratory symptoms, and questionnaire-elicited reports of sickness absences attributed, among other things, to respiratory infections. The reliability of the latter reports was examined in a sample of 471 of the men by comparing the answers to the questionnaire with physicians' diagnoses on certified sickness absence records. Miners' references to bronchitis, influenza, or colds as the cause of prolonged sickness absence during the three years preceding the surveys did, in general, reflect real spells of absence from work, lasting at least seven days, that had been diagnosed by doctors as due to respiratory infections. But only about 20 percent of the men whose colliery records indicated that there had been such an absence acknowledged them in the survey as due to a "chest illness". Most of the under-reporting was of absence certified as due to influenza, colds, or "upper respiratory tract infection", and this under-reporting was not related to the men's ages or smoking habits. The main analyses referred to 5,408 reports of colds, influenza, or bronchitis at a total of 40,071 interviews involving nearly 20,000 miners. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Genetic Basis for Variation in Wheat Grain Yield in Response to Varying Nitrogen Application

Nitrogen (N) is a major nutrient needed to attain optimal grain yield (GY) in all environments. Nitrogen fertilisers represent a significant production cost, in both monetary and environmental terms. Developing genotypes capable of taking up N early during development while limiting biomass production after establishment and showing high N-use efficiency (NUE) would be economically beneficial. Genetic variation in NUE has been shown previously. Here we describe the genetic characterisation of NUE and identify genetic loci underlying N response under different N fertiliser regimes in a bread wheat population of doubled-haploid lines derived from a cross between two Australian genotypes (RAC875 × Kukri) bred for a similar production environment. NUE field trials were carried out at four sites in South Australia and two in Western Australia across three seasons. There was genotype-by-environment-by-treatment interaction across the sites and also good transgressive segregation for yield under different N supply in the population. We detected some significant Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) associated with NUE and N response at different rates of N application across the sites and years. It was also possible to identify lines showing positive N response based on the rankings of their Best Linear Unbiased Predictions (BLUPs) within a trial. Dissecting the complexity of the N effect on yield through QTL analysis is a key step towards elucidating the molecular and physiological basis of NUE in wheat.
A Theory of Questions and Question Asking

This article focuses on knowledge goals, that is, the goals of a reasoner to acquire or reorganize knowledge. Knowledge goals, often expressed as questions, arise when the reasoner's model of the domain is inadequate in some reasoning situation. This leads the reasoner to focus on the knowledge it needs, to formulate questions to acquire this knowledge, and to learn by pursuing its questions. I develop a theory of questions and of question asking, motivated both by cognitive and computational considerations, and I discuss the theory in the context of the task of story understanding. I present a computer model of an active reader that learns about novel domains by reading newspaper stories.
Spatiotemporal variability of soil moisture in arid vegetation communities using MODIS vegetation and dryness indices

Abstract Among the methods devised to delineate soil and water information, optical/thermal remote sensing offers great capabilities by providing spatiotemporally multi-scale data and products like surface dryness indices. In this context, the present study utilized the MODIS-based TVDI, iTVDI, and VDI indices to scrutinize the effect of dryness on soil moisture in three vegetation communities: Artemisia spp. (sagebrush), Astragalus spp. (astragale) and grassland in central Iran during a wet (2004) and a dry year (2008). The MOD13A2, MOD11A2, and MOD09A1 products acquired on DOYs (day of the year) 97, 129, 161, and 193 were used to extract dryness and vegetation indices. The downscaled 32-day interval PERSIANN-CCS products and field-measured soil moisture were used to appraise the validity of indices. The results showed statistically significant relationships (P < .05) between iTVDI and cumulative precipitation and soil moisture in all vegetation communities and on most DOYs, suggesting iTVDI as an effective indicator to monitor dryness status. Foremost among the vegetation indices, NDVI was found as a good complementary indicator to estimate vegetation-soil moisture conditions due to exhibiting stronger linear associations with precipitation, particularly in grassland during the wet (R2 = 0.81) and the dry (R2 = 0.72) year. The lowest values of dryness indices were observed in western and southern parts of the study area. In general, it was concluded that side by side assessment of vegetation and dryness indices was a more promising approach to dryness assessment and management over arid and semi-arid rangelands.
Stress-induced DNA damage biomarkers: applications and limitations

A variety of environmental stresses like chemicals, UV and ionizing radiation and organism's endogenous processes such as replication stress and metabolism can lead to the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) that can attack cellular vital components like DNA, proteins and lipid membranes. Among them, much attention has been focused on DNA since DNA damage plays a role in several biological disorders and aging processes. Thus, DNA damage can be used as a biomarker in a reliable and accurate way to quantify for example radiation exposure and can indicate its possible long term effects and cancer risk. Based on the type of DNA lesions detected one can hypothesize on the most probable mechanisms involved in the formation of these lesions for example in the case of UV and ionizing radiation (e.g., X- or α-, γ-rays, energetic ions, neutrons). In this review we describe the most accepted chemical pathways for DNA damage induction and the different types of DNA lesions, i.e., single, complex DNA lesions etc. that can be used as DNA damage biomarkers. We critically compare DNA damage detection methods and their limitations. In addition, we suggest the use of DNA repair gene products as biomarkes for identification of different types of stresses i.e., radiation, oxidative, or replication stress, based on bioinformatic approaches and meta-analysis of literature data.