Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in Alanine Aminotransferase/ Aspartate Aminotransferase Ratio Are Associated with Changes in Insulin Resistance in Japanese Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Elderly Women

Liver marker {e.g., alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)} levels independently predict insulin resistance. The aim of the present study is to examine how changes in liver markers are associated with changes in insulin resistance after exercise in Japanese community-dwelling adults. The participants were 76 women aged 67 ± 6 years from a rural village. Nordic walk (NW) exercise of 120 min per week was performed for 12 weeks. Before and at the end of the 12-week intervention, various confounding factors and insulin resistance {e.g., Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)} were measured. The baseline, follow-up, and changes in ALT/AST ratio (β = 0.390, P β = 0.393, P β = 0.321, P = 0.004, respectively) were each significantly and independently associated with HOMA-IR. When the data were further stratified by baseline and change in ASL/AST ratio, changes in HOMA-IR decreased more significantly in participants with baseline ASL/AST ratio ≥ 0.762 and change in ALT/AST ratio of P = 0.002 and ASL/AST ratio ≥ 0.762, P = 0.047). This study is of interest because liver transaminase markers, which are inexpensive and routinely collected in clinical settings, may provide a simple and accurate enhancement to models currently used to identify subjects with changes in insulin resistance. These results suggest that a higher baseline and decreased change in ALT/AST ratio may be a predictor for decreased insulin resistance after a 12-week walking exercise in community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly women.
Durable and Energy Efficient In-Memory Frequent-Pattern Mining

It is a significant problem to efficiently identify the frequently occurring patterns in a given dataset, so as to unveil the trends hidden behind the dataset. This paper is motivated by the serious demands of a high-performance in-memory frequent-pattern mining strategy, with joint optimization over the mining performance and system durability. While the widely used frequent-pattern tree (FP-tree) serves as an efficient approach for frequent-pattern mining, its construction procedure often makes it unfriendly for nonvolatile memories (NVMs). In particular, the incremental construction of FP-tree could generate many unnecessary writes to the NVM and greatly degrade the energy efficiency, because NVM writes typically take more time and energy than reads. To overcome the drawbacks of FP-tree on NVMs, this paper proposes evergreen FP-tree (EvFP-tree), which includes a lazy counter and a minimum-bit-altered (MBA) encoding scheme to make FP-tree friendly for NVMs. The basic idea of the lazy counter is to greatly eliminate the redundant writes generated in FP-tree construction. On the other hand, the MBA encoding scheme is to complement existing wear-leveling techniques to evenly write each memory cell to extend the NVM lifetime. As verified by experiments, EvFP-tree greatly enhances the mining performance and system lifetime by 40.28% and 87.20% on average, respectively. And EvFP-tree reduces the energy consumption by 50.30% on average.
Ultrasonic Lens Based on a Subwavelength Slit Surrounded by Grooves

The lensing capabilities of a single subwavelength slit surrounded by a finite array of grooves milled into a brass plate is presented. The modulation of the beam intensity of this ultrasonic lens can be adjusted by varying the groove depth. Numerical simulations as well as experimental validations at 290 kHz are shown. The experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical simulations. This system is believed to have potential applications for medical ultrasound fields such as tomography and therapy.
The Effects of Brexit on the Pound: Towards a Currency Crisis?

The decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (Brexit) after 43 years caused turmoil in exchange rate and global stock markets. More specifically, the pound relative to the dollar has lost close to 15 percent of its value in the weeks after the decision for Brexit. In this paper we attempt to examine whether this sudden depreciation of the (pound-dollar) exchange rate is the reaction of market participants to the Brexit or whether the exodus of U.K. for the EU had little impact on the exchange rate. In doing so, we train linear and nonlinear econometric and machine learning models and evaluate out-of-sample forecasts of the exchange rate and its realized volatility in the pre- and post-Brexit period. We quantify uncertainty caused by the Brexit according to an index based on news related to economic uncertainty. We argue that in daily forecasting horizon our models adhere closely to the evolution of the exchange rate and that most of the depreciation is based on Brexit.
A photonic neuromorphic computational primitive for complex high bandwidth signal processing

The photonic computational primitive presented in this paper is the first all optical implementation of a spiking leaky integrate and fire (LIF) neuron. Due to its hybrid analog/digital nature it is capable of overcoming both the noise problems of purely analog optical devices and the limited computational capabilities of individual digital optical devices. It is possible to chain together large numbers of these devices, each individually capable of significant computation, to implement far more complex computations on high bandwidth signals than is currently possible. This device represents both a technology capable of scaling the complexity of computations that can be performed on high-bandwidth signals, and a contribution to the nacent field of photonic neuromorphic engineering. This technology applies to a wide range of avionics applications in which data bandwidth is too high or the response delay too short for electronic processing.
Idiopathic eosinophilic esophagitis in adults: the ringed esophagus.

PURPOSE To retrospectively assess the findings of idiopathic eosinophilic esophagitis (IEE) at barium studies and determine the frequency of the ringed esophagus in patients with this condition. MATERIALS AND METHODS The institutional review board approved all aspects of this retrospective study and did not require informed consent from patients whose records were included in the study. The study was compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. A review of the pathology and radiology databases at the authors' institution revealed 14 patients (11 men and three women; mean age, 41.3 years) with IEE (defined as more than 20 eosinophils per high-power field in biopsy specimens) who had undergone barium studies and endoscopy. The radiographs were reviewed for strictures, esophagitis, or other abnormalities. The endoscopic reports, clinical records, and laboratory data were also reviewed and compared with the radiographic findings. RESULTS Seven of the 14 patients (50%) had a history of allergies, and two of nine patients with complete blood cell counts (22%) had peripheral eosinophilia. Thirteen patients (93%) had dysphagia, six (43%) had food impactions, and six (43%) had reflux symptoms. Ten patients (71%) had a total of 11 strictures at barium studies (two in the upper part of the esophagus, two in the middle part, three in the distal part, one in the middle and distal parts, and three at the gastroesophageal junction). The strictures had a mean length of 5.1 cm. In seven patients (50%), the strictures contained multiple fixed ringlike indentations that produced a ringed esophagus. The ringlike indentations appeared as multiple, fixed, closely spaced, concentric rings traversing the stricture. Four patients (28%) had esophagitis. Of 13 patients who underwent recumbent imaging, 10 (77%) had hiatal hernias and nine (69%) had reflux. Eight of the 10 patients (80%) with strictures underwent endoscopic dilation procedures, which resulted in only temporary relief of dysphagia. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that most patients with IEE have esophageal strictures, often with distinctive ringlike indentations that produce a ringed esophagus.
What drives rural out-migration? Insights from Kosovo

ABSTRACT Drawing on household, network and relative deprivation models of migration, this paper empirically tests the probability to migrate utilising data for agricultural households in Kosovo (circa 13,500 observations). We identify the determinants of the propensity to migrate and length of migration in the previous year, considering gender-related differences. The results reveal the significance of household/personal characteristics, farm characteristics and network effects on the propensity to migrate and length of migration in the previous year. However, we find no significant effect of relative deprivation on the propensity to migrate and length of migration. While education has a strong, positive effect on migration by women, this is not the case for men. Unprofitability and a lack of inputs, manpower and equipment, causing farmland to be left uncultivated, also stimulate out-migration.
Bacterial chemotaxis toward a NAPL source within a pore‐scale microfluidic chamber

Chemotaxis toward chemical pollutants provides a mechanism for bacteria to migrate to locations of high contamination, which may improve the effectiveness of bioremediation. A microfluidic device was designed to mimic the dissolution of an organic‐phase contaminant from a single pore into a larger macropore representing a preferred pathway for microorganisms that are carried along by groundwater flow. The glass windows of the microfluidic device allowed direct image analysis of bacterial distributions within the vicinity of the organic contaminant. Concentrations of chemotactic bacteria P. putida F1 near the organic/aqueous interface were 25% greater than those of a nonchemotactic mutant in the vicinity of toluene for a fluid velocity of 0.5 m/d. For E. coli responding to phenol, the bacterial concentrations were 60% greater than the controls, also at a velocity of 0.5 m/d. Velocities in the macropore were varied over a range from 0.5 to 10 m/d, the lower end of which is typical of groundwater velocities. The accumulation of chemotactic bacteria near the NAPL chemoattractant source decreased as the fluid velocity increased. Good agreement between computer‐based simulations, generated using reasonable values of the model parameters, and the experimental data for P. putida strains confirmed the contribution due to chemotaxis. The experimental data for E. coli required a larger chemotactic sensitivity coefficient than that for P. putida, which was consistent with parameter values reported in the literature. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:1622–1628. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Validity of the alcohol use disorders identification test in college students.

BACKGROUND High-risk alcohol use among college students is associated with accidents, partner violence, unwanted sexual encounters, tobacco use, and performance issues. The identification and treatment of high-risk drinking students is a priority for many college campuses and college health centers. The goal of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in college students. METHODS A convenience sample of students coming into a college health clinic was asked to complete the 10-question AUDIT and then participate in a research interview. The interview focused on assessing students for alcohol abuse and dependence by using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Substance Abuse Module and timeline follow-back procedures to assess a 28-day drinking history. RESULTS A total of 302 students met the eligibility criteria and agreed to participate in the study. The sample consisted of 185 females (61%) and 117 males (39%), with a mean age of 20.3 years. Forty students were abstinent, 88 were high-risk drinkers, and 103 met criteria for a 12-month history of dependence. Receiver operator curves demonstrated that the AUDIT had the highest area under the cure for detecting high-risk alcohol use (0.872) and the lowest for identifying persons with a lifetime history of alcohol abuse or dependence (0.775). An AUDIT cutoff score of 6 or greater demonstrated a sensitivity of 91.0% and a specificity of 60.0% in the detection of high-risk drinkers. CONCLUSIONS The AUDIT has reasonable psychometric properties in sample of college students using student health services. This study supports the use of the AUDIT in this population.
Assessment of global functioning in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: Utility of the Developmental Disability–Child Global Assessment Scale

Assessment of global functioning is an important consideration in treatment outcome research; yet, there is little guidance on its evidence-based assessment for children with autism spectrum disorders. This study investigated the utility and validity of clinician-rated global functioning using the Developmental Disability–Child Global Assessment Scale in a sample of higher functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and comorbid anxiety disorders enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (n = 30). Pretreatment Developmental Disability–Child Global Assessment Scale scores correlated with severity of autism spectrum disorders core symptoms (r = −.388, p = .034), pragmatic communication (r = .407, p = .032), and verbal ability (r = .449, p = .013) and did not correlate with severity of anxiety symptoms or with parent-reported adaptive behavior. Change in Developmental Disability–Child Global Assessment Scale scores during treatment was associated with autism spectrum disorders symptomatic improvement (r = .414, p = .040) and with improved general communication (r = .499, p = .013). Results support the importance of assessing global functioning in addition to symptom change and treatment response in clinical trials.
Advancements in generalized immittance based stability analysis of DC power electronics based distribution systems

Stability is an important design consideration in power electronics based power systems such as those on electric ships. Generalized immittance based stability analysis is one approach to addressing this design consideration. In this paper, refinements to the generalized immittance based stability analysis approach are proposed. This include the introduction of Root Exponential Stability Criterion which offers improved numerical robustness, and an admittance allocation algorithm which can be used to formulate admittance specifications on the individual loads on a common bus.
Audited Financial Reporting and Voluntary Disclosure: International Evidence on Management Earnings Forecasts

In this paper, we extend prior research on the link between audited financial reporting and voluntary disclosure by examining international differences in the relationship between commitment to higher levels of audit verification of actual financial outcomes and management earnings forecasts (our proxy for voluntary disclosure), using firm‐level data from 30 non‐US countries. Our evidence that commitment to higher levels of audit verification (proxied by the choice of a Big 4 auditor, the amount of audit fees, and excess audit fees) is positively associated with the incidence and frequency of management forecasts, and with stock market reactions to such forecasts, supports the notion that audited financial reporting and voluntary disclosure of managers' private information are complements in countries around the world. We further find that the relation between audited financial reporting and management earnings forecasts is weaker for firms in countries with relatively stronger capital market development or with higher levels of investor protection, suggesting that audited financial reporting plays a more important complementary role in voluntary disclosure in countries with less‐developed institutions. Overall, our findings suggest that firm‐level commitment to better audited financial reporting and the strength of country‐level institutional characteristics play substitute roles in corporate voluntary disclosure decisions.
Willingness to use HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis and the likelihood of decreased condom use are both associated with unprotected anal intercourse and the perceived likelihood of becoming HIV positive among Australian gay and bisexual men

Objectives To investigate willingness to use HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and the likelihood of decreased condom use among Australian gay and bisexual men. Methods A national, online cross-sectional survey was conducted in April to May 2011. Bivariate relationships were assessed with χ2 or Fisher's exact test. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess independent relationships with primary outcome variables. Results Responses from 1161 HIV-negative and untested men were analysed. Prior use of antiretroviral drugs as PrEP was rare (n=6). Just over a quarter of the sample (n=327; 28.2%) was classified as willing to use PrEP. Willingness to use PrEP was independently associated with younger age, having anal intercourse with casual partners (protected or unprotected), having fewer concerns about PrEP and perceiving oneself to be at risk of HIV. Among men who were willing to use PrEP (n=327), only 26 men (8.0%) indicated that they would be less likely to use condoms if using PrEP. The likelihood of decreased condom use was independently associated with older age, unprotected anal intercourse with casual partners (UAIC) and perceiving oneself to be at increased risk of HIV. Conclusions The Australian gay and bisexual men the authors surveyed were cautiously optimistic about PrEP. The minority of men who expressed willingness to use PrEP appear to be appropriate candidates, given that they are likely to report UAIC and to perceive themselves to be at risk of HIV.
Interventionist Research in Accounting: Reflections on the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Our paper advances understanding of interventionist research (IVR) as a qualitative accounting research approach. It reflects on the potential value, challenges and key issues, as manifested by the good, the bad and the ugly. The reflection contributes towards clarifying the IVR landscape, thereby forging a future path for IVR as a legitimate qualitative methodology, to enthuse qualitative researchers to produce accounting research relevant to theory, practice and society. The primary contribution is synthesising the interventionist theory and practice literature encompassing a view of the good, the bad and the ugly in interventionist accounting research.
The Role of Dynamic Pricing and Dynamic Bundling on Unfairness Pricing Perceptions

This study aims to analyze the influence of dynamic pricing and dynamic bundling on the unfairness pricing perception which ultimately determines the level of general authority in buying a product / service. 340 respondents were made as samples after going through the screening process. The results of the analysis found that dynamic pricing has a significant effect on the unfairness pricing perception. Second, dynamic bundling has no significant effect on the unfairness pricing perception. Third, unfairness pricing perceptions caused by dynamic pricing have no significant effect on satisfaction. Finally, the unfairness pricing perception caused by dynamic bundling has a significant effect on satisfaction.
TRA-1-60+, SSEA-4+, POU5F1+, SOX2+, NANOG+ Clones of Pluripotent Stem Cells in the Embryonal Carcinomas of the Testes.

INTRODUCTION Cancer of the testes is currently the most frequent neoplasm and a leading cause of morbidity in men 15-35 years of age. Its incidence is increasing. Embryonal carcinoma is its most malignant form, which either may be resistant or may develop resistance to therapies, which results in relapses. Cancer stem cells are hypothesized to be drivers of these phenomena. SPECIFIC AIM The specific aim of this work was identification and isolation of spectra of single, living cancer stem cells, which were acquired directly from the patients' biopsies, followed by testing of their pluripotency. PATIENTS METHODS Biopsies were obtained from the patients with the clinical and histological diagnoses of the primary, pure embryonal carcinomas of the testes. The magnetic and fluorescent antibodies were genetically engineered. The SSEA-4 and TRA-1-60 cell surface display was analyzed by multiphoton fluorescence spectroscopy (MPFS), flow cytometry (FCM), immunoblotting (IB), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMRS), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDXS), and total reflection x-ray spectroscopy (TRXFS). The single, living cells were isolated by magnetic or fluorescent sorting followed by their clonal expansion. The OCT4A, SOX2, and NANOG genes' transcripts were analyzed by qRTPCR and the products by IB and MPFS. RESULTS The clones of cells, with the strong surface display of TRA-1-60 and SSEA-4, were identified and isolated directly from the biopsies acquired from the patients diagnosed with the pure embryonal carcinomas of the testes. These cells demonstrated high levels of transcription and translation of the pluripotency genes: OCT4A, SOX2, and NANOG. They formed embryoid bodies, which differentiated into ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. CONCLUSION In the pure embryonal carcinomas of the testes, acquired directly from the patients, we identified, isolated with high viability and selectivity, and profiled the clones of the pluripotent stem cells. These results may help in explaining therapy-resistance and relapses of these neoplasms, as well as, in designing targeted, personalized therapy.
Neurotoxin-Induced Catecholaminergic Loss in the Colonic Myenteric Plexus of Rhesus Monkeys.

OBJECTIVE Constipation is a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD). Although pathology of the enteric nervous system (ENS) has been associated with constipation in PD, the contribution of catecholaminergic neurodegeneration to this symptom is currently debated. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) on the colonic myenteric plexus and shed light on the role of catecholaminergic innervation in gastrointestinal (GI) function. METHODS Proximal colon tissue from 6-OHDA-treated (n=5) and age-matched control (n=5) rhesus monkeys was immunostained and quantified using ImageJ software. All animals underwent routine daily feces monitoring to assess for constipation or other GI dysfunction. RESULTS Quantification of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC)-immunoreactivity (-ir) revealed significant reduction in myenteric ganglia of 6-OHDA-treated animals compared to controls (TH-ir: 87.8%, P<0.0001; AADC-ir: 61.7% P=0.0034). Analysis of pan-neuronal markers (PGP9.5, HuC/D), other neurochemical phenotypes (VIP, nNOS), PD-associated pathology proteins (α-synuclein, phosphorylated α-synuclein), glial marker GFAP and neuroinflammation and oxidative stress (HLA-DR, CD45, Nitrotyrosine) did not show significant differences. Monitoring of feces revealed frequent (>30% days) soft stool or diarrhea in 2 of the 5 6-OHDA-treated animals and 0 of the 5 control animals during the 2 months prior to necropsy, with no animals exhibiting signs of constipation. CONCLUSION Systemic administration of 6-OHDA to rhesus monkeys significantly reduced catecholaminergic expression in the colonic myenteric plexus without inducing constipation. These findings support the concept that ENS catecholaminergic loss is not responsible for constipation in PD.