Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlates of trabecular and cortical volumetric bone mineral density at the femoral neck and lumbar spine: The osteoporotic fractures in men study (MrOS)

The objective of this cross‐sectional analysis was to examine the correlates of trabecular and cortical volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) in 3670 community‐dwelling men, mean age 73.6 ± 5.9 years. vBMD was measured by quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and areal BMD by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). Demographic, historical, and lifestyle information was obtained by interview, and height, weight, and neuromuscular function were determined by examination. To express the strength of the associations, percent differences (95% confidence interval) were calculated from multivariable linear regression models using the formula 100 (β × unit/mean BMD). Units for continuous variables were chosen to approximate 1 standard deviation (SD). The multivariable linear regression models predicted 15%, 21%, and 20% of the overall variance in trabecular and cortical vBMD of the femoral neck and vBMD of the lumbar spine, respectively. Diabetes was associated with a 16.5% greater trabecular vBMD at the femoral neck and 11% at the lumbar spine but less than 2% for cortical vBMD. For femoral neck trabecular vBMD, the strongest negative correlates were past smoking (−9%), fracture history (−15%), kidney stones (−7%), corticosteroids (−11%), and insulin therapy (−26%). For cortical vBMD, the strongest negative correlate was use of thyroid medication (−2.8%). The strongest negative correlates for lumbar spine trabecular vBMD were fracture history (−5%), antiandrogen use (−19%), height (−8%), and thiazoliainedione use (−22%). Bioavailable estradiol and testosterone levels were positively related and sex hormone–binding globulin was negatively related to trabecular vBMD of the spine. There was no relationship between sex hormones and femoral neck trabecular vBMD. Our conclusion is that correlates of trabecular vBMD and cortical vBMD appear to differ in older men. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Improved Measurement of Blood Pressure by Extraction of Characteristic Features from the Cuff Oscillometric Waveform

We present a novel approach to improve the estimation of systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) from oscillometric waveform data using variable characteristic ratios between SBP and DBP with mean arterial pressure (MAP). This was verified in 25 healthy subjects, aged 28 ± 5 years. The multiple linear regression (MLR) and support vector regression (SVR) models were used to examine the relationship between the SBP and the DBP ratio with ten features extracted from the oscillometric waveform envelope (OWE). An automatic algorithm based on relative changes in the cuff pressure and neighbouring oscillometric pulses was proposed to remove outlier points caused by movement artifacts. Substantial reduction in the mean and standard deviation of the blood pressure estimation errors were obtained upon artifact removal. Using the sequential forward floating selection (SFFS) approach, we were able to achieve a significant reduction in the mean and standard deviation of differences between the estimated SBP values and the reference scoring (MLR: mean ± SD = −0.3 ± 5.8 mmHg; SVR and −0.6 ± 5.4 mmHg) with only two features, i.e., Ratio2 and Area3, as compared to the conventional maximum amplitude algorithm (MAA) method (mean ± SD = −1.6 ± 8.6 mmHg). Comparing the performance of both MLR and SVR models, our results showed that the MLR model was able to achieve comparable performance to that of the SVR model despite its simplicity.
The Psychological Birth of the Human Infant: Symbiosis and Individuation

'The biological birth of the human infant and the psychological birth of the individual are not coincident in time. The former is a dramatic, observable, and well-circumscribed event; the latter a slowly unfolding intra psychic process. 'Thus begins this highly acclaimed book in which Margaret S. Mahler and her collaborators break new ground in developmental psychology and present the first complete theoretical statement of Dr. Mahler's observations on the normal separation-individuation process.Separation and individuation are presented in this major work as two complementary developments. Separation is described as the child's emergence from a symbiotic fusion with the mother, while individuation consists of those achievements making the child's assumption of his own individual characteristics. Each of the sub-phases of separation-individuation is described in detail, supported by a wealth of clinical observations which trace the tasks confronting the infant and his mother as he progresses towards achieving his own individuality.A number of chapters are devoted to following five children epigenetically through their sub phase development. A separate section describes the authors' methodology, the importance of the research setting, and the effects of changes in the setting. The extensive appendices by Fred Pine discuss the uniqueness of the data-gathering techniques used by the author. In addition, a useful glossary of concepts defines the new terms that Dr. Mahler has introduced.This book represents an important breakthrough in understanding the human infant and makes a unique contribution to the science of human behavior.
Touch to play: mobile gaming with dynamic, NFC-based physical user interfaces

Mobile devices can take advantage of physical interaction with their environment and its objects to compensate their constrained input and output capabilities. For that purpose, dynamic NFC-displays combine the physical interaction with NFC-tagged user interfaces and the output capabilities of public displays. We have adopted this technology for the Whack-a-Mole game to show how it can improve the accessibility and usability of mobile games. This paper describes the design of the game and explores how physical interaction with dynamic NFC-displays can compensate the constraints of mobile games and enrich their gameplay.
Jigsaw: Efficient, Low-effort Mashup Isolation

A web application often includes content from a variety of origins. Securing such a mashup application is challenging because origins often distrust each other and wish to expose narrow interfaces to their private code and data. Jigsaw is a new framework for isolating these mashup components. Jigsaw is an extension of the JavaScript language that can be run inside standard browsers using a Jigsaw-to-JavaScript compiler. Unlike prior isolation schemes that require developers to specify complex, error-prone policies, Jigsaw leverages the well-understood public/private keywords from traditional object-oriented languages, making it easy for a domain to tag internal data as externally visible. Jigsaw provides strong iframe-like isolation, but unlike previous approaches that use actual iframes as isolation containers, Jigsaw allows mutually distrusting code to run inside the same frame; this allows scripts to share state using synchronous method calls instead of asynchronous message passing. Jigsaw also introduces a novel encapsulation mechanism called surrogates. Surrogates allow domains to safely exchange objects by reference instead of by value. This improves sharing efficiency by eliminating cross-origin marshaling overhead.
GABAergic Control of Critical Developmental Periods for Anxiety- and Depression-Related Behavior in Mice

Vulnerability for anxiety and depressive disorders is thought to have origins in early life and is increasingly recognized to involve deficits in GABAergic neurotransmission. Mice that were rendered heterozygous for the γ2 subunit gene of GABAA receptors (GABAARs) show behavioral, cognitive, neuroendocrine and pharmacologic features expected of a mouse model of melancholic anxious depression, including reduced survival of adult-born hippocampal neurons. Here we embarked on elucidating the developmental substrate underlying this phenotype, focusing on the Elevated Plus Maze and Forced Swim Test as relevant behavioral paradigms. In a first series of experiments using hemizygous tamoxifen-induced genetic inactivation of a floxed γ2 genomic locus we show that reducing the gene dosage at postnatal days (P)13/14 but not P27/28 results in altered behavior in both of these tests in adulthood, reminiscent of the anxious-depressive phenotype previously described for global heterozygous mice. However, in contrast to global heterozygous mice, the behavioral changes induced by γ2 subunit knockdown at P13/14 occurred without changes in adult hippocampal neurogenesis, indicating that altered neurogenesis is not an absolute prerequisite for anxiety- and depression-related behavior in this model. In a separate series of experiments using a pharmacological approach, acute but transient potentiation of GABAARs with diazepam uncovered distinct developmental vulnerabilities for altered behavior in the Elevated Plus Maze and Forced Swim Test, respectively. Specifically, diazepam given during P10-16 but not during later weeks resulted in increased anxiety-like behavior in adulthood, while diazepam administered during P29-35 but not earlier nor later resulted in increased immobility behavior in adulthood. We conclude that anxiety-like behavior in the Elevated Plus Maze and behavioral despair-like immobility in the Forced Swim Test are controlled by separate postnatal critical periods characterized by distinct developmental sensitivity to manipulation of GABAergic transmission via γ2 subunit-containing GABAARs.
Influence of molecular hydrogen diffusion on concentration and distribution of hydroxyl groups in silica fibers

To study the hydroxyl (OH)-group contamination mechanisms in silica-based optical fibers, the transmission spectra of substrate tubes and fiber preforms made from various types of silica glasses ("Suprasil F-300," KS-4V, and KUVI) are measured by the method of infrared Fourier spectroscopy in a wavelength region of 2-5 /spl mu/m. Due to the intensity of the fundamental OH stretching vibration band, the absorption coefficient, concentration, and a distribution profile of OH groups across the aforesaid samples are calculated. It is found that using an oxyhydrogen burner in the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) process of manufacturing preforms and fiber drawing, the main source of impurity OH groups can be the molecular hydrogen H/sub 2/ penetrating into glass much deeper than the OH groups diffusing from the substrate tube surface. A simple model explaining the formation and diffusion of OH groups into a fiber core and cladding is proposed. It is shown that heating tubes and preforms in a flame of oxyhydrogen burner during fiber fabrication causes a significant OH-group content growth (almost by two orders of magnitude) near to the outer preform surface. Using substrate tubes made from Suprasil F-300 glass, optical fibers are fabricated having a silica core and fluorosilicate reflecting cladding with optical losses of 0.3 dB/km at 1.55 /spl mu/m and a refractive-index difference between core and cladding /spl sim/1/spl middot/10/sup -2/.
Quantifying Microbial Utilization of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Salt Marsh Sediments by Using the 13C Content of Bacterial rRNA

ABSTRACT Natural remediation of oil spills is catalyzed by complex microbial consortia. Here we took a whole-community approach to investigate bacterial incorporation of petroleum hydrocarbons from a simulated oil spill. We utilized the natural difference in carbon isotopic abundance between a salt marsh ecosystem supported by the 13C-enriched C4 grass Spartina alterniflora and 13C-depleted petroleum to monitor changes in the 13C content of biomass. Magnetic bead capture methods for selective recovery of bacterial RNA were used to monitor the 13C content of bacterial biomass during a 2-week experiment. The data show that by the end of the experiment, up to 26% of bacterial biomass was derived from consumption of the freshly spilled oil. The results contrast with the inertness of a nearby relict spill, which occurred in 1969 in West Falmouth, MA. Sequences of 16S rRNA genes from our experimental samples also were consistent with previous reports suggesting the importance of Gamma- and Deltaproteobacteria and Firmicutes in the remineralization of hydrocarbons. The magnetic bead capture approach makes it possible to quantify uptake of petroleum hydrocarbons by microbes in situ. Although employed here at the domain level, RNA capture procedures can be highly specific. The same strategy could be used with genus-level specificity, something which is not currently possible using the 13C content of biomarker lipids.
An Efficient Geometric Algorithm For Extracting Structural Elements to Facilitate Automated MEMS Extraction

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) are very small devices that contain both mechanical and electrical elements with sizes in the order of microns. Design cycle time is an important consideration in the development and introduction of MEMS devices in the market. To develop extraction tools for MEMS designs, we need geometric algorithms to analyze the spatial layout of the mechanical portion of the MEMS device and extract a net-list of mechanical components. Such extracted net-list of mechanical components can be combined with the electronic component net-list to provide the complete device schematic. A key step in the extraction of mechanical elements is classification of various portions of the layout into structural elements. Because MEMS designs consist of a large number of elements, computational efficiency of the underlying extraction algorithm is very important for it to work on complex devices. This paper describes an efficient geometric algorithm for extracting structural elements from spatial layout of MEMS designs.
On How Accent Distribution Can Signal Speaker Adaptation

Abstract Some dialogues are perceived as running more smoothly than others. To some extent that impression could be related to how well speakers adapt their prosody to each other. Adaptation in prosody can be signaled by the use of pitch accents that indicate how utterances are structurally related to those of the interlocutor (prosodic function) or by copying the interlocutor's prosodic features (prosodic form). The same acoustic features, such as pitch, are involved in both ways of adaptation. Further, function and form may require a different prosody for successful adaptation in certain discourse contexts. In this study we investigate to what extent interlocutors are perceived as good adapters, depending on whether the prosody of both speakers is functionally coherent or similar in form. This is done in two perception tests using prosodically manipulated dialogues. Results show that coherent functional prosody can be a cue for speaker adaptation and that this cue is more powerful than similarity in prosodic form.
Retroperitoneal Laparoscopic Ureterolithotomy for Upper Ureter Stones

We evaluated the role of retroperitoneal laparoscopic ureterolithotomy (RPLU) for upper ureter stones. Between February 1998 and July 2004, 12 patients (10 men and 2 women) underwent RPLU for upper ureter stones (mean size 18.1 mm, range 10-25). RPLU was carried out in 5 patients as a salvage treatment after failed shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) (3) and both of failed SWL and ureteroscopy (URS) (2), and in 7 patients as primary treatment for large impacted stones. Total 6 of 12 cases were converted to open surgery. The reason of open conversion was failure of locating ureter due to severe adhesion in 5 cases and vascular injury in 1 case. In 6 successful cases, mean operation time, mean estimated blood loss, and mean postoperative hospital stay were respectively 109 min (90-120 min), 50 mL (10-100 mL), 4.6 days (2-7 days). There was no serious postoperative complication except for one patient who showed delayed urinary leakage but was cured with conservative management. Our experience suggested that RPLU was not easy to perform simply because it was indicated mainly in ureter stones with severe adhesion or after failed SWL and/or URS. Nevertheless, it can be considered as a primary procedure before open ureterolithotomy.
Bayesian estimation and classification with incomplete data using mixture models

Reasoning from data in practical problems is frequently hampered by missing observations. Mixture models provide a powerful general semi-parametric method for modelling densities and have close links to radial basis function neural networks (RBFs). We extend the Data Augmentation (DA) technique for multiple imputation to Gaussian mixture models to permit fully Bayesian inference of model parameters and estimation of the missing values. The method is compared to imputation using a single normal density on synthetic and real-world data. In addition to a lower mean squared error than can be achieved by simple imputation methods, mixture models provide valuable information on the potentially multi-modal nature of imputed values. The DA formalism is extended to a classifier closely related to RBF networks permitting Bayesian classification with incomplete data; the technique is illustrated on synthetic and real datasets.
Micro-actuation characteristics of rocket conical shell sections

Rocket fairings, load-carrying structures of solid rocket motor case, e.g., inter-stage joint, satellite-rocket joint, etc., usually take the shape of conical shell sections. This paper is to evaluate spatially distributed microscopic control characteristics of distributed actuator patches bonded on conical shell surfaces. The converse effect of piezoelectric materials has been recognized as one of the best electromechanical effects for precision distributed control applications. The resultant control forces and micro-control actions induced by the distributed actuators depend on applied voltages, geometrical (e.g., spatial segmentation and shape) and material (i.e., various actuator materials) properties. Mathematical models and modal domain governing equations of the conical shell section laminated with distributed actuator patches are presented first, followed by formulations of distributed control forces and micro-control actions which can be divided into longitudinal/circumferential membrane and bending control components. Spatially distributed electromechanical microscopic actuation characteristics and control effects resulting from various longitudinal/circumferential actions of actuator patches are evaluated. r 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd. C
Polymorphonuclear leukocyte adhesion triggers the disorganization of endothelial cell-to-cell adherens junctions

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) infiltration into tissues is frequently accompanied by increase in vascular permeability. This suggests that PMN adhesion and transmigration could trigger modifications in the architecture of endothelial cell-to-cell junctions. In the present paper, using indirect immunofluorescence, we found that PMN adhesion to tumor necrosis factor-activated endothelial cells (EC) induced the disappearance from endothelial cell-to-cell contacts of adherens junction (AJ) components: vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin, alpha-catenin, beta-catenin, and plakoglobin. Immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis of the VE- cadherin/catenin complex showed that the amount of beta-catenin and plakoglobin was markedly reduced from the complex and from total cell extracts. In contrast, VE-cadherin and alpha-catenin were only partially affected. Disorganization of endothelial AJ by PMN was not accompanied by EC retraction or injury and was specific for VE- cadherin/catenin complex, since platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1) distribution at cellular contacts was unchanged. PMN adhesion to EC seems to be a prerequisite for VE-cadherin/catenin complex disorganization. This phenomenon could be fully inhibited by blocking PMN adhesion with an anti-integrin beta 2 mAb, while it could be reproduced by any condition that induced increase of PMN adhesion, such as addition of PMA or an anti-beta 2-activating mAb. The effect on endothelial AJ was specific for PMN since adherent activated lymphocytes did not induce similar changes. High concentrations of protease inhibitors and oxygen metabolite scavengers were unable to prevent AJ disorganization mediated by PMN. PMN adhesion to EC was accompanied by increase in EC permeability in vitro. This effect was dependent on PMN adhesion, was not mediated by proteases and oxygen- reactive metabolites, and could be reproduced by EC treatment with EGTA. Finally, immunohistochemical analysis showed that VE-cadherin distribution was affected by PMN adhesion to the vessel wall in vivo too. This work suggests that PMN adhesion could trigger intracellular signals in EC that possibly regulate VE-cadherin /catenin complex disorganization. This effect could increase EC permeability and facilitate PMN transmigration during the acute inflammatory reaction.
Daily oral 25-hydroxycholecalciferol supplementation for vitamin D deficiency in haemodialysis patients: effects on mineral metabolism and bone markers.

BACKGROUND Vitamin D deficiency is frequently observed in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients; however, the effects of vitamin D supplementation have rarely been reported. We aimed to assess the effects of daily 25(OH)D(3) supplementation on mineral metabolism, bone markers and Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) targets in haemodialysis (HD) patients for a period of 6 months. METHODS HD patients were included in this study if their serum 25(OH)D level was <75 mmol/L. Oral 25(OH)D(3) was administered daily at 10-30 microg/day based on the severity of the deficiency. Characteristics of the patients were compared from the baseline to 6 months on the basis of their response to 25(OH)D(3) administration and the patients were divided into three groups. Patients who showed partial response [serum 25(OH)D <75 nmol/L] were placed in group 1, those who showed normal response [serum 25(OH)D ranging from 75 to 150 nmol/L] were placed in group 2 and those who showed excessive response [serum 25(OH)D >150 nmol/L] were placed in group 3. RESULTS Of the 253 HD patients, 225 (89%) showed vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency, 172 were included in the study and 149 patients completed the study. After 6 months of treatment [mean daily 25(OH)D(3): 16 +/- 5 microg/day], the serum 25(OH)D level increased (30 +/- 19 to 126 +/- 46 nmol/ L, P < 0.001), with 13% of patients in group 1, 57% in group 2 and 30% in group 3. The serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level decreased (235 +/- 186 to 189 +/- 137 pg/mL, P = 0.05), except in group 1. Bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) showed a tendency to normalize (23 +/- 16 to 18.3 +/- 11 microg/L, P < 0.05), leading to a decrease in alfacalcidol administration from 66% to 43% (P < 0.05), except in group 1. The KDOQI targets achieved increased significantly for serum calcium (76% to 85%) and phosphate levels (66% to 77%) in all patients. The serum albumin level increased in all groups (34.6 +/- 4 to 36.8 +/- 4 g/L, P < 0.05), without any significant improvement in normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR) or C-reactive proteins (CRP). CONCLUSION With a daily dose ranging from 10 to 30 microg, daily oral 25(OH)D(3) supplementation corrects most vitamin D deficiencies or insufficiencies in HD patients, without any evident toxicity. The main effects observed included correction of excessive bone turnover, despite less alfacalcidol administration, increase in serum albumin level and increase in the percentage of patients with serum calcium and phosphorus levels within the recommendation of the KDOQI guidelines.