Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disparities in plain, tap and bottled water consumption among US adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2014

Abstract Objective Differences in bottled v. tap water intake may provide insights into health disparities, like risk of dental caries and inadequate hydration. We examined differences in plain, tap and bottled water consumption among US adults by sociodemographic characteristics. Design Cross-sectional analysis. We used 24 h dietary recall data to test differences in percentage consuming the water sources and mean intake between groups using Wald tests and multiple logistic and linear regression models. Setting National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2007–2014. Subjects A nationally representative sample of 20 676 adults aged ≥20 years. Results In 2011–2014, 81·4 (se 0·6) % of adults drank plain water (sum of tap and bottled), 55·2 (se 1·4) % drank tap water and 33·4 (se 1·4) % drank bottled water on a given day. Adjusting for covariates, non-Hispanic (NH) Black and Hispanic adults had 0·44 (95 % CI 0·37, 0·53) and 0·55 (95 % CI 0·45, 0·66) times the odds of consuming tap water, and consumed B=−330 (se 45) ml and B=−180 (se 45) ml less tap water than NH White adults, respectively. NH Black, Hispanic and adults born outside the fifty US states or Washington, DC had 2·20 (95 % CI 1·79, 2·69), 2·37 (95 % CI 1·91, 2·94) and 1·46 (95 % CI 1·19, 1·79) times the odds of consuming bottled water than their NH White and US-born counterparts. In 2007–2010, water filtration was associated with higher odds of drinking plain and tap water. Conclusions While most US adults consumed plain water, the source (i.e. tap or bottled) and amount differed by race/Hispanic origin, nativity status and education. Water filters may increase tap water consumption.
Mathematical methods of Quantum Mechanics

References: • F.A. Berezin, M. Shubin: The Schrödinger equation. Mathematics and its Applications, Springer (1991). • M.Combescure, D.Robert: Coherent states and applications in Mathematical Physics, Springer (2012). • G.Folland: Harmonic Analysis in Phase Space. Princeton University Press (1989). • D.Griffiths, D.Schroeter: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (3rd ed.) Cambridge University Press (2018). • L. Erdös, B.Schlein, H-T.Yau: Derivation of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation for the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensate. Annals of Mathematics, 172 (2010) pp 291-370.
Functionality of kumquat (Fortunella margarita) in the production of fruity ice cream.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of kumquat (Fortunella margarita) on the quality characteristics of ice cream. Kumquat paste (KP) was added to an ice cream mix at four concentrations, 0 (control), 5, 10 and 15% (w/w), for ice cream production. RESULTS The increment of KP level caused an increase in acidity, vitamin C content, b* value and overrun value compared with the control ice cream. The apparent viscosity of samples decreased with the addition of KP at concentrations of 5 and 10% compared with the control. Results indicated that lyophilized water extract of KP (LKE) contained remarkable phenolic compounds. It was observed that LKE exhibited moderate in vitro antioxidant capacity. KP enhanced the color, flavor, vitamin C content and Mg and K contents of the ice cream. The addition of KP positively affected the sensory properties. CONCLUSION KP may be used as a suitable source of natural color and flavor agent in ice cream production. KP enhanced the vitamin C content and Mg and K contents of ice cream and improved its sensory properties.
Atypical Glandular Cells of Undetermined Significance: Significance of Cell Type and Age on Patient Management

Objective. To compare the rate, accuracy, and histological correlation of cytological smears reported as atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance (AGUS) in different age groups. Materials and Methods. Cervical cytology smears reported as AGUS were reviewed and correlated with histologic follow-up and repeat cytology. Results. A total of 40,464 Pap smears were performed at Long Island Jewish Medical Center between 1996 and 2000. Of those, 163 (0.4%) smears were diagnosed as AGUS, and 62% of the patients with AGUS had either histologic or cytologic follow-up or both. The highest AGUS rates occurred in the fifth (0.6%) and ninth (0.84%) decades of life. Eighty-eight patients had histologic follow-up. Significant endometrial lesions occurred in 15 patients. The mean age was 64 years. Significant cervical lesions occurred in 12 patients. The mean age was 45 years. Among women with AGUS-favor endometrial (AGFEM) cell origin, 9 of 34 women had a significant lesion (8 endometrial and 1 cervical). Four of 12 endometrial carcinomas were identified among women whose cytology suggested cervical origin. Conclusions. Older women were more likely to have significant endometrial lesions and younger women significant cervical lesions. However, neither cytologic criteria nor the patient's age is perfect in directing the clinician toward the likely origin of the atypical cells.
Upward Bound Math-Science: Program Description and Interim Impact Estimates.

In 1990, the U.S. Department of Education established a math and science initiative within Upward Bound, a federal grant program designed to provide disadvantaged high school students with skills and experiences that will prepare them for college success. The Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS) initiative awards grants to colleges and universities to provide participants with hands-on experience in laboratories, computer facilities, and at field sites, as well as opportunities to learn from mathematicians and scientists at host institutions. By 2004, there were 127 UBMS projects serving nearly 7,000 students at a total cost of $33 million. This report is based on participant surveys and student transcripts collected between 1998 and 1999, and again between 2001 and 2002. The evaluation found that UBMS provides intensive academic instruction in math and science, and impact estimates suggest that it improves several student outcomes in high school and college. In addition, preliminary estimates suggest that participation increases the odds of majoring in math or science.
Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Severely Obese Adolescents: The Teen Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) Study.

IMPORTANCE Severe obesity is increasingly common in the adolescent population but, as of yet, very little information exists regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks in this group. OBJECTIVE To assess the baseline prevalence and predictors of CVD risks among severely obese adolescents undergoing weight-loss surgery. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A prospective cohort study was conducted from February 28, 2007, to December 30, 2011, at the following 5 adolescent weight-loss surgery centers in the United States: Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio; Texas Children's Hospital in Houston; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Children's Hospital of Alabama in Birmingham. Consecutive patients aged 19 years or younger were offered enrollment in a long-term outcome study; the final analysis cohort consisted of 242 participants. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES This report examined the preoperative prevalence of CVD risk factors (ie, fasting hyperinsulinemia, elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels, impaired fasting glucose levels, dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure, and diabetes mellitus) and associations between risk factors and body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared), age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Preoperative data were collected within 30 days preceding bariatric surgery. RESULTS The mean (SD) age was 17 (1.6) years and median body mass index was 50.5. Cardiovascular disease risk factor prevalence was fasting hyperinsulinemia (74%), elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (75%), dyslipidemia (50%), elevated blood pressure (49%), impaired fasting glucose levels (26%), and diabetes mellitus (14%). The risk of impaired fasting glucose levels, elevated blood pressure, and elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels increased by 15%, 10%, and 6%, respectively, per 5-unit increase in body mass index (P < .01). Dyslipidemia (adjusted relative risk = 1.60 [95% CI, 1.26-2.03]; P < .01) and elevated blood pressure (adjusted relative risk = 1.48 [95% CI, 1.16-1.89]; P < .01) were more likely in adolescent boys compared with adolescent girls. White individuals were at greater risk of having elevated triglyceride levels (adjusted relative risk = 1.76 [95% CI, 1.14-2.72]; P = .01) but were less likely to have impaired fasting glucose levels (adjusted relative risk = 0.58 [95% CI, 0.38-0.89]; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Numerous CVD risk factors are apparent in adolescents undergoing weight-loss surgery. Increasing body mass index and male sex increase the relative risk of specific CVD risk factors. These data suggest that even among severely obese adolescents, recognition and treatment of CVD risk factors is important to help limit further progression of disease.
Diffusion and cascading behavior in random networks

The spread of new ideas, behaviors or technologies has been extensively studied using epidemic models. Here we consider a model of diffusion where the individuals' behavior is the result of a strategic choice. We study a simple coordination game with binary choice and give a condition for a new action to become widespread in a random network. We also analyze the possible equilibria of this game and identify conditions for the coexistence of both strategies in large connected sets. Finally we look at how can firms use social networks to promote their goals with limited information. Our results differ strongly from the one derived with epidemic models and show that connectivity plays an ambiguous role: while it allows the diffusion to spread, when the network is highly connected, the diffusion is also limited by high-degree nodes which are very stable.
Political Parties, Motivated Reasoning, and Issue Framing Effects

Issue framing is one of the most important means of elite influence on public opinion. However, we know almost nothing about how citizens respond to frames in what is possibly the most common situation in politics: when frames are sponsored by political parties. Linking theory on motivated reasoning with framing research, we argue not only that citizens should be more likely to follow a frame if it is promoted by “their” party; we expect such biases to be more pronounced on issues at the center of party conflicts and among the more politically aware. Two experiments embedded in a nationally representative survey support these arguments. Our findings revise current knowledge on framing, parties, and public opinion.
Optimal generator matrices of binary cyclic codes over the binary symmetric channel

This paper considers the optimal generator matrices of a binary cyclic code over a binary symmetric channel with crossover probability p rarr 0 when the goal is to minimize the probability of an information bit error. A given code has many encoder realizations and the information bit error probability is a function of this realization. We derive some sufficient conditions for a binary cyclic code to have systematic optimal generator matrices under bounded distance decoding and determine many binary cyclic codes satisfying these properties.
Switching and clustering in verbal fluency tasks throughout childhood

An analysis of switching and clustering in fluency tasks was conducted on data from 180 Hebrew speakers aged 8–29. On the phonemic task, total output, number of switches, and number of clusters differed significantly across age groups and increased with age, whereas mean cluster size did not. On the semantic task, all measures increased with age. No differences were found between adolescents and adults on the phonemic variables, but adults provided more switches on the semantic task than did adolescents. The results suggest that the development of word retrieval might be more dependent on maturation of executive search strategies than on lexical enrichment.
Heterologous laccase production and its role in industrial applications

Laccases are blue multicopper oxidases, catalyzing the oxidation of an array of aromatic substrates concomitantly with the reduction of molecular oxygen to water. These enzymes are implicated in a variety of biological activities. Most of the laccases studied thus far are of fungal origin. The large range of substrates oxidized by laccases has raised interest in using them within different industrial fields, such as pulp delignification, textile dye bleaching, and bioremediation. Laccases secreted from native sources are usually not suitable for large-scale purposes, mainly due to low production yields and high cost of preparation/purification procedures. Heterologous expression may provide higher enzyme yields and may permit to produce laccases with desired properties (such as different substrate specificities, or improved stabilities) for industrial applications. This review surveys researches on heterologous laccase expression focusing on the pivotal role played by recombinant systems towards the development of robust tools for greening modern industry.
Unilateral neglect

The neglect syndrome is a cluster of neurologic symptoms commonly found after right hemisphere damage. This study investigates the degree of association between the main components in a representative sample of 69 patients at 2 to 3 days poststroke. Despite evidence of statistically significant associations between components, many dissociations were found, indicating that neglect is a highly heterogeneous condition.
Telocytes: a potential defender in the spleen of Npc1 mutant mice

Niemann–Pick disease, type C1 (Npc1), is an atypical lysosomal storage disorder caused by autosomal recessive inheritance of mutations in Npc1 gene. In the Npc1 mutant mice (Npc1−/−), the initial manifestation is enlarged spleen, concomitant with free cholesterol accumulation. Telocytes (TCs), a novel type of interstitial cell, exist in a variety of tissues including spleen, presumably thought to be involved in many biological processes such as nursing stem cells and recruiting inflammatory cells. In this study, we found that the spleen is significantly enlarged in Npc1−/− mice, and the results from transmission electron microscopy examination and immunostaining using three different TCs markers, c‐Kit, CD34 and Vimentin revealed significantly increased splenic TCs in Npc1−/− mice. Furthermore, hematopoietic stem cells and macrophages were also elevated in Npc1−/− spleen. Taken together, our data indicate that splenic TCs might alleviate the progress of splenic malfunction via recruiting hematopoietic stem cells and macrophages.
Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Pancreas

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) assesses the random motion of the water protons. The technique is more frequently used in body imaging, and recent investigations showed its use in pancreatic imaging. Diffusion-weighted imaging can be helpful as a complementary imaging method in the differentiation between mass-forming focal pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values derived from DWI can distinguish between simple pancreatic cyst, inflammatory cysts, and cystic neoplasms of the pancreas. Presence of parenchymal fibrosis in chronic pancreatitis causes diffusion restriction and results in lower ADC values on baseline DWI. The ADC values reveal either delayed peak after secretin stimulation or lower peak values in patients with early chronic pancreatitis, which may be helpful to depict chronic pancreatitis in its earliest stage. In this paper, we reviewed the technical aspects of DWI and its use in pancreatic imaging.
Observation-based modelling of permafrost carbon fluxes with accounting for deep carbon deposits and thermokarst activity

Abstract. High-latitude soils store vast amounts of perennially frozen and therefore inert organic matter. With rising global temperatures and consequent permafrost degradation, a part of this carbon stock will become available for microbial decay and eventual release to the atmosphere. We have developed a simplified, two-dimensional multi-pool model to estimate the strength and timing of future carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes from newly thawed permafrost carbon (i.e. carbon thawed when temperatures rise above pre-industrial levels). We have especially simulated carbon release from deep deposits in Yedoma regions by describing abrupt thaw under newly formed thermokarst lakes. The computational efficiency of our model allowed us to run large, multi-centennial ensembles under various scenarios of future warming to express uncertainty inherent to simulations of the permafrost carbon feedback. Under moderate warming of the representative concentration pathway (RCP) 2.6 scenario, cumulated CO2 fluxes from newly thawed permafrost carbon amount to 20 to 58 petagrams of carbon (Pg-C) (68% range) by the year 2100 and reach 40 to 98 Pg-C in 2300. The much larger permafrost degradation under strong warming (RCP8.5) results in cumulated CO2 release of 42 to 141 Pg-C and 157 to 313 Pg-C (68% ranges) in the years 2100 and 2300, respectively. Our estimates only consider fluxes from newly thawed permafrost, not from soils already part of the seasonally thawed active layer under pre-industrial climate. Our simulated CH4 fluxes contribute a few percent to total permafrost carbon release yet they can cause up to 40% of total permafrost-affected radiative forcing in the 21st century (upper 68% range). We infer largest CH4 emission rates of about 50 Tg-CH4 per year around the middle of the 21st century when simulated thermokarst lake extent is at its maximum and when abrupt thaw under thermokarst lakes is taken into account. CH4 release from newly thawed carbon in wetland-affected deposits is only discernible in the 22nd and 23rd century because of the absence of abrupt thaw processes. We further show that release from organic matter stored in deep deposits of Yedoma regions crucially affects our simulated circumpolar CH4 fluxes. The additional warming through the release from newly thawed permafrost carbon proved only slightly dependent on the pathway of anthropogenic emission and amounts to about 0.03–0.14 °C (68% ranges) by end of the century. The warming increased further in the 22nd and 23rd century and was most pronounced under the RCP6.0 scenario, adding 0.16 to 0.39 °C (68% range) to simulated global mean surface air temperatures in the year 2300.
Degradation of bisphenol A by purified laccase from Trametes villosa.

Degradation of bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine-disrupting chemical, was studied with a purified laccase from the basidiomycete Trametes villosa. SDS--polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified laccase gave one single band with a mobility corresponding to MW 65 kDa. The absorption spectrum showed the characteristics of a blue copper protein with a maximum peak at 600 nm. HPLC analysis revealed that 2.2 micromol BPA were degraded by incubation with 1.5 units of the purified laccase in a total volume of 1.0 ml at pH 6.0 and 60 degrees C for 3 h. The enzyme reaction proceeded rapidly without requirement of mediators for the electron transfer. Isolation and identification of several reaction products are in progress, in which one product was identified as 4-isopropenylphenol by a gas chromatography--mass spectrophotometer.
Computed Tomography of the Normal Pancreas

The normal anatomy of the pancreas is demonstrated by computed tomography (CT) (EMI) in 50 patients with no known pancreatic disease and in 15 comparable postmortem studies. The problems of optimal demonstration of the pancreas in CT and the possible causes of misinterpretation of the pancreatic axial tomography are considered. The size of the normal pancreas was found to be up to 3.0 cm for the head, 2.5 cm for the neck and body, and 2.0 cm for the tail. In assessing these values, it is important to be sure that adjacent structures such as the portal vein, splenic vein, and duodenum are not included in the measurement, that the measurements are taken on scans of maximum resolution with no movements, and that the measurements are strictly related to the anteroposterior diameter. It is considered that gantry tilt will also distort these figures. The reasons for these statements are presented and discussed.
Impaired Expression of Perforin and Granulysin in CD8+ T Cells at the Site of Infection in Human Chronic Pulmonary Tuberculosis

ABSTRACT Protective immunity in tuberculosis is dependent on the coordinated release of cytolytic effector molecules from effector T cells and the subsequent granule-associated killing of infected target cells. In this study, we investigated the expression of cytolytic (perforin and granzyme A) and antimicrobial (granulysin) molecules at the single-cell level in cryopreserved lung tissue from patients with chronic, progressive tuberculosis disease. Quantification of protein-expressing cells was performed by in situ imaging, while mRNA levels in the infected tissue were analyzed by real-time PCR. Persistent inflammation, including excessive expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in CD68+ macrophages and significant infiltration of CD3+, CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, was evident in tuberculosis lesions in all patients. However, despite the accumulation of CD3+ T cells, perforin- and granulysin-expressing CD3+ T cells were detected at two- to threefold-lower ratios in the tuberculosis lesions than in distal lung parenchyma and uninfected control lungs, respectively. This was evident at both the protein and mRNA levels. Moreover, perforin- and granulysin-expressing CD8+ T cells were scarce in individual granulomas within the tuberculosis lesions. In contrast, significant up-regulation of granzyme A-expressing CD3+ T cells was evident in the lesions from all patients. Confocal microscopy revealed coexpression of perforin and granulysin, primarily in CD8+ T cells; however, this expression was lower in the tuberculosis lesions. These findings suggest that symptomatic, chronic tuberculosis disease is associated with insufficient up-regulation of perforin and granulysin coexpression in CD8+ T cells at the local site of infection.
Optimum pulse amplitude modulation-I: Transmitter-receiver design and bounds from information theory

Intersymbol interference and additive noise are two common sources of distortion in data transmission systems. For pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) communication links, the combination of transmitter waveform and linear receiver that minimizes the mean-squared error arising from these sources is determined. An extension to include the effects of timing jitter is performed in a companion paper. Performance characteristics of the optimal PAM systems, showing the mean-squared error versus the signal-to-noise ratio, are determined explicitly for several examples. These characteristics are compared both with those of certain suboptimal systems and with the optimal performance theoretically attainable (OPTA), derived by combining Shannon's concepts of the capacity of a channel and the rate distortion function of a source. The optimal PAM systems are seen to perform very close to the OPTA for low signal-to-noise ratios. For high signal-to-noise ratios, however, the mean-squared error of optimal PAM systems decreases as the reciprocal of the signal-to-noise ratio, but the OPTA decreases more rapidly, except for band-limited channels. The performance of PAM systems can be improved at high signal-to-noise ratios by coding techniques. One such technique, called Shannon-Cantor coding, is discussed briefly.