Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive slowing associated with elevated serum anticholinergic activity in older individuals is decreased by caffeine use.

OBJECTIVES This study examined whether some of the age-associated decrements in basic cognitive resources (information-processing speed and working memory) result from anticholinergic medication use (as measured by serum anticholinergic activity [SAA]) and whether such decrements are lessened by caffeine. DESIGN Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING University medical center. PARTICIPANTS One hundred fifty-two normal-elderly community volunteers. MEASUREMENTS Two tests each of information-processing speed and of working memory were administered, and blood samples were drawn before and after cognitive testing to determine serum levels of anticholinergic activity and of paraxanthine-a caffeine metabolite. RESULTS Elevated SAA was associated with a significant but modest slowing in information-processing time but only in those individuals who had low levels of serum paraxanthine. SAA did not correlate with performance on tests of working memory. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that anticholinergic medications are a relatively minor contributor to the decrements in basic processing resources commonly found in studies of normal aging.
Evaluation of free Java-libraries for social-scientific agent based simulation

This paper compares four freely available programming libraries for support of social scientific agent based computer simulation: RePast, Swarm, Quicksilver, and VSEit. Our aim is evaluation to determine the simulation framework that is the best suited for theory and data based modeling of social interventions, such as information campaigns. Our first step consisted in an Internet search for programming libraries and the selection of suitable candidates for detailed evaluation on the basis of 'knock out' criteria. Next, we developed a rating system and assessed the selected simulation environments on the basis of the rating criteria. The evaluation was based on official program documentation, statements by developers and users, and the experiences and impressions of the evaluators. The evaluation results showed the RePast environment to be the clear winner. In a further step, the evaluation results were weighted according to effort/time/energy saved by social scientists by using the particular ready-made programming library as compared to doing their own programming. Once again, the weighted results show RePast to win out over the other Java based programming libraries examined.
Macaque blood‐derived antigen‐presenting cells elicit SIV‐specific immune responses

Natural blood‐borne antigen‐presenting cells (APCs) were tested for their ability to augment antigen presentation for SIV vaccines. Fibrocytes and monocyte‐derived dendritic cells (DCs) were isolated from multiple Macaca fascicularis. Macaque fibrocytes displayed the characteristic cellular morphology and stained positive for CD34 and collagen, as observed in human and murine fibrocytes. Macaque DCs were generated from monocytes by culturing in granulocyte–macrophage colony stimulating factor and interleukin‐4 (IL‐4). Two days after maturation, cells were enriched for the DC marker CD83. Fibrocytes and DCs were each transfected with green fluorescence protein expression plasmids or DNA expression vectors encoding all of the SIVmne structural and regulatory genes. Autologous DCs were re‐infused into macaques subcutaneously (sc) following transfection; mixing with recombinant SIV antigens or inactivated whole SIV in vitro; or mock‐treatment. Autologous monocyte‐derived DCs pulsed with whole inactivated SIV were re‐infused and elicited cellular and/or humoral responses in vivo in eight of ten vaccinated macaques.
Expansion of Effector Memory TCR Vβ4+CD8+ T Cells Is Associated with Latent Infection-Mediated Resistance to Transplantation Tolerance1

Therapies that control largely T cell-dependent allograft rejection in humans also possess the undesirable effect of impairing T cell function, leaving transplant recipients susceptible to opportunistic viruses. Prime among these opportunists are the ubiquitous herpesviruses. To date, studies are lacking that address the effect of viruses that establish a true latent state on allograft tolerance or the effect of tolerance protocols on the immune control of latent viruses. By using a mixed chimerism-based tolerance-induction protocol, we found that mice undergoing latent infection with γHV68, a murine γ-herpesvirus closely related to human γ-herpesviruses such as EBV and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, significantly resist tolerance to allografts. Limiting the degree of virus reactivation or innate immune response did not reconstitute chimerism in latently infected mice. However, γHV68-infected mice showed increased frequency of CD8+ T cell alloreactivity and, interestingly, expansion of virus-induced, alloreactive, “effector/effector memory” TCR Vβ4+CD8+ T cells driven by the γHV68-M1 gene was associated with resistance to tolerance induction in studies using γHV68-M1 mutant virus. These results define the viral gene and immune cell types involved in latent infection-mediated resistance to allograft tolerance and underscore the influence of latent herpesviruses on allograft survival.
Reliability and validity of the instrument used in BRFSS to assess physical activity.

INTRODUCTION State-level statistics of adherence to the physical activity objectives in Healthy People 2010 are derived from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. BRFSS physical activity questions were updated in 2001 to include domains of leisure time, household, and transportation-related activity of moderate- and vigorous intensity, and walking questions. This article reports the reliability and validity of these questions. METHODS The BRFSS Physical Activity Study (BPAS) was conducted from September 2000 to May 2001 in Columbia, SC. Sixty participants were followed for 22 d; they answered the physical activity questions three times via telephone, wore a pedometer and accelerometer, and completed a daily physical activity log for 1 wk. Measures for moderate, vigorous, recommended (i.e., met the criteria for moderate or vigorous), and strengthening activities were created according to Healthy People 2010 operational definitions. Reliability and validity were assessed using Cohen's kappa (kappa) and Pearson correlation coefficients. RESULTS Seventy-three percent of participants met the recommended activity criteria compared with 45% in the total U.S. population. Test-retest reliability (kappa) was 0.35-0.53 for moderate activity, 0.80-0.86 for vigorous activity, 0.67-0.84 for recommended activity, and 0.85-0.92 for strengthening. Validity (kappa) of the survey (using the accelerometer as the standard) was 0.17-0.22 for recommended activity. Validity (kappa) of the survey (using the physical activity log as the standard) was 0.40-0.52 for recommended activity. CONCLUSIONS The validity and reliability of the BRFSS physical activity questions suggests that this instrument can classify groups of adults into the levels of recommended and vigorous activity as defined by Healthy People 2010. Repeated administration of these questions over time will help to identify trends in physical activity.
Detection of Multiple Identity Manipulation in Collaborative Projects

Various techniques are used to manipulate users in OSN environments such as social spam, identity theft, spear phishing and Sybil attacks. In this article, we are interested in analyzing the behavior of multiple fake accounts that try to bypass the OSN regulation. In the context of social media manipulation detection, we focus on the special case of multiple Identity accounts (Sockpuppet) created on English Wikipedia (EnWiki). We set up a complete methodology spanning from the data extraction from EnWiki to the training and testing of our selected data using several machine learning algorithms. In our methodology we propose a set of features that grows on previous literature to use in automatic data analysis in order to detect the Sockpuppets accounts created on EnWiki. We apply them on a database of 10.000 user accounts. The results compare several machine learning algorithms to show that our new features and training data enable to detect 99\% of fake accounts, improving previous results from the literature.
Modeling and design of digital electronic systems

The paper is concerned with the modern methodologies for holistic modelling of electronic systems enabling system-on-chip design. The method deals with the functional modelling of complete electronic systems using the behavioral features of Hardware Description Languages or high level languages then targeting programmable devices — mainly Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) — for the rapid prototyping of digital electronic controllers. This approach offers major advantages such as: a unique modelling and evaluation environment for complete power systems, the same environment is used for the rapid prototyping of the digital controller, fast design development, short time to market, a CAD platform independent model, reusability of the model/design, generation of valuable IP, high level hardware/software partitioning of the design is enabled, Concurrent Engineering basic rules (unique EDA environment and common design database) are fulfilled. The recent evolution of such design methodologies is marked through references to case studies of electronic system modelling, simulation, controller design and implementation. Pointers for future trends / evolution of electronic design strategies and tools are given.
Toxicokinetics of riddelliine, a carcinogenic pyrrolizidine alkaloid, and metabolites in rats and mice.

Riddelliine is a representative pyrrolizidine alkaloid, a class of naturally occurring toxic phytochemicals present in plant species worldwide. Human exposure to pyrrolizidine alkaloids occurs through consumption of herbal dietary supplements, including comfrey, and through contaminated livestock products (e.g., milk). A recently completed 2-year bioassay of riddelliine carcinogenicity showed that male and female rats and male mice, but not female mice, developed liver tumors. The toxicokinetics of riddelliine and two metabolites, the N-oxide and retronecine, were determined in serum following an oral gavage dose in male and female rats and mice using a validated liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometric method. The results are consistent with extensive metabolism of riddelliine and its more polar metabolites prior to excretion. It is concluded that factors other than toxicokinetics are responsible for the observed species/sex specificity of gross toxicity or liver tumor induction in rats and mice.
A novel LPP fusion gene indicates the crucial role of truncated LPP proteins in lipomas and pulmonary chondroid hamartomas

The lipoma preferred partner (LPP) gene is fused to the high mobility group protein gene HMGIC in lipomas and pulmonary chondroid hamartomas. In addition, a fusion of LPP to the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene has been described in a case of acute myeloid leukemia. Herein, a novel LPP fusion transcript of LPP in a lipoma is described that points to the possible oncogenic potential of LPP.
Preparation and characterization of nickel‐spiked freshwater sediments for toxicity tests: Toward more environmentally realistic nickel partitioning

Two spiking methods were compared and nickel (Ni) partitioning was evaluated during a series of toxicity tests with 8 different freshwater sediments having a range of physicochemical characteristics. A 2‐step spiking approach with immediate pH adjustment by addition of NaOH at a 2:1 molar ratio to the spiked Ni was effective in producing consistent pH and other chemical characteristics across a range of Ni spiking levels. When Ni was spiked into sediment having a high acid‐volatile sulfide and organic matter content, a total equilibration period of at least 10 wk was needed to stabilize Ni partitioning. However, highest spiking levels evidently exceeded sediment binding capacities; therefore, a 7‐d equilibration in toxicity test chambers and 8 volume‐additions/d of aerobic overlying water were used to avoid unrealistic Ni partitioning during toxicity testing. The 7‐d pretest equilibration allowed excess spiked Ni and other ions from pH adjustment to diffuse from sediment porewater and promoted development of an environmentally relevant, 0.5‐ to 1‐cm oxic/suboxic sediment layer in the test chambers. Among the 8 different spiked sediments, the logarithm of sediment/porewater distribution coefficient values (log Kd) for Ni during the toxicity tests ranged from 3.5 to 4.5. These Kd values closely match the range of values reported for various field Ni‐contaminated sediments, indicating that testing conditions with our spiked sediments were environmentally realistic. Environ Toxicol Chem 2013;32:2482–2494. © 2013 SETAC
Dynamic DNA templates for discrete gold nanoparticle assemblies: control of geometry, modularity, write/erase and structural switching.

Nanoparticle assemblies hold great promise as new materials for catalysis, nanoelectronics, and nanophotonics applications. However, many of their properties, which depend on the relative arrangement of the particles within the assembly, are not sufficiently well-understood because of a lack of methods to systematically assemble them into well-defined discrete model systems. We here report a method which uses a minimal set of dynamic DNA templates to generate a large number of discrete gold nanoparticle assemblies. These assemblies are addressable in real time and can undergo structural switching and write/erase functions in response to external agents. More specifically, control of geometry is demonstrated by the facile creation of triangle and square gold nanoparticle assemblies; modularity is shown by positioning two different sizes of gold nanoparticles into all the possible triangular combinations; structural switching is established by the use of the same square template to selectively construct squ.
Channel GPS signal Time Update LOS Projections EKF GPS Receiver Measurement Update Correlator Code and Carrier Discriminators Code and Carrier Phase Accumulations

Accurate, reliable and robust GPS localization is desirable for many navigation applications. Unfortunately, it is challenging for a single GPS receiver to always provide accurate positioning solutions. In urban environments, intermittent signal availability leads to degraded GPS signal tracking and position estimation of the single GPS receiver. In addition, equipment malfunction of the single GPS receiver results in inaccurate navigation solutions. This paper presents a deeply-coupled Multi-Receiver Vector Tracking (MRVT) architecture that improves the reliability and robustness of GPS signal tracking and position estimation. MRVT jointly tracks GPS signals received by multiple GPS receivers, mitigating GPS signal tracking disruptions, improving the reliability of GPS localization in periods of intermittent signal availability. In addition, the MRVT receiver is more robust to equipment malfunctions than the single GPS receiver. We implemented a MRVT receiver using commercial radio frequency front ends and our PyGNSS software. We experimentally validated the reliability of our MRVT receiver in periods of intermittent GPS availability experienced in downtown San Francisco. Our MRVT receiver exhibited consistent GPS signal tracking and position estimation as compared to vector tracking. In addition, we experimentally validated the robustness of our MRVT receiver to the failure of a single GPS receiver.
Dynamic interference coordination with analytical near-optimal power allocation toward high user fairness

To mitigate interference on cell-edge users and improve fairness of the whole system, dynamic inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) is one of the promising solutions. However, traditional dynamic ICIC is considered as an NP-hard problem and power variability further adds another dimension to this joint optimization issue, making it even more difficult to quickly reach a near-optimal solution. Therefore, we theoretically obtain the closed-form expression of the near-optimal power allocation ratio for users in adjacent cells paired in the same resource block and interfere each other, so that the total utility corresponding to α-fairness is maximized. Dynamic ICIC using this closed-form solution could improve user fairness without causing an increment of the computational complexity. Numerical results show that, compared with the schemes using identical power for different users, our method does not obviously degrade the system's average spectral efficiency.
The price of gasoline and the demand for fuel economy : Evidence from monthly new vehicles sales data

This paper uses a unique data set of monthly new vehicle sales by detailed model from 19782007, and implements a new identification strategy to estimate the effect of the price of gasoline on consumer demand for fuel economy. We control for unobserved vehicle and consumer characteristics by using within model-year changes in the price of gasoline and vehicle sales. We find a significant demand response, as nearly half of the decline in market share of U.S. manufacturers from 2002-2007 was due to the increase in the price of gasoline. On the other hand, an increase in the gasoline tax would only modestly affect average fuel economy. * We thank seminar participants at the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, Resources for the Future and UCLA, participants at the International Industrial Organization Conference, the Midwest Economic Association and the Federal Reserve System Committee on Regional Analysis Meeting, as well as two anonymous referees for their very helpful comments. Taft Foster, Vincent Liu and Cristina Miller provided excellent research assistance.
RNA G-quadruplex secondary structure promotes alternative splicing via the RNA-binding protein hnRNPF

Here, Huang et al. investigated the role of RNA secondary structure in splicing regulation and show that RNA elements with G-quadruplex-forming capacity promote exon inclusion. Analysis of RNA-binding protein footprints revealed that G quadruplexes are enriched in hnRNPF-binding sites and near hnRNPF-regulated alternatively spliced exons in the human transcriptome, thus providing new insights into the regulation of alternative splicing.
Results of mass screening for breast cancer in 50,000 examinations

Detection of earlier breast cancer, especially in its preclinical stage, offers the only method available today for reducing mortality from this disease. The Health Insurance Plan study, conducted since 1963 under contract with the National Institutes of Health, has achieved a one‐third reduction in death rate in a study group compared to a matched control which has persisted in 7 years of follow‐up. The Guttman Institute, founded in 1968 to develop practical methods for large scale screening, is operating a tandem approach using interview, clinical examination, improved mammography, and thermography for greatest yield. Emphasis is placed on motivation to accept the examination, teaching and encouragement of breast self‐examination, and emphasis on periodic reexaminations. At the present time, almost 300 women receive this complete examination per day at the Institute's fixed facility. Periodic examination leads to marked increase in number of cancers detected free of axillary nodal involvement. The tandem approach emphasizes substantial percentage of cancers detected on only one modality, two‐thirds of which are without nodal involvement. Breast self‐examination is necessary to detect “interval” cancers in more localized stage.
Inductor current feedback control based active damping for high power PWM current source rectifier

Due to the inductor-capacitor filter, a pulse width modulation (PWM) current-source rectifier (CSR) may experience LC resonance. A smaller ratio between the switching frequency and the resonant frequency of the CSR presents a challenge in designing active resonance damping methods in high-power applications. In this paper, different feedback states of filter inductor current and capacitor voltage are investigated to damp out the LC resonances. Besides proportional capacitor-voltage feedback (CVF), the derivative inductor-current feedback (ICF) provides an alternative approach for active damping and is comprehensively analyzed. Compared with the virtual-resistance (VR) based active damping strategy, controller design is simpler in this method. The ICF based active damping strategy works well for current-source rectifiers with low switching frequencies. Simulation and experimental results verify the feasibility and validity of the method.
Customer ’ s Perceived Value to Use Mobile Banking Services

Perceived value is a subjective concept that differs among bank customers. Although a number of factors have been suggested as important to understand mobile banking usage, very little attention has been given in literature to exactly what constitutes the value of mobile banking system. The aim of this paper is to examine factors affecting the value held by bank customers toward the use of mobile banking services. This study may enable banks to develop a marketing strategic plan based on perceived value from the customer's point of view. KeywordsMental Accounting Theory; Mobile Banking; Perceived Value; UTAUT.
Cooperative Gesture Recognition - Learning Characteristics of Classifiers and Navigating the User to an Ideal Situation

This paper introduces a novel scheme of gesture interface that guides the user toward obtaining better performance and usability. The accuracy of gesture recognition is heavily affected by how the user makes postures and moves, as well as environmental conditions such as lighting. The usability of the gesture interface can potentially be improved by notifying the user of when and how better accuracy is obtained. For this purpose, we propose a method for estimating the performance of gesture recognition in its current condition, and a method for suggesting possible ways to improve performance to the user. In performance estimation, accuracy in the current condition is estimated based on supervised learning with a large number of samples and corresponding ground truths. If the estimated accuracy is insufficient, the module searches for better conditions that can be reached with the user’s cooperation. If a good improvement is possible, the way to improve is communicated to the user in terms of visual feedback, which shows how to avoid or how to recover from the undesirable condition. In this way, users benefit, i.e., better accuracy and usability, by cooperating with the gesture interface.
PF-Words : Biomedical Literature Based Protein Function Search

Proteins are large biological molecules whose functions support cellular processes necessary for life. The goal of this work is to leverage biomedical literature to identify the set of protein functions (PF) that are relevant to a free-text English query. This objective is beset by many challenges: paucity of relevant data, rapid growth of related but noisy data, multiple competing databases with incompatible nomenclature and classifications, and lack of a single authoritative ground truth, are but a few. To address the data scarcity and noise challenges we develop a classification based document selection approach that assembles a high quality document set that is used to infer the set of relevant PFs for the query. The actual PF relevance is estimated using two algorithms that we develop by adapting well established information retrieval and topic modeling techniques. To address the lack of single authoritative ground truth we propose an automated method that generates two definitions of the ground truth which reflect the upper and lower bounds on PF semantics. The conducted empirical evaluation confirms the efficacy of the proposed approaches (F1-score of 0.75 or higher), and illustrates the value of the developed supporting framework.