Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disordered Sleep and Myopia Risk among Chinese Children

Purpose Disordered sleep and myopia are increasingly prevalent among Chinese children. Similar pathways may be involved in regulation of both sleep cycles and eye growth. We therefore sought to examine the association between disordered sleep and myopia in this group. Methods Urban primary school children participating in a clinical trial on myopia and outdoor activity underwent automated cycloplegic refraction with subjective refinement. Parents answered questions about children's sleep duration, sleep disorders (Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire [CSHQ]), near work and time spent outdoors. Results Among 1970 children, 1902 (96.5%, mean [standard deviation SD] age 9.80 [0.44] years, 53.1% boys) completed refraction and questionnaires. Myopia < = -0.50 Diopters was present in both eyes of 588 (30.9%) children (1329/3804 = 34.9% of eyes) and 1129 children (59.4%) had abnormal CSHQ scores (> 41). In logistic regression models by eye, odds of myopia < = -0.50D increased with worse CSHQ score (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.01 per point, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] [1.001, 1.02], P = 0.014) and more night-time sleep (OR 1.02, 95% CI [1.01, 1.04, P = 0.002], while male sex (OR 0.82, 95% CI [0.70, 0.95], P = 0.008) and time outdoors (OR = 0.97, 95% CI [0.95, 0.99], P = 0.011) were associated with less myopia. The association between sleep duration and myopia was not significant (p = 0.199) for total (night + midday) sleep. Conclusions Myopia and disordered sleep were both common in this cohort, but we did not find consistent evidence for an association between the two. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov NCT00848900
Speech enhancement using an Improved MMSE estimator with Laplacian prior

In this paper we present an optimal estimator of magnitude spectrum for speech enhancement when the clean speech DFT coefficients are modeled by a Laplacian distribution and the noise DFT coefficients are modeled by a Gaussian distribution. Chen has already introduced a Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) estimator of the magnitude spectrum. However, the proposed estimator, namely LapMMSE, does not have a closed form and is computationally extensive. We use his formulation for the MMSE estimator, employ some approximations and propose a computationally effective estimator for the magnitude spectrum. Experimental studies demonstrate better performance of our proposed estimator, Improved LapMMSE (ImpLapMMSE) Compared to LapMMSE and previous estimators in which Laplacian and Gaussian assumptions were made.
A pilot study assessing ipsilateral vs. contralateral feedback in EMG-force models of the wrist for upper-limb prosthesis control

Many advanced EMG-based upper-limb prosthesis control methods require model training in which subjects produce supervised forces/movements. Since unilateral limb-absent subjects cannot produce forces/movements on their affected side, one technique (mirrored bi-lateral training) relates forces/motions produced on the sound side to EMG on the affected side. However, the efforts made by the phantom limb may not fully reflect those of the sound limb. To understand this issue, three able-bodied subjects produced mirrored bi-lateral forces during constant-posture contraction at the wrist. EMG-force models were formed for 1- and 2-degree of freedom tasks and results compared to previous trials in which ipsilateral training had been conducted. We found that contralateral training generally, but not always, produced errors (in percent maximum voluntary contraction) that were 6-56% larger than those found from ipsilateral training. Our results suggest that a substantial portion-but not all-of the errors found in mirrored tasks may be due to contralateral tracking errors. Further study with a larger population is indicated.
A Complete Genetic Analysis of Neuronal Rab3 Function

Rab3A, Rab3B, Rab3C, and Rab3D are closely related GTP-binding proteins of synaptic vesicles that may function in neurotransmitter release. We have produced knock-out (KO) mice for Rab3B and Rab3C and crossed them with previously generated Rab3A and 3D knock-out mice to generate double, triple, and quadruple Rab3 knock-out mice. We have found that all single and double Rab3 knock-out mice are viable and fertile. Most triple Rab3 knock-out mice perish whenever Rab3A is one of the three deleted proteins, whereas all triple knock-out mice that express Rab3A are viable and fertile. Finally, all quadruple knock-out mice die shortly after birth. Quadruple Rab3 KO mice initially develop normally and are born alive but succumb to respiratory failure. Rab3-deficient mice display no apparent changes in synapse structure or brain composition except for a loss of rabphilin, a Rab3-binding protein. Analysis of cultured hippocampal neurons from quadruple knock-out mice uncovered no significant change in spontaneous or sucrose-evoked release but an ∼30% decrease in evoked responses. This decrease was caused by a decline in the synaptic and the vesicular release probabilities, suggesting that Rab3 proteins are essential for the normal regulation of Ca2+-triggered synaptic vesicle exocytosis but not for synaptic vesicle exocytosis as such. Our data show that Rab3 is required for survival in mice and that the four Rab3 proteins are functionally redundant in this role. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that Rab3 is not in itself essential for synaptic membrane traffic but functions to modulate the basic release machinery.
Prostate tumor-induced angiogenesis is blocked by exosomes derived from menstrual stem cells through the inhibition of reactive oxygen species

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete exosomes that are capable of modifying the tumor environment through different mechanisms including changes in the cancer-cell secretome. This activity depends on their cargo content that is largely defined by their cellular origin. Endometrial cells are fine regulators of the angiogenic process during the menstrual cycle that includes an angiostatic condition that is associated with the end of the cycle. Hence, we studied the angiogenic activity of menstrual stem cells (MenSCs)-secreted exosomes on prostate PC3 tumor cells. Our results showed that exosomes induce a reduction in VEGF secretion and NF-κB activity. Lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in exosomes-treated cells was detected by the DCF method, suggesting that the inhibition of the intracellular ROS impacts both NF-κB and VEGF pathways. We confirmed using tubule formation and plug transplantation assays that MenSCs-exosomes suppress the secretion of pro-angiogenic factors by the PC3 cells in a ROS-dependent manner. The inhibition of the tumor angiogenesis and, consequently, the tumor growth was also confirmed using a xenograft mouse model. Additionally, the anti-tumoral effect was associated with a reduction of tumor hemoglobin content, vascular density and inhibition of VEGF and HIF-1α expression. Importantly, we demonstrate that the exosomes anti-angiogenic effect is specific to the menstrual cell source, as bone marrow MSCs-derived exosomes showed an opposite effect on the VEGF and bFGF expression in tumor cells. Altogether, our results indicate that MenSCs-derived exosomes acts as blockers of the tumor-induced angiogenesis and therefore could be suitable for anti-cancer therapies.
Knowledge Transfer Social Media as Social Lubricant : How Ambient Awareness Eases

Knowledge stickiness often impedes knowledge transfer. When knowledge is complex and the knowledge seeker lacks intimacy with the knowledge source, knowledge sticks in its point of origin because the knowledge seeker faces ambiguity about the best way to acquire the needed knowledge. We theorize that, given the extent of that ambiguity, knowledge seekers will make a choice to either ask for needed knowledge immediately after deciding it is needed, or wait and ask for it at a later date. We hypothesize that when knowledge is sticky, knowledge seekers will delay asking for knowledge and, in the interim period, use an enterprise social networking site to gather information that can lubricate stuck knowledge, such as how, when, and in what way to ask for the desired knowledge. We propose that by doing this, knowledge seekers can increase their ultimate satisfaction with the knowledge once they ask for it. Data describing specific instances of knowledge transfer occurring in a large telecommunications firm supported these hypotheses, showing that knowledge transfer is made easier by the fact that enterprise social networking sites make other peoples’ communications visible to casual observers such that knowledge seekers can gather information about the knowledge and its source simply by watching his or her actions through the technology, even if they never interacted with the source directly themselves. The findings show that simple awareness of others’ communications (what we call ambient awareness) played a pivotal role in helping knowledge seekers to obtain interpersonal and knowledge-related material with which to lubricate their interactions with knowledge sources. 1University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA 2Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA Corresponding Author: Paul M. Leonardi, Phelps Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, 93106-5129. Email: Leonardi@tmp.ucsb. edu 540509 ABSXXX10.1177/0002764214540509American Behavioral ScientistLeonardi and Meyer research-article2014 at UNIV CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA on December 9, 2014 abs.sagepub. com Downloaded from Leonardi and Meyer 11
A flow demand model to predict hospital utilisation

Context and objectives: The definition of hospital policies to improve geographic equity requires information regarding the impact of changes of hospital supply on hospital utilisation. Previous models to predict hospital utilisation have been particularly weak in three respects: in capturing the process of demand for hospital care, in modelling the interaction between hospital utilisation and the supply of alternative hospitals, and in dealing with geographic variations. This study proposes an alternative model to predict demand and utilisation of hospital care at the small area level. Method: The proposed approach departs from an alternative unit of analysis, namely utilisation flows of hospital care between population and hospital points. It has built a flow demand model that: a) Relates flow demand with utilisation flows; b) Models the interaction between hospital supply and utilisation of alternative hospitals with the use of an index of alternative hospital supply and; c) Captures the process of demand for hospital care, with special attention to the role of other health care sectors and to the organisational and institutional context of the hospital system. The model is built on the basis of the Portuguese health care system, though it can be also applied to the context of other countries with a NHS structure. A two-part econometric model appears to be suitable to estimate the flow demand model for prediction purposes: it deals with the matrix structure of flow data, and it allows for interpretation of the geographic decision on hospital use. When the model is applied to the Portuguese health care system, results show that a wide range of factors impact on utilisation, and that primary care utilisation and institutional and supply characteristics of the hospital system are key elements in formulating hospital policies. Conclusions: The flow demand model is an alternative to previous models and presents good econometric properties. It provides key information for defining future hospital policies at the central level.
Phonetic Perception and the Temporal Cortex

Recent functional neuroimaging studies have emphasized the role of the different areas within the left superior temporal sulcus (STS) for the perception of various speech stimuli. We report here the results of three independent studies additionally demonstrating hemodynamic responses in the vicinity of the planum temporale (PT). In these studies we used consonant-vowel (CV) syllables, tones, white noise, and vowels as acoustic stimuli in the context of whole-head functional magnetic resonance imaging, applying a long TR to attenuate possible masking effects by the scanner noise. To summarize, we obtained the following results for the contrasts comparing hemodynamic responses obtained during the perception of CV syllables compared to tones or white noise: (i) stronger activation in the vicinity of the left PT with two distinct foci of activation, one in a lateral position and the other more medial in the vicinity of Heschl's sulcus; (ii) stronger activation in the vicinity of the right PT; and (iii) stronger bilateral activation within the mid-STS. Further contrasts revealed the following findings: (iv) stronger bilateral activation to CV syllables than to vowels in the medial PT, (v) stronger left-sided activation to CV syllables than to vowels in the mid-STS, and (vi) stronger activation to CV syllables with voiceless initial consonants than to CV syllables with voiced initial consonants in the left medial PT. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that the STS contains neurons specialized for speech perception. However, these results also emphasize the role of the PT in the analysis of phonetic features, namely the voice-onset-time. Yet this does not mean that the PT is solely specialized for phonetic analysis. We hypothesize rather that the PT contains neurons specialized for the analysis of rapidly changing cues as was suggested by P. Tallal et al. (1993, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 682: 27-47).
Determination of the Cosmic Distance Scale from Sunyaev-Zel’dovich Effect and Chandra X-Ray Measurements of High-Redshift Galaxy Clusters

We determine the distance to 38 clusters of galaxies in the redshift range 0.14 ≤ z ≤ 0.89 using X-ray data from Chandra and Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect (SZE) data from the Owens Valley Radio Observatory and the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association interferometric arrays. The cluster plasma and dark matter distributions are analyzed using a hydrostatic equilibrium model that accounts for radial variations in density, temperature, and abundance, and the statistical and systematic errors of this method are quantified. The analysis is performed via a Markov chain Monte Carlo technique that provides simultaneous estimation of all model parameters. We measure a Hubble constant of H0 = 76.9 km s-1 Mpc-1 (statistical followed by systematic uncertainty at 68% confidence) for an ΩM = 0.3, ΩΛ = 0.7 cosmology. We also analyze the data using an isothermal β-model that does not invoke the hydrostatic equilibrium assumption and find H0 = 73.7 km s-1 Mpc-1; to avoid effects from cool cores in clusters, we repeated this analysis excluding the central 100 kpc from the X-ray data and find H0 = 77.6 km s-1 Mpc-1 (statistical followed by systematic uncertainty at 68% confidence). The consistency between the models illustrates the relative insensitivity of SZE/X-ray determinations of H0 to the details of the cluster model. Our determination of the Hubble parameter in the distant universe agrees with the recent measurement from the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project that probes the nearby universe.
The Determinants of Intra‐Industry Trade in Insurance Services

In light of the growing significance of trade in financial services, and the emphasis placed on trade in financial services during the Uruguay round of trade negotiations, this article is the first study of the determinants of intra-industry trade (IIT) in insurance services. The article analyzes and measures the magnitude of IIT in insurance services for the United States. The empirical results of the determinants of IIT indicate that foreign direct investment in insurance services (FDI) is a significant contributor to the volume of trade in insurance services. These empirical findings confirm the new theoretical trade models that, unlike the traditional trade theory that considered trade and foreign direct investment in insurance services as substitutes, trade and FDI complement each other and hence multinational insurance companies are contributing to an increase in the volume of trade in insurance services. Furthermore, this study shows that trade intensity between the United States and its trading partners leads to product differentiation in insurance services and hence an increase in consumer welfare. Copyright 2003 The Journal of Risk and Insurance.
Estimation of Exchangeable Sodium Percentage with the Aid of Sodium Adsorption Ratio in Sedimentary Soils

Soil salinity and sodicity are two main factors limiting plant growth in irrigated agricultural land. Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) are two different criteria as an index of soil sodicity and salinity. Various approximate relationships between ESP and SAR have been reported for soils in different regions of the world. Since there is possibility that these relationships change substantially with clay content, mineralogy, salinity of equilibrium solution, and saturation percentage of soils, it seems essential doing specific studies for different regions. The purpose of this research was to i) find the relationship between ESP and SAR, and ii) estimate the ESP from SAR in alluvial soils of Sistan, the dry plain in east of Iran. Thus, 301 soil samples were collected from study area and analyzed. The best linear and logarithmic equations found between ESP and SAR using Datafit software were ESP = 8.89 × ln(SAR1:1) + 14.04 and ESP = 8.73 × ln(SAR1:5) + 14.59, that ESP variation was justified 78% and 76%, respectively. Then, the multi-layer perceptron neural network (MLP) and ANFIS system performance were investigated in order to estimate ESP. Results showed superior performance of MLP and ANFIS compared with the regression models. ESP estimation from SAR1:1 using ANFIS was more accurate than other models (coefficient of determination and root mean square error values were 0.99 and 0.014, respectively). These results indicate the superiority of the intelligent models in order to explain the relationship between ESP and SAR over linear and non-linear regression equations.
Repeatability and Reproducibility of Quantitative Corneal Shape Analysis after Orthokeratology Treatment Using Image-Pro Plus Software

Purpose. To evaluate the repeatability and reproducibility of quantitative analysis of the morphological corneal changes after orthokeratology treatment using “Image-Pro Plus 6.0” software (IPP). Methods. Three sets of measurements were obtained: two sets by examiner 1 with 5 days apart and one set by examiner 2 on the same day. Parameters of the eccentric distance, eccentric angle, area, and roundness of the corneal treatment zone were measured using IPP. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and repetitive coefficient (COR) were used to calculate the repeatability and reproducibility of these three sets of measurements. Results. ICC analysis suggested “excellent” reliability of more than 0.885 for all variables, and COR values were less than 10% for all variables within the same examiner. ICC analysis suggested “excellent” reliability for all variables of more than 0.90, and COR values were less than 10% for all variables between different examiners. All extreme values of the eccentric distance and area of the treatment zone pointed to the same material number in three sets of measurements. Conclusions. IPP could be used to acquire the exact data of the characteristic morphological corneal changes after orthokeratology treatment with good repeatability and reproducibility. This trial is registered with trial registration number: ChiCTR-IPR-14005505.
Anatomical accuracy of brain connections derived from diffusion MRI tractography is inherently limited

Significance Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) tractography is widely used to map structural connections of the human brain in vivo and has been adopted by large-scale initiatives such as the human connectome project. Our results indicate that, even with high-quality data, DWI tractography alone is unlikely to provide an anatomically accurate map of the brain connectome. It is crucial to complement tractography results with a combination of histological or neurophysiological methods to map structural connectivity accurately. Our findings, however, do not diminish the importance of diffusion MRI as a noninvasive tool that offers important quantitative measures related to brain tissue microstructure and white matter architecture. Tractography based on diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) is widely used for mapping the structural connections of the human brain. Its accuracy is known to be limited by technical factors affecting in vivo data acquisition, such as noise, artifacts, and data undersampling resulting from scan time constraints. It generally is assumed that improvements in data quality and implementation of sophisticated tractography methods will lead to increasingly accurate maps of human anatomical connections. However, assessing the anatomical accuracy of DWI tractography is difficult because of the lack of independent knowledge of the true anatomical connections in humans. Here we investigate the future prospects of DWI-based connectional imaging by applying advanced tractography methods to an ex vivo DWI dataset of the macaque brain. The results of different tractography methods were compared with maps of known axonal projections from previous tracer studies in the macaque. Despite the exceptional quality of the DWI data, none of the methods demonstrated high anatomical accuracy. The methods that showed the highest sensitivity showed the lowest specificity, and vice versa. Additionally, anatomical accuracy was highly dependent upon parameters of the tractography algorithm, with different optimal values for mapping different pathways. These results suggest that there is an inherent limitation in determining long-range anatomical projections based on voxel-averaged estimates of local fiber orientation obtained from DWI data that is unlikely to be overcome by improvements in data acquisition and analysis alone.
Intermediate states of the Kv1.2 voltage sensor from atomistic molecular dynamics simulations

The response of a membrane-bound Kv1.2 ion channel to an applied transmembrane potential has been studied using molecular dynamics simulations. Channel deactivation is shown to involve three intermediate states of the voltage sensor domain (VSD), and concomitant movement of helix S4 charges 10–15 Å along the bilayer normal; the latter being enabled by zipper-like sequential pairing of S4 basic residues with neighboring VSD acidic residues and membrane-lipid head groups. During the observed sequential transitions S4 basic residues pass through the recently discovered charge transfer center with its conserved phenylalanine residue, F233. Analysis indicates that the local electric field within the VSD is focused near the F233 residue and that it remains essentially unaltered during the entire process. Overall, the present computations provide an atomistic description of VSD response to hyperpolarization, add support to the sliding helix model, and capture essential features inferred from a variety of recent experiments.