Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Circulating Interleukin-6 Levels and Incident Ischemic Stroke

Background and Objectives Human genetic studies support a key role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. However, there are only limited data from observational studies exploring circulating IL-6 levels as a risk factor for ischemic stroke. We set out to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of aggregate data on cohort studies to determine the magnitude and shape of the association between circulating IL-6 levels and risk of incident ischemic stroke in the general population. Methods Following the PRISMA guidelines, we systematically screened the PubMed search engine from inception to March 2021 for population-based prospective cohort studies exploring the association between circulating IL-6 levels and risk of incident ischemic stroke. We pooled association estimates for ischemic stroke risk with random-effects models and explored nonlinear effects in dose–response meta-analyses. Risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). We used funnel plots and trim-to-fill analyses to assess publication bias. Results We identified 11 studies (n = 27,411 individuals; 2,669 stroke events) meeting our eligibility criteria. Mean age of all included participants was 60.5 years and 54.8% were female. Overall, quality of the included studies was high (median 8 out of 9 NOS points, interquartile range 7–9). In meta-analyses, 1 SD increment in circulating log-transformed IL-6 levels was associated with a 19% increase in risk of incident ischemic stroke over a mean follow-up of 12.4 years (relative risk 1.19; 95% confidence interval 1.10 to 1.28). A dose–response meta-analysis showed a linear association between circulating IL-6 levels and ischemic stroke risk. There was only moderate heterogeneity and the results were consistent in sensitivity analyses restricted to studies of low risk of bias and studies fully adjusting for demographic and vascular risk factors. The results also remained stable following adjustment for publication bias. Discussion Higher circulating IL-6 levels in community-dwelling individuals are associated with higher long-term risk of incident ischemic stroke in a linear pattern and independently of conventional vascular risk factors. Along with findings from genetic studies and clinical trials, these results provide additional support for a key role of IL-6 signaling in ischemic stroke.
Aphids (Hemiptera:Aphididae) on Ornamental Plants From Yalova Province, Turkey1

Yalova ilinde bazi sus bitkilerinde gorulen Aphidoidea ( Hemiptera ) turlerini saptamak amaciyla, 2009-2010 yillarinda Yalova (merkez),Armutlu ve Ciftlikkoy ilcelerini kapsayan bir calisma yurutulmustur. Bu calisma sonunda Aphidoidea ust familyasinda bagli 13 cins ve bu cinslere bagli 21 yaprak biti turu tespit edilmistir. Ancak 2 turun tespiti cins duzeyinde yapilmistir. Macrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas , Aphis fabae Scopoli , Aulacorthum solani , Aphis gossypii Glover , 1854 turleri en yaygin yaprakbiti turleri olarak tespit edilmistir. Arastirma sirasinda yaprakbitlerinin ozellikle Rosa sp , Yucca flamentosa, Begonia Semperflorens bitkilerinde onemli olcude zarar yaptigi belirlenmistir
Examining Travel Distances by Walking and Cycling, Montréal, Canada

Active transportation – especially walking and cycling – is undergoing a surge in popularity in urban planning and transportation circles as a solution to the environmental and congestion issues plaguing many cities. However, in order to promote active transportation as a realistic alternative, it is necessary to better understand the distances that pedestrians and cyclists are willing to travel for different purposes. Better understanding of these distances will allow for transportation planners, designers, developers, and decision-makers to know how close destinations need to be placed to promote the use of non-motorized modes of transport. This paper focuses on how far people are willing to walk or cycle to different destinations in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Also, it examines how travel distances vary within various geographic areas and by individuals’ travel and socio-economic characteristics. This research uses the 2003 Montreal Origin-Destination Survey (O-D Survey) to calculate the network distance traveled by pedestrians and cyclists and to obtain travel and socio-economic characteristics for each individual. Primarily, the paper reveals that median walking distance recorded in the O-D survey is greater than the commonly-accepted distance of 400 meters (1/4 mile). The median walking distance documented in this study is approximately 650 meters and higher for work purposes (800 meters). While no widely-held standard exists for cycling, the analysis reveals a median distance of around two kilometers with a high degree of variation in distance. These findings will guide planners, designers, developers, and policy makers in promoting greater levels of walking and cycling and suggests future research directions within this field.
Aspects of the Iron Age coinages of northern East Anglia with especial reference to hoards

This thesis considers the Iron Age coinages found in hoards within a particular study area in northern East Anglia. The study area was widely defined to attempt to capture all the coins considered by previous scholars to belong to the Iron Age tribe, the Iceni. Other coins of the Iceni outside the study area found in hoards are also considered. The historical context and previous numismatic research on these coins is reviewed. All coin hoards within the study area are fully described and reviewed, and two hoards are presented as detailed case studies, including a die study on the largest number of Iron Age hoard coins yet undertaken. A classification of the coin series is given, with each coin type fully described, illustrated, and photographed. The distribution of the coin hoards within and outside the study area is considered, results discussed and conclusions drawn. A chronology is suggested for the coin types and for the deposition of the hoards. The manufacture and minting of the coins is discussed and suggestions for mint sites given. Finally, a number of detailed conclusions are drawn.
Defining Immersion: Literature Review and Implications for Research on Immersive Audiovisual Experiences

The use of the term immersion to describe a multitude of varying experiences in the absence of a definitional consensus has obfuscated and diluted the term. The non-exhaustive literature review presented in this paper indicates that immersion is a psychological concept as opposed to being a property of the system or technology that facilitates an experience. An adaptable definition of immersion is synthesized based on the findings from the literature review: a state of deep mental involvement in which the individual may experience disassociation from the awareness of the physical world due to a shift in their attentional state. This definition is used to contrast and differentiate interchangeably used terms such as presence from immersion and outline the implications for conducting immersion research on audiovisual experiences. A new methodology for quantifying immersion is proposed and avenues for future work are briefly discussed.
50GHz Ge Waveguide Electro-Absorption Modulator Integrated in a 220nm SOI Photonics Platform

: We report waveguide-integrated Ge electro-absorption modulators operating at 1615nm wavelength with 3dB bandwidth beyond 50GHz and a capacitance of 10fF. A 2V voltage swing enables 4.6dB DC extinction ratio for 4.1dB insertion loss.
Ecology and Community Relationships of the River Cooter, Pseudemys concinna in a Southern Illinois Backwater

In Illinois the River cooter, Pseudemys concinna, is an enigmatic endangered species. Even throughout its range, ecological studies on the River cooter are rare. During 1994 and 1995 I quantified the: growth rates and trends, population size and structure and dietary habits of a population from floodplain lake in Gallatin county, Illinois. Population estimation (Schnabel method) predicted 136 individuals at a density of 4.6 turtles/ha with a biomass of 3.6 Kg/ha. The sex ratio is slightly male biased (1:1.14). From back-calculated growth data, the von Bertalanffy growth model (Fabens' method) estimates males with a higher growth rate (k) and lower asymptotic length (a) (k = 0.00062, a= 219.8) than females (k = 0.00023, a= 307.6). Male growth slowed between 5 10 years and females between 15 23 years. Estimated daily growth regressed to plastral length revealed that growth of both sexes declined as size increased. Diets were predominantly filamentous algae of the genera Cladophora and Oedogonium (98% ). INTRODUCTION Ecological studies afford us insight into the dynamics of a natural population through which life history tactics can be surmised and used for the conservation of the population. Many population ecology studies have been compiled for turtles emphasizing: population sizes and structures, home ranges, growth rates, feeding and
Performance prediction and improvement of a Bistatic Passive coherent location Radar.

Passive Coherent Location (PCL) radar has proved to be feasible in a number of experimental systems, but the lack of comprehensive, published flight trials detracts somewhat from serious consideration of these PCL systems for operational applications, such as Air Traffic Control (ATC). The carrying out of flight trials is, in any case, difficult and very expensive. This dissertation presents a method for accurately predicting the performance of a bistatic passive coherent location radar with the effects of the environment taken into account. The effect of the environement on a propagating electromagnetic wave is obtained from the Advanced Refractive Effects Prediction System (AREPS) model. The resulting performance predictions, in the form of spatial signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) and signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SNIR) maps, provide a powerful planning tool for the application of systems such as ATC. Furthermore, the spatial coverage maps, based on the bistatic radar equation, can be related to a particular probability of detection and false alarm as well as to a required dynamic range of the receiver ADC. Overall, the method provides a visual, as well as a quantitative measure of radar coverage with region-specific atmospheric and terrain effects taken into account. The method proposed in this dissertation offers a marked improvement over traditional performance prediction methods based on the bistatic radar equation within a free space or flat terrain environment. It is understood that the direct path signal of the illuminating transmitter is the cause of some severe limitations within a PCL system. In the interest of suppressing the strong direct signal before the ADC and to complement the development of the prediction method, an antenna pattern was synthesised and applied to an array of folded dipoles in order to place a null in the direction of the strong transmitter. The synthesised antenna pattern and its improvement on the performance of the PCL system was then evaluated using the proposed prediction method presented in this dissertation. ii Un ive rsi y o f C ap e T ow n
Santa Cruz County

Canelo Hills ladies' tresses Spiranthes delitescens Slender, erect member of the orchid family (Orchidaceae). Flower stalk 20 inches tall, may contain 40 white flowers spirally arranged on the flowering stalk. Cochise, Santa Cruz ~ 5,000 ft Finely grained, highly organic, saturated soils of cienegas. Found in the San Pedro watershed. Potential habitat occurs in Sonora, Mexico, but no populations have been found. Endangered
Mapping non-white educators' experiences in changed racial contexts.

President Mandela, in his inaugural speech of 1994, inscribed the metaphor of a rainbow nation as encapsulating and expounding the principles of democracy. The metaphor of a rainbow also thrived in the apartheid era but here all colours of the rainbow converged into white light, uplifting the dominant positions of white people to the detriment of other race groups. In post-apartheid democracy the divergent colours of the rainbow underpin democracy, equity, diversity and equal participation for all people in South Africa. Hence, it becomes critical to monitor changed racial contexts to evaluate the move towards social justice in a country torn apart by past racial divisions, oppression and inequalities, which had been cemented into subjugation and subordination of non-whites. While racial segregation and inequities typified the education system, in the apartheid era, democracy has opened doors for interracial contact in the school environment. In the light of revolutionary changes, dictated by a political agenda, this study focused on experiences of educators in changed racial contexts. It takes into consideration newly formed interracial contact amongst educators in schools and concentrates, specifically, on non-white educators taking up positions in a formerly white-only school. Four non-white educators participated in interviews about their experiences in a racially changed teaching environment. It explored the critical question of non-white educators' perceptions and understandings of their experiences in a formerly whiteonly school. Critical argument is provided for the choice ofnon-white educators only. The findings suggest critical awareness of race and acts of racism amongst non-white educators in this particular school context. It unravelled the subtle and insidious forms of racism into themes while exploring relationships among white and non-white educators in a specific school site. It provided evidence that schools are hot spots for racism amongst educators and explored notions of ambivalence, progressiveness, the reconstruction of identities and spatial fights.
Vulnerable cities : realities, innovations and strategies

Community-based Approach for Improving Vulnerable Urban Space. - The Vulnerable City: Coping with Disasters. - Promotion of Seismic Retrofitting for Existing Low Earthquake Resistant Structures: The Most Important Issue for Earthquake Disaster Reduction. - Improvement of Urban Vulnerability. - Growing Vulnerability Crisis "Will Slums Ever Reduce or Improve? ": A Case from India. - Identifying Housing Conditions in Bogota, Colombia: A Strategy to Deal with Risks. - Methodology for Intervention in Vulnerable Settlements in Medellin, Colombia: Urban Destructuralization in Relation to the Topography of the Territory. - From Wood Huts to Buildings of Seven Floors: An Analysis of the Process of Housing Production in the Slum of Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, over a Fifty-Year Period. - The Incremental Improvement of the Area Densely Built-up with Old Wooden Houses in Tokyo. - Thailand Urban Environmental Management: Case of Environmental infrastructure and housing provision in Bangkok Metropolitan Region. - Management of Natural Disasters. - Seismic Vulnerability of Peruvian Houses: Current Issues and Solution Attempts. - Improving vulnerable urban space in post-disaster in yogyakarta and central java, indonesia: participatory and comprehensive approach. - Community Empowerment Program on the Revitalization of Kotagede Heritage District, Indonesia Post Earthquake. - A review of the 921 post-earthquake community rehabilitation of the urban disaster area in taiwan. - Earthquake as a Fact of Istanbul: Risk-based Strategy and an Action Plan for the Vulnerable Zeytinburnu Area. - Structural Viewpoint. - Vulnerability to Earthquake Disaster and Countermeasures in Tokyo.
Functional Multi-Layer Perceptron : a Nonlinear Tool for Functional Data Analysis ⋆

In this paper, we study a natural extension of Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLP) to functional inputs. We show that fundamental results for classical MLP can be extended to functional MLP. We obtain universal approximation results that show the expressive power of functional MLP is comparable to that of numerical MLP. We obtain consistency results which imply that the estimation of optimal parameters for functional MLP is statistically well defined. We finally show on simulated and real world data that the proposed model performs in a very satisfactory way.
The Influence of Solar Radiation and Temperature on the Diurnal Fluctuation of NSC in Grass

Grass pasture is the perfect food for horses. Free choice grazing provides convenient and economical feed, while providing horses with exercise needed to maintain physical and mental health. However, horses with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (aka insulin resistance) and associated laminitis often cannot tolerate free choice grazing year round due to excess Non Structural Carbs (NSC) in grass under certain environmental conditions. Due to lack of understanding of which conditions produce excess sugar in grass, some owners choose to not graze high risk horses at all. The goal of Safergrass.org is to discover pasture management techniques and safer grasses such that horses and ponies with EMS can graze as nature intended, or eat enough hay to keep them full and satisfy their need to chew.
The Impact of the 1969 Coal Mine Health and Safety Act and the Clean Air Acts on Coal Mining Employment in Ohio and Illinois

This paper examines some simple linear regressions relating employment in coal mining in Ohio, Illinois, and the U.S. to several variables including oil price, coal price, and average hourly earnings Hoag Legislative Impacts on Coal Mining Employment in real terms for bituminous coal miners. Three hypotheses will be examined. Have the laws had different impacts upon coal mining employment in the states? Have the laws had a different impact on coal mining employment in the state compared to the nation as a whole? Have the economic variables affected coal mining employment differently in the states?
Selective involvement of ERK and JNK mitogen-activated protein kinases in early rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives: To investigate the expression and activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases in disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) -naïve early arthritis patients. Methods: 50 DMARD -naïve early arthritis patients (disease duration < one year) were prospectively followed and diagnosed at baseline and after 2 years according to criteria for undifferentiated arthritis (UA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or spondyloarthritis (SpA). Synovial biopsies from actively inflamed joints were obtained at baseline by needle arthroscopy and examined by immunohistochemistry for expression and phosphorylation of p38, extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERK) 1/2 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) MAP kinases, using computer-assisted image analysis. Results were compared between patients with different diagnoses and different disease outcomes. Results: Activation of ERK was enhanced at inclusion in patients meeting RA criteria after two years (n = 27) compared to SpA (n = 7) (p < 0.05) and UA (n = 16) (p < 0.005). Similarly, relative JNK activation was significantly higher in RA than in SpA (p < 0.005) and UA p< 0.01). However, relative p38 activation was similar between diagnostic groups. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that synovial JNK activation, but not p38 or ERK activation, is a predictor of fulfillment of classification criteria for RA after two years (R2 = 0.59, p = 0.02). When comparing patients diagnosed with UA at baseline who fulfilled classification criteria for RA after two years (UA>>RA, n = 8) with those who remained UA (UA>>UA, n = 16), activation of JNK (p < 0.005), but not p38 or ERK was significantly enhanced. Activation of ERK (p < 0.01) and JNK (p < 0.01) at baseline was also enhanced in RA patients with progressive joint destruction as assessed by comparison of X-rays at baseline and after two years. Comparing all early arthritis patients, activation of p38 (p < 0.05), ERK (p < 0.005) and JNK (p < 0.001) was elevated in patients with erosive disease. Conclusions: In patients with early arthritis, elevated ERK and JNK activity distinguish RA from other forms of arthritis, and JNK activation is already elevated in patients with RA even before classification criteria of RA are met. Activation of MAP kinases is also associated with development of erosive disease, and JNK activation predicts the development of erosive disease in early arthritis patients. Together, our data suggest that strategies targeting ERK and JNK, rather than p38, may be beneficial in treating RA early in the disease process. 125 Ras Family GTPase Signaling Contributions to Inflammation and Joint Destruction in Rheumatoid Arthritis
NOWCASTING The Promise of New Technologies of Communication , Modeling , and Observation

atmosphere and the prediction of how the atmosphere will evolve during the next several hours. Nowcasting is not a new concept, with references to the term as far back as the mid-1970s (e.g., Lushine 1976) and a comprehensive book on the subject published a few years later (Browning 1982). Although much of the early work on nowcasting dealt with the temporal extrapolation of radar (e.g., Browning et al. 1982) and satellite imagery (e.g., Purdom 1976; Smith et al. 1982), the subject has broadened to encompass high-resolution numerical models driven by the assimilation of a wide range of mesoscale data (Benjamin et al. 2004). Recently, a confluence of technical developments has set the stage for a major jump in nowcasting capabilities and the ability to apply those advances to important societal needs. New communications technologies, NOWCASTING The Promise of New Technologies of Communication, Modeling, and Observation
Subsidence control on river morphology and grain size in the Ganga Plain

The Ganga Plain represents a large proportion of the current foreland basin to the Himalaya. The Himalayan-sourced waters irrigate the Plain via major river networks that support approximately 10 percent of the global population. However, some of these rivers are also the source of devastating floods. The tendency for some of these rivers to flood is directly linked to their large scale morphology. In general, the rivers that drain the east Ganga Plain have channels that are perched at a higher elevation relative to their floodplain, leading to more frequent channel avulsion and flooding. In contrast, those further west have channels that are incised into the floodplain and are historically less prone to flooding. Understanding the controls on these contrasting river forms is fundamental to determining the sensitivity of these systems to projected climate change and the growing water resource demands across the Plain. Here, we present a new basin scale approach to quantifying floodplain and channel topography that identifies areas where channels are super-elevated or entrenched relative to their adjacent floodplain. We explore the probable controls on these observations through an analysis of basin subsidence rates, sediment grain size data and sediment supply from the main river systems that traverse the Plain (Yamuna, Ganga, Karnali, Gandak and Kosi rivers). Subsidence rates are approximated by combining basement profiles derived from seismic data with known convergence velocities; results suggest a more slowly subsiding basin in the west than the east. Grain size fining rates are also used as a proxy for relative subsidence rates along the strike of the basin; the results also indicate higher fining rates (and hence subsidence rates for given sediment supply) in the east. By integrating these observations, we propose that higher subsidence rates are responsible for a deeper basin in the east with perched, low gradient river systems that are relatively insensitive to climatically driven changes in base-level. In contrast, the lower subsidence rates in the west are associated with a higher elevation basin topography, and entrenched river systems recording climatically induced lowering of river base-levels during the Holocene.