Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epicardial and visceral adipose tissue in relation to subclinical atherosclerosis in a Chinese population

Background Body fatness is associated with risk of coronary heart disease and it has been postulated that epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) may have a particularly detrimental effect because of its localized toxic effects. We therefore aimed to examine the association between EAT and coronary artery calcification and compared this with associations for visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and other regional fat depots. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 487 Chinese participants aged 50 years old and above, living in Singapore. Participants, free from known diabetes mellitus and coronary heart diseases, completed interviews, a health screening to evaluate obesity and cardiovascular disease risk factors, and computed tomography scans of the abdomen and coronary arteries. Associations between regional fat depots and subclinical atherosclerosis defined as CAC> = 100 were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) was highly correlated with visceral adipose tissue (VAT) (Pearson r = 0.72) and trunk fat mass (r = 0.66). The age and sex-adjusted odd ratio (OR) (in 1-SD increase) of subclinical atherosclerosis was 1.28 (1.01–1.61) for EAT and 1.40 (1.04–1.88) for VAT. These associations were weaker and non-significant after adjusting for markers of dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia. Total body fat, subcutaneous abdominal fat, and leg, arm and trunk fat mass were not significantly associated with atherosclerosis. Conclusion VAT and EAT showed similar associations with coronary artery calcification and the associations could be mediated by traditional risk factors in this ethnic Chinese population.
Amotivation Extrinsic Intrinsic Motivation Motivation

This paper reports on research to examine the types of motivation related to school achievement. A total of 1428 students from an inner city high school in the Montreal (Quebec) area participated in the study, 714 males and 714 females. The students ranged in age from 12 to 18, and approximately 40 percent were minorities (Hispanic, Asian, Black). The study used the "Academic Motivation Scale" (AMS), a wasure of motivation toward education based on self-determinatic-:1 theory. "Amotivation" indicates that no link between action' :lila the ensuing outcomes is perceived; "intrinsic motivation" refers to being engaged in an activity for itself and for the pleasure and satisfaction derived from participation; "extrinsic motivation" pertains to behavior in which the goals of actions extend beyond those inherent to the activity itself. The results of the study demonstrated that academic motivation is significantly related to grade point average (GPA), and that motivation does not occur under the same conditions for boys and girls or for junior-high and senior-high students. Amotivation appeared to be a better predictor of school achievement for girls and junior-high students, while intrinsic motivation seemed to foretell school achievement for boys and senior high students. These data revealed that the relationship between GPA and motivation emerged differently for boys and girls, as for younger and older students. The data also indicated that amotivation was the type of motivation most significantly related to GPA for both boys and girls, across all levels of secondary schooling. The findings suggested that development of self-determined motivation in adolescent boys and girls should be an important goal for educators, and that further study of amotivation could lead to better understanding of adolescent academic motivation and perhaps help to identify at-risk students. (Contains 31 references.) (ND) WHAT TYPE OF MOTIVATION 13 TRULY RELATED TO SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT? A LOOK AT 1428 HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS Thierry P. Karsenti & Gilles Thibert University of Quebec at Montreal Presenting author: Thierry P. Karsenti University of Quebec Dept. of Education P. 0. Box 8888, station A Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3P8 CANADA
Utility-consistent poverty in Ethiopia, 2000.11: Welfare improvements in a changing economic landscape

We use Arndt and Simlerâ€™s utility-consistent approach to calculating poverty lines to analyse poverty in Ethiopia in 2000, 2005, and 2011. Poverty reduction was steady but uneven, with gains greatest in urban areas in the first half of the decade, and in rural areas in the latter half. Other monetary and non-monetary measures of well-being confirm the general pattern of persistent improvements, though the large declines in poverty are not entirely supported by the magnitudes of change in other measures. Nonetheless, data comparability issues warrant that great care be taken in interpreting the degree to which poverty fell.
Interesting Regions Resizing Based on Div-Curl Model

In this paper, an interesting regions resizing method based on div-curl model is proposed, in which the image dimension is intact. Specifically, the Div-curl mesh model is induced to deform the mesh just by controlling curl and Jacobian determinant and can avoid the mesh folding problem. In order to alleviate mesh bending, the curl constraint equation is set to zero. A scheme defining the Jacobian determinant based on interesting region map is presented. Experiment results show that our resizing method with image dimension intact works well.
Is There Any Association between Glutathione S-transferases M1 and Glutathione S-transferases T1 Gene Polymorphisms and Endometrial Cancer Risk? A Meta-analysis

Epidemiological evidence on the association between genetic polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferases M1 (GSTM1) and T1 (GSTT1) genes and risk of endometrial cancer (EC) has been inconsistent. In this meta-analysis, we seek to investigate the relationship between GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms and the risk of EC. We searched Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature database to identify eligible studies. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association were determined using a fixed- or random-effect model. Tests for heterogeneity of the results and sensitivity analyses were performed. A total of six case–control studies were included in the final meta-analysis of GSTM1 (1293 cases and 2211 controls) and GSTT1 (1286 cases and 2200 controls) genotypes. Overall, GSTM1 null genotype was not significantly associated with an increased risk of EC (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.76–1.30, P = 0.982). Similarly, for GSTT1 deletion genotype, we observed no association under the investigated model in the overall analysis (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.64–1.30, P = 0.619). Subgroup analysis also showed no significant association between the GSTM1 null genotype and EC risk in hospital-based design (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.93–1.71, P = 0.131) and no relationship between GSTT1 null genotype with EC risk in population-based design (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.79–1.76, P = 0.407). However, GSTM1 null genotype contributed to an increased EC risk in population-based design (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.60–0.97, P = 0.027), while null GSTT1 in hospital-based studies (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.52–0.93, P = 0.015). The present meta-analysis suggested that GSTs genetic polymorphisms may not be involved in the etiology of EC. Large epidemiological studies with the combination of GSTM1 null, GSTT1 null, and design-specific with the development of EC are needed to prove our findings.
On the anatomy of the airgun signature

In the context of designing a new air-gun with reduced highfrequency emissions, we developed computational fluid dynamics models that provide new insight into the dynamic behavior of air-guns. We combined these simulations with video images and high-fidelity acoustic measurements from physical tests to investigate the physical mechanisms contributing to the air-gun signature. We considered the dynamic output in the time domain, and the energy components in the frequency domain.
Incidence of the oral protozoa - Entamoeba gingivalis in a hospital-based population in South India - A preliminary study

Background: Protozoa are single-cell animal organisms that can divide within a host organism. The oral protozoan Entamoeba gingivalis has held a rather chequered position in the history of research. Keyes in 1983 noted that this organism together with the cocci which colonize the surface of the actinomyces filaments was invariably found in close proximity to plaque, especially in patients with poor oral hygiene. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence of the oral protozoan E. gingivalis in a hospital-based population (attending the outpatient clinic) in a dental institution in South India. Materials and Methods: The objective of this clinical study was to investigate the prevalence of E. gingivalis in periodontal diseases and to compare its occurrence among gingivitis and periodontitis group and with healthy controls. It is a cross-sectional comparative clinico-microbiological study. Criteria-based sampling was undertaken among patients visiting a dental college in South India. The plaque sample was collected with a sterile curette (Gracey Curette) from the gingival crevice/periodontal pocket and immediately subjected to light microscopic examination by an original wet-smear technique for the presence of E. gingivalis. Results: The results revealed that while 88% of gingivitis patients showed the presence of E. gingivalis, 76% of periodontitis patients and only 4% of healthy subjects showed its presence. Conclusions: The results of this preliminary study showed an increased presence of E. gingivalis in plaque samples of both gingivitis and periodontitis patients when compared to healthy subjects. The incidence of the parasite, as well as the intensity of the gingival infection, is correlated.
Indeterminacy, Misspecification and Forecastability: Good Luck in Bad Policy?

A recent debate in the forecasting literature revolves around the inability of macroecono-metric models to improve on simple univariate predictors, since the onset of the so-called Great Moderation. This paper explores the consequences of equilibrium indeterminacy for quantitative forecasting through standard reduced form forecast models. Exploiting U.S. data on both the Great Moderation and the preceding era, we first present evidence that (i) higher (absolute) forecastability obtains in the former rather than the latter period for all models considered, and that (ii) the decline in volatility and persistence captured by a . nite-order VAR system across the two samples is not associated with inferior (absolute or relative) predictive accuracy. Then, using a small-scale New Keynesian monetary DSGE model as laboratory, we generate arti.cial datasets under either equilibrium regime and investigate numerically whether (relative) forecastability is improved in the presence of indeterminacy. It is argued that forecasting under indeterminacy with e.g. unrestricted VAR models entails misspecification issues that are generally more severe than those one typically faces under determinacy. Irrespective of the occurrence of non-fundamental (sunspot) noise, for certain values of the arbitrary parameters governing solution multiplicity, the pseudo out-of-sample VAR-based forecasts of in.ation and output growth can outperform simple univariate predictors. For other values of these parameters, by contrast, the opposite occurs. In general, it is not possible to establish a one-to-one relationship between indeterminacy and superior forecastability, even when sunspot shocks play no role in generating the data. Overall, our analysis points towards a 'good luck in bad policy' explanation of the (relative) higher forecastability of macroeconometric models prior to the Great Moderation period.
The Impact of E-Retailers' Ethics on Customer Loyalty: Perceived Trust and Perceived Satisfaction as Mediators

AMAC: Tuketiciler; gizlilik ve guvenlik gibi cevrimici alisveris faaliyetlerinin toplumsalelestirisini artiran bir dizi etik sorunla karsilasmaktadir. Etik olmayan kurumlar,musterilerini hizli bir bicimde kaybetme tehlikesi ile karsi karsiya oldugundan,firmalar pazarlama kararlarinda etik unsurlari goz onunde bulundurmalidir.Yazinda, geleneksel perakendeciler ve etik ile ilgili yapilmis bircok arastirmabulunmasina ragmen, internet perakendecileri ve etik ile ilgili yapilmis olanarastirma sayisi oldukca azdir. Bu calismanin amaci, musterilerin internetperakendecilerine yonelik etik algilari ile musteri memnuniyeti, guveni vesadakati arasindaki iliskilerin belirlenmesidir. Arastirma verileri, yazindakicalismalardan derlenerek olusturulmus olan anket formu araciligi ile internetuzerinden alisveris yapan tuketicilerin gorusleri alinarak toplanmistir. Sonuclar;musterilerin etik algilari, memnuniyet, guven ve sadakat arasinda anlamliiliskiler bulundugunu gostermektedir. Calismanin sonunda pazarlamayoneticileri ve gelecek arastirmalar icin oneriler sunulmaktadir.YONTEMLER: BULGULAR: SONUC
Relevance of Abusive Head Trauma to Intracranial Hemorrhages and Bleeding Disorders

With this study, we identify the prevalences and probabilities of ICH and SDH in association with or without trauma in young children with bleeding disorders. BACKGROUND: Bleeding disorders and abusive head trauma (AHT) are associated with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), including subdural hemorrhage (SDH). Because both conditions often present in young children, the need to screen for bleeding disorders would be better informed by data that include trauma history and are specific to young children. The Universal Data Collection database contains information on ICH in subjects with bleeding disorders, including age and trauma history. Study objectives were to (1) characterize the prevalence and calculate the probabilities of any ICH, traumatic ICH, and nontraumatic ICH in children with congenital bleeding disorders; (2) characterize the prevalence of spontaneous SDH on the basis of bleeding disorder; and (3) identify cases of von Willebrand disease (vWD) that mimic AHT. METHODS: We reviewed subjects <4 years of age in the Universal Data Collection database. ICH was categorized on the basis of association with trauma. Prevalence and probability of types of ICH were calculated for each bleeding disorder. RESULTS: Of 3717 subjects, 255 (6.9%) had any ICH and 206 (5.5%) had nontraumatic ICH. The highest prevalence of ICH was in severe hemophilia A (9.1%) and B (10.7%). Of the 1233 subjects <2 years of age in which the specific location of any ICH was known, 13 (1.1%) had spontaneous SDH (12 with severe hemophilia; 1 with type 1 vWD). The findings in the subject with vWD were not congruent with AHT. CONCLUSIONS: In congenital bleeding disorders, nontraumatic ICH occurs most commonly in severe hemophilia. In this study, vWD is not supported as a “mimic” of AHT.
Free volume measurement of severely deformed Zr 62 Cu 22 Al 10 Fe 5 Dy 1 bulk metallic glass

The Zr62Cu22Al10Fe5Dy1 bulk metallic glass (BMG) was subjected to high pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature and at 150 °C. XRD shows a shift of first amorphous halo towards a low angles, which corresponds to an increase in the first coordination sphere radius and an increase in free volume content approximately by 0.44 % and 0.74 % after HPT processing at temperatures of 20 and 150 °C, respectively. Direct density measurements revealed that HPT at 20 °C and 150 °C leads to a decrease in the density values by 2.1% and 1 %, respectively, in comparison with the initial state. Value of density decrease for state HPT 150 °C estimated by direct density measurements is close to value of free volume increase estimated by shift of first amorphous halo.
Performance Analysis of Multihop Relaying Caching for Internet of Things under Nakagami Channels

Performance analysis is studied in this paper for the wireless transmissions in Internet of Things (IoT) system, where both the direct link and the multihop relaying caching wireless transmission from the source node to the destination node are taken into the consideration. The key feature is the Nakagami channels of the wireless channel from the source node to the destination node, which results in the difficulty of the theoretical analysis over the system performance. To tackle this difficulty, the probability distribution function (PDF) of the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the destination node is derived by exploiting the function and integral properties. Then, the outage probability and bit error rate (BER) of the whole wireless IoT system are derived in the analytical expression without any approximation. Numerical simulations demonstrate the accuracy of the derived theoretical analysis for this system.
Using Unconventional Wisdom to Re-Assess and Rebuild the BRICS

In 2015, Goldman Sachs closed its BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) fund after years of losses and plummeting assets. Emerging markets had, once again, turned into submerging markets. Their dependence on “developed” markets and established institutions had failed them in a post-Global Financial Crisis (GFC) era, anchored in protectionism, risks, volatility, and uncertainty. The once commonly-accepted wisdom that called for US housing prices to always increase was part of the problem and contagion. Rebuilding the BRICS (S for South Africa) using conventional wisdom would probably not work. A new approach is necessary, especially since the last key contributions to show the inadequacy of a conventional wisdom-based strategy in emerging markets are more than ten years old. To help fill this gap, this paper proposes a holistic analytical framework for strategists to re-assess risks and opportunities in the BRICS. We illustrate how five basic assumptions can be proven wrong and lead to the creation of unconventional wisdom that can help derive some strategic insights. We find that rebuilding the BRICS for them to be more resilient is possible, if not vital, for the health of the global economy.
International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems Mechanism and Control of a Leg-Wheel Hybrid Mobile Robot

This paper describes mechanism and control of legwheel hybrid mobile robot. Legged locomotion has high adaptability for rough terrain, and wheeled locomotion posses speed and eficiency. A new locomotion mechanism that combines legs and wheels is proposed, and a prototype mobile robot that adopts the mechanism is introduced. The robot has four legs, and a wheel is attached at the end of each leg. The front leg has three joints and a passive wheel. The rear leg has one joint and an active wheel. In order to make the best of the mechanism, three locomotion modes, wheel mode, hybrid mode, and step mode, are developed. In the wheel mode, four wheels are used on flat terrain. On the rough terrain, the hybrid mode is select, and two legs and two active wheels are used for locomotion. To climb or descend a large step, the step mode is used.
Industry Dynamics and Entrepreneurship : What Happens in Disequilibrium ?

How does the interplay of firm entry, exit and profits work when distinguishing between short term relationships with fixed technology and longer term effects where entrants introduce innovation to market? We construct the first dynamic simultaneous equilibrium model of entry, exit, and profits and apply it to a dataset on Dutch retailing. The benefit of our model is twofold. First, it is able to discriminate between entrants’ role of performing the entrepreneurial function of creating disequilibrium and their conventional equilibrating role of moving the industry to a new equilibrium. Second, the model allows for an analysis of the effect of entry and exit on market equilibrium, the duration of disequilibrium, and the patterns of adjustment. We find that entrants play an entrepreneurial function causing long periods of disequilibrium after which a new equilibrium is attained. We find support for the view that disequilibrium is the essence of economic progress.
STOPP/START criteria for potentially inappropriate prescribing in older people: version 2

Abstract Purpose: screening tool of older people's prescriptions (STOPP) and screening tool to alert to right treatment (START) criteria were first published in 2008. Due to an expanding therapeutics evidence base, updating of the criteria was required. Methods: we reviewed the 2008 STOPP/START criteria to add new evidence-based criteria and remove any obsolete criteria. A thorough literature review was performed to reassess the evidence base of the 2008 criteria and the proposed new criteria. Nineteen experts from 13 European countries reviewed a new draft of STOPP & START criteria including proposed new criteria. These experts were also asked to propose additional criteria they considered important to include in the revised STOPP & START criteria and to highlight any criteria from the 2008 list they considered less important or lacking an evidence base. The revised list of criteria was then validated using the Delphi consensus methodology. Results: the expert panel agreed a final list of 114 criteria after two Delphi validation rounds, i.e. 80 STOPP criteria and 34 START criteria. This represents an overall 31% increase in STOPP/START criteria compared with version 1. Several new STOPP categories were created in version 2, namely antiplatelet/anticoagulant drugs, drugs affecting, or affected by, renal function and drugs that increase anticholinergic burden; new START categories include urogenital system drugs, analgesics and vaccines. Conclusion: STOPP/START version 2 criteria have been expanded and updated for the purpose of minimizing inappropriate prescribing in older people. These criteria are based on an up-to-date literature review and consensus validation among a European panel of experts.
A Comparison of Wet-Based and Dry-Based EEG Capabilities in detecting P 300 waveforms for Brain-Computer Interface Applications

This study compares a dry-electroencephalography (EEG) approach that does not require external shielding. This makes it amenable for a clinical EEG-based brain-computer interface (BCI) platform. A BCI forges a command relationship between the brain and a computer. We provide a direct side-by-side reference comparison of the dry-EEG methodology with a reference 64-channel wet-EEG approach. As the P300 is a robust dual polarity waveform, spanning the signal space, it works well with clinical-based BCI studies. In this study, six subjects perform a P300 auditory oddball stimulation task while we monitor the P300 with either the dryor the wet-EEG approach. The results demonstrate the efficacy of the dry approach and we report that the approach produced all P300 components. Dry-EEG therefore performs similar to wet-EEG while providing for a less invasive, shorter set-up time and usability outside of cage shielding, all vital for everyday, home-based clinical BCI applications. Key differences for BCI researchers and future users of the approach are mentioned such that their signal processing analyses can be adjusted. Given that we induce all three primary P300 components, we conclude that this dry-EEG approach represents a highly viable P300 BCI option.
Initialization Heuristics for Greedy Bayesian Network Structure Learning

A popular and effective approach for learning Bayesian network structures is to perform a greedy search on the space of variable orderings followed by an exhaustive search over the restricted space of compatible parent sets. Usually, the greedy search is initialized with a randomly sampled order. In this article we develop heuristics for producing informed initial solutions to order-based search motivated by the Feedback Arc Set Problem on data sets without missing values.