Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adversity, emotion recognition, and empathic concern in high-risk youth

Little is known about how emotion recognition and empathy jointly operate in youth growing up in contexts defined by persistent adversity. We investigated whether adversity exposure in two groups of youth was associated with reduced empathy and whether deficits in emotion recognition mediated this association. Foster, rural poor, and comparison youth from Swaziland, Africa identified emotional expressions and rated their empathic concern for characters depicted in images showing positive, ambiguous, and negative scenes. Rural and foster youth perceived greater anger and happiness in the main characters in ambiguous and negative images than did comparison youth. Rural children also perceived less sadness. Youth’s perceptions of sadness in the negative and ambiguous expressions mediated the relation between adversity and empathic concern, but only for the rural youth, who perceived less sadness, which then predicted less empathy. Findings provide new insight into processes that underlie empathic tendencies in adversity-exposed youth and highlight potential directions for interventions to increase empathy.
A hierarchical Bayesian model for predicting ecological interactions using evolutionary relationships

Identifying undocumented or potential future interactions among species is a challenge facing modern ecologists. Recent link prediction methods rely on trait data, however large species interaction databases are typically sparse and covariables are limited to only a fraction of species. On the other hand, evolutionary relationships among species, encoded as phylogenetic trees, can act as proxies for underlying traits and historical patterns of parasite sharing among hosts. We show that using a network-based conditional model, phylogenetic information provides significant predictive power in a recently pubilshed global database of host-parasite interactions. Drawing from evolutionary biology, we find that applying alternative evolutionary models to the phylogeny greatly improves it. To further improve on the phylogeny-only model, we use a hierarchical Bayesian latent score framework for bipartite graphs that accounts for the number of interactions per species, as well as the host dependence informed by phylogeny. Combining the two information sources yields significant improvement in predictive accuracy over each of the submodels alone. As many interaction networks are constructed from presence-only data, we extend the model by integrating a correction mechanism for missing interactions, which proves valuable in reducing uncertainty in unobserved interactions.
Coronary flow reserve is impaired in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Study Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in adult populations. Accumulating data indicate that it is independently associated with a variety of cardiovascular diseases and has prognostic importance in affected cases. In this study, we aimed to evaluate coronary flow reserve (CFR) in patients with OSA and controls. Methods: Sixty-one patients undergoing an overnight polysomnography were enrolled in this study. Patients with an apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) >5 were accepted as OSA group (n = 45) and those with an AHI <5 were taken as controls (n = 16). Using Doppler echocardiography at baseline and following dipyridamole infusion, coronary peak flow velocities were obtained. CFR was calculated as the ratio of peak diastolic flow to baseline diastolic flow. A CFR value <2 was accepted as impaired coronary microvascular function. Results: The mean age was 50.8 ± 10.8 years, of which 16 (26.2%) were female. Both groups had similar features with regard to demographic and clinical variables. The mean value of CFR was significantly lower in patients with OSA compared to those controls (2.24 ± 0.46 vs. 2.74 ± 0.62, respectively, P = 0.001). An abnormal CFR value was observed in 12 (26.7%) patients with OSA and in 1 (6.3%) participant in control group. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that CFR, an indicator of coronary microvascular function, is significantly impaired in patients with OSA. Coronary microvascular function, an early sign of atherosclerosis, can be evaluated noninvasively in these patients might be used as a predictor of cardiovascular risk.
Electronic beam steering in wire and patch antenna systems using switched parasitic elements

We explore the application of two alternative methods of electronically controlling the radiation pattern from an antenna array which has a single feed line. Type (a) involves switching one of the parasitic elements to become active. Type (b) requires switching the parasitic elements located in the vicinity of the active element between short circuit (i.e. continuous conduction in the element) and open circuit at a point where the induced current is minimised. Both techniques offer a reduced radiation loss in the feed network and relatively simple control circuitry and tracking software.
The quantitative detection of blurring of vision after eyedrop instillation using a functional visual acuity system

going liver transplantation. Liver Transpl 7: 783–789. Keller JC & Linn JE (1990): Central retinal vein occlusion in a heart transplant patient: a case report. J Tenn Med Assoc 83: 347. Lerner AB, Sundar E, Mahmood F, Sarge T, Hanto DW & Panzica PJ (2005): Four cases of cardiopulmonary thromboembolism during liver transplantation without the use of antifibrinolytic drugs. Anesth Analg 101: 1608–1612. McGrath MA, Wechsler F, Hunyor ABL & Penny R (1978): Systemic factors contributory to retinal vein occlusion. Arch Intern Med 138: 216–220.
Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor β/δ Induces Myogenesis by Modulating Myostatin Activity*

Background: PPARβ/δ has been implicated in muscle regeneration; however the signaling mechanism(s) is unclear. Results: Activation of PPARβ/δ-promoted Gasp-1 expression blocked myostatin activity and enhanced myogenesis. Conclusion: Activation of PPARβ/δ led to inhibition of myostatin activity and thus increased myogenesis. Significance: PPARβ/δ agonists are novel myostatin antagonists that have potential benefits toward improving postnatal muscle growth and repair. Classically, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) function was thought to be restricted to enhancing adipocyte differentiation and development of adipose-like cells from other lineages. However, recent studies have revealed a critical role for PPARβ/δ during skeletal muscle growth and regeneration. Although PPARβ/δ has been implicated in regulating myogenesis, little is presently known about the role and, for that matter, the mechanism(s) of action of PPARβ/δ in regulating postnatal myogenesis. Here we report for the first time, using a PPARβ/δ-specific ligand (L165041) and the PPARβ/δ-null mouse model, that PPARβ/δ enhances postnatal myogenesis through increasing both myoblast proliferation and differentiation. In addition, we have identified Gasp-1 (growth and differentiation factor-associated serum protein-1) as a novel downstream target of PPARβ/δ in skeletal muscle. In agreement, reduced Gasp-1 expression was detected in PPARβ/δ-null mice muscle tissue. We further report that a functional PPAR-responsive element within the 1.5-kb proximal Gasp-1 promoter region is critical for PPARβ/δ regulation of Gasp-1. Gasp-1 has been reported to bind to and inhibit the activity of myostatin; consistent with this, we found that enhanced secretion of Gasp-1, increased Gasp-1 myostatin interaction and significantly reduced myostatin activity upon L165041-mediated activation of PPARβ/δ. Moreover, we analyzed the ability of hGASP-1 to regulate myogenesis independently of PPARβ/δ activation. The results revealed that hGASP-1 protein treatment enhances myoblast proliferation and differentiation, whereas silencing of hGASP-1 results in defective myogenesis. Taken together these data revealed that PPARβ/δ is a positive regulator of skeletal muscle myogenesis, which functions through negatively modulating myostatin activity via a mechanism involving Gasp-1.
The perils and promises of microbial abundance: Novel natures and model ecosystems, from artisanal cheese to alien seas

Microbial life has been much in the news. From outbreaks of Escherichia coli to discussions of the benefits of raw and fermented foods to recent reports of life forms capable of living in extreme environments, the modest microbe has become a figure for thinking through the presents and possible futures of nature, writ large as well as small. Noting that dominant representations of microbial life have shifted from an idiom of peril to one of promise, we argue that microbes – especially when thriving as microbial communities – are being upheld as model ecosystems in a prescriptive sense, as tokens of how organisms and human ecological relations with them could, should, or might be. We do so in reference to two case studies: the regulatory politics of artisanal cheese and the speculative research of astrobiology. To think of and with microbial communities as model ecosystems offers a corrective to the scientific determinisms we detect in some recent calls to attend to the materiality of scientific objects.
Effect of Semecaprus anacardium on Diabetes-Induced Alterations in the Activities of Marker Enzymes and Antioxidant Enzymes in Type 2 Diabetes Induced Cardiac Vascular Damage Model in Rats

ABSTRACT Semecarpus anacardium is a commonly used drug in the Siddha system of medicine for curing various metabolic disorders. The cardio protective effect of the drug in Type 2 diabetes-induced cardiovascular complications was studied in rats by feeding them with a high fat diet for 2 weeks followed by intra peritoneal injection of streptozotocin at a moderate dosage of 2*35 mg/kg/ b.wt 24 hr apart and leaving them for 8 weeks to develop cardiovascular complications. The effect of the drug was studied by analyzing levels of blood glucose, insulin, HbA1c, marker enzymes, the antioxidative enzymes and the levels of lipid peroxides in Type 2 diabetic rats. Diabetic rats were treated with SA at a dosage of 300 mg/kg/b.wt. for 8 weeks and the results were compared with diabetic rats treated with the combination therapy drugs metformin at a dosage of 100 mg/kg/b.wt and atorvastatin at a dosage of 10 mg/kg/b.wt for 8 weeks. The drug SA significantly decreased the blood glucose levels and also HbA1c levels while improving glucose tolerance at the same time. The levels of marker enzymes and lipid peroxides were significantly increased in diabetic rats when compared with control rats. On the other hand significant decreases in the levels of antioxidative enzymes were observed in diabetic rats. Upon treatment with the drug SA, all of these abnormalities were restored to near normalcy. The present study thereby establishes the protective effect of the drug against diabetes-induced cardiac damage.
Extracting Entities of Interest from Comparative Product Reviews

This paper presents a deep learning based approach to extract product comparison information out of user reviews on various e-commerce websites. Any comparative product review has three major entities of information: the names of the products being compared, the user opinion (predicate) and the feature or aspect under comparison. All these informing entities are dependent on each other and bound by the rules of the language, in the review. We observe that their inter-dependencies can be captured well using LSTMs. We evaluate our system on existing manually labeled datasets and observe out-performance over the existing Semantic Role Labeling (SRL) framework popular for this task.
Rapid Isolation of the 7S‐Nerve Growth Factor Complex and Its Subunits from Murine Submaxillary Glands and Saliva

Abstract: 7S‐Nerve growth factor (NGF) and its α, β‐NGF, and γ subunits have been purified from murine submaxillary glands and saliva by a combination of gel filtration on rigid polyvinyl gels, reversed‐phase liquid chromatography on short alkyl chain supports (C4 columns), and ion‐exchange chromatography on silica‐based carboxymethyl columns. This technique is superior to previously used methods in that it is much more rapid and allows the purification of larger quantities of polypeptide from the same amount of starting material, β‐NGF prepared with this method elicits the outgrowth of fibers of cells of a pheochromocytoma cell line (PC 12) in vitro, indicating that the biological activity is not impaired by the organic solvents and strong acids utilized for its isolation.
Up-regulation of microRNA-135a protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury by decreasing TXNIP expression in diabetic mice.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The heart in diabetic state is sensitive to myocardial ischemia reperfusion (mI/R) injury. In the present study, we investigated the potential mechanisms of modulating mI/R injury in diabetic state. METHODS Diabetic db/db mice and control non-diabetic mice were administrated with mI/R injury or sham operation. Mouse atrial-derived cardiac cell line HL-1 subjected to hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) was used as in vitro model of I/R injury to the heart. RESULTS Compared with normal mice, mI/R elevated the levels of myocardial infarct size, apoptosis and TXNIP expression (in mRNA and protein) in diabetic mice. Myocardial miR-135a expression level was reduced in diabetic mice regardless of mI/R treatment or not. MiR-135a overexpression protected myocardial cells from mI/R injury in diabetic mice. In vitro, high glucose incubation contributed to a significant down-regulation of miR-135a and up-regulation of TXNIP in cells with or without H/R treatment. Luciferase reporter assay showed that TXNIP was a target gene of miR-135a. MiR-135a overexpression protected HL-1 cells from H/R injury in high glucose condition, while this effect was reversed by up-regulated TXNIP. CONCLUSION miR-135a protects against mI/R injury by decreasing TXNIP expression in diabetic state.
The Relative Economic Progress of Male Foreign Workers in Kuwait 1

A human capital framework is utilized to examine the economic progress of nine nationality groups of foreign workers using data from the 1983 national Labor Survey. The sources of earnings’ variations of particular interest to us included different degrees of education and experience transferability, occupational affiliation and ethnic background. In general, the results derived from the analysis suggest that 1) foreign workers achieve a discernible economic progress as their residence lengthens; 2) the rate of economic progress varies depending on worker's education, home and Kuwait-specific experience, occupational status and ethnic background; and 3) about one third of the earnings inequality is due to unexplained factors including discrimination.
Calculation of extra copper losses with imposed current magnetodynamic formulations

To solve a magnetodynamics problem, two potential formulations can be used. In the case of the A-psi formulation, the voltage at the terminals of a conductor is naturally imposed, which is not the case for the current flowing through the conductor. On the contrary, for the T-Omega formulation, the current can be naturally prescribed, but not the voltage. In order to impose the complementary electric quantity in both formulations, a physics-based approach using a power balance is proposed. Both magnetodynamic formulations are presented by considering a domain made up of multiple conductors. These formulations are used to study the copper losses induced by the franging of the magnetic flux around a small air gap of an iron core coil. Theoretical results are compared with experimental results
Local DNA sequence controls the cooperativity and asymmetry of DNA unwrapping from nucleosome core particles

DNA is tightly wrapped around histone proteins in nucleosome core particles (NCPs), yet must become accessible for processing in the cell. This accessibility, a key component of transcription regulation, is influenced by the properties of both the histone proteins and the DNA itself, in addition to other factors. Here we focus on how DNA sequence affects unwrapping from NCPs, and thus accessibility. Sequence variations impact protein binding, are crucial for understanding transcription, and determine how DNA is organized into chromatin. Small angle x-ray scattering with contrast variation (CV-SAXS) is used to examine how sequence variations affect DNA unwrapping from NCPs, at different salt concentrations. Salt destabilizes NCPs, populating multiple unwrapped states as many possible unwrapping pathways are explored by the complexes. We apply coarse-grain Monte-Carlo methods to generate realistic sequence-dependent unwrapped structures for the nucleosomal DNA, and to model thermal variations. These structures are used in conjunction with ensemble optimization methods to determine the composition of the overall ensemble as electrostatic interactions are selectively weakened. Interesting DNA sequence dependent differences are revealed in the unwrapping paths and equilibrium constants. These differences are correlated with specific features within the nucleic acid sequences.
Temperature of Ingested Water during Exercise Does Not Affect Body Heat Storage.

PURPOSE The objective of this study was to examine the effect of ingested water temperature on heat balance during exercise as assessed by direct calorimetry. METHODS Ten healthy males (25 ± 4 yr) cycled at 50% V˙O2peak (equivalent rate of metabolic heat production (M-W) of 523 ± 84 W) for 75 min under thermocomfortable conditions (25°C, 25% relative humidity) while consuming either hot (50°C) or cold (1.5°C) water. Four 3.2 mL·kg⁻¹ boluses of hot or cold water were consumed 5 min before and at 15, 30, and 45 min after the onset of exercise. Total heat loss (HL = evaporative heat loss (HE) ± dry heat exchange (HD)) and M-W were measured by direct and indirect calorimetry, respectively. Change in body heat content (ΔHb) was calculated as the temporal summation of M-W and HL and adjusted for changes in heat transfer from the ingested fluid (Hfluid). RESULTS The absolute difference for HL (209 ± 81 kJ) was similar to the absolute difference of Hfluid (204 ± 36 kJ) between conditions (P = 0.785). Furthermore, the difference in HL was primarily explained by the corresponding changes in HE (hot: 1538 ± 393 kJ; cold: 1358 ± 330 kJ) because HD was found to be similar between conditions (P = 0.220). Consequently, no difference in ΔHb was observed between the hot (364 ± 152 kJ) and cold (363 ± 134 kJ) conditions (P = 0.971) during exercise. CONCLUSION We show that ingestion of hot water elicits a greater HL relative to cold water ingestion during exercise. However, this response was only compensated for the heat of the ingested fluid as evidenced by similar ΔHb between conditions. Therefore, our findings indicate that relative to cold water ingestion, consuming hot water does not provide a thermoregulatory advantage. Both hot and cold water ingestion results in the same amount of heat stored during prolonged moderate-intensity exercise.
Recognition of Multiple Classes of Hepatitis C Antibodies Increases Detection Sensitivity in Oral Fluid

ABSTRACT Paired serum-oral fluid samples from 127 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive and 31 HCV-negative patients were tested for the presence of anti-HCV using the Ortho HCV 3.0 ELISA. Using the immunoglobulin G (IgG)-specific detection antibody provided with the HCV 3.0 ELISA we attained 100% sensitivity and specificity with serum samples; however, sensitivity in oral fluid samples was only 81%. By modifying the HCV 3.0 ELISA to utilize a secondary antibody cocktail that recognizes not only IgG but IgA and IgM as well, we attained 100% specificity and sensitivity with oral fluid samples.
Novel hybrid buck L converter for wide conversion ratios

The paper presents experiences with a hybrid buck L DC/DC converter, which is used for applications with wide voltage conversion ratios. This converter type also provide high efficiency. The circuit function and the design of a single-phase converter is described. Normally, the filter effort of this converter can be reduce by multiphase structures and interleaved switching. However, in this converter topology additional elements are necessary for symmetrize the phase currents. The design for single-phase and multiphase converter are analysed in detail. The extensive mathematical calculations, validated through simulations and experimental results obtained from a laboratory prototype, are presented for this purpose. Also, the efficiency measurements of a hybrid Buck L converter is shown.
Analysis of deaths occurring within the Nottingham trial of faecal occult blood screening for colorectal cancer

We read with interest the analysis of deaths occurring within the Nottingham trial of faecal occult blood screening for colorectal cancer performed by Whynes and colleagues,1 reported in a recent issue of Gut . While the aims of this study are to be commended, we have some concerns regarding the interpretation of ages at death and the methodology used to assign deprivation score. With respect to age at death, ‘those who participated in screening died at a more advanced age than the controls who, …
Physical Properties of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) relies heavily on contrast agents such that diagnosis of various diseases can be made with increased confidence. Current contrast agents for MRI depend on various chelated molecules composed of a toxic gadolinium ion, Gd 3+ . In 2006, a discovery was made connecting Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) and these gadolinium based contrast agents (GBCAs). The connection between life threatening NSF and GBCAs stems from patients with pre-existing kidney malfunctions. It has been proposed that an alternative agent such as iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) be investigated. These IONPs theoretically will have similar responses in efficiency of improving the contrast of MRI images. To ensure the biocompatibility of these molecules we will investigate implementation of a biologically safe gold coating around the IONP. We will present what is observed in the characterization of these IONPs.
The Mixer Corpus of Multilingual, Multichannel Speaker Recognition Data

Abstract : This paper describes efforts to create corpora to support and evaluate systems that perform speaker recognition where channel and language may vary. Beyond the ongoing evaluation of speaker recognition systems, these corpora are aimed at the bilingual and cross channel dimensions. We report on specific data collection efforts at the Linguistic Data Consortium and the research ongoing at the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and MIT Lincoln Laboratories. We cover the design and requirements, the collections and final properties of the corpus integrating discussions of the data preparation, research, technology development and evaluation on a grand scale.