Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Survey on Extremal Problems of Eigenvalues

Given an integrable potential , the Dirichlet and the Neumann eigenvalues and of the Sturm-Liouville operator with the potential q are defined in an implicit way. In recent years, the authors and their collaborators have solved some basic extremal problems concerning these eigenvalues when the metric for q is given; . Note that the spheres and balls are nonsmooth, noncompact domains of the Lebesgue space . To solve these extremal problems, we will reveal some deep results on the dependence of eigenvalues on potentials. Moreover, the variational method for the approximating extremal problems on the balls of the spaces , will be used. Then the problems will be solved by passing . Corresponding extremal problems for eigenvalues of the one-dimensional p-Laplacian with integrable potentials have also been solved. The results can yield optimal lower and upper bounds for these eigenvalues. This paper will review the most important ideas and techniques in solving these difficult and interesting extremal problems. Some open problems will also be imposed.
A comparison of transport protocols in IPTV systems

Emerging IPTV services are challenging the IP based delivery infrastructure by imposing strong scalability, robustness, and synchronization requirements on multimedia transport. The current best practice is to use the transport and systems mechanism from the broadcast world like the MPEG2 transport stream (MP2T) [1]. The rationale behind this is to rely on well established concepts from broadcasting and apply them straight to the IP-world. On the other hand, there are protocols typically used in IP-based multimedia, like RTP [2], which are already in use in mobile multimedia broadcast. It is expected that both protocols will coexist in broadcast services in future, especially in IPTV. Therefore, a comparison is of high interest to understand more deeply which protocol is more appropriate in different situations, and what challenges are protocol gateways faced with.
The Impact of Soda Sales Taxes on Consumption: Evidence from Scanner Data

type="main" xml:id="coep12101-abs-0001"> Scientific evidence on the effect of sugar consumption on obesity has propelled policy makers in several states across the United States to propose the imposition of a tax on soft drinks sales. In this article, we look at the effect of two tax events: a 5.5% sales tax on soft drinks imposed by the state of Maine in 1991 and a 5% sales tax on soft drinks levied in Ohio in 2003. We investigate this question by using sales data collected by scanner devices in the two states, where soda taxes where enacted as well as on neighboring states. We employ a difference-in-difference matching estimator (DIDM) that, in our setting, permits the comparison among treatment and control groups based on brand identity. Results suggest that neither sales tax had a statistically significant impact on the consumption of soft drinks. This finding is robust to several alternative specifications . ( JEL D12, H22, C90, L66)
Responses of Cattle to Gastrointestinal Colonization by Escherichia coli O157:H7

ABSTRACT Recent research has established that the terminal rectum is the predominant colonization site of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cattle. The main aim of the present work was to investigate pathological changes and associated immune responses at this site in animals colonized with E. coli O157:H7. Tissue and gastrointestinal samples from a total of 22 weaned Holstein-cross calves challenged with E. coli O157:H7 were analyzed for bacterial colonization and pathology. Five unexposed age-matched calves were used as comparative negative controls. E. coli O157:H7 bacteria induced histopathological alterations of the rectal mucosa with enterocyte remodeling. This was often associated with removal of the colonized epithelial layer. Immunogold labeling and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed E. coli O157 bacteria on pedestals, as part of attaching and effacing lesions. These pathological changes induced a local infiltration of neutrophils that was quantified as larger in infected animals. Rectal mucosal immunoglobulin A responses were detected against the E. coli O157:H7 antigen. This work presents evidence that E. coli O157:H7 is not a commensal bacteria in the bovine host and that the mucosal damage produced by E. coli O157:H7 colonization of the terminal rectum induces a quantifiable innate immune response and production of specific mucosal antibodies.
Sex and Social Dominance Orientation: Sex-related invariance across cultures in an online role-playing game

This study examines the Social Dominance Orientation of players of the online role-playing game World of Warcraft. The World of Warcraft offers an opportunity to investigate social dominance and biological sex differences in an environment where there is no cultural dominance of one sex over another. Social Dominance Orientation has been found to be different between males and females, with males scoring higher. However, this might be the consequence of social context. To this end sex differences between male and female players were investigated in the World of Warcraft environment, as well as the effects of chosen character sex. Player sex and character sex were found to have effects on Social Dominance Orientation. These results add further support to claims that Social Dominance Orientation has the characteristics of a sexually selected disposition to acquire resources and out-compete rival groups.
Getting Started with Microbiome Analysis: Sample Acquisition to Bioinformatics

Historically, in order to study microbes, it was necessary to grow them in the laboratory. It was clear though that many microbe communities were refractory to study because none of the members could be grown outside of their native habitat. The development of culture‐independent methods to study microbiota using high‐throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene variable regions present in all prokaryotic organisms has provided new opportunities to investigate complex microbial communities. In this unit, the process for a microbiome analysis is described. Many of the components required for this process may already exist. A pipeline is described for acquisition of samples from different sites on the human body, isolation of microbial DNA, and DNA sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq sequencing platform. Finally, a new analytical workflow for basic bioinformatics data analysis, QWRAP, is described, which can be used by clinical and basic science investigators. Curr. Protoc. Hum. Genet. 82:18.8. 1‐18.8. 29. © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Bond, James Bond: a review of 46 years of violence in films.

outer percentiles with potential morbidity may be flawed if we use WHO standards. In a recent study from Norway and Belgium, proportions of the healthy children outside the 2 SDs of WHO standards were different than expected. Furthermore, Finnish children are 0.2 to 0.8 SD taller on average than the WHO standards. Thus, the concept of “similarity” of heights among children from different ethnic backgrounds is questionable because genetic differences have an impact on linear growth. Our study is, to our knowledge, the first to report the suboptimal accuracy of screening of a height disorder with the WHO standard in comparison with populationspecific reference. Further studies in other populations and with other growth disorders are warranted. Before implementing the WHO growth charts in height screening, their performance should ideally be tested in the population they are intended for.
Diabetes mellitus among Swedish art glass workers--an effect of arsenic exposure?

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to search for evidence of an association between occupational arsenic exposure and diabetes mellitus, as implied by the relation of this disease to arsenic in drinking water in a recent study from Taiwan. METHODS A case-referent analysis on death records of 5498 individuals in the art glass producing part of southeastern Sweden was performed. Out of all the enrolled subjects, 888 were glass workers. According to occupational title, glassblowers, foundry workers, and unspecified workers were regarded as potentially exposed to arsenic. Persons with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus either as an underlying or contributing cause of death were considered cases. Referents were decedents without any indication of cancer, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes. RESULTS A slightly elevated risk [Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio (MH-OR) 1.2, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.82-1.8] was found for diabetes mellitus among the glassworks employees, especially in combination with cardiovascular disease (MH-OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.81-2.3). For the glassblowers, other foundry workers and unspecified glassworkers probably exposed to arsenic, the M-H odds ratio was 1.4 (95% CI 0.92-2.2). Unspecified glass workers, who probably included persons with high exposure, carried the higher risk (MH-OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-2.8). CONCLUSIONS The observations from this study provide limited support for the possibility that occupational arsenic exposure could play a role in the development of diabetes mellitus. Many other metallic compounds are also used in art glass production, however, and there is a possibility of confounding.
Agricultural sustainability of small-scale farms in Lacluta, Timor Leste

The sustainability of Timor Leste's agriculture is being reassessed. However, efforts are often stymied by insufficient information on Timorese agriculture, particularly data generated with local input. This study described the agricultural sustainability of small-scale household farms in Lacluta sub-district of Timor Leste. Subsistence farmers (n = 50) were interviewed to identify/assess current practices and establish farmers' perspectives on sustainability. Agricultural sustainability was conceptualized as having four domains: Agronomic/Production, Economic, Environmental, and Social/Basic Human Needs, measured by individual indicators summated into indices on a scale of 0–1. Lacluta's overall agricultural sustainability was moderate (M = 0.42), while the Social/Basic Human Needs index (M = 0.64), the Agronomic/Production index (M = 0.42), the Economic index (M = 0.40), and the Environmental index (M = 0.20) varied widely. Farmers identified insect pests, rats/mice, and lack of soil fertility as the top production problems, and cited tractors, improved seeds, and general capacity-building as their largest production needs. Subjects practised shifting agriculture at high levels (78%), while only 46% utilized planned soil improvement. Data also showed a low ratio of 0.3–0.5 units of staple crops produced per unit purchased. The findings identified specific areas requiring greater sustainability for agricultural development.
Lender Penalty for Environmental Damage and the Equilibrium Cost of Capital

In a model of the lending relationship incorporating both adverse selection and moral hazard, the author shows that increasing the liability of lenders for environmental damage done by their borrowers has a qualitatively ambiguous impact upon interest rates. This calls into question the assertion of financial community representatives that such reform will necessarily drive up interest rates and have adverse macroeconomic consequences. If it is this fear that is preventing reform, then that reluctance may, in the case of many classes of pollutant, be misplaced. The implications of such reform for credit-rationing are also explored. Copyright 1996 by The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Toe Pressure Measurements Compared to Ankle Artery Pressure Measurements

The Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC)-recommended absolute toe pressure is < 30-50 mm Hg for definition of chronic critical limb ischemia (CLI). Toe pressures can be measured by different techniques. The authors analyzed the clinical use of the Doppler technique and an automatic device with optical sensors and estimated their value in docu mentation of chronic critical limb ischemia compared to ankle artery pressures. Three different investigations were performed: (1) In 16 healthy subjects the digital artery pressures were measured by using 3 different optical sensors (transmission, reflection, and microcirculation sensor) and compared to the systolic brachial pressure. (2) In 50 patients with and without peripheral arterial occlusive disease the toe pressures at digits 1 and 2 of both feet were determined by Doppler technique (8 MHz) and by optical sensors (cuff width constant 1.5 cm) and were compared to the ankle artery pressure determined by Doppler technique. (3) In 175 patients the toe pressures were measured at 1 toe and the ankle artery pressures were deter mined. In this group they estimated the clinical use of the toe pressure in regard to the defi nition of CLI (toe pressure <50 mm Hg) compared to the ankle pressure <70 mm Hg. The digital artery pressures measured with the different optical sensors, and the systolic brachial pressures were not significantly different and the correlation coefficients were around 0.7. In 21 of 50 patients the toe pressure at D1 and D2 could not be measured by Doppler technique because with the applied cuff no Doppler signal could be detected at the tip of the toe, but in 24 of these 29 patients the optical measurement was possible. Mean toe pressures at D1 were 108 ±45 mm Hg and D2 102 ±45 mm Hg, which were statistically not different. The correlation coefficient for the highest ankle artery pressure and the highest toe pressure determined by the Doppler technique was 0.389; for the highest ankle artery pressure and the toe pressure measured by the optical sensors it was 0.369, and for the toe pressures measured by Doppler technique and the optical sensors it was 0.506. Defining systolic ankle artery pressure ≤ 50 to 70 mm Hg as the golden standard for CLI, the sensitivity of optical toe pressure measurement for the detection of CLI was 8%, the specificity was 96%, the positive predictive value 12%, and the negative predictive value was 94%. Independent of technique the absolute systolic toe pressures did not correlate with the absolute systolic ankle pressures. The optical measurement was more suitable for toe pressure measurement because it could be used in 90% of all patients. All in all, toe pressure measurements are more useful to exclude CLI than to prove it.
On the lack of polymorphism in Aβ‐peptide aggregates derived from patient brains

The amyloid beta (Aβ) oligomers and fibrils that are found in neural tissues of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease may either cause or contribute to the pathology of the disease. In vitro, these Aβ‐aggregates are characterized by structural polymorphism. However, recent solid state NMR data of fibrils acquired post mortem from the brains of two Alzheimer's patients indicate presence of only a single, patient‐specific structure. Using enhanced molecular dynamic simulations we investigate the factors that modulate the stability of Aβ‐fibrils. We find characteristic differences in molecular flexibility, dynamics of interactions, and structural behavior between the brain‐derived Aβ‐fibril structure and in vitro models. These differences may help to explain the lack of polymorphism in fibrils collected from patient brains, and have to be taken into account when designing aggregation inhibitors and imaging agents for Alzheimer's disease.
Ethnic and population differences in the genetic predisposition to human obesity

Obesity rates have escalated to the point of a global pandemic with varying prevalence across ethnic groups. These differences are partially explained by lifestyle factors in addition to genetic predisposition to obesity. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the ethnic differences in the genetic architecture of obesity. Using examples from evolution, heritability, admixture, monogenic and polygenic studies of obesity, we provide explanations for ethnic differences in the prevalence of obesity. The debate over definitions of race and ethnicity, the advantages and limitations of multi‐ethnic studies and future directions of research are also discussed. Multi‐ethnic studies have great potential to provide a better understanding of ethnic differences in the prevalence of obesity that may result in more targeted and personalized obesity treatments.
Stable introduction of exogenous DNA into Trypanosoma brucei.

The lack of a homologous transformation system for trypanosomes is a serious handicap to the study of gene expression in these protozoans. Attempts to develop such a system have been complicated by the lack of suitable homologous vectors and ignorance of the requirements for mRNA synthesis which is discontinuous in trypanosomes. We have found that Trypanosoma congolense, a close relative of T. brucei, contains exceptionally small chromosomes, which can be isolated whole and distinguished from those of T. brucei by the presence of a unique satellite DNA. We show here that mini‐chromosomes from T. congolense can be introduced into T. brucei by electroporation and detected by hybridisation with T. congolense satellite DNA. The introduced DNA can survive through several generations in the absence of any selective pressure. These results provide the basis for the development of a transformation system for trypanosomes.
Capping Tax-Preferred Retirement Contributions: Preliminary Evidence of the Impact of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform Recommendations

In December 2010, the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform released their long-awaited document on federal debt reduction, “The Moment of Truth. ” Although their guiding principles and values (pages 13-14) specifically mention the need to keep America sound over the long run by implementing “policies today to ensure that future generations have retirement security, affordable health care, and financial freedom,” the document puts forth a tax reform plan that would modify retirement plans by capping annual “tax-preferred contributions to [the] lower of $20,000 or 20% of income” (page 31). This is often referred to as the “20/20 cap. ” Even if one were to ignore the potential interaction of the proposed limitations with the present values of accruals under defined benefit plans and/or the existing tax preferences available to some individual retirement account (IRA) contributions, this alternative formulation of capping tax-preferred contributions would substantially reduce the current limits available under qualified defined contribution (401(k)-type) plans. Currently, the combination of employee and employer contributions is the lesser of a dollar limit of at least $49,000 per year and a percentage limit of 100 percent of an employee’s compensation. This paper provides preliminary evidence of the impact of these “20/20 caps” on projected retirement accumulations under a set of assumptions explained in detail. New results from EBRI’s Retirement Security Projection Model™ (RSPM) show that the highest-income quartile within each age cohort would see the largest average percentage reduction in projected balances at retirement. However, for each age cohort other than the oldest one, the lowest-income quartile would see the second-highest average percentage reductions. Phrased another way, the proposed cap would, as expected, most affect the highest-income workers; but it also would cause a very big reduction in projected retirement accumulations for the lowest-income workers. While the results presented in this paper provide a first approximation of the potential impact of these constraints on workers, as well as the distribution of the impact by income, they do not tell the entire story. A follow-up study will also explore the likely impact of these constraints on retirement plan sponsor behavior and estimate the extent to which fewer employers would be willing to offer qualified defined contribution plans (especially among plans offered by small employers). The PDF for the above title, published in the July 2011 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another July 2011 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: “The Impact of the Recession on Employment-Based Health Benefits: The Case of Union Membership. ”
Block phase precoding for blind multiuser detection in QPSK/DS-CDMA systems

We address the problem of blind multiuser detection in DS/CDMA systems that employ QPSK data modulation. We show that by suitable precoding (modification) of the phase of the QPSK data at the transmitter (before spectrum spreading), it is possible to detect the data of any user blindly using only the knowledge of the preceding sequence, regardless of the power of the interferes. The proposed method can be seen as an extension to our earlier preceding approach for BPSK signals in AKS Al Bayati et al. (2004). However, the phase preceding/decoding operation of QPSK signals is a more challenging problem, especially in its decoding procedure. The proposed detection scheme has a deterministic nature and is therefore shown to provide performance advantage in the medium-to-high SNR region.
Uncovering the relationship and mechanisms of Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) and Type II diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia using a network pharmacology approach

Background Tartary buckwheat (TB), a crop rich in protein, dietary fiber, and flavonoids, has been reported to have an effect on Type II diabetes (T2D), hypertension (HT), and hyperlipidemia (HL). However, limited information is available about the relationship between Tartary buckwheat and these three diseases. The mechanisms of how TB impacts these diseases are still unclear. Methods In this study, network pharmacology was used to investigate the relationship between the herb as well as the diseases and the mechanisms of how TB might impact these diseases. Results A total of 97 putative targets of 20 compounds found in TB were obtained. Then, an interaction network of 97 putative targets for these compounds and known therapeutic targets for the treatment of the three diseases was constructed. Based on the constructed network, 28 major nodes were identified as the key targets of TB due to their importance in network topology. The targets of ATK2, IKBKB, RAF1, CHUK, TNF, JUN, and PRKCA were mainly involved in fluid shear stress and the atherosclerosis and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Finally, molecular docking simulation showed that 174 pairs of chemical components and the corresponding key targets had strong binding efficiencies. Conclusion For the first time, a comprehensive systemic approach integrating drug target prediction, network analysis, and molecular docking simulation was developed to reveal the relationships and mechanisms between the putative targets in TB and T2D, HT, and HL.
Genetic analysis of aromatic mutants of Salmonella typhimurium.

A N aromatic (aro) mutant of Escherichia coli may demand for its growth tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, para-aminobenzoic acid, para-hydroxybenzoic acid and a sixth unknown factor, or only the first two, three, four or five of these (DAVIS 1952a). Biochemical analyses of the aromatic pathway by several workers have indicated the possible presence of seven sequential steps leading to chorismic acid biosynthesis in E. coli (UMBARGER and DAVIS 1962; GIBSON and GIBSON 1964). Chorismic acid is then converted to the above aromatic end products by individual pathways (COTTON and GIBSON 1965; Cox and GIBSON 1964; GIBSON 1964; GIBSON, GIB~ON and Cox 1964). The genetic analysis of 89 aromatic mutants of Salmonella typhimurium presented here has shown that they represent mutations in five structural genes involved in chorismic acid biosynthesis. The mutants of each gene consist of those which require for growth two, three, four or five of the aromatic acids, as is the case in E. coli aro mutants (DAVIS 1952a; PITTARD and WALLACE 1966); also the variety of requirements among allelic mutants is related to mutational position within an aromatic gene. In addition to the aro mutants, phenylalanine-specific (phe) and tyrosine-specific ( t y r ) mutants were examined; only one locus was found for each of these classes.