Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
E-Cigarette Outcome Expectancies among Nationally Representative Samples of Adolescents and Young Adults

Abstract Objectives: We conducted nationally representative surveys of adolescents and young adults to examine associations between e-cigarette outcome expectancies and e-cigarette use. Background: E-cigarette use among adolescents and young adults has grown rapidly in recent years, yet little research has examined the beliefs that may underlie this behavior among nationally representative samples. Methods: N = 1,298 adolescents (13–17) and 2,219 young adults (18–25) were surveyed using a probability-based web panel. Participants completed a survey that included a new outcome expectancy measure examining 3 positive (enjoyment, social influences, advantage over cigarettes) and 2 negative (health concerns, smoker association) expectancy domains and ever having used e-cigarettes [ever use]. Results: Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated a good fit of the outcome expectancies’ factor structure to the data. All outcome expectancies were associated with e-cigarette use in both populations in univariate analyses. In multiple logistic regression models controlling for several covariates, higher expected enjoyment was positively associated with a greater likelihood of e-cigarette use (aOR = 2.10, p < .05) among adolescents. Among young adults, enjoyment (aOR = 3.08, p < .001) was positively associated with a greater likelihood of use while both health concerns (aOR = 0.70, p < .01) and smoker association (aOR = 0.73, p < .05) were negatively associated with e-cigarette use. Conclusions: This study suggests that expected enjoyment is robustly associated with e-cigarette use among both adolescents and young adults. Health concerns may also play a role in e-cigarette use. Implications for e-cigarette prevention efforts and future research directions are discussed.
Performance Analysis of a Defected Ground-Structured Antenna Loaded with Stub-Slot for 5G Communication

In this paper, a defected ground-structured antenna with a stub-slot configuration is proposed for future 5G wireless applications. A simple stub-slot configuration is used in the patch antenna to get the dual band frequency response in the 5G mid-band and the upper unlicensed frequency region. Further, a 2-D double period Electronic band gap (EBG) structure has been implemented as a defect in the metallic ground plane to get a wider impedance bandwidth. The size of the slots and their positions are optimized to get a considerably high impedance bandwidth of 12.49% and 4.49% at a passband frequency of 3.532 GHz and 6.835 GHz, respectively. The simulated and measured realized gain and reflection coefficients are in good agreement for both operating bandwidths. The overall antenna structure size is 33.5 mm × 33.5 mm. The antenna is fabricated and compared with experimental results. The proposed antenna shows a stable radiation pattern and high realized gain with wide impedance bandwidth using the EBG structure, which are necessary for the requirements of IoT applications offered by 5G technology.
Postural Control and Interceptive Skills in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

BACKGROUND Increasing evidence shows common motor deficits associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) which may relate to impaired planning and control processes of the sensorimotor system. Catching is a fundamental motor skill that requires coordination between vision, posture, and arm movements. Although postural control and ball catching have been shown to be impaired in children with ASD, previous studies have not investigated how these components are integrated. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate the sensorimotor control of arm movements and postural adjustments during ball catching in children with and without ASD. DESIGN This study employed a cross-sectional design. METHODS Fifteen children with ASD (8.8 ± 1.2 years of age, 12 boys) and 15 age- and gender-matched typically developing (TD) children participated in this study. Children were asked to catch a ball rolling down a ramp in 6 test conditions in which visual inputs and ramp direction were manipulated to provide different sensory conditions and postural demands. RESULTS Compared to TD peers, children with ASD had increased difficulties catching the balls especially those from the lateral directions. They less used visual information to plan for catching motion, demonstrated less and delayed anticipatory postural adjustments, and exhibited increased corrective control. LIMITATIONS The sample excluded children with intellectual disability and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders that might reduce the generalizability to the whole ASD population. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that motor difficulties present in children with ASD may result from compromised sensorimotor integration in planning and control of movements.
Constraints on the Fe–S melt connectivity in mantle silicates from electrical impedance measurements

The connectivity of FeS melts in olivine and in a fertile peridotite matrix has been addressed through in situ electric impedance spectroscopy (IS) measurements at 1 GPa. A first series of experiments used sintered powder samples of a fertile peridotite xenolith mixed with 5–15 vol.% Fe70S30 of eutectic composition. The sheared high-T garnet peridotite with Mg# ∼ 0.90 is composed of 60 vol.% olivine, 15% orthopyroxene, 5.3% clinopyroxene and 19% garnet, the powder grain size was 20–30 m, similar to the one employed by Yoshino et al. (2003). For a second series, San Carlos olivine aggregates were used as solid matrix and 10–20 vol.% of eutectic Fe70S30 were added. For these, the average grain size was 3 m, much smaller than in the experiments by Yoshino et al. (2003). The powder mixtures of peridotite + Fe70S30 and olivine aggregates + Fe70S30 were first annealed for 2–5 days in a conventional piston cylinder at 1 GPa and 950–970 ◦C. The electrical conductivity of samples has been measured using the impedance spectroscopy method in a BN–graphite–CaF2 pressure cell with concentric cylindrical electrodes made from Moor Re-foil (the estimated oxygen fugacity was close to the IW-buffer). The results indicate that up to 15 vol.% of Fe70S30 the melt phase does not built a stable interconnected network in a peridotite matrix, as was recently indicated by Walte et al. (2007). The percolation threshold for a stable FeS network in olivine matrix lies at 17.5 vol.%, much higher the 6 vol.% found by Yoshino et al. (2003). Our result is in line with the high dihedral angles of typically 70–100◦ for Fe–S melts in mantle materials. The higher interconnectivity threshold of this study, as compared to previous studies (Yoshino et al., 2003, 2004; Roberts et al., 2007) is a result of our smaller starting grain sizes (for olivine) in combination with much longer run durations. Both these experimental conditions result in enhanced grain growth and thus to a higher degree of textural equilibration, leading to the occurrence of the time depending pinging off of Fe–S melt films in our texturally more mature experiments. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Avocado Oil: Characteristics, Properties, and Applications

Avocado oil has generated growing interest among consumers due to its nutritional and technological characteristics, which is evidenced by an increase in the number of scientific articles that have been published on it. The purpose of the present research was to discuss the extraction methods, chemical composition, and various applications of avocado oil in the food and medicine industries. Our research was carried out through a systematic search in scientific databases. Even though there are no international regulations concerning the quality of avocado oil, some authors refer to the parameters used for olive oil, as stated by the Codex Alimentarius or the International Olive Oil Council. They indicate that the quality of avocado oil will depend on the quality and maturity of the fruit and the extraction technique in relation to temperature, solvents, and conservation. While the avocado fruit has been widely studied, there is a lack of knowledge about avocado oil and the potential health effects of consuming it. On the basis of the available data, avocado oil has established itself as an oil that has a very good nutritional value at low and high temperatures, with multiple technological applications that can be exploited for the benefit of its producers.
Serum Levels of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D at Diagnosis Are Not Associated with Overall Survival in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

Background: Higher levels of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] are associated with longer survival in several cancers, but the results have differed across cancer sites. The association between serum 25(OH)D levels and overall survival (OS) time in esophageal adenocarcinoma remains unclear. Methods: We utilized serum samples from 476 patients with primary esophageal adenocarcinoma, recruited from Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA) between 1999 and 2015. We used log-rank tests to test the difference in survival curves across quartiles of 25(OH)D levels and extended Cox modeling to estimate adjusted HRs. We tested for interactions between clinical stage or BMI on the association between 25(OH)D and OS. We additionally performed sensitivity analyses to determine whether race or timing of blood draw (relative to treatment) affected these results. Results: We found no evidence that survival differed across quartiles of 25(OH)D (log rank P = 0.48). Adjusting for confounders, we found no evidence that the hazard of death among the highest quartile of 25(OH)D (quartile 1) differed from any other quartile [quartile 2 HR = 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.67–1.23; quartile 3 HR = 1.03, 95% CI, 0.76–1.38; quartile 4 (lowest) HR = 0.98, 95% CI, 0.72–1.33]. Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent results when accounting for race or time between diagnosis and blood draw. Moreover, we did not find evidence of interaction between 25(OH)D and clinical stage or BMI on OS. Conclusions: Serum level of 25(OH)D near time of diagnosis was not associated with OS in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma. Impact: Screening 25(OH)D levels among patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma at diagnosis is not clinically relevant to their cancer prognosis based on present evidence.
ModelarDB: Modular Model-Based Time Series Management with Spark and Cassandra

Industrial systems, e.g., wind turbines, generate big amounts of data from reliable sensors with high velocity. As it is unfeasible to store and query such big amounts of data, only simple aggregates are currently stored. However, aggregates remove fluctuations and outliers that can reveal underlying problems and limit the knowledge to be gained from historical data. As a remedy, we present the distributed Time Series Management System (TSMS) ModelarDB that uses models to store sensor data. We thus propose an online, adaptive multi-model compression algorithm that maintains data values within a user-defined error bound (possibly zero). We also propose (i) a database schema to store time series as models, (ii) methods to push-down predicates to a key-value store utilizing this schema, (iii) optimized methods to execute aggregate queries on models, (iv) a method to optimize execution of projections through static code-generation, and (v) dynamic extensibility that allows new models to be used without recompiling the TSMS. Further, we present a general modular distributed TSMS architecture and its implementation, ModelarDB, as a portable library, using Apache Spark for query processing and Apache Cassandra for storage. An experimental evaluation shows that, unlike current systems, ModelarDB hits a sweet spot and offers fast ingestion, good compression, and fast, scalable online aggregate query processing at the same time. This is achieved by dynamically adapting to data sets using multiple models. The system degrades gracefully as more outliers occur and the actual errors are much lower than the bounds.
An International Comparison of the Management of Gastrointestinal Surgical Emergencies in Octogenarians—England Versus United States

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Objective: To compare the United States and England for the utilization of surgical intervention and in-hospital mortality from 5 gastrointestinal emergencies in octogenarians. Background: The proportion of older adults is growing and will represent a substantial challenge to clinicians in the next decade. Methods: Between 2006 and 2012, the rate of surgical intervention and in-hospital mortality for 5 index conditions for octogenarians were compared between the United States and England: appendicitis, incarcerated/strangulated abdominal hernia, perforation of esophagus, small or large bowel, and peptic ulcer. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to adjust for underlying differences in patient demographics. Results: Thirty-two thousand one hundred fifty-one admissions of octogenarians in England for 5 index surgical emergencies were compared with 162,142 admissions in the USA. Surgical intervention was significantly more common in the USA than in England for all 5 conditions: appendicitis [odds ratio (OR) 4.63, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 4.21–5.09], abdominal hernia (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.97–2.15), perforated esophagus (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.31–2.24), small and large bowel perforation (OR 4.33, 95% CI 4.12–4.56), and peptic ulcer perforation (OR 4.63, 95% CI 4.27–5.02). In-hospital mortality was significantly more common in England than in the USA for all 5 conditions: appendicitis (OR 3.22, 95% CI 2.73–3.78), abdominal hernia (OR 3.49, 95% CI 3.29–3.70), perforated esophagus (OR 4.06, 95% CI 3.03–5.44), small and large bowel perforation (OR 6.97, 95% CI 6.60–7.37), and peptic ulcer perforation (OR 3.67, 95% CI 3.40–3.96). Conclusion: Surgery is used less commonly in England for emergency gastrointestinal conditions in octogenarians, which may be associated with a high rate of in-hospital mortality from these conditions compared with the USA.
Innovation or imitation: The diffusion of citations

Citations in scientific literature are important both for tracking the historical development of scientific ideas and for forecasting research trends. However, the diffusion mechanisms underlying the citation process remain poorly understood, despite the frequent and longstanding use of citation counts for assessment purposes within the scientific community. Here, we extend the study of citation dynamics to a more general diffusion process to understand how citation growth associates with different diffusion patterns. Using a classic diffusion model, we quantify and illustrate specific diffusion mechanisms which have been proven to exert a significant impact on the growth and decay of citation counts. Experiments reveal a positive relation between the “low p and low q” pattern and high scientific impact. A sharp citation peak produced by rapid change of citation counts, however, has a negative effect on future impact. In addition, we have suggested a simple indicator, saturation level, to roughly estimate an individual article's current stage in the life cycle and its potential to attract future attention. The proposed approach can also be extended to higher levels of aggregation (e.g., individual scientists, journals, institutions), providing further insights into the practice of scientific evaluation.
Circle RNA hsa_circRNA_100290 serves as a ceRNA for miR‐378a to regulate oral squamous cell carcinoma cells growth via Glucose transporter‐1 (GLUT1) and glycolysis

Aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect) is a robust metabolic hallmark of most tumors, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), a major glucose transporter regulating the glucose uptake, is upregulated in OSCC and participated in the cell glycolysis of OSCC. The deregulation and function of noncoding RNAs in cancers have been widely reported. Reportedly, hsa_circular RNA (circRNA)_100290 (circ_SLC30A7) is significantly upregulated (fold change = 6.91, p < 0.0000001) in OSCC. According to online tools prediction (miRWalk, miRanda, and Targetscan), miR‐378a could simultaneously target circRNA_100290 and GLUT1. Herein, the expression of circRNA_100290 and GLUT1 remarkably increased in oral tumor tissue specimens and cells. In OSCC cell lines, cell proliferation and glycolysis could be remarkably downregulated by circRNA_100290 silence, which could be rescued by GLUT1 overexpression. Conversely, miR‐378a expression could be remarkably inhibited in tumor tissue specimens and cells. The effect of miR‐378a overexpression on OSCC cells was similar to those of circRNA_100290 silence. miR‐378a directly bound to circRNA_100290 and GLUT1 3′‐untranslated region, circRNA_100290 could remarkably relieve miR‐378a‐induced inhibition on GLUT1 via acting as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA). miR‐378a inhibition remarkably attenuated the effect of circRNA_100290 silence on cell proliferation and glycolysis in OSCC cell lines. In summary, circRNA_100290 serves as a ceRNA to counteract miR‐378a‐mediated GLUT1 suppression, thus promoting glycolysis and cell proliferation in OSCC. We provide a reliable experimental basis for understanding the mechanism of cell growth and glycolysis deregulation in OSCC.
Lightning NOx Emissions and the Implications for Surface Air Quality over the Contiguous United States.

The CMAQ model (Version 5.2) contains a lightning NOx algorithm that uses observed lightning flashes along with an assumed NOx production per flash and a scheme to distribute the NOx in the vertical atmosphere. A CMAQ simulation for summer 2011 shows that the LNOx to total NOx emission ratio are highest in the Southeast and Rocky Mountains regions. The addition of lightning NOx emissions reduces the daily CMAQ low bias for maximum 8-hr O3 by as much as 5 ppbv in the Rocky Mountains region. The lightning source of NOx should be included in regional air quality models.
Genetic parameters of the thick-to-thin albumen ratio and egg compositional traits in layer-type chickens

ABSTRACT 1. Generating a robust egg albumen is one of the major factors contributing to interior egg quality owing to its nutritive value and superior appearance. However, the genetic factors regulating the proportion of thick albumen are poorly understood. 2. In this study, 1330 eggs were collected from 450 Rhode Island White layers, aged 40 weeks, to measure egg compositional traits for three successive days. The restricted maximum likelihood method was applied to estimate genetic parameters for the thick-to-thin albumen ratio and other egg compositional traits. A univariate animal model was fitted to calculate heritability for each trait. 3. The heritabilities of egg weight, yolk weight, albumen height, Haugh units, percentages of yolk, thick albumen, thin albumen and the thick-to-thin albumen ratio were 0.32, 0.34, 0.28, 0.47, 0.61, 0.39, 0.31, and 0.45, respectively. The percentage of thick albumen was negatively correlated genetically with all traits, and percentage of thin albumen was negatively correlated genetically with all traits except for Haugh units. The thick-to-thin albumen ratio was positively correlated genetically with egg weight, albumen height and Haugh units, with correlations ranging from 0.21 to 0.54. 4. The results indicated that the percentage of thick albumen and the thick-to-thin albumen ratio were found to be moderately to highly heritable, and selection for the thick-to-thin albumen ratio could be conducive to the improvement of egg albumen quality.
Association between Flash Glucose Monitoring and Metabolic Control as well as Treatment Satisfaction in Outpatients With Diabetes Type 1

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to follow-up people with diabetes type 1 and Flash Glucose Monitoring (FGM) regarding metabolic control and treatment satisfaction. Methods 40 people with diabetes type 1 and FGM use of ≥6 months were included in the study (female 55%, age 50.9 y, diabetes duration 21.9 y, HbA1c 7.4%, 57.6 mmol/mol, insulin pump therapy 32.5%). The number of scans per day and time/frequency of hypoglycaemia (interstitial glucose value ≤3.9 mmol/l) was recorded from 28 days of the glucose readings. Change of treatment satisfaction was assessed with the DTSQc questionnaire at follow-up (range−18 to+18). Results Mean time of follow-up was 1.0±0.4 y. At follow-up, all participants scanned interstitial glucose 11.9±7.7 times/day. Number of self-monitoring of blood glucose decreased from 6.7±4.2 (baseline) to 0.9±1.8 (follow-up) per day (p<0.001). In individuals with baseline HbA1c ≤7.5%, HbA1c increased (from 6.6±0.7% to 7.0±0.4%, p=0.020). On the contrary, in people with HbA1c>7.5%, HbA1c decreased (from 8.2±0.7% to 7.8±0.7%, p=0.001). In all participants, there were no differences regarding insulin dosage (33.8±12.9 vs. 34.6±13.9 IU/day, p=0.679) and number of insulin injections/day (3.9±2.3 vs. 4.0±2.6, p=0.813) between baseline and follow-up. Frequency of symptomatic hypoglycaemia was at baseline 0.3±0.3 events/day and 0.48±0.36 events/day (recognised, symptomatic events) at follow-up, respectively. In addition, 0.26±0.21 unrecognised hypoglycaemic events/day occurred at follow-up. Treatment satisfaction increased by+12.6 points. Conclusions FGM was associated with an enormous increase in treatment satisfaction and slightly improved metabolic control in people with baseline HbA1c>7.5%. The number of capillary glucose measurements decreased significantly.
Autophagy: a potential key contributor to the therapeutic action of mesenchymal stem cells

ABSTRACT Macroautophagy/autophagy occurs at basal levels in all eukaryotic cells and plays an important role in maintaining bio-energetic homeostasis through the control of molecule degradation and organelle turnover. It can be induced by environmental conditions such as starvation, and is deregulated in many diseases including autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. Interestingly, the modulation of autophagy in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represents a possible mechanism which, affecting MSC properties, may have an impact on their regenerative, therapeutic potential. Furthermore, the ability of MSCs to modulate autophagy of cells in injured tissues/organs has been recently proposed to be involved in the regeneration of damaged tissues and organs. In particular, MSCs can affect autophagy in immune cells involved in injury-induced inflammation reducing their survival, proliferation, and function and favoring the resolution of inflammation. In addition, MSCs can affect autophagy in endogenous adult or progenitor cells, promoting their survival, proliferation and differentiation supporting the restoration of functional tissue. This review provides, for the first time, an overview of the studies which highlight a possible link between the therapeutic properties of MSCs and their ability to modulate autophagy, and it summarizes examples of disorders where these therapeutic properties have been correlated with such modulation. A better elucidation of the mechanism(s) through which MSCs can modulate the autophagy of target cells and how autophagy can affect MSCs therapeutic properties, can provide a wider perspective for the clinical application of MSCs in the treatment of many diseases. Abbreviations: 3-MA: 3-methyladenine; AD: Alzheimer disease; ATG: autophagy-related; BECN1: beclin 1; BM: bone marrow; CD: cluster of differentiation; EAE: experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; IL: interleukin; INF: interferon; LAP: LC3-associated phagocytosis; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3; MSCs: mesenchymal stem cells; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; PD: Parkinson disease; PtdIns3K: class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; ROS: reactive oxygen species; SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; SQSTM1: sequestosome 1; TBI: traumatic brain injury; TGF: transforming growth factor; TNF: tumor necrosis factor