Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statistical Genetic Analysis of Serological Measures of Common, Chronic Infections in Alaska Native Participants in the GOCADAN Study

This paper describes genetic investigations of seroreactivity to five common infectious pathogens in the Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives (GOCADAN) study. Antibody titers and seroprevalence were available for 495 to 782 (depending on the phenotype) family members at two time points, approximately 15 years apart, for Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV‐1), and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV‐2). Seroprevalence rates indicate that infections with most of these pathogens are common (≥20% for all of them, >80% for H. pylori, CMV, and HSV‐1). Seropositive individuals typically remain seropositive over time, with seroreversion rates of <1% to 10% over ∼15 years. Antibody titers were significantly heritable for most pathogens, with the highest estimate being 0.61 for C. pneumoniae. Significant genome‐wide linkage evidence was obtained for C. pneumoniae on chromosome 15 (logarithm of odds, LOD score of 3.13). These results demonstrate that individual host genetic differences influence antibody measures of common infections in this population, and further investigation may elucidate the underlying immunological processes and genes involved.
Robust Endoscope Motion Estimation Via an Animated Particle Filter for Electromagnetically Navigated Endoscopy

Electromagnetically navigated endoscopy, which is increasingly applied in endoscopic interventions, utilizes an electromagnetic sensor attached at the endoscope tip to measure the endoscope movements and to navigate the endoscope in the region of interest in the body. Due to patient motion and magnetic field distortion, sensor electromagnetic tracking (EMT) measurement inaccuracy and dynamic jitter errors remain challenging for electromagnetic navigation. This paper proposes a new tracking framework of an animated particle filter that integrates adaptive particle swarm optimization into a generic particle filter to significantly boost electromagnetic trackers. We validate our method on a dynamic phantom and compare it to state-of-the-art EMT methods. Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of our method, which provides position and orientation accuracy of 2.48 mm, 4.69° that significantly outperformed previous methods at least with tracking error of 4.19 mm, 7.75°. The tracking smoothness was improved from 4.09 mm, 3.37° to 1.84 mm, 2.52°. Our method successfully tackled the particle impoverishment better than standard particle filters.
Force measurements on a scaled mechanical model of dragonfly in forward flight

A dynamically scaled flapping-wing model has been developed to investigate the aerodynamic phenomena and flight performance of insect-scale flapping wings. The mechanism consists of two wings, each having 3 rotational degrees of freedom, mounted on a linear stage to permit translation in a fluid-filled tank. Each wing is equipped with a sensor for instantaneous measurement of the time-varying forces and torques. The setup permits one wing to be designated as the fore wing and the other as the hind wing so that interactions between them can be analysed to understand flight for four-winged insects. The apparatus is versatile enough to explore a range of wing morphologies as well as operational wing trajectory parameters
NoC power optimization using combined routing algorithms

As the development of processors/SoCs (System-on-Chips), NoC (Network-on-Chip) consumes an increasing fraction of the modern processors/SoCs power. Thus, designing energy-efficient NoC architecture is imperative. Multi-NoC (Multiple Network-on-Chip) behaves well in power gating for reducing leakage power, which constitutes a significant fraction of NoC power. In this paper, we propose CRA, a novel Multi-NoC design with distinct routing algorithms for different subnets. Integrated with a congestion-aware power gating and packet scheduling policy, CRA is able to achieve low power without degrading performance at varying network utilization. Our experimental results show that CRA consumes an average of 15.58% less power than Catnap, the state of the art power efficient Multi-NoC design, and the EDP (energy delay product) is 8.59% lower than Catnap on average.
The Spread of Raising : Opacity, Lexicalization, and Diffusion

Canadian Raising is typically described as the centralization of the nucleus of /ay/ before voiceless segments. However some recent studies in areas affected by Raising have shown that the current conditioning factors are not as regular as reported previously (Vance, 1987; Dailey-O’Cain, 1997; Hall, 2005). This paper explores the status of Raising in Philadelphia. Examining data from 12 boys, ages 14 to 19, it appears that Raising has lexicalized here as well. While Raising occurs before a number of voiced stops and nasals, the words which experience Raising most regularly suggest that it has spread due to its opaque applications.
A classification algorithm for hologram label based on improved sift features

Hologram label can present different images under different light condition. Thus, it is difficult to recognize a hologram label with traditional methods. In this paper, we propose a classification algorithm for hologram label based on improved SIFT features. Firstly, a multi-illumination sample space is constructed by collecting images from one hologram label under different illumination condition. Secondly, the SIFT features are extracted from different samples in the multi-illumination sample space. Thirdly, some stable feature points are obtained after matching and clustering steps. Finally, the class of a testing hologram label is determined by the number of the matched SIFT points. Experimental results show that our method has good accuracy and recall rate, especially the ambiguous images can also be recognized.
Hedonische Immobilienpreisindizes: Verfahren und Beispiele

Hedonische Immobilienpreisindizes, die auf Transaktionsdaten basieren, stellen einen vielversprechenden Indikator fur institutionelle Investoren dar. Ihr Vorteil ist, dass durch Qualitatsbereinigungen der Heterogenitat der Immobilien besser Rechnung getragen werden kann. Ublicherweise gibt der Index den Wert einer reprasentativen Immobilie mit durchschnittlichen Eigenschaften an. Es konnen jedoch mit dieser Methode auch Preise fur vordefinierte Immobilien prognostiziert werden. Die Berechnung dieser Indizes ist jedoch recht anspruchsvoll, da Preise nur dann beobachtbar sind, wenn Transaktionen stattfinden. Deutsche und amerikanische Verfahren und Indizes unterscheiden sich in der Behandlung dieses Problems.
Metric-Based Cooperative Routing in Multihop Ad Hoc Networks

Cooperative communication fully leverages the broadcast nature of wireless channels and exploits time/spatial diversity in a distributed manner, thereby achieving significant improvements in system capacity and transmission reliability. Cooperative diversity has been well studied from the physical layer perspective. Thereafter, cooperative MAC design has also drawn much attention recently. However, very little work has addressed cooperation at the routing layer. In this paper, we propose a simple yet efficient scheme for cooperative routing by using cooperative metrics including packet delivery ratio, throughput, and energy consumption efficiency. To make a routing decision based on our scheme, a node needs to first determine whether cooperation on each link is necessary or not, and if necessary, select the optimal cooperative scheme as well as the optimal relay. To do so, we calculate and compare cooperative routing metric values for each potential relay for each different cooperative MAC scheme (C-ARQ and CoopMAC in this study), and further choose the best value and compare it with the noncooperative link metric. Using the final optimal metric value instead of the traditional metric value at the routing layer, new optimal paths are set up in multihop ad hoc networks, by taking into account the cooperative benefits from the MAC layer. The network performance of the cooperative routing solution is demonstrated using a simple network topology.
Complications during the management of pediatric refractory status epilepticus with benzodiazepine and pentobarbital infusions

Sir, Patten et al. in their interesting study compared complications in the management of refractory status epilepticus (RSE) treated with benzodiazepine and pentobarbital infusions. The authors addressed that children with RSE, who required pentobarbital therapy had a longer hospital stay and were more likely develop hypotension, require inotropic support, need intubation, mechanical ventilation, peripheral nutrition, and blood products. Furthermore, they were more likely to develop hypertension and movement disorder after or during weaning. [1] I presume that these results ought to be cautiously taken owing to the presence of the following three limitations. (1) The data were taken from a single center. (2) The study period was relatively short (3 years). (3) The size of the studied cohort was small (n = 28). Conducting a large scale multicenter study over an extended period could better evaluate that the issue. Despite the aforementioned three limitations, the observation in Patten et al's. study[1] on more complications associated with pentobarbital infusion compared to benzodiazepine infusion renders pentobarbital less recommended first-line in treating patients with RSE. This observation supports the recently published Indian consensus guidelines on the management of childhood convulsive status epilepticus[2] and recommendations of the Italian League Against Epilepsy,[3] which stress that the initial management of RSE should consist of a parenteral benzodiazepine (lorazepam, diazepam, or midazolam) by any route feasible and when first-line anti-epileptic drugs fail, sodium phenytoin, and phenobarbital should be used. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.
Executive summary of the Czech Republic's 2018 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

Background: Regular physical activity (PA) is associated with numerous health benefits. However, the decreasing level of PA and increasing screen-time among Czech children and youth has been well documented in the last two decades. To build effective intervention and prevention programs, it is necessary to review all available sources of evidence. Objective: The aim is to summarize the results of the first Czech Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth based on a synthesis of the most recently available evidence. Methods: The Report Card included 10 indicators. To inform the indicator grades, a multi-level search strategy was used to find all relevant sources that provide published/unpublished data collected from 2013 through 2018. The data were synthesised, and a set of standardized benchmarks was used to assign grades. Final grades were assigned upon consensus of all members of the national research work group. Results: We retrieved 724 records from database searches and 81 records identified through other sources. A total of 40 records were identified as eligible for data extraction. Overall PA in Czech children and youth was observed to be insufficient to support fitness and health, with high rates of excessive screen-time and low numbers of children and youth spending time in unstructured/unorganized play. On the other hand, some grades indicated promising foundations to build on in future. They are represented, for instance, by a relatively high number of children and youth participating in organized sports and/or PA programs, or generally PA-friendly setting (e.g., family and peers, school, and built environment). Conclusions: There is ample evidence that Czech children and youth are insufficiently active, and the prevalence of physical inactivity and excessive screen-time has increased in both sexes during the last two decades. Thus, PA in childhood and adolescence should be promoted intensively and effective intervention and prevention programs are needed.
Reliability and validity of the revised Triple C: Checklist of Communicative Competencies for adults with severe and multiple disabilities.

AIMS Few tools are available to assess the communication skills of adults with severe and multiple disabilities functioning at unintentional to early symbolic levels. An exception is the Triple C: Checklist of Communicative Competencies. In this study, aspects of support worker and clinician agreement, internal consistency and construct validity of a revised version of the Triple C were explored. METHOD Triple C checklists were completed for 72 adults with severe intellectual disabilities (ID) by 118 support workers and stages were assigned by the researchers. Two support workers completed checklists for each of 68 adults with ID. Three researchers also conducted direct observations of 20 adults with ID. RESULTS The average support worker agreement for items across the five stages of the Triple C ranged from 81% to 87%; agreement for stage assignment based on first and second support worker checklists was moderate to high (k = 0.63). Internal consistency was high (KR20 = 0.97); the stages were found to tap one factor (accounting for approximately 74% of variance), interpreted to be unintentional to early symbolic communication. Agreements between stages based on researcher observations and support worker-completed checklists were 35% and 71% across first and second support workers. CONCLUSION The revised Triple C provides a reliable means of gathering data on which to determine the communication skills of adults with severe and multiple disabilities. The results support a collaborative use of the Triple C, such that a speech-language pathologist or other communication specialist works with a support worker to ensure understanding of the skills observed and development of appropriate intervention strategies.
the Metastasis Suppressors DAPK and KLF 4 miR-103 / 107 Promote Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer by Targeting

Metastasis is themajor cause of poor prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC), and increasing evidence supports the contribution ofmiRNAs to cancer progression. Here, we found that high expression ofmiR-103 andmiR-107 (miR-103/107) was associated with metastasis potential of CRC cell lines and poor prognosis in patients with CRC. We showed that miR-103/107 targeted the known metastasis suppressors death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) andKr€ uppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) in CRC cells, resulting in increased cellmotility and cell–matrix adhesion and decreased cell–cell adhesion and epithelial marker expression. miR-103/107 expression was increased in the presence of hypoxia, thereby potentiating DAPK and KLF4 downregulation and hypoxiainduced motility and invasiveness. In mouse models of CRC, miR-103/107 overexpression potentiated local invasion and liver metastasis effects, which were suppressed by reexpression of DAPK or KLF4. miR-103/107– mediated downregulation of DAPK and KLF4 also enabled the colonization of CRC cells at a metastatic site. Clinically, the signature of a miR-103/107 high, DAPK low, and KLF4 low expression profile correlated with the extent of lymph node and distant metastasis in patients with CRC and served as a prognostic marker for metastasis recurrence and poor survival. Our findings therefore indicate that miR-103/107–mediated repression of DAPK and KLF4 promotes metastasis in CRC, and this regulatory circuit may contribute in part to hypoxia-stimulated tumor metastasis. Strategies that disrupt this regulation might be developed to block CRC metastasis. Cancer Res; 72(14); 3631–41. 2012 AACR.
Effect of the Airway Epithelium on the Contraction of Rat Isolated Trachea under Conditions of Low Temperature

Background: The exposure of the airways to low temperature (LT) is a well-known trigger of bronchoconstriction and asthma. However, the mechanisms involved in this response are not well understood. In particular, the specific role of the airway epithelium in the response to LT has not been well established. Objective: The purpose of this work is to study the regulatory role of the airway epithelium in the contractile response of the rat trachea under conditions of LT. Methods: Isolated rat tracheas were stimulated with acetylcholine (ACH) at 37 and 18°C, and dose-response curves were generated in epithelium-intact or epithelium-denuded conditions. EC50 and Emax were determined under these conditions. Results: Epithelium denudation at 37°C, increases the tracheal sensitivity to ACH, (EC50 from 5.9 to 2.6 µM, p = 0.003). The effects of denudation were even more pronounced at 18°C. Emax was significantly decreased under these conditions. Exposure of intact tracheas to 18°C also produced a significant increase in tracheal sensitivity (EC50 from 5.9 to 1.5 µM, p = 0.0004), although no changes in Emax were noted. Conclusions: These results strongly suggest that the airway epithelium diminishes the sensitivity of the airway smooth muscle to ACH at 37 and 18°C, and that it is also needed to observe the maximal contractile response under LT conditions. Therefore, the spasmogenic effect of low temperature is significantly potentiated by the absence of airway epithelium.
Broadband MEMS-Tunable High-Index-Contrast Subwavelength Grating Long-Wavelength VCSEL

A widely-tunable single-mode 1.3 μm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser structure incorporating a microelectromechanical system-tunable high-index-contrast subwavelength grating (HCG) mirror is suggested and numerically investigated. A linear tuning range of 100 nm and a wavelength tuning efficiency of 0.203 are predicted. The large tuning range and efficiency are attributed to the incorporation of the tuning air gap as part of the optical cavity and to the use of a short cavity structure. The short cavity length can be achieved by employing a HCG design of which the reflection mechanism does not rely on resonant coupling. The absence of resonance coupling leads to a 0.59 λ-thick penetration depth of the HCG and enables to use a 0.25 λ-thick tuning air gap underneath the HCG. This considerably reduces the effective cavity length, leading to larger tuning range and efficiency. The basic properties of this new structure are analyzed, and shown to be explained by analytical expressions that are derived in the paper. In this context, the penetration depth of the HCG is introduced and shown to be an important characteristic length scale. Throughout the tuning wavelength range, strong single mode operation was maintained and uniform output power is expected.
Low-Cost and High-Q Millimeter-Wave Resonator Using Substrate Integrated Waveguide Technique

A substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity directly coupled to a planar circuit, i.e. microstrip line or coplanar waveguide, is presented. Different coupling topologies and coupling probes are discussed. Empirical equations to predict the resonance frequencies of the cavity are provided. A temperature stability coupling topology were fabricated and measured. Finally, as an example of potential applications, a filter using two SIW cavities was designed and measured.
Noninvasive detection of small bowel electrical activity from SQUID magnetometer measurements using SOBI

We report a robust method for noninvasive biomagnetic detection of small bowel electrical activity. Simultaneous Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometer (MENG) and serosal electrode recordings were made on pig small bowel. The SOBI blind-source separation algorithm was used to separate the underlying source signals of the MENG. Comparison of identified SOBI components to the serosal recordings validated the underlying MENG sources as being enteric in origin. Non-invasive detection of small bowel electrical activity could have significant implications in a clinical setting.
Broadband Circularly Polarized Slot Antenna Array Using a Compact Sequential-Phase Feeding Network

A broadband circularly polarized (CP) slot antenna array fed by an asymmetric coplanar waveguide (CPW) with stepped and inverted T-shaped strips is proposed. Using four square slot antenna elements with sequential rotation oblique feed and a modifled sequential-phase (SP) feeding network, broadband CP can be achieved. The measured i10dB re∞ection coe-cient bandwidth and 3dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth are 55.4% (1.63{2.88GHz) and 58% (1.65{3GHz), respectively. Good radiation characteristics with gain more than 6dBic over the operating band are obtained by the proposed antenna array with a compact size of 155 £ 155 £ 0:8mm 3 . Details of the proposed antenna array design and experimental results are presented and discussed.
Spatial point pattern analysis and its application in geographical epidemiology

This paper reviews a number of methods for the exploration and modelling of spatial point patterns with particular reference to geographical epidemiology (the geographical incidence of disease). Such methods go well beyond the conventional ‘nearest-neighbour’ and ‘quadrat’ analyses which have little to offer in an epidemiological context because they fail to allow for spatial variation in population density. Correction for this is essential if the aim is to assess the evidence for ‘clustering’ of cases of disease. We examine methods for exploring spatial variation in disease risk, spatial and space-time clustering, and we consider methods for modelling the raised incidence of disease around suspected point sources of pollution. All methods are illustrated by reference to recent case studies including child cancer incidence, Burkitt’s lymphoma, cancer of the larynx and childhood asthma. An Appendix considers a range of possible software environments within which to apply these methods. The links to modern geographical information systems are discussed.
Tumoricidal activities of pterostilbene depend upon destabilizing the MTA1-NuRD complex and enhancing P53 acetylation in hepatocellular carcinoma

The present study aimed to assess the tumoricidal effect of metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1) induced by pterostilbene (PTER) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The SMMC-7721 hepatoma cell line was treated with PTER. Following treatment, the mRNA transcript abundance of MTA1 was measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, cell viability was determined using an MTT assay, and protein expression was measured through western blotting. Cell invasion, motility and apoptosis, as well as the cell cycle, were also investigated. Following PTER treatment, MTA1, histone deacetylase (HDAC) 1 and HDAC2 were downregulated, whereas the ratio of acetyl-p53 to total p53 was increased in HCC cells. Cell viability decreased as the PTER dose increased. MTA1 may be associated with proliferation, motility, invasion and metastasis in HCC cells. PTER appeared to repress cell proliferation, trigger apoptosis, induce cell cycle arrest, and inhibit motility and invasion via MTA1 in human liver cancer cells. The results of the present study demonstrated that PTER can downregulate the MTA1-nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase complex, and enhance p53 acetylation to inhibit the growth of tumor cells in HCC.