Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship between passive smoking exposure and urinary heavy metals and lung functions in preschool children

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure is a risk factor for asthma in school‐age children, but there is limited data of ETS exposure on respiratory health in preschool children. This study investigated the relationship between ETS, lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) exposures and asthma symptoms and spirometric indices in Chinese preschoolers. Preschool children from 30 nurseries and kindergartens performed spirometry with incentives of animation programs, and their urinary cotinine, Pb and Cd concentrations were measured by immunoassay and inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry, respectively. Two thousand seven hundred sixty‐three preschoolers participated, and 1,505 and 893 provided valid spirometric data and urine samples, respectively. Current domestic smoking was reported in 37.5% of children, but only 95 (10.6%) had high urinary cotinine‐to‐creatinine ratio (≥30 ng/mg). Pb was measurable in 3.9% of samples, whereas 406 (45.5%) children had high Cd. Reported ETS exposure was not associated with any spirometric index, whereas cotinine‐to‐creatinine ratio was inversely associated with forced expiratory volume in 0.5‐sec (β = −0.093, P = 0.003), forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of expiration (β = −0.138, P = 0.002) and peak expiratory flow (β = −0.106, P = 0.002). Cd exposure was not associated with reported respiratory symptom or spirometric indices. This community study shows that ETS exposure defined by urinary cotinine is a strong risk factor for lung function impairment measured by spirometry in Chinese preschool children. Urinary cotinine is more reliable than questionnaire for assessing ETS exposure in young children. Although high urinary Cd is common in Hong Kong preschoolers, such biomarker is not associated with any clinical or spirometric outcome. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2013; 48:1089–1097. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Failure detectors in omission failure environments

We study failure detectors in an asynchronous environment that admits message omission failures. In such environments, processes may fail by crashing, but may also {\em disconnect\/} from each other. We adapt Chandra and Toueg''s definitions of failure detection completeness and accuracy to the omissions failure model, and define a weak failure detector ><W(om) that allows any majority of the processes that become connected to reach a Consensus decision, despite any number of transient communication failures in their past. We provide a protocol that solves the Consensus problem in this model whenever a majority of the processes become connected, regardless of past omissions. Moreover, in our protocol it is not necessary to save and repeatedly send all past messages, which makes it more efficient than previous protocols in this model.
Modelling rhetorical legal "logic"--a double syllogism

Abstract This paper looks at legal reasoning from the point of view of the work of the lawyer, rather than the law itself. In the case of Common Law systems, this means a more flexible view of how tasks are divided between the humans and the computer system, with an emphasis on decision support rather than complete automation. A process-based model of the lawyer's work is proposed in the form of a double syllogism, which displays an aesthetically pleasing symmetry, but also a significant asymmetry in the role played by perceived precedents. This arises from the use of inductive, rather than deductive, reasoning. The potential complications arising from the issue of the perception of precedents are discussed in depth. The double-syllogism model is then considered in the light of CommonKADS terminology and models. It is suggested that decision support systems using knowledge-based techniques, as required to support lawyers working under Common Law jurisdiction, raise a stronger form of the interaction problem that is well known in knowledge-based systems. This means that such systems are not well catered for in the existing CommonKADS Organisational, Agent, Task and Communication Models. The double-syllogism model is suggested as a supplement to CommonKADS in the development of such systems, at least until a more generic addition is available.
Molecular basis for prospective pharmacological treatment strategies in intellectual disability syndromes

A number of mutated genes that code for proteins concerned with brain synapse function and circuit formation have been identified in patients affected by intellectual disability (ID) syndromes over the past 15 years. These genes are involved in synapse formation and plasticity, the regulation of dendritic spine morphology, the regulation of the synaptic cytoskeleton, the synthesis and degradation of specific synapse proteins, and the control of correct balance between excitatory and inhibitory synapses. In most of the cases, even mild alterations in synapse morphology, function, and balance give rise to mild or severe IDs. These studies provided a rationale for the development of pharmacological agents that are able to counteract functional synaptic anomalies and potentially improve the symptoms of some of these conditions. This review summarizes recent findings on the functions of some of the genes responsible for ID syndromes and some of the new potential pharmacological treatments for these diseases. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 74: 197–206, 2014
Microseism Source Direction from Noise Cross-correlation

S U M M A R Y Inhomogeneous noise sources surrounding stations produce asymmetric amplitudes in crosscorrelation functions that yield preferential source directions. Here we show that preprocessing biases the dominant source direction estimate towards the source producing long-duration signals by down-weighting high-amplitude signals. Tests with both synthetic data and observations show that conventional preprocessing, where only earthquakes and local transients (e.g. trawling, fish impacts) are removed, is more sensitive to coherent energy, while one-bit preprocessing and running-absolute-mean preprocessing are more influenced by signal duration. Comparisons between different preprocessing methods are made on data from the Cascadia Initiative ocean bottom seismometer array, where we find that the total energy arriving from pelagic and coastal areas is similar. Moreover, pelagic-generated signals tend to be weaker but have longer duration, in contrast to coastal-generated signals that tend to be stronger but have shorter duration.
Recursive Markov Decision Processes and Recursive Stochastic Games

We introduce Recursive Markov Decision Processes (RMDPs) and Recursive Simple Stochastic Games (RSSGs), which are classes of (finitely presented) countable-state MDPs and zero-sum turn-based (perfect information) stochastic games. They extend standard finite-state MDPs and stochastic games with a recursion feature. We study the decidability and computational complexity of these games under termination objectives for the two players: one player's goal is to maximize the probability of termination at a given exit, while the other player's goal is to minimize this probability. In the quantitative termination problems, given an RMDP (or RSSG) and probability p, we wish to decide whether the value of such a termination game is at least p (or at most p); in the qualitative termination problem we wish to decide whether the value is 1. The important 1-exit subclasses of these models, 1-RMDPs and 1-RSSGs, correspond in a precise sense to controlled and game versions of classic stochastic models, including multitype Branching Processes and Stochastic Context-Free Grammars, where the objective of the players is to maximize or minimize the probability of termination (extinction). We provide a number of upper and lower bounds for qualitative and quantitative termination problems for RMDPs and RSSGs. We show both problems are undecidable for multi-exit RMDPs, but are decidable for 1-RMDPs and 1-RSSGs. Specifically, the quantitative termination problem is decidable in PSPACE for both 1-RMDPs and 1-RSSGs, and is at least as hard as the square root sum problem, a well-known open problem in numerical computation. We show that the qualitative termination problem for 1-RMDPs (i.e., a controlled version of branching processes) can be solved in polynomial time both for maximizing and minimizing 1-RMDPs. The qualitative problem for 1-RSSGs is in NP ∩ coNP, and is at least as hard as the quantitative termination problem for Condon's finite-state simple stochastic games, whose complexity remains a well known open problem. Finally, we show that even for 1-RMDPs, more general (qualitative and quantitative) model-checking problems with respect to linear-time temporal properties are undecidable even for a fixed property.
Amplitude spectrum estimation for two-dimensional gapped data

The amplitude and phase estimation (APES) approach to nonparametric spectrum estimation of uniformly sampled data has received considerable interest. We consider the extension of APES to gapped data, i.e., uniformly sampled data with missing samples. It has been shown that the APES estimate of the spectrum is the minimizer of a certain least-squares (LS) criterion, and our extension of APES is based on minimizing this LS criterion with respect to the missing data as well. A computationally efficient method for doing this based on cyclic minimization and the conjugate gradient algorithm is proposed. The new algorithm is called gapped-data APES (GAPES) and is developed for the two-dimensional (2-D) case, with the one-dimensional (1-D) case as a special instance. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the performance of the algorithm and to show the advantages of 2-D data processing over 1-D (row or column-wise) data processing, as well as to show the applicability of the algorithm to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging.
Structural studies of PNP from Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasmosis is a chronic infection that affects approximately 30% of the human population and is caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Determination of the three dimensional structure of PNP from T. gondii could provide new insights into the purine binding site and sub-strate binding, and could be used for future rational design of new drugs against toxoplasmosis. This work describes the molecular model for three dimensional structure of PNP from T.gondii using, as a template, PNP from Plasmodium falciparum. Molecular dynamics showed that this model is stable during a trajectory of 3 ns.
Cervical HIV-1 RNA shedding after cryotherapy among HIV-positive women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia stage 2 or 3

Objective:To determine the effect of cryotherapy on HIV-1 cervical shedding. Design:Prospective cohort study. Methods:Five hundred HIV-positive women enrolled at an HIV treatment clinic in Nairobi, Kenya were screened for cervical cancer. Women diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia stage 2 or 3 (CIN 2/3) by histology were offered cryotherapy treatment. The first 50 women had cervical swabs taken at baseline and at 2 and 4 weeks following treatment. Swabs were analyzed for HIV-1 RNA and compared using General Estimating Equation (GEE) with binomial or Gaussian links. Results:Of the 50 women enrolled, 40 were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 10 were not receiving ART at the time of cryotherapy and during study follow-up. Among all women, the odds of detectable cervical HIV-1 RNA did not increase at 2 weeks [odds ratio (OR) 1.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.65–2.13] or 4 weeks (OR 1.29; 95% CI 0.71–2.33) following cryotherapy. Among 10 women not receiving ART, the OR of detectable shedding at 2 weeks was higher, but not statistically significant (OR 4.02; 95% CI 0.53–30.79; P = 0.2), and at 4 weeks remained unchanged (OR 1.00; 95% CI 0.27–3.74). Conclusion:There was no increase in detectable cervical HIV-1 RNA among HIV-positive women after cryotherapy. The risk of HIV-1 transmission after cryotherapy may not be significant, particularly among women already on ART at the time of cervical treatment. However, further investigation is needed among women not receiving ART.
Intelligent Discovery for Learning Objects Using Semantic Web Technologies

The concept of learning objects has been applied in the e-learning field to promote the accessibility, reusability, and interoperability of learning content. Learning Object Metadata (LOM) was developed to achieve these goals by describing learning objects in order to provide meaningful metadata. Unfortunately, the conventional LOM lacks the computer interpretability needed to support knowledge representation when searching for finding relevant learning objects. This study addresses this issue by defining a Multi-layered Semantic LOM Framework (MSLF) for integrating Semantic Web technologies into LOM. The proposed MSLF is used to develop LOFinder, an intelligent LOM shell that provides an alternative approach to enhancing the knowledge representations. To test its feasibility, this study implemented a java-based prototype of LOFinder that enables intelligent discovery of learning objects.
Virtualize Storage, Not Disks

When one uses virtual machines for application compatibility, such as running Windows programs on Linux, the user only wants the API components, yet must emulate a disk drive and execute a second, counterproductive level of media heuristics and I/O scheduling. Systems should have a clean interface between API implementation and media optimization, which would lead to more efficient paravirtualization and facilitate rapid, independent evolution of media optimizations and API features. We describe a design that meets these goals, called Zoochory.
Programmed Stimulation for Risk Stratification for Postinfarction Sudden Cardiac Arrest: Why and How?

Prevention of sudden cardiac arrest due to ventricular tachyarrhythmias post-ST segment elevation, myocardial infarction has been an important, but yet unresolved, goal of physicians caring for patients with coronary artery disease. Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the most common causes of mortality in adults. Although the incidence of cardiac arrest appears to have decreased in the past decade, it still remains the single most common cause of death for inpatients per year. While earlier attempts to stratify patients at risk using ambient ectopy failed, a variety of noninvasive and invasive predictors have been proposed to select patients who are at increased risk for sudden cardiac arrest. These include the ejection fraction, baroreceptor responsiveness, heart rate variability, QT dispersion, turbulence, baroreceptor reflex, the signal average electrocardiogram, T-wave alternans, and programmed electrical stimulation.1,2 The vast majority of patients are truly unselective in their predictability for sudden cardiac arrest. They all predict total mortality and pari-passu sudden cardiac arrest. What is clear from all of these studies is that multiple risk factors need to be taken into consideration when dealing with developing a strategy to predict who is likely to die of an arrhythmic event and who therefore might benefit from an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). The MUSTT study, which used programmed stimulation, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), and an ejection fraction of 40 for entry, showed the most effective utilization of ICDs3,4; the number needed to treat to save a life using an ICD was three. In studies using ejection fraction with or without heart failure (MADIT II and SCDHeft),5,6 the number needed to treat was >10. Unfortunately, the attempt to make risk stratification easy by using only ejection fraction and, to a lesser degree, heart
Beyond 5G Vision for IOLITE Community

Connecting a massive number of sensors and actuators with energy and transmission constraints is only possible by providing a reliable connection despite the increase in data traffic due to the Internet of Things, and by guaranteeing a maximum end-to-end delay for applications with real-time constraints. Next generation network architectures need to satisfy these two requirements while connecting IoT sources producing data at massive scales to cloud resources that provide the capability to process and store this data. For this reason, realization of IoT in next generation cellular networks faces the problem of delivering cloud services over the network to things that are placed anywhere. In this study, we explain how the technologies envisioned for next generation networks can respond to the challenge of realizing IoT over a use case prepared for the IoT smart home platform called IOLITE. We start by discussing capacity requirements and focus on network densification as a promising solution method. The challenges of network densification can be overcome by integrating the technological enablers such as SDN, C-RAN, SON, and mobile edge computing. For this reason, we provide a thorough survey on the state of the art in integrating these enablers for a flexible network architecture at all network segments. Finally, we discuss how the needs of the IOLITE community use case scenario can be satisfied by implementing a service- centric abstraction layer on top of a flexible infrastructure for beyond 5G IoT applications.
Chromophore attachment to fusion protein of streptavidin and recombinant allophycocyanin α subunit

ABSTRACT The fusion protein (SLA) of streptavidin and allophycocyanin α subunit (holo-ApcA) was biosynthesized in Escherichia coli by a dual plasmid system. The recombinant SLA, purified by affinity chromatography, showed spectral properties similar to natural allophycocyanin α subunit (ApcA). Spectral and Zinc staining analysis indicated that the recombinant SLA covalently bound phycocyanobilin (PCB). To improve chromophorylation rate of recombinant SLA, an in vitro chromophore attachment reaction system was established, which contained partially chromophylated SLA, PCB and lyase CpcS. Spectral analysis showed that PCB bound to the recombinant SLA rapidly during the reaction. The chromophorylation rate of SLA was improved from 21.1% to 86.5%. Immunofluorescence assay showed that SLA with high chromophorylation rate had higher detection signal. Thus, in vitro chromophore attachment is an effective way to improve the chromophorylation rate of recombinant phycobiliprotein.
Are we ever too old?

Abstract The aging population increases the demand of intensive care unit (ICU) treatments. However, the availability of ICU beds is limited. Thus, ICU admission of octogenarians is considered controversial. The population above 80 years is a very heterogeneous group though, and age alone might not be the best predictor. Aim of this study was to analyze resource consumption and outcome of octogenarians admitted to a medical ICU to identify reliable survival predictors in a senescent society. This retrospective observational study analyzes 930 octogenarians and 5732 younger patients admitted to a medical ICU. Admission diagnosis, APACHE II and SAPS II scores, use of ICU resources, and mortality were recorded. Long-term mortality was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariate cox regression analysis. Patients ≥80 years old had higher SAPS II (43 vs 38, P < .001) and APACHE II (23 vs 21, P = .001) scores. Consumption of ICU resources by octogenarians was lower in terms of length of stay, mechanical ventilation, and renal replacement therapy. Among octogenarians, ICU survivors got less mechanical ventilation or renal replacement therapy than nonsurvivors. Intra-ICU mortality in the very old was higher (19% vs 12%, P < .001) and long-term survival was lower (HR 1.76, P < .001). Multivariate cox regression analysis of octogenarians revealed that admission diagnosis of myocardial infarction (HR 1.713, P = .023), age (1.08, P = .002), and SAPS II score (HR 1.02, 95%, P = .01) were independent risk factors, whereas admission diagnoses monitoring post coronary intervention (HR .253, P = .002) and cardiac arrhythmia (HR .534, P = .032) had a substantially reduced mortality risk. Octogenarians show a higher intra-ICU and long-term mortality than younger patients. Still, they show a considerable life expectancy after ICU admission even though they get less invasive care than younger patients. Furthermore, some admission diagnoses like myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmia and monitoring post cardiac intervention are much stronger predictors for long-term survival than age or SAPS II score in the very old.
Improving map reduce task scheduling and micro-partitioning mechanism for mobile cloud multimedia services

Over the several decades, there is a massive improvement in the computer technology which leads to infinite number of resources in all over the world. Many computing devices have to generate data that comes from various domains. In order to reduce the time complexity and the storage space of data, a novel technique namely map reduce programming model has been proposed to divide the workload among computers in a network to enhance the performance. To rectify the challenging issue of uneven data distribution, and also to enhance the process of load balancing along with memory consumption of computer, data sampling is highly preferred. To enhance the accuracy in scheduling, an innovative method called map reduce task scheduling algorithm is proposed for job deadline constraints. This algorithm classifies the nodes into several levels in heterogeneous clusters. Under this algorithm, a novel data distribution model has been elucidated in which it distributes data according to the node's capacity level respectively.
Transport phenomena during horizontal single belt casting process using an optimized inclined feeding system

Horizontal Single Belt Casting is by far the simplest of all near net shape casting machines and is ideally suited to replace current slab caster operations, given its matching productivity, ‘green’ characteristics, and lower capital and operating costs. In the present paper, numerical simulations based on the Volume of Fluid method were utilized to test the performance of an optimized inclined feeding system that does not rely on the use of magnetohydrodynamics to slow the entry velocity of the liquid metal, so as to allow for a thicker film of liquid metal to be formed (10–15 mm), nor on the use of any moving side-dams so as to constrain the slab being formed. Rather, special attention was paid to the meniscus behaviour, including meniscus formation, meniscus renewal, meniscus turbulence, and the formation of tiny air pockets on the bottom surface of the forming strip.
Fabrication of hydrophobic compressed oil palm trunk surface by sol-gel process

Improvement of the robustness of hydrophobic surfaces is crucial to achieving commercial applications of these surfaces in such various areas as self-cleaning, water repellency and corrosion resistance. Compressed oil palm trunk (OPT) panel is one of potential product which can be used as panelling and indoor furniture application. By adding hydrophobic properties to compressed oil palm trunk panel might increase the application of compressed oil palm trunk especially for outdoor application. In this study, fabrication is using the sol-gel technique. Sol-gel was prepared by adding ethanol with Hexadecyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) solution with Tetraethyl Orthosilicate (TEOS) with surface modification of chlorotrimethylsilane (CTMS). The surface with hydrophobic coating was undergone surface analysis with contact angle machine with the aid of software SCA 20 and the determined of the morphology of surface with scanning electron microscope (SEM). The produced compressed oil palm trunk surfaces exhibited promising hydrophobic properties with a contact angle of 104° and the relatively better mechanical robustness.