Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sedentary Activity and Body Composition of Middle School Girls

This study describes the relationships between sedentary activity and body composition in 1,458 sixth-grade girls from 36 middle schools across the United States. Multivariate associations between sedentary activity and body composition were examined with regression analyses using general linear mixed models. Mean age, body mass index, and percentage of body fat were 12.0 ± 0.51, 21.1 kg/m2 ± 4.8, 28.5 ± 8.9, respectively. Girls averaged 7.7 ± 1.2 sedentary hours per day and about 13 hr (∼ 97% of the day) of both sedentary and light activities. Overweight girls were significantly more (13 min; p < .003) sedentary, especially after school (> 2 p.m.; p < .01), and less physically active (p < .0001) than normal weight girls. The study documents small but significant associations between sedentary activity and adiposity.
The coherence of qubits based on single Ca+ ions

Two-level ionic systems, where quantum information is encoded in long-lived states (quantum bits, qubits), are discussed extensively for quantum information processing. We present a collection of measurements which characterize the stability of a qubit based on the S1/2 – D5/2 transition of single 40Ca+ ions in a linear Paul trap. We find coherence times of ≃ 1 ms, discuss the main technical limitations and outline possible improvements.
Query-Adaptive Asymmetrical Dissimilarities for Visual Object Retrieval

Visual object retrieval aims at retrieving, from a collection of images, all those in which a given query object appears. It is inherently asymmetric: the query object is mostly included in the database image, while the converse is not necessarily true. However, existing approaches mostly compare the images with symmetrical measures, without considering the different roles of query and database. This paper first measure the extent of asymmetry on large-scale public datasets reflecting this task. Considering the standard bag-of-words representation, we then propose new asymmetrical dissimilarities accounting for the different inlier ratios associated with query and database images. These asymmetrical measures depend on the query, yet they are compatible with an inverted file structure, without noticeably impacting search efficiency. Our experiments show the benefit of our approach, and show that the visual object retrieval task is better treated asymmetrically, in the spirit of state-of-the-art text retrieval.
Vaccine Induction of Lymph Node–Resident Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Env-Specific T Follicular Helper Cells in Rhesus Macaques

Measurement of Ag-specific T follicular helper (TFH) cell activity in rhesus macaques has not previously been reported. Given that rhesus macaques are the animal model of choice for evaluating protective efficacy of HIV/SIV vaccine candidates and that TFH cells play a pivotal role in aiding B cell maturation, quantifying vaccine induction of HIV/SIV-specific TFH cells would greatly benefit vaccine development. In this study, we quantified SIV Env-specific IL-21–producing TFH cells for the first time, to our knowledge, in a nonhuman primate vaccine study. Macaques were primed twice mucosally with adenovirus 5 host range mutant recombinants encoding SIV Env, Rev, Gag, and Nef followed by two i.m. boosts with monomeric SIV gp120 or oligomeric SIV gp140 proteins. At 2 wk after the second protein boost, we obtained lymph node biopsy specimens and quantified the frequency of total and SIV Env-specific IL-21+ TFH cells and total germinal center B cells, the size and number of germinal centers, and the frequency of SIV-specific Ab-secreting cells in B cell zones. Multiple correlation analyses established the importance of TFH for development of B cell responses in systemic and mucosally localized compartments, including blood, bone marrow, and rectum. Our results suggest that the SIV-specific TFH cells, initially induced by replicating adenovirus-recombinant priming, are long lived. The multiple correlations of SIV Env-specific TFH cells with systemic and mucosal SIV-specific B cell responses indicate that this cell population should be further investigated in HIV vaccine development as a novel correlate of immunity.
A deadlock control method using elementary siphons of Petri nets

An important Petri net-based method to prevent deadlocks arising in flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) is to add control places and related arcs to strict minimal siphons (SMS) such that no siphon can be emptied. Its disadvantage lies in that the method often adds too many additional places to the net. This paper explores ways to minimize the new additions of places while achieving the same control purpose. It proposes the concept of elementary siphons that are a special class of SMS and proves that by adding a control place for each elementary siphon to make sure that it is always marked, deadlock can be successfully prevented. Compared with the existing methods, the new method requires a much smaller number of control places and, therefore, is suitable for large-scale Petri nets. An FMS example is used to illustrate the proposed concepts and policy.
Variable phenotypes associated with aromatase (CYP19) insufficiency in humans.

CONTEXT The P450 enzyme aromatase (CYP19) plays a crucial role in the endocrine and paracrine biosynthesis of estrogens from androgens in many diverse estrogen-responsive tissues. Complete aromatase deficiency has been reported in a small number of 46,XX girls with genital ambiguity and absent pubertal development, but it is unknown whether nonclassic phenotypes exist. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine whether variant forms of aromatase insufficiency can occur in humans. PATIENTS AND METHODS Four patients (46,XX) from three kindreds with variable degrees of androgenization and pubertal failure were studied using mutational analysis of CYP19 and assay of enzyme activity. RESULTS Aromatase insufficiency resulting in genital ambiguity at birth, but with variable breast development at puberty (B2-B4), occurred in 46,XX patients from two kindreds who harbored point mutations or single codon deletions (R435C, F234del). Absent puberty with minimal androgenization at birth was found in one girl with a deletion involving exon 5 of CYP19 (exon5del), which would be predicted to lead to an in-frame deletion of 59 amino acids from the enzyme. Functional studies revealed low residual aromatase activity in the cases in which breast development occurred. CONCLUSIONS These studies demonstrate that aromatase mutations can produce variable or "nonclassic" phenotypes in humans. Low residual aromatase activity may be sufficient for breast and uterine development to occur at puberty, despite significant androgenization in utero. Such phenotypic variability may be influenced further by modifying factors such as nonclassic pathways of estrogen synthesis, variability in coregulators, or differences in androgen responsiveness.
Synergistic role of ADP and Ca2+ in diastolic myocardial stiffness

Diastolic dysfunction in heart failure patients is evident from stiffening of the passive properties of the ventricular wall. Increased actomyosin interactions may significantly limit diastolic capacity, however, direct evidence is absent. From experiments at the cellular and whole organ level, in humans and rats, we show that actomyosin‐related force development contributes significantly to high diastolic stiffness in environments where high ADP and increased diastolic [Ca2+] are present, such as the failing myocardium. Our basal study provides a mechanical mechanism which may partly underlie diastolic dysfunction.
Comparative manufacture and cell-based delivery of antiretroviral nanoformulations

Nanoformulations of crystalline indinavir, ritonavir, atazanavir, and efavirenz were manufactured by wet milling, homogenization or sonication with a variety of excipients. The chemical, biological, immune, virological, and toxicological properties of these formulations were compared using an established monocyte-derived macrophage scoring indicator system. Measurements of drug uptake, retention, release, and antiretroviral activity demonstrated differences amongst preparation methods. Interestingly, for drug cell targeting and antiretroviral responses the most significant difference among the particles was the drug itself. We posit that the choice of drug and formulation composition may ultimately affect clinical utility.
Effects of miR-223 on cerebral ischemic injury and angiogenesis in diabetic rats

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of miR-223 in diabetes associated cerebral ischemic damage in rats. A total of 50 rats were divided into 5 groups (10 rats per group): sham group, cerebral ischemia (CI) group, diabetes with cerebral ischemia (DCI) group, DCI+miR-223 inhibitor (inhibitor) group and DCI+scramble (scramble) group. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with Streptozotocin (STZ) to induce diabetes, and cerebral ischemic models were established by inserting a monofilament suture into right-middle cerebral artery according to Longa’s methods. Mir-223 inhibitor and scramble were given through lateral ventricle for 3 weeks after diabetes induction. Twenty-four hours after cerebral ischemic induction, ischemic neuronal damage in diabetic rats was evaluated by neurobehavioral function score and cerebral infarct volume. Expression of miR-223, CD31 and VEGF was determined in cortical areas by Real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. Expression of miR-223 was significantly increased after cerebral ischemia in rats. Compared with DCI group and scramble group, miR-223 inhibitor significantly reduced ischemic neuronal damage while increased the expression of both CD31 and VEGF. Our results indicated that miR-223 had an important role in the regulation of diabetes associated cerebral ischemic damage and angiogenesis in rats. Down-regulation of miR-223 may alleviate the ischemic neuronal damage in diabetic rats.
A new tool for multi-level partitioning in teradata

This paper introduces a new tool that recommends an optimized partitioning solution called Multi-Level Partitioned Primary Index (MLPPI) for a fact table based on the queries in the workload. The tool implements a new technique using a greedy algorithm for search space enumeration. The space is driven by predicates in the queries. This technique fits very well the Teradata MLPPI scheme, as it is based on a general framework using general expressions, ranges and case expressions for partition definitions. The cost model implemented in the tool is based on the Teradata optimizer, and it is used to prune the search space for reaching a final solution. The tool resides completely on the client, and interfaces the database through APIs as opposed to previous work that requires optimizer code extension. The APIs are used to simplify the workload queries, and to capture fact table predicates and costs necessary to make the recommendation. The predicate-driven method implemented by the tool is general, and it can be applied to any clustering or partitioning scheme based on simple field expressions or complex SQL predicates. Experimental results given a particular workload will show that the recommendation from the tool outperforms a human expert. The experiments also show that the solution is scalable both with the workload complexity and the size of the fact table.
Influence of Quercetin-Rich Food Intake on microRNA Expression in Lung Cancer Tissues

Background: Epidemiologic studies have reported that frequent consumption of quercetin-rich foods is inversely associated with lung cancer incidence. A quercetin-rich diet might modulate microRNA (miR) expression; however, this mechanism has not been fully examined. Methods: miR expression data were measured by a custom-made array in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 264 lung cancer cases (144 adenocarcinomas and 120 squamous cell carcinomas). Intake of quercetin-rich foods was derived from a food-frequency questionnaire. In individual-miR–based analyses, we compared the expression of miRs (n = 198) between lung cancer cases consuming high versus low quercetin-rich food intake using multivariate ANOVA tests. In family-miR–based analyses, we used Functional Class Scoring (FCS) to assess differential effect on biologically functional miR families. We accounted for multiple testing using 10,000 global permutations (significance at Pglobal < 0.10). All multivariate analyses were conducted separately by histology and by smoking status (former and current smokers). Results: Family-based analyses showed that a quercetin-rich diet differentiated miR expression profiles of the tumor suppressor let-7 family among adenocarcinomas (PFCS < 0.001). Other significantly differentiated miR families included carcinogenesis-related miR-146, miR-26, and miR-17 (P FCS < 0.05). In individual-based analyses, we found that among former and current smokers with adenocarcinoma, 33 miRs were observed to be differentiated between highest and lowest quercetin-rich food consumers (23 expected by chance; Pglobal = 0.047). Conclusions: We observed differential expression of key biologically functional miRs between high versus low consumers of quercetin-rich foods in adenocarcinoma cases. Impact: Our findings provide preliminary evidence on the mechanism underlying quercetin-related lung carcinogenesis. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(12); 2176–84. ©2012 AACR.
Adapting to Retention: A Naturalistic Study Revealing the Coping Resources of Nonpromoted Students and Their Parents

ADAPTING TO RETENTION: A NATURALISTIC STUDY REVEALING THE COPING RESOURCES OF NONPROMOTED STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS by Robbie Jones Anderson The purpose of this study was to uncover the feelings and reactions of students and their parents in regard to the nonpromotion experience. Families with children who had been retained at least once in grades one through eight were purposefully selected as units of study from one of four area school systems. A total of 52 family members from 22 family units participated in 46 separate, qualitative interviews. The information collected from the interviews was inductively analyzed. Building upon Schlossberg's theory for human adaptation to transitions, seven factors or coping resources emerged from the data that affected the adaptation of a parent or a student to a grade level retention. These factors fell into one of three categories--the characteristics of the individual, the characteristics surrounding the transition (the retention), and the characteristics of the individual's environment. The analysis revealed the following seven coping resources: self-definition of an individual, previous experience with retention, retention philosophy of the individual, feelings of empowerment connected to the retention decision, retention rationale or reason for the retention, sense of belonging to the school community, and support systems available to the individual. From the findings, the investigator reached the following conclusions: (1) regardless of their initial feelings toward a retention decision, most students, as well as other family members, eventually assimilated a nonpromotion experience; (2) the seven identified coping resources influenced the success of an individual's adaptation to a retention experience; (3) school personnel did little to initially prepare a child for a nonpromotion and generally offered little support to aid adaptation to the retention; (4) the relationships an educator developed with family members were essential in establishing a sense of trust and of cooperation between the home and the school; (5) school systems rarely provided parents of children in grades one through eight with the strategies necessary to academically aid a child within the home environment; (6) adherence to rigid, grade level curriculum placed undue stress on many students and their families, inadvertently reinforcing the acceptance of the practice of retention by parents and by students.
Infrared/Terahertz Spectra of the Photogalvanic Effect in (Bi,Sb)Te based Three Dimensional Topological Insulators

We report on the systematic study of infrared/terahertz spectra of photocurrents in (Bi,Sb)Te based three dimensional topological insulators. We demonstrate that in a wide range of frequencies, ranging from fractions up to tens of terahertz, the photocurrent is caused by the linear photogalvanic effect (LPGE) excited in the surface states. The photocurrent spectra reveal that at low frequencies the LPGE emerges due to free carrier Drude-like absorption. The spectra allow to determine the room temperature carrier mobilities in the surface states despite the presents of thermally activate residual impurities in the material bulk. In a number of samples we observed an enhancement of the linear photogalvanic effect at frequencies between 30÷60 THz, which is attributed to the excitation of electrons from helical surface to bulk conduction band states. Under this condition and applying oblique incidence we also observed the circular photogalvanic effect driven by the radiation helicity.
Brief Announcement: A Hierarchy of Congested Clique Models, from Broadcast to Unicast

The CONGEST model is a synchronous, message-passing model of distributed computation in which each node can send (possibly different) messages of O(log n) bits along each of its incident communication links in each round, where n is the number of computing nodes in the system. In the particular case where the communication network is a complete graph, we have the unicast congested clique model. On the other end is the broadcast version of the congested clique model, in which each node can only broadcast a single message over all its links in each round. In this paper we explore the space, in terms of round complexity, that lies between these two congested clique models. Hence, we parametrize the congested clique model with the range r, the maximum number of different messages a node can send over its incident links in one round. Additionally, we study the effect of the bandwidth b, the maximum size in bits of these messages. We show that the space between the unicast and broadcast congested clique models is very rich and interesting. For instance, we show that a problem (especially designed for this work) takes Ω(n/ log n) rounds in the broadcast model (r = 1), while it can be solved in two rounds if two messages can be sent (r = 2). Other gaps are found in other parts of the spectrum of values of r. We do this by providing techniques to simulate protocols with different parameters. Therefore, we conclude that, with respect to their power to solve certain problems, there is a strict hierarchy of congested clique models.
Inroads Toward Robot-Assisted Cochlear Implant Surgery Using Steerable Electrode Arrays

Hypothesis: Robotic insertions of actively steerable perimodiolar electrode arrays can substantially reduce insertion forces and prevent electrode buckling. Background: Perimodiolar electrodes have been proven to be effective in reducing insertion forces. However, the dedicated techniques of atraumatic electrode insertion require intensive surgeon training. Although some specialized medical robots have been developed to help surgeons in certain minimally invasive surgeries, none are applicable to electrode insertions. Methods: A robot prototype capable of automatically inserting novel steerable electrode array and adjusting its approach angle toward the scala tympani has been constructed and tested. Comparisons of insertion forces using robotically assisted steerable and straight electrodes on scala tympani models are presented. Simulations and experiments are conducted to compare the robotic insertion outcomes and insertion forces. Results The use of robotically assisted steerable electrodes for insertions significantly reduces the insertion forces compared with straight electrodes. Based on the results from the experiments, a second-generation robot with insertion force-sensing capability and haptic control to be used in the operating room has been designed for cochlear implant surgery. Conclusion: Preliminary experimental results using robot-assisted steerable electrode prototype show that it is effective in reducing insertion forces and preventing electrode buckling. A second-generation robot has been designed and constructed for cochlear implant surgery under operating room conditions.
Serum Vitamin D and Risk of Prostate Cancer in a Case-Control Analysis Nested Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

Results from the majority of studies show little association between circulating concentrations of vitamin D and prostate cancer risk, a finding that has not been demonstrated in a wider European population, however. The authors examined whether vitamin D concentrations were associated with prostate cancer risk in a case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (1994–2000). Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were measured in 652 prostate cancer cases matched to 752 controls from 7 European countries after a median follow-up time of 4.1 years. Conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios for prostate cancer risk in relation to serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D after standardizing for month of blood collection and adjusting for covariates. No significant association was found between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of prostate cancer (highest vs. lowest quintile: odds ratio = 1.28, 95% confidence interval: 0.88, 1.88; P for trend = 0.188). Subgroup analyses showed no significant heterogeneity by cancer stage or grade, age at diagnosis, body mass index, time from blood collection to diagnosis, or calcium intake. In summary, the results of this large nested case-control study provide no evidence in support of a protective effect of circulating concentrations of vitamin D on the risk of prostate cancer.
Optimization of therapy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with ceftazidime and meropenem using chemostats as model for infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause life-threatening infections in patients admitted to intensive care units. Resistance rapidly develops against two drugs of choice: ceftazidime and meropenem. Several therapeutic protocols were compared for reduction in viable cells and limiting development of resistance. Chemostat cultures were exposed to antibiotic concentrations measured in the blood of patients at low (5th percentile), medium (50th percentile) or high (95th percentile) levels in several therapy protocols to simulate therapy. Cultures exposed to ceftazidime recovered after 1 day at low, 2 days at medium and 3 days at high concentrations and developed corresponding levels of resistance. Patterns were very similar for meropenem except that recovery was delayed. Fluctuating levels and intermittent treatment achieved similar reduction of cell numbers at lower resistance costs. Treatment alternating ceftazidime and meropenem reduced cell numbers more than monotherapy, while strongly limiting resistance. Combination therapy was even more effective in both respects. Therapeutic goals are best reached with least risk of resistance when ceftazidime and meropenem are used in combination or alternating, at the highest concentrations the patient can endure. Monotherapy should also apply the highest concentration that is safe for the shortest time that achieves treatment objectives.