Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time trends in waiting time to pregnancy among Danish twins.

BACKGROUND Little is known about time trends in fecundity because few population-based data are available. In a survey among female twins born from 1953 to 1976, their time to pregnancy did not differ from singletons and can be considered to represent the fecundity of the general population. METHODS Information was collected by interview about waiting time to first pregnancy (TTP) and any periods of subfecundity among both male and female twins born between 1931 and 1952. Trends were analysed by considering the year of birth of the index person (birth cohort effect) or year at which the first attempt started (period effect). RESULTS Eighty-five percent of male and 81.3% of female eligible twins participated. A total of 1598 male twins and 1653 female twins reported a TTP value and 1671 men and 1715 women had a value for their first attempt to conceive including unsuccessful attempts. No overall trends in either male or female TTP were observed with increasing year of birth or of starting time, after adjustment for confounders, but for attempts fecundity increased among female twins by year of birth or of starting the attempt. A decreasing risk of severe infertility with increasing year of birth or year for start of the attempt was observed among male twins, but this observation was based on only 81 men and was not seen among female twins. CONCLUSION No decreasing trend in fecundity was observed among Danish twins born between 1931 and 1952 who had completed their reproduction. Female twins had a slight increase in fecundity, and men a decrease in severe infertility. In addition, TTP was apparently well reported and recalled for up to 50 years among both male and female twins.
Stabilization of nonlinear systems with coarse quantization

This paper addresses feedback stabilization problem for nonlinear dynamic systems with quantized measurements and delays in the presence of external disturbances. In the context, the quantizer has two parameters to adjust the center and the range. The applied controller switches between zooming out phase and zooming in phase repeatedly. Both two phases are divided into two modes. First, based on the trajectory and mechanism of the whole closed-loop system, both the state feedback stabilization and the output feedback stabilization are studied and the results on ISS property are given. Further, we consider the cases with delays, and achieve stabilizable results.
Expression and Subcellular Localization of a Novel Nuclear Acetylcholinesterase Protein*

Acetylcholine is found in the nervous system and also in other cell types (endothelium, lymphocytes, and epithelial and blood cells), which are globally termed the non-neuronal cholinergic system. In this study we investigated the expression and subcellular localization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in endothelial cells. Our results show the expression of the 70-kDa AChE in both cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments. We also describe, for the first time, a nuclear and cytoskeleton-bound AChE isoform with ∼55 kDa detected in endothelial cells. This novel isoform is decreased in response to vascular endothelial growth factor via the proteosomes pathway, and it is down-regulated in human leukemic T-cells as compared with normal T-cells, suggesting that the decreased expression of the 55-kDa AChE protein may contribute to an angiogenic response and associate with tumorigenesis. Importantly, we show that its nuclear expression is not endothelial cell-specific but also evidenced in non-neuronal and neuronal cells. Concerning neuronal cells, we can distinguish an exclusively nuclear expression in postnatal neurons in contrast to a cytoplasmic and nuclear expression in embryonic neurons, suggesting that the cell compartmentalization of this new AChE isoform is changed during the development of nervous system. Overall, our studies suggest that the 55-kDa AChE may be involved in different biological processes such as neural development, tumor progression, and angiogenesis.
In vivo monitoring of neuronal loss in traumatic brain injury: a microdialysis study

Traumatic brain injury causes diffuse axonal injury and loss of cortical neurons. These features are well recognized histologically, but their in vivo monitoring remains challenging. In vivo cortical microdialysis samples the extracellular fluid adjacent to neurons and axons. Here, we describe a novel neuronal proteolytic pathway and demonstrate the exclusive neuro-axonal expression of Pavlov’s enterokinase. Enterokinase is membrane bound and cleaves the neurofilament heavy chain at positions 476 and 986. Using a 100 kDa microdialysis cut-off membrane the two proteolytic breakdown products, extracellular fluid neurofilament heavy chains NfH476−986 and NfH476−1026, can be quantified with a relative recovery of 20%. In a prospective clinical in vivo study, we included 10 patients with traumatic brain injury with a median Glasgow Coma Score of 9, providing 640 cortical extracellular fluid samples for longitudinal data analysis. Following high-velocity impact traumatic brain injury, microdialysate extracellular fluid neurofilament heavy chain levels were significantly higher (6.18 ± 2.94 ng/ml) and detectable for longer (>4 days) compared with traumatic brain injury secondary to falls (0.84 ± 1.77 ng/ml, <2 days). During the initial 16 h following traumatic brain injury, strong correlations were found between extracellular fluid neurofilament heavy chain levels and physiological parameters (systemic blood pressure, anaerobic cerebral metabolism, excessive brain tissue oxygenation, elevated brain temperature). Finally, extracellular fluid neurofilament heavy chain levels were of prognostic value, predicting mortality with an odds ratio of 7.68 (confidence interval 2.15–27.46, P = 0.001). In conclusion, this study describes the discovery of Pavlov’s enterokinase in the human brain, a novel neuronal proteolytic pathway that gives rise to specific protein biomarkers (NfH476−986 and NfH476−1026) applicable to in vivo monitoring of diffuse axonal injury and neuronal loss in traumatic brain injury.
Ultrasound Imaging in Radiation Therapy: From Interfractional to Intrafractional Guidance

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is included in the treatment regimen of the majority of cancer patients. With the proliferation of hypofractionated radiotherapy treatment regimens, such as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), interfractional and intrafractional imaging technologies are becoming increasingly critical to ensure safe and effective treatment delivery. Ultrasound (US)-based image guidance systems offer real-time, markerless, volumetric imaging with excellent soft tissue contrast, overcoming the limitations of traditional X-ray or computed tomography (CT)-based guidance for abdominal and pelvic cancer sites, such as the liver and prostate. Interfractional US guidance systems have been commercially adopted for patient positioning but suffer from systematic positioning errors induced by probe pressure. More recently, several research groups have introduced concepts for intrafractional US guidance systems leveraging robotic probe placement technology and real-time soft tissue tracking software. This paper reviews various commercial and research-level US guidance systems used in radiation therapy, with an emphasis on hardware and software technologies that enable the deployment of US imaging within the radiotherapy environment and workflow. Previously unpublished material on tissue tracking systems and robotic probe manipulators under development by our group is also included.
Attribute and Positional Error in GIS Uncertain Environmental Variables in GIS Autocorrelation , Spatial

In many spatial data applications, the events at a location are highly influenced by the events at neighboring locations. In fact, this natural inclination of a variable to exhibit similar values as a function of distance between the spatial locations at which it is being measured is known as spatial dependence. Spatial autocorrelation is used to measure this spatial dependence. If the variable exhibits a systematic pattern in its spatial distribution, it is said to be spatially autocorrelated. The existence and strength of such interdependence among values of a specific variable with reference to a spatial location can be quantified as a positive, zero, or negative spatial autocorrelation. Positive spatial autocorrelation indicates that similar values or properties tend to be collocated, while negative spatial autocorrelation indicates that dissimilar values or properties tend to be near each other. Random patterns indicate zero spatial autocorrelation since independent, identically distributed random data are invariant with regard to their spatial location.
Inflammatory Markers and Risk of Hip Fracture in Older White Women: The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures

Hip fractures are the most devastating consequence of osteoporosis and impact 1 in 6 white women leading to a two‐ to threefold increased mortality risk in the first year. Despite evidence of inflammatory markers in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, few studies have examined their effect on hip fracture. To determine if high levels of inflammation increase hip fracture risk and to explore mediation pathways, a case‐cohort design nested in a cohort of 4709 white women from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures was used. A random sample of 1171 women was selected as the subcohort (mean age 80.1 ± 4.2 years) plus the first 300 women with incident hip fracture. Inflammatory markers interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and soluble receptors (SR) for IL‐6 (IL‐6 SR) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF SR1 and TNF SR2) were measured, and participants were followed for a median (interquartile range) of 6.3 (3.7, 6.9) years. In multivariable models, the hazard ratio (HR) of hip fracture for women in the highest inflammatory marker level (quartile 4) was 1.64 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–2.48, p trend = 0.03) for IL‐6 and 2.05 (95% CI, 1.35–3.12, p trend <0.01) for TNF SR1 when compared with women in the lowest level (quartile 1). Among women with 2 and 3–4 inflammatory markers in the highest quartile, the HR of hip fracture was 1.51 (95% CI, 1.07–2.14) and 1.42 (95% CI, 0.87–2.31) compared with women with zero to one marker(s) in the highest quartile (p trend = 0.03). After individually adjusting for seven potential mediators, cystatin‐C (a biomarker of renal function) and bone mineral density (BMD) attenuated HRs among women with the highest inflammatory burden by 64% and 50%, respectively, suggesting a potential mediating role. Older white women with high inflammatory burden are at increased risk of hip fracture in part due to poor renal function and low BMD. © 2014 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Foreign Exchange Interventions and their Impact on Exchange Rate Levels

This paper examines foreign exchange intervention practices and their effectiveness in containing currency appreciation, using a new qualitative and quantitative database for a panel of 15 economies covering 2004-2010, with special focus on Latin America. Qualitatively, it examines institutional aspects such as declared motives, instruments employed, the use of rules versus discretion, and the degree of transparency. Quantitatively, it assesses the effectiveness of sterilized interventions in influencing the exchange rate using a two-stage IV-panel data approach, which helps overcome endogeneity bias. Results suggest that interventions slow the pace of appreciation, but the effects decrease rapidly with the degree of capital account openness. At the same time, interventions are more effective in the context of already overvalued exchange rates.
A portable and efficient implementation of global constraints : the tree constraint case

Global constraints represent invaluable modeling tools fo r C nstraint Programming (CP). Efficiently solving recurrent subproble ms is a key point for CP successes. However, global constraints mainly remain st ro gly attached to a given constraint solver. Indeed, they heavily rely on inter al mechanisms in order to be as efficient as possible. In this paper, we emphasize the inter st of decoupling global constraint implementations from the underlyi ng solver. We show, on atree constraint, that even more decoupling it by providing fully dynamic algorithms enhances efficiency and, which is much more important , allow an efficient portability of the constraint. We illustrate this for the ChocoandGecodesolvers.
The Dynamics of the Norwegian Maritime Industry

What are the dynamics of the Norwegian maritime industry that have allowed Norway to be top competitor in the world maritime industry? Dynamics such as history, innovation, clusters, and institutions are visited through a multidisciplinary approach in order to provide a complete picture of Norway’s maritime industry. Furthermore, the Norwegian maritime industry has one world’s highest cost of labor and a strong regulatory regime, yet the industry is the third largest in the world. The thesis aims to provide insights into how and why Norway has become a world maritime leader. It is hypothesized that because of high wages and strong regulatory system in Norway there is an intensive “creative destruction” process creating incentives to innovate; hence, leading to economic growth in the Norwegian maritime industry.
Calcium levels in maternal milk: relationships with calcium intake during the third trimester of pregnancy

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship of Ca intake and serum Ca levels during the third trimester of pregnancy with levels of the same mineral in transition milk (days 13−14 of lactation) and mature milk (day 40 of lactation). The study subjects were a group of fifty-seven healthy, lactating mothers aged between 18 and 35 years (mean 27 (SD 3·7) years) whose pregnancies and labour were attended by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Cuenca INSALUD Hospital, Spain. Ca intake during the third trimester was determined by recording the consumption of foods over a 5 d period and by registering Ca provided by dietary supplements. The same method was used to investigate the intake of protein, vitamin D, fibre and Fe, nutrients that could affect the use of dietary Ca. Ca levels in maternal serum during this stage of pregnancy, during lactation and in transition and mature milk samples, were determined using 2-cresolphthalein complexone. During pregnancy 70·2% of subjects showed Ca intakes below 1100mg/d (75th percentile). The consumption of Ca supplements was very small and hardly modified the mean quantity supplied by the diet. Subjects with an intake < 1100mg/d showed no fall in Ca levels in serum, either during pregnancy or lactation, nor were decreased levels found in transition milk. However, these subjects showed lower Ca levels in mature milk (5·95 (SD 1·56) mmol/1) than did subjects with greater Ca intakes (6·82 (SD 1·31) mmol/1). This may suggest that breast-fed babies of mothers with lower Ca intakes during pregnancy also receive less Ca.
Neural minimal distance methods

Minimal distance methods are simple and in some circumstances highly accurate. In this paper relations between neural and minimal distance methods are investigated. Neural realization facilitates new versions of minimal distance methods. Parametrization of distance functions, distance-based weighting of neighbors, active selection of reference vectors from the training set and relations to the case-based reasoning are discussed.
Directional routing protocols for ad-hoc networks

A directional routing approach for multihop ad-hoc networks, is presented which has been applied to two on-demand routing protocols: namely dynamic source routing (DSR) and ad-hoc on-demand distance vector routing (AODV). Both DSR-based and AODV-based directional routing protocols are designed to balance the trade-off between co-channel interferences from nodes hops away and the total power consumed by all the nodes. In order to select the best route, three metrics are considered in the route discovery process. They consist of hop count, power budget and overlaps between adjacent beams. By exploiting the direction of directional antennas, both routing protocols are capable of reducing overlaps between beams of the nodes along the route, thus eliminating interference. Arbitrary networks and random networks are considered in the simulations. The results show considerable performance gains for transmission of real-time traffic over ad hoc networks.
Cuckoo Ring: BalancingWorkload for Locality Sensitive Hash

Locality sensitive hash (LSH) is widely used in peer-to-peer (P2P) systems. Although it can support range or similarity queries, it breaks the load balance mechanism of traditional distributed hash table (DHT) based system by replacing consistent hash with LSH. To solve the imbalance problem, current systems either weaken the locality preserve ability from similarity preserved to order preserved or adopt load aware peer join mechanism. The first method does not support similarity query as it loses the similarity information and the second method is greatly affected by the dynamic nature of P2P networks. In this paper, we propose a novel system, cuckoo ring, which can preserve similarity information while load balanced. It does not guide the newly joining peer to the hot areas but move the items in the hot areas to cold areas so that the short life time peers are distributed uniformly across the network instead of being guided to the hot areas. Compared to traditional DHT systems, cuckoo ring only maintains a little more information about the global light load peers and the moved indexed items
Continuous-time Infinite Dynamic Topic Models

Topic models are probabilistic models for discovering topical themes in collections of documents. In real world applications, these models provide us with the means of organizing what would otherwise be unstructured collections. They can help us cluster a huge collection into different topics or find a subset of the collection that resembles the topical theme found in an article at hand. The first wave of topic models developed were able to discover the prevailing topics in a big collection of documents spanning a period of time. It was later realized that these time-invariant models were not capable of modeling 1) the time varying number of topics they discover and 2) the time changing structure of these topics. Few models were developed to address this two deficiencies. The online-hierarchical Dirichlet process models the documents with a time varying number of topics. It varies the structure of the topics over time as well. However, it relies on document order, not timestamps to evolve the model over time. The continuous-time dynamic topic model evolves topic structure in continuous-time. However, it uses a fixed number of topics over time. In this dissertation, I present a model, the continuous-time infinite dynamic topic model, that combines the advantages of these two models 1) the online-hierarchical Dirichlet process, and 2) the continuous-time dynamic topic model. More specifically, the model I present is a probabilistic topic model that does the following: 1) it changes the number of topics over continuous time, and 2) it changes the topic structure over continuous-time. I compared the model I developed with the two other models with different setting values. The results obtained were favorable to my model and showed the need for having a model that has a continuous-time varying number of topics and topic structure.
Commissioning experience with the PEP-II low-level RF system

The low-level RF system for PEP-II is a modular design housed in a VXI environment and supported by EPICS. All signal processing and control is done at baseband using in-phase and quadrature (IQ) techniques. Remotely configurable RF feedback loops are used to control coupled-bunch instabilities driven by the accelerating mode of the RF cavities. A programmable DSP based feedback loop is implemented to control DC phase variations across the klystron and to adaptively cancel modulations caused by klystron power supply ripple at selected power line harmonics between 60 Hz and 10 kHz. The system contains a built-in baseband network analyzer which allows remote measurement of the RF feedback loop transfer functions and automated configuration of these loops. This paper presents observations and measured data from the system.
Using Java to implement a multimedia annotation environment for young children

The exceptional advent and dominance of interactive multimedia applications in our days has led to the need for their exploitation for educational, among many other, purposes. In this work, we present the design and implementation of a multimedia annotation environment for young children using the Java 2 Platform. This environment was developed to provide children of ages 4 to 8 with the opportunity to reflect upon and annotate episodes from their everyday life. Our aim was to exploit the recent technological developments in the field of multimedia and the processing capabilities of contemporary personal computers, in order to build an annotation environment where children would be able to add multimedia annotations to videos. Apart, from the environment itself, design choices, interface realization, platform limitations and emerging solutions as well as media handling methods and performance issues are also presented.
A hybrid generative/discriminative model based object tracking primary exploration

Based on analysis and discussion of object representation, a hybrid model based tracking by detection algorithm is presented as yet a primary exploration. The whole system is made of a learning-detecting two phase loop. Object model is built on a general Haar-like feature space which is automatically generated and extracted by a special random projection. Our proposed algorithm involves two type of methods for object modeling, one is to learn a transformation matrix by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) as the multi-view appearance model of the target object, and the other is to learn a classifier by Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis (FLD) as the classification between the foreground and the background. We extend the Fisher criterion to a multi-mode background situation, which is used to formulate features' discriminating power as feature weighting from the online captured positive/negative training data. In additionally, a two-stage detection is involved, in which all input samples firstly are tested by the learned FLD classifier to pick up candidates, then amongst candidates the maximum likelihood to the target template as the final detection result is searched for by PCA code matching. All generative model, discriminative model and target templates should online update due to appearance variation. A number of experiments illustrate that the proposed hybrid model based tracking algorithm does has advantages.