Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pericardial Fat and Right Ventricular Morphology: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis- Right Ventricle Study (MESA-RV)

Background Pericardial fat has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity-related cardiovascular disease. Proposed mechanisms may be relevant in right heart failure, but relationships between pericardial fat and right ventricular (RV) morphology have not been explored. Methods The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis is a prospective cohort that enrolled participants without clinical cardiovascular disease. Pericardial fat was measured using computed tomography and RV parameters using cardiac MRI. Linear regression estimated associations of pericardial fat with RV mass, RV end diastolic volume (RV-EDV), RV end systolic volume (RV-ESV), RV stroke volume (RV-SV), and RV ejection fraction (RV-EF). Limited models adjusted for age, gender, race, height, and study site with and without weight. Fully adjusted models also accounted for socioeconomic parameters and health behaviors. Adjustment for left ventricular morphology, metabolic syndrome, and systemic inflammation was also performed. Results The study sample included 3988 participants with complete assessment of RV morphology, pericardial fat and all covariates. Greater pericardial fat volume was associated with reduced RV mass (-0.3g per 40 cm3 increase in pericardial fat, p<0.001), smaller RV-EDV (-3.7ml per 40 cm3 increase in pericardial fat, p<0.001), smaller RV-ESV (-1.0ml per 40cm3 increase in pericardial fat, p<0.001), and smaller RV-SV (-2.7mL per 40 cm3 increase in pericardial fat, p<0.001) in participants after adjustment for weight. Associations were unchanged when accounting for health behaviors, markers of systemic inflammation, and the metabolic syndrome. Conclusions Greater pericardial fat was associated with reduced RV mass, smaller RV-EDV, smaller RV-ESV, and smaller RV-SV in participants after adjustment for weight. Relationships between pericardial fat and RV morphology could be relevant to diseases of right heart failure.
Adams operations on higher arithmetic K-theory

We construct Adams operations on the rational higher arithmetic K-groups of a proper arithmetic variety. The denition applies to the higher arithmetic K-groups given by Takeda as well as to the groups suggested by Deligne and Soul e, by means of the homotopy groups of the homotopy ber of the regulator map. They are compatible with the Adams operations on algebraic K-theory. The denition relies on the chain morphism representing Adams operations in higher algebraic K-theory given previously by the author. It is shown that this chain morphism commutes strictly with the representative of the Beilinson regulator given by Burgos and Wang.
Calibrating the avian molecular clock

Molecular clocks are widely used to date phylogenetic events, yet evidence supporting the rate constancy of molecular clocks through time and across taxonomic lineages is weak. Here, we present 90 candidate avian clock calibrations obtained from fossils and biogeographical events. Cross‐validation techniques were used to identify and discard 16 inconsistent calibration points. Molecular evolution occurred in an approximately clock‐like manner through time for the remaining 74 calibrations of the mitochondrial gene, cytochrome b. A molecular rate of approximately 2.1% (± 0.1%, 95% confidence interval) was maintained over a 12‐million‐year interval and across most of 12 taxonomic orders. Minor but significant variance in rates occurred across lineages but was not explained by differences in generation time, body size or latitudinal distribution as previously suggested.
The Association between Literacy and Work Performance as Mediated by Depression

Title of thesis: THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN LITERACY AND WORK PERFORMANCE AS MEDIATED BY DEPRESSION Lindsey E. Foss, Master of Science, 2015 Thesis directed by: Dr. Norman Epstein Department of Family Science Approximately 90 million Americans are functionally illiterate, meaning that they cannot accomplish basic tasks such as interpreting a bus schedule or filling in an order form (Lincoln et al., 2008). Low levels of literacy have been associated with poor health outcomes, including anxiety and depression, in addition to poor work performance. This study examined the possible mediating role of depression in the association between literacy and work performance, using a nationally representative sample of young adults from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997. The results indicated that after controlling for race and gender there was a significant association between emotional distress and the degree to which emotional problems limited work performance. The trend toward an association between literacy and the degree to which emotional distress affects work did not hold once race and sex were controlled. Suggestions are provided for future research that can more thoroughly test the effects of literacy on work performance. THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN LITERACY AND WORK PERFORMANCE AS MEDIATED BY DEPRESSION by Lindsey E. Foss Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science 2015 Advisory Committee: Dr. Norman Epstein, Chair Dr. Linda Aldoory Dr. Jinhee Kim © Copyright by Lindsey E. Foss 2015
Influence of the Inherited Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency on the Appearance of Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia in Southern Croatia

Background: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is a common clinical manifestation of the inherited glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the inherited G6PD deficiency on the appearance of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in southern Croatia. Methods: The fluorescent spot test (FST) was used in a retrospective study to screen blood samples of 513 male children who had neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, of unknown cause, higher than 240 μmol/L. Fluorescence readings were performed at the beginning and at the fifth and tenth minute of incubation and were classified into three groups bright fluorescence (BF), weak fluorescence (WF) and no fluorescence (NF). Normal samples show bright fluorescence. All NF and WF samples at the fifth minute were quantitatively measured using the spectrophotometric method. Results: Bright fluorescence was present in 461 patients (89.9%) at the fifth minute. The remaining 52 (10.1%) were quantitatively estimated using the spectrophotometric method. G6PD deficiency was observed in 38 patients (7.4%). Conclusions: Prevalence rate of G6PD deficiency among male newborns with hyperbilirubinemia in southern Croatia is significantly higher (p < 0.01) compared with the previously reported prevalence rate among male in general population of southern Croatia (0.75%). We recommend FST to be performed in hyperbilirubinemic newborns in southern Croatia.
The hydrogen sulfide donor, Lawesson's reagent, prevents alendronate-induced gastric damage in rats

Our objective was to investigate the protective effect of Lawesson's reagent, an H2S donor, against alendronate (ALD)-induced gastric damage in rats. Rats were pretreated with saline or Lawesson's reagent (3, 9, or 27 µmol/kg, po) once daily for 4 days. After 30 min, gastric damage was induced by ALD (30 mg/kg) administration by gavage. On the last day of treatment, the animals were killed 4 h after ALD administration. Gastric lesions were measured using a computer planimetry program, and gastric corpus pieces were assayed for malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), proinflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1β], and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Other groups were pretreated with glibenclamide (5 mg/kg, ip) or with glibenclamide (5 mg/kg, ip)+diazoxide (3 mg/kg, ip). After 1 h, 27 µmol/kg Lawesson's reagent was administered. After 30 min, 30 mg/kg ALD was administered. ALD caused gastric damage (63.35±9.8 mm2); increased levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and MDA (2311±302.3 pg/mL, 901.9±106.2 pg/mL, 121.1±4.3 nmol/g, respectively); increased MPO activity (26.1±3.8 U/mg); and reduced GSH levels (180.3±21.9 µg/g). ALD also increased cystathionine-γ-lyase immunoreactivity in the gastric mucosa. Pretreatment with Lawesson's reagent (27 µmol/kg) attenuated ALD-mediated gastric damage (15.77±5.3 mm2); reduced TNF-α, IL-1β, and MDA formation (1502±150.2 pg/mL, 632.3±43.4 pg/mL, 78.4±7.6 nmol/g, respectively); lowered MPO activity (11.7±2.8 U/mg); and increased the level of GSH in the gastric tissue (397.9±40.2 µg/g). Glibenclamide alone reversed the gastric protective effect of Lawesson's reagent. However, glibenclamide plus diazoxide did not alter the effects of Lawesson's reagent. Our results suggest that Lawesson's reagent plays a protective role against ALD-induced gastric damage through mechanisms that depend at least in part on activation of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels.
Noninvasive MRI Monitoring of the Effect of Interventions on Endothelial Permeability in Murine Atherosclerosis Using an Albumin‐Binding Contrast Agent

Background Endothelial dysfunction promotes atherosclerosis. We investigated whether in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using an albumin‐binding contrast agent, gadofosveset, could monitor the efficacy of minocycline and ebselen in reducing endothelial permeability and atherosclerotic burden in the brachiocephalic artery of high‐fat diet (HFD)–fed ApoE−/− mice. Methods and Results ApoE−/− mice were scanned 12 weeks after commencement of either a normal diet (controls) or an HFD. HFD‐fed ApoE−/− mice were either untreated or treated with minocycline or ebselen for 12 weeks. Delayed‐enhancement MRI and T1 mapping of the brachiocephalic artery, 30 minutes after injection of gadofosveset, showed increased vessel wall enhancement and relaxation rate (R1, s−1) in untreated HFD‐fed ApoE−/− mice (R1=3.8±0.52 s−1) compared with controls (R1=2.15±0.34 s−1, P<0.001). Conversely, minocycline‐treated (R1=2.7±0.17 s−1, P<0.001) and ebselen‐treated (R1=2.7±0.23 s−1, P<0.001) ApoE−/− mice showed less vessel wall enhancement compared with untreated HFD‐fed ApoE−/− mice. Mass spectroscopy showed a lower gadolinium concentration in the brachiocephalic artery of treated (minocycline=28.5±3 μmol/L, ebselen=32.4±4 μmol/L) compared with untreated HFD‐fed ApoE−/− mice (191±4.8 μmol/L) (P<0.02). Both interventions resulted in a lower plaque burden as measured by delayed‐enhancement MRI (minocycline=0.14±0.02 mm2, ebselen=0.20±0.09 mm2, untreated=0.44±0.01 mm2; P<0.001) and histology (minocycline=0.13±0.05 mm2, ebselen=0.18±0.02 mm2, untreated=0.32±0.04 mm2; P<0.002). Endothelium cells displayed fewer structural changes and smaller gap junction width in treated compared with untreated animals as seen by electron microscopy (minocycline=42.3±8.4 nm, ebselen=56.5±17 nm, untreated=2400±39 nm; P<0.001). Tissue flow cytometry of the brachiocephalic artery showed lower monocyte/macrophage content in both ebselen‐ and minocycline‐treated mice (8.06±3.2% and 7.62±1.73%, respectively) compared with untreated animals (20.1±2.2%) (P=0.03), with significant attenuation of the proinflammatory Ly6Chigh subtype (untreated mice, 42.64±6.1% of total monocytes; ebselen, 14.07±9.5% of total monocytes; minocycline, 26.42±0.6% of total monocytes). Conclusions We demonstrate that contrast‐enhanced MRI with an albumin‐binding contrast agent can be used to noninvasively monitor the effect of interventions on endothelial permeability and plaque burden. Blood albumin leakage could be a surrogate marker for the in vivo evaluation of interventions that aim at restoring endothelial integrity.
Consideration of the relationship between Kepler and cyclotron dynamics leading to prediction of a nonmagnetohydrodynamic gravity-driven Hamiltonian dynamo

Conservation of canonical angular momentum shows that charged particles are typically constrained to stay within a poloidal Larmor radius of a poloidal magnetic flux surface. However, more detailed consideration shows that particles with a critical charge-to-mass ratio can have zero canonical angular momentum and thus can be both immune from centrifugal force and not constrained to stay in the vicinity of a specific flux surface. Suitably charged dust grains can have zero canonical angular momentum and in the presence of a gravitational field will spiral inwards across poloidal magnetic surfaces toward the central object and accumulate. This accumulation results in a gravitationally-driven dynamo, i.e., a mechanism for converting gravitational potential energy into a batterylike electric power source.
Finite element modeling of carbon fiber reinforced polymer pressure vessel

A finite element model of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) pressure vessel with aluminum liner is established by ANSYS finite element software. The outer filament wound fibers are overwrapped by both hoop winding and helical winding methods. The safety is vital because of high working pressure which is more than 35MPa. In the modeling process, the number of filament winding layers is treated as composite laminates with thickness and wrap angle variations of every unidirectional layer in the vessel section. The static analysis of the vessel is conducted. Based on the maximum stress criteria, burst pressure of the vessel is predicted. There is good agreement between model prediction and experimental data.
Visual processes for tracking and recognition of hand gestures

This paper describes experiments with techniques for tracking hands and recognizing gestures. Complementary techniques are presented for detecting and tracking hands and tools. These techniques are integrated within a system which uses multiple image processing techniques to estimate the position and orientation of a hand. Images of the tracked hand are normalized in orientation and position and then projected into a principal components space. Hand configurations are represented using a probabilistic classification. Gestures are recognized in this space as sequences of hand configurations using finite state machines. 1 Direct Manipulation of Objects as an Interaction Modality Human gesture serves three functional roles [4]: semiotic, ergotic, and epistemic. The semiotic function of gesture is to communicate meaningful information. The structure of a semiotic gesture is conventional and commonly results from shared cultural experience. The good-bye gesture, the American sign language. (http://www-prima.imag.fr/Prima/Homepages/jlc/papers/PUI97.Crowley.pdf)
Quantum control using diabatic and adiabatic transitions

We exploit the concept of Landau-Zener transitions at avoided energy crossings as a quantum-control tool. In an avoided crossing the two quantum states interchange their characteristics as an external parameter is varied. Depending on the rate of change of the parameter it is possible to control the final state. We use this simple idea to travel along the energy spectrum of a realistic system: two interacting electrons confined in a quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor system.
The Importance of Cognitive and Usability Elements in Designing Software Visualization Tools

Modern IDEs offer built-in support for developing p lug-ins. More recently, we have seen a growing number of plug-ins that offer non-conventional soft ware visualization interfaces. They usually aim to help programmers to understand unfamiliar source code by representing it in visual structures such as trees, scatter-plots or graphs. Although very attra ctive visually, we need to know more about the effectiveness of these interfaces in conveying info rmation to software engineers. In this paper, we discuss some concepts and guidelines regarding the requirements of visualization tools for software comprehension as well as the set-up of an infrastru cture to empirically evaluate how useful are those tools in supporting software comprehension activiti es.
Feature-Guided Dynamic Texture Synthesis on Continuous Flows

We present a technique for synthesizing spatially and temporally varying textures on continuous flows using image or video input, guided by the physical characteristics of the fluid stream itself. This approach enables the generation of realistic textures on the fluid that correspond to the local flow behavior, creating the appearance of complex surface effects, such as foam and small bubbles. Our technique requires only a simple specification of texture behavior, and automatically generates and tracks the features and texture over time in a temporally coherent manner. Based on this framework, we also introduce a technique to perform feature-guided video synthesis. We demonstrate our algorithm on several simulated and recorded natural phenomena, including splashing water and lava flows. We also show how our methodology can be extended beyond realistic appearance synthesis to more general scenarios, such as temperature-guided synthesis of complex surface phenomena in a liquid during boiling.
Activation of MAPK by TRH Requires Clathrin-Dependent Endocytosis and PKC but Not Receptor Interaction with β-Arrestin or Receptor Endocytosis

To determine whether the interaction of the TRH receptor withβ -arrestin is necessary for TRH activation of MAPK, cells expressing either intact or truncated, internalization-defective TRH receptors were transfected with a β-arrestin-green fluorescent protein conjugate. In cells expressing the wild-type pituitary TRH receptor, TRH caused translocation of the β-arrestin-green fluorescent protein conjugate from the cytosol to the plasma membrane within 30 sec. After 5 min, the β-arrestin-green fluorescent protein conjugate was visible in vesicles, where it colocalized with rhodamine-labeled TRH. In hypertonic sucrose, the β-arrestin-green fluorescent protein conjugate translocated to the plasma membrane after TRH addition but did not internalize. In cells expressing the truncated TRH receptor, TRH did not cause translocation of the β-arrestin-green fluorescent protein conjugate. TRH activated MAPK strongly in cells expressing intact or truncated TRH receptors, indicating that the receptor does not need to b.
Learning Paraphrase Models from Google New Headlines

Data sources like the clusters of news headlines at Google News present an exciting opportunity to learn paraphrase models from data automatically. We present both a novel dataset and a novel approach to automatic, unsupervised learning of paraphrase models from that datset. Leveraging existing NLP tools such as the Stanford Parser and lexical resources such as WordNet and Infomap, we constructed a system that first aligns the typed dependency graphs of large numbers of parallel headlines (on the order of hundreds) and then uses aligned paths between corresponding nodes as candidates to a paraphrase extraction system. We present some preliminary results in the form of actual learned paraphrase models. This project serves as a proof of concept for this approach and sheds some light on likely next steps.
An Iterative 5-pt Algorithm for Fast and Robust Essential Matrix Estimation

The essential matrix, first introduced by Longuet-Higgins [5], is a 3× 3 matrix encoding the relative pose information between two views. Conventional approaches for relative pose estimation is to solve a system of linear equations. The 5-pt algorithm [6] is the current state-of-the-art algorithm in relative pose estimation. It is a minimal-set direct solver which solves the essential matrix as a system of polynomial equations. We show in this paper an iterative method which provides robust and real-time essential matrix estimation, capable of 30Hz, frame-rate performance. The benefit of an iterative approach lies in its simplicity and speed. The use of high degree polynomials may lead to ill-conditioning [1] and are often difficult to solve, leading to alternative methods which sacrifice speed for simplicity [1, 3, 4]. Although convergence is not guaranteed, when used within RANSAC, more hypotheses can be evaluated in the same block of time, yielding improved performance. While iterative solvers which minimizes the algebraic epipolar reprojection error have previously been proposed [2, 7], our parametrization is based on a novel geometric error which incorporates the half-plane constraint [8] and thus enforces orientation consistency between points. Figure 1 illustrates the concept of our iterative 5-pt algorithm. A coordinate frame is chosen such that the z-axis ez joins the two camera centres. In this frame, vectors vi and vi and ez are coplanar. The goal is to find a rotation for each of the two cameras that maps from their internal coordinate frame to that of Figure 1. We parametrize the image for each camera as a unit 2-sphere, mapping image points in normalized camera coordinates [x,y,1]T to unit vectors by dividing by √ x2 + y2 +1. At each iteration, the normalized point correspondences ui ↔ ui are left multiplied with the rotations R and R′, giving the rotated point correspondences v = Ru, v′ = R′u′. This rotates the two unit spheres, changing the direction of the epipoles. By rotating the unit spheres such that the z-axis ez is aligned with the epipoles, i.e. ez = Re = R′e′, vi↔ vi become coplanar with the epipoles e,e′. The epipoles can then be computed as e = RT ez, e′ = R′T ez. (1)
Graph-covers and iterative decoding of nite length codes

Codewords in finite covers of a Tanner graph G are characterized. Since iterative, locally operating decoding algorithms cannot distinguish the underlying graph G from any covering graph, these codewords, dubbed pseudo-codewords are directly responible for sub-optimal behavior of iterative decoding algorithms. We give a simple characterization of pseudocodewords from finite covers and show that, for the additive, white Gaussian noise channel, their impact is captured in a finite set of “minimal” pseudocodewords. We also show that any (j, k)-regular graph possesses asymptotically vanishing relative minimal pseudo-weight. This stands in sharp contrast to the observation that for j > 2 the minimum Hamming distance of a (j, k)-regular low-density parity-check code typically grows linearly with the length of the code.
Color neighborhood and heterochromatic matchings in edge-colored bipartite graphs ∗

Let (G,C) be an (edge-)colored bipartite graph with bipartition (X, Y ) and |X| = |Y | = n. A heterochromatic matching of G is such a matching in which no two edges have the same color. Let N c(S) denote a maximum color neighborhood of S ⊆ V (G). In a previous paper, we showed that if N c(S) ≥ |S| for all S ⊆ X or S ⊆ Y , then G has a heterochromatic matching with cardinality at least d3n−1 8 e. In this paper, we improve the result by show that G has a heterochromatic matching with cardinality at least d2n 5 e.
Life Annuities under Random Rates of Interest.

We begin by examining the accumulated value functions of some annuities-certain. We then investigate the accumulated value of these annuities where the interest is a random variable under some restrictions. Calculations are derived for the expected value and the variance of these accumulated values and present values. In particular we will examine an annuity-due of k yearly payments of 1. Then we will consider an increasing annuity-due of k yearly payments of 1, 2, ⋯ , k . And finally, we examine a decreasing annuity-due of k yearly payments of n , n - 1, ⋯ , n - k + 1, for k ≤ n . Finally we extend our analysis to include a contingent annuity. That is an annuity in which each payment is contingent on the continuance of a given status. Specifically, we examine a life annuity under which each payment is contingent on the survival of one or more specified persons. We extend our methods from the previous sections to derive the formula of the expected value for the present value of the life annuities of a future life time at a random rate of interest.