Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temperament and metabolic syndrome precursors in children: a three-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND Cross-sectional and predictive associations between temperament and some essential parameters of the metabolic syndrome were examined in children. METHODS A 3-year follow-up study of 1,589 randomly selected, healthy, 6-, 9-, 12-, and 15-year-old children was used. Somatic parameters studied were serum insulin, serum glucose, serum HDL cholesterol, serum triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, and body-mass index. Temperament of the subjects was rated by their mothers using a questionnaire and a semantic differential. RESULTS Temperamental factors were related cross-sectionally to, as well as predicted for, the metabolic syndrome precursors over the 3-year period. Mental vitality and positive emotionality were likely to be related and positive emotionality were likely to be related to a low somatic risk level, whereas hyperactivity, negative emotionality (e.g., aggression and anger), responsivity to others, and cooperativeness were related to a high level of somatic risk. These associations were more evident in boys than in girls. CONCLUSIONS It was suggested that temperament might be of importance in the early development of the metabolic syndrome.
Relations between Conspecific Density and Effects of Ultraviolet‐B Radiation on Tadpole Size in the Striped Marsh Frog

Global increases in ultraviolet‐B radiation (UVBR) associated with stratospheric ozone depletion are potentially contributing to the decline of numerous amphibian species around the world. Exposure to UVBR alone reduces survival and induces a range of sublethal effects in embryonic and larval amphibians. When additional environmental stressors are present, UVBR can have compounding negative effects. Thus, examination of the effects of UVBR in the absence of other stressors may substantially underestimate its potential to affect amphibians in natural habitats. We examined the independent and interactive effects of increased UVBR and high conspecific density would have embryonic and larval striped marsh frogs (Limnodynastes peronii). We exposed individuals to a factorial combination of low and high UVBR levels and low, medium, and high densities of striped marsh frog tadpoles. The response variables were time to hatching, hatching success, posthatch survival, burst‐swimming performance of tadpoles (maximum instantaneous swim speed following an escape response), and size and morphology of tadpoles. Consistent with results of previous studies, we found that exposure to UVBR alone increased the time to hatching of embryos and reduced the burst‐swimming performance and size of tadpoles. Similarly, increasing conspecific density increased the time to hatching of embryos and reduced the size of tadpoles, but had no effect on burst‐swimming performance. The negative effect of UVBR on tadpole size was not apparent at high densities of tadpoles. This result suggests that tadpoles living at higher densities may invest relatively less energy in growth and thus have more energy to repair UVBR‐induced damage. Lower densities of conspecifics increased the negative effects of UVBR on developing amphibians. Thus, low‐density populations, which may include declining populations, may be particularly susceptible to the detrimental effects of increased UVBR and thus may be driven toward extinction faster than might be expected on the basis of results from single‐factor studies.
Feasibility of direct current street lighting & integrated electric vehicle charging points

In the context of the energy trilemma (the provision of sustainable, affordable, reliable energy) the application of Low Voltage Direct Current (LVDC) distribution offers several advantages over the incumbent AC distribution system. LVDC distribution can increase the power transfer capability of existing cable assets while reducing the converter complexities required to integrate distributed generators and modern electrical loads to the network. This paper evaluates the technical potential for LVDC street lighting and integrated electric vehicle charging points by considering existing cable specifications, protection schemes and overall system efficiency. The first author was supported by EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Power Networks and Smart Grids (EP/L015471/1) with industry support from Rolls-Royce plc. No new data was collected or generated during the course of the research.
CD8+ T Cell Responses to a Viral Escape Mutant Epitope: Active Suppression via Altered SHP-1 Activity1

One mechanism viruses use to subvert immune surveillance is through mutation of MHC contact residues of antigenic epitopes that weaken T cell recognition to the point that the immune system is ignorant of the infection. However, in contrast to ignorance, results presented herein demonstrate that intracellular signaling does occur upon stimulation with a lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-derived escape mutant as demonstrated by the sustained activation of Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase (SHP-1). In addition to the increased SHP-1 activity, we found that the mutated epitope failed to induce oxidation of SHP-1, further enhancing enzymatic activity. Sustained activation of SHP-1 in a reduced form correlated with ERK and early growth response gene 1 activation and failure of T cells to commit to the effector lineage. Thus, instead of immune ignorance, these studies demonstrate the activation of a negative signaling pathway that actively suppresses T cell responses and limits recognition of viral escape mutants.
Heat Response of Global Vegetation Biomes to Ongoing Climate Warming Based on Remote Sensing

Research is needed by global change scientists on how global vegetation biomes respond to ongoing climate warming. To address this issue, we selected study sites with significant climate warming for diverse vegetation biomes, and used global gridded temperature and remote sensing data over the past 32 years (1982–2013). The results suggested that climate warming in areas above approximately 60° N is relaxing the heat-constraints on vegetation activity, thus promoting plant growth; whereas, in mid to low latitude areas, ongoing climate warming probably imposes negative impacts on vegetation biomes through drought and heat stress. Understanding these potential effects is important for planning adaptation strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate warming, particularly for agro-ecosystems.
Beamforming in the body: Energy-efficient and collision-free communication for implants

Implants are poised to revolutionize personalized healthcare by monitoring and actuating physiological functions. Such implants operate under challenging constraints of limited battery energy, heterogeneous tissue-dependent channel conditions and human-safety regulations. To address these issues, we propose a new cross-layer protocol for galvanic coupled implants wherein weak electrical currents are used in place of classical radio frequency (RF) links. As the first step, we devise a method that allows multiple implants to communicate individual sensed data to each other through CDMA code assignments, but delegates the computational burden of decoding only to the on-body surface relays. Then, we devise a distributed beamforming approach that allows coordinated transmissions from the implants to the relays by considering the specific tissue path chosen and tissue heating-related safety constraints. Our contributions are two fold: First, we devise a collision-free protocol that prevents undue interference at neighboring implants, especially for multiple deployments. Second, this is the first application of near-field distributed beamforming in human tissue. Results reveal significant improvement in the network lifetime for implants of up to 79% compared to the galvanic coupled links without beamforming.
Differential regulation of the attachment of Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus (KSHV)‐infected human B cells to extracellular matrix by KSHV‐encoded gB and cellular αV integrins

Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus (KSHV) has two modes of replications: latent and lytic replications. Reactivation from latency is dictated, in part, by the cell cycle. Herein, we have attempted to delineate the importance of cell cycle in KSHV pathogenesis by exploring the expression pattern of cell‐surface receptors during different phases of the cell cycle. αV integrin expression is augmented during S phase in fibroblasts, epithelial and KSHV‐infected cells. Using a Matrigel system, we pioneer the concept that KSHV‐infected primary effusion lymphoma cells can attach to extracellular matrix proteins. This attachment is mediated primarily via αV integrins or virally encoded gB, and occurs preferentially in cells from S phase or cells from S phase actively supporting a lytic infection respectively. Such an ability of infected B cells to attach to endothelial cells may also aid in the dissemination of infection. The keystone of this work is that for the first time, we describe the ability of KSHV‐infected B cells to preferentially use cellular (αV) or viral (gB) receptors to specifically bind cells, depending upon the stage of the cell cycle and infection.
Incidental Detection of Cyclospora Cayetanensis during General Health Screening: A Case Study from Singapore

Background: Cyclospora cayetanensis is a coccidian parasite recently recognized and characterized that cause enteritic infection worldwide. Endemic in tropical and subtropical countries where asymptomatic carriage is common, this parasite is also frequently associated with foodborne and waterborne outbreaks and reported from travellers in industrialized countries. Poorly characterized by routine laboratory procedures, the oocysts of C.cayetanensis are also discontinuously shed, altogether making this parasite difficult to detect. In Singapore information about C.cayetanensis are scarce and the endemicity status is unknown, while the country seems vulnerable to outbreak occurrence. Case study: The present report describes the incidental laboratory finding of C.cayetanensis oocysts in the stool of an asymptomatic immunocompetent patient attending a general health screening. Initial suspicion about the diagnosis was confirmed by several morphological methods and concurrently by amplification and sequencing of the parasite DNA. Along the study, co-infections with Blastocytis sp. ST3, Cryptosporidium parvum/hominis and the nonpathogenic Entamoeba hartmanni were noticed and confirmed by molecular methods. Conclusions: This report could serve to raise awareness about Cyclospora cayetanensis and the asymsptomatic carriage of enteritic protozoa, and as a reminder about the risk of cyclosporiasis especially in the most susceptible populations such as: children, elderly and immunocompromised.
Drug Burden Index associated with function in community-dwelling older people in Finland: A cross-sectional study

Abstract Background. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between exposure to anticholinergic and sedative medications, measured with the Drug Burden Index (DBI), and functional outcomes in community-dwelling older people living in Finland. Methods. The study population consisted of community-dwelling older people (n = 700) enrolled in the Geriatric Multidisciplinary Strategy for the Good Care of the Elderly (GeMS) study. Outcomes included walking speed, chair stands test, grip strength, timed up and go (TUG) test, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and Barthel Index. Results. Exposure to DBI drugs was identified in 37% of participants: 24% had a DBI range between >0 <1, and 13% DBI ≥1. After adjusting for confounders, exposure to DBI drugs was associated with slower walking speed (P < 0.0001), poorer performance on chair stands (P = 0.0001) and TUG (P < 0.0001), difficulties in IADL (P < 0.0001), and Barthel Index (P < 0.0001). The mean adjusted walking speed, time to complete chair stands and TUG, IADL, and Barthel scores were significantly poorer among participants with higher DBI ranges. Conclusion. In older adults living in Finland, DBI was associated with impaired function on previously tested and new outcomes. This finding supports the use of the DBI as tool, in combination with other assessments, to identify older people at risk of functional impairment. The findings highlight the need for revision of current guidelines to improve the quality of drug use in older people.
Differential Spinal Cord Gene Expression in Rodent Models of Radicular and Neuropathic Pain

Background:Neuropathic pain and radicular low back pain both have a major impact on human health worldwide. Microarray gene analysis on central nervous system tissues holds great promise for discovering novel targets for persistent pain modulation. Methods:Rat models of lumbar radiculopathy (L5 nerve root ligation) and neuropathy (L5 spinal nerve transection) were used for these studies. The authors measured mechanical allodynia followed by analysis of global gene expression in the lumbar spinal cord at two time points (7 days and 14 days) after surgery using the Affymetrix RAE230A GeneChip® (Santa Clara, CA). The expression patterns of several genes of interest were subsequently confirmed using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Results:The authors observed similarly robust mechanical allodynia in both models. Second, they observed significant differences in lumbar spinal cord gene expression across chronic pain models. There was little overlap between genes altered in each injury model, suggesting that the site and type of injury produce distinct spinal mechanisms mediating the observed mechanical allodynia. The authors further confirmed a subset of the genes using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and identified several genes as either neuropathy-associated genes or radiculopathy-associated genes. Conclusions:These two models of persistent pain produce similar allodynic outcomes but produce differential gene expression. These results suggest that diverging mechanisms lead to a common behavioral outcome in these pain models. Furthermore, these distinct pathophysiologic mechanisms in neuropathic versus radicular pain may implicate unique drug therapies for these types of chronic pain syndromes.
Term Translation Central :   Upto-date MT without Frequent Retraining

In this paper, we present the Term Translation Central — a tool that allows Autodesk to keep the in-house machine translation (MT) engines up-to-date and ready to tackle new content on a per-product basis. The system handles a range of tasks including the extraction of term candidates from new software user interface (UI) and documentation content, a user-friendly web interface where the extracted terms can be translated and reviewed and the provision of lists of available terms on demand per language/product combination for use during MT processing. The introduction of the Term Translation Central in production allows us to provide high-quality product-specific MT without the need to develop and maintain a large number of domain-specific MT engines. The Term Translation Central is developed using Python with the Flask micro-framework and NLTK.
Evaluation of 30 Gbps super high bit rate mobile communications using channel data in 11 GHz band 24×24 MIMO experiment

The performance of 30 Gbps super high bit rate mobile communications is evaluated by computer simulation using channel data collected in 11 GHz band 24×24 MIMO outdoor propagation experiments, and the feasibility of 11 GHz band 30 Gbps transmission is verified. To achieve the super high bit rate mobile communications, 10 Gbps transmission using 11 GHz band 8×16 MIMO has been verified in outdoor transmission experiments. In addition, channel measurement and analysis have been conducted in 11 GHz band 24×24 MIMO radio propagation experiments. Although 24×24 MIMO transmission is expected to achieve a bit rate exceeding 30 Gbps, transmission experiments have not yet been performed due to the hardware limitations. In this paper, computer simulations based on 24×24 MIMO-OFDM eigenmode transmission are conducted by utilizing channel data measured using an 11 GHz band 24×24 MIMO channel sounder. This paper shows that throughput exceeding 30 Gbps is achieved in 11 GHz band mobile environments, and clarifies the requirements for the average signal-to-noise ratio, channel conditions, and accuracy of channel state information to achieve 30 Gbps throughput over a real 11 GHz band 24×24 MIMO channel.
Large deviation rate calculations for nonlinear detectors in Gaussian noise

An asymptotic analysis based on large deviation theory is presented for three representative nonlinear receivers operating in the presence of Gaussian noise, namely radiometers, differential phase shift keying, and memoryless detectors. En route to the results an extension to the Toeplitz distribution theorem is proved. This extension provides the key to obtaining closed-form expressions for the exponential rate of decrease of the probability of error for the first two detector structures. The solution to the rate constant problem for the memoryless detector is then shown to be given by the solution to a certain nonlinear Hammerstein integral equation. Several examples are presented. >
Recognition of infant's emotions and needs from speech signals

Speech is not only a way for infants under one year of age to communicate with the outside world, but also the important information source to reflect their emotions and needs, as well as health status and mental level. In order to explore the intelligent machine technology for understanding infant's emotions and needs from speech signals, and therefore help parents in child rearing, this paper studied the signal processing and feature extraction of the above speeches. It seems that a high accuracy and reliable result couldn't be reached from the infant's speech signals only in dealing with multi kinds of emotions and needs. So an effective recognition approach considering the combined features of acoustic characteristics and rearing behaviors was proposed based on the self-adapting algorithm. Experiment results showed that most common emotions and needs of infants, such as happy, hungry, and sleepy states which reflect their typically physiological and psychological status in daily life, can be recognized correctly at a relatively high accuracy.
Proportional-Integral Stabilizing Control of a Class of MIMO Systems Subject to Nonparametric Uncertainties by Additive-State-Decomposition Dynamic Inversion Design

Based on the additive-state-decomposition (ASD) dynamic inversion design, a proportional-integral controller is designed to stabilize a class of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems subject to nonparametric time-varying uncertainties with respect to both state and input. By ASD and a new definition of output, the considered uncertain system is transformed into a first-order system, in which all original uncertainties are lumped into a new disturbance at the new defined output. Subsequently, the dynamic inversion control is applied to reject the lumped disturbance. Performance analysis of the resulting closed-loop dynamics shows that the stability can be ensured. Finally, to demonstrate its effectiveness, the proposed controller design is applied to two existing problems by numerical simulation. Furthermore, in order to show its practicability, the proposed controller design is also performed on a real quadrotor to stabilize its attitude when its inertia moment matrix is subject to a large uncertainty.
Additional Cautions on the Use of the Glo Survey Records in Vegetational Reconstructions in the Midwest

Data from the United States General Land Office Surveys are frequently used to reconstruct the vegetation existing at the time of European settlement as a basis for biotic models. The vegetation recorded in those surveys had been influenced not only by climatic conditions considerably colder and more moist than the present, but by frequent, widespread burning as well. The effect of such burning on the distribution and composition of forest vegetation was as great as the climatic effects and must be taken into account when building prehistoric vegetational models in the Midwest.
A Trust Evaluation Model based on Fuzzy Theory in P2P Networks

In this paper, we apply two-stage fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of fuzzy theory to evaluate the recommendation trust vector of P2P network nodes, which fully reflects the effect of various factors on trust evaluation of the target node , at the same time, dynamically reflect s the demand of different nodes in the different transaction context . So the trust evaluation result is more truthful and reliable . And applying fuzzy comprehensive evaluation to evaluate trust vector can better embody fuzziness and subjectiv ity of trust itself. Finally, experiment results show that the model can prevent malicious recommendation more effectively .
Review: Comprehensive treatments for youth comorbidity - evidence-guided approaches to a complicated problem.

Evidence-Based Treatments (EBTs) with a single-disorder focus have improved the potential for youth mental health care, yet may be an imperfect fit to clinical care settings where diagnostic comorbidity and co-occurring problems are commonplace. Most EBTs were developed to treat one diagnosis or problem (or a small homogenous cluster), but most clinically referred youths present with multiple disorders and problems. Three emerging approaches may help address the comorbidity that is so common in treated youths. Conceptually unified treatments target presumed causal and maintaining factors that are shared among more than one disorder or problem area; preliminary open trials and case studies show promising results. Modular protocols combine the 'practice elements' that commonly appear in separate single-disorder EBTs and repackage them into coordinated delivery systems; one modular protocol, MATCH, has produced positive findings in a randomized effectiveness trial. Monitoring and Feedback Systems (MFSs) provide real-time data on client progress to inform clinical decision-making, encompassing comorbid and co-occurring problems; one study shows beneficial effects in everyday practice with diverse youth problems. All three approaches-conceptually unified, modular, and MFS-can be strengthened by increased research attention to treatment integrity, clinician user-appeal, design simplicity, and the infrastructure necessary for successful implementation.