Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can partial least squares regression separate the effects of body size and growth on later blood pressure?: Partial least squares regression.

It has long been known that nutrition in early life can “program” an individual’s development and hence their fitness for their adult environment. However, in the past 20 years there has been controversy as to exactly how particular patterns of early growth might predispose to later adverse outcomes. Back in 1989 Barker et al showed that low birth weight and weight in the first year were predictive of later ischemic heart disease. They interpreted this as an effect of maternal pregnancy undernutrition on fetal growth, reducing birth weight and increasing the risk of heart disease in later life. It came to be known as the fetal origins of adult disease hypothesis, and was extended not only to heart disease but also to hypertension and type II diabetes. Clearly this is of considerable public health importance, for if true, it implies that measures to improve pregnancy nutrition should also reduce chronic disease mortality in the offspring. However, the hypothesis has been controversial, implying as it does that fetal life is the only period when nutrition might program later outcome, and that postnatal growth and nutrition are thus largely irrelevant. The fetal case was strengthened by subsequent articles showing that the association between birth weight and later adverse outcome was stronger if the outcome was adjusted for later weight, as heavier adults tended to be less healthy. Against this, Lucas et al considered in detail the linear regression of outcome on birthweight and showed that including an adjustment for current weight was algebraically equivalent to adjusting for weight gain since birth. Weight gain here meant change in weight for age, ie, change in weight z-score or centile. So upward weight centile crossing since birth was associated with adverse later outcome. This was a surprising conclusion; it implied that postnatal growth was at least as important as birth weight and fetal growth for determining later outcome. The contrast in public health terms between the 2 interpretations could not be more stark: the fetal view that policy should aim to improve maternal nutrition in pregnancy against the postnatal view that excess weight gain in the child should be minimized. The problem is that the same data can be interpreted either way.
A mutual-capacitive touch sensor ROIC using a PLL to reduce LCD noise by synchronizing ROIC TX clock to LCD clock

A 52.9 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was achieved in a touch sensor read-out integrated circuit (ROIC) with a 14×16 touch sensor panel (TSP) on a 7.9" liquid crystal display (LCD). Three schemes are proposed in the ROIC to enhance SNR. The first scheme enhances SNR by 14.5 dB by reducing the effect of the LCD display noise; the TSP driving signal (VSTM) frequency is synchronized to (n+0.5) times the gate-driver-pulse generating signal (GCLK) frequency of a LCD by using a digital dual-loop phase-locked-loop (PLL). The second scheme enhances SNR by 4.4 dB by reducing the low frequency noise such as human induced noise; the ROIC output noise is measured with no TSP driving signal at the start of every touch frame and stored in a noise memory, and then the measured noise is subtracted from the measured ROIC output signal during the touch frame. The third scheme enhances SNR by 11.3 dB by employing the delay control of the clock signal that is applied to the chopper circuit of the ROIC receiver.
Tunable microstrip filter with piezo-moved ground electrode

New principle of microstrip resonators and filters tuning is developed and studied. Realized idea is the operation by the effective dielectric constant (/spl epsiv//sub eff/) of substrate using piezo-control. For that, between substrate and ground electrode a narrow air gap (/spl Delta/) is created, and its size is controlled by the piezoelectric plate. The change in /spl epsiv//sub eff/(/spl Delta/) leads to the variation of filter resonant frequency while quality factor is preserved.
Time‐dependent inactivation of immobilized glucose oxidase and catalase

Homogeneous membranes containing immobilized glucose oxidase and catalase were stored in buffered solutions at 37°C to determine the mechanisms and rates of catalyst inactivation. The experiments were designed so that inactivation occurred homogeneously throughout the membrane, thereby simplifying the analysis. The mechanism of inactivation is consistent with the reaction of hydrogen peroxide and certain catalytic intermediates of both enzymes. Based on this information, numerical simulations were developed that incorporate spatially heterogeneous catalytic and inactivation processes.
Distributed power allocation for efficient inter-cell interference management in multi-cell OFDMA systems

In this paper, we present a new power allocation algorithm called distributed inter-cell power allocation (DIPA) that improves the throughput-fairness trade-off without inter-BS coordination for multi-cell OFDMA systems in fast time-varying environment. In order to preclude the affection of instantaneous channel variation, the DIPA is designed to operate in large time scale (or super-frame) based on the long-term average channel condition, as opposed to the user scheduling which is done in short time scale (or frame) based on the short-term instantaneous channel condition. In addition, to reflect the channel conditions of the multiple users, the DIPA is designed to determine the power allocation preferred by each user individually by using a simplified version of the water-filling scheme and then incorporate the individual power allocations into one policy. According to computer simulations the DIPA algorithm turns out to improve both the cell throughput and cell-boundary users' throughput, and increase the performance gain in the practical systems having irregular cell configuration.
Inhibitory effect of erythromycin on potassium currents in rat ventricular myocytes in comparison with disopyramide

Disopyramide, a class la antiarrhythmic agent, has been reported to induce torsades de pointes (TdP) associated with excessive QT prolongation in electrocardiogram (ECG), especially when concomitantly administered with erythromycin, a macrolide antibiotic agent. In this study, we have evaluated the effects of erythromycin on action potential duration (APD) and potassium currents in rat ventricular myocytes in comparison with disopyramide. We have evaluated the relationship between in‐vitro potassium current inhibition and in‐vivo QT prolongation observed in a previous study. Action potentials and membrane potassium currents, including delayed rectifier current (IK) and transient outward current (Ito), were recorded using a whole‐cell patch clamp method in enzymatically‐dissociated ventricular cells. Erythromycin and disopyramide prolonged APD in a concentration‐dependent manner. Disopyramide (10–100 μm) and erythromycin (100 μm) led to increases in the APD at 90% repolarization level. Disopyramide reduced IK (IC50 = 37.2 + 0.17 μm) and Ito (IC50 = 20.9 + 0.13 μm) while erythromycin reduced IK (IC50 = 60.1 + 0.29 μm) but not Ito. The observed prolongation of APD might be ascribed to the inhibition of potassium currents. Erythromycin produced the prolongation of APD and the inhibition of potassium currents with a lag time after addition of the drugs, which suggested that erythromycin might not reach potassium channels from outside the ventricular cells. The potency of disopyramide was almost equivalent under in‐vitro and in‐vivo conditions. However, potency of erythromycin in‐vitro was far weaker than that in‐vivo reported in a previous study, presumably due to a difference in the uptake of erythromycin into ventricular myocytes between in‐vivo and in‐vitro conditions. Therefore, when drug‐induced risks of QT prolongation are to be evaluated, the difference of potencies between in‐vitro and in‐vivo should be taken into consideration.
The influence of serial prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) screening on the PSA velocity at diagnosis

A prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) velocity (PSAV) >2 ng/mL during the year before diagnosis has been associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer‐specific mortality (PCSM) after radical prostatectomy (RP) or radiation therapy. The objective of the current study was to examine whether the proportion of men with a PSAV >2 ng/mL per year has changed significantly during the PSA era.
New insights into an old story

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can exhibit negative and benign traits. In plants, ROS levels increase markedly during periods of environmental stress, and defense against pathogen attack. ROS form naturally as a by-product of normal oxygen metabolism, and evenly play an essential role in cell growth. The short ROS lifespan makes them ideal molecules to act in cell signaling, a role they share in both plants and animals. A particular plant organism, the pollen grain, may closely interact with human mucosa and an allergic inflammatory response often results. Pollen grain ROS represent a first, crucial signal which primes and magnifies a cascade of events in the allergic response.
The sequence of the single 16S rRNA gene of the thermophilic eubacterium Rhodothermus marinus reveals a distant relationship to the group containing Flexibacter, Bacteroides, and Cytophaga species

Rhodothermus marinus, a gram-negative heterotrophic marine thermophile, has been the subject of several recent studies. Isolation, sequencing, and analyses of a 16S rRNA gene have shown that R. marinus diverges sharply from major bacterial phyla and is most closely allied to the Flexibacter-Cytophaga-Bacteroides group. Further analyses revealed that the R. marinus chromosome contains a single rRNA operon with a 16S-23S intergenic region coding for tRNA(Ile) and tRNA(Ala).
Dietary supplement use and colorectal cancer risk: A systematic review and meta‐analyses of prospective cohort studies

Use of dietary supplements is rising in countries where colorectal cancer is prevalent. We conducted a systematic literature review and meta‐analyses of prospective cohort studies on dietary supplement use and colorectal cancer risk. We identified relevant studies in Medline, Embase and Cochrane up to January 2013. Original and peer‐reviewed papers on dietary supplement use and colorectal cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer incidence were included. “Use‐no use”(U‐NU), “highest‐lowest”(H‐L) and “dose‐response”(DR) meta‐analyses were performed. Random‐effects models were used to estimate summary estimates. In total, 24 papers were included in the meta‐analyses. We observed inverse associations for colorectal cancer risk and multivitamin (U‐NU: RR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.87,0.97) and calcium supplements (U‐NU: RR = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.79,0.95; H‐L: RR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.70,0.92; DR: for an increase of 100 mg/day, RR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.94,0.99). Inconsistent associations were found for colon cancer risk and supplemental vitamin A and vitamin C, and for colorectal cancer risk and supplemental vitamin D, vitamin E, garlic and folic acid. Meta‐analyses of observational studies suggest a beneficial role for multivitamins and calcium supplements on colorectal cancer risk, while the association with other supplements and colorectal cancer risk is inconsistent. Residual confounding of lifestyle factors might be present. Before recommendations can be made, an extensive assessment of dietary supplement use and a better understanding of underlying mechanisms is needed.
MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION IN KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE IN THE UNITED STATES AT THE START OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Understanding how mathematics is taught in the classroom is an important first step in connecting mathematics instruction to student learning. This study sheds light on mathematics teaching in kindergarten and first grade—the grades at which initial understandings, as well as obstacles to later progress, begin to emerge. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) survey, we consider (i) how much time teachers spend on mathematics on days when they teach this subject, (ii) the content of mathematics instruction, and (iii) the pedagogical techniques used. We find that time spent on mathematics instruction, content coverage, and pedagogical techniques varies between teachers as a function of school location and type, classroom composition, and a range of teacher attributes that includes demographics, preparation, level of effort, and professional development activities.
Real-time optimal control of moving vehicles in changing environments

Abstract An optimal control approach to vehicle motion control in dynamic environments including moving obstacles is presented along with a numerical optimization algorithm for calculation of the optimal control trajectories. Low computation times allow for the solution of the optimal motion control problem to be effectuated on-line, via the rolling horizon concept, based on updated real-time measurements. The described approach provides high flexibility with respect to the vehicle model, the vehicle mission, and the motion constraints to be considered. Simulation examples demonstrate the efficiency of the approach in managing complicated conflict situations
Small circularly polarized patch antenna

This paper presents a novel size reduced circularly polarized (CP) patch antenna by introducing a substrate integrated metallic wall structure to provide capacitive and inductive loading to the patch. Pairs of metallic walls are formed by conducting vias and assigned at four corners underneath the patch. To generate circular polarization, a square patch with unbalanced tails is applied. The antenna works at 3.24GHz. With the presents of the proposed metallic wall structure, the antenna has a considerable size reduction by the capacitive and inductive loading effect. Comparing with a traditional half-wavelength square patch antenna, the proposed CP antenna has achieved 86% size reduction experimentally.
In vitro activity of six antifungal drugs against clinically important dermatophytes

Introduction and objective: Dermatophytosis is a common fungal disease which involves the keratinized tissue. Several antifungal agents can be used to manage these infections. Unfortunately, drug resistant can result in treatment failure. The disk diffusion in vitro assay is a simple method that can be used to evaluate antifungal susceptibility in dermatophytes. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of six antifungal drugs against several fresh clinical dermatophyte Iranian isolates. Materials and methods: Forty clinical dermatophytes were isolated from patients suspected of having active dermatophytosis. Paper disks containing terbinafine, griseofulvin, clotrimazole, miconazole, fluconazole and ketoconazole were used in the disk diffusion method to evaluate the in vitro activity of the antifungal agents by measuring the mean diameter of inhibition around the disks. Results: The isolates belong to three genera and eight species as: Trichophyton mentagrophytes 13(32.5%), T. rubrum 8(20%), Epidermophyton floccosum 7(17.5%), T. violaceum 4(10%), Microsporum gypseum 3(7.5%), T. tonsurans 2(5%), T. verrucosum 2(5%), T. schoenleinii 1(2.5%), and an unknown dermatophyte 1(2.5%). No isolates were resistant to clotrimazole and miconazole. Conclusion: This study revealed that clotrimazole, miconazole, terbinafine, and griseofulvin were the most ideal antifungal drugs for the treatment of dermatophytosis. Disk diffusion method is a simple and valuable method for the evaluation of antifungal susceptibility of dermatophytes.
2 Positioning in Robots Soccer

In this chapter, the focus is on an important issue of robots’ decision making process which is positioning. Positioning involves making the best decision for the agents who do not possess the ball regarding the team strategy and consequently finding the best target for them. Current section would express some evidences to prove the positioning criticality. Multi-agent frameworks usually restrict the agents’ communications; therefore understanding the game state and collaborators’ situation is based on the information provided by the world model. Regards to this information the agent must decide about game state and his action. In robot soccer competition, separate tasks need to be defined for the agent defending the goal (the goalie) and the agent intercepting the ball (the active agent). The other agents are strategic agents who need to do positioning, i.e. getting distributed in the field regarding the team strategy. The positions of these strategic players have impressive effects on decision making process of both teammate and opponent agents. In the following paragraphs we explain the effects of good positioning on teammates tasks. • The collaboration between goalie and goal defenders is of crucial importance for saving the goal. A simple kind of this collaboration occurs when defenders’ positions cover some parts of the goal coordinates; this enables goalie to take care of a small part of the goal area rather than whole of it.
MESLEĞİN İNCELİKLERİ: SOSYAL BİLİMLERDE ARAŞTIRMA NASIL YÜRÜTÜLÜR?

BECKER, HOWARD S. (2014), HERETIK YAY. ; ANKARA; ISBN: 9786058533325, 349 SAYFA CEV. : LEVENT UNSALDI, BARAN OZTURK, HATICE ESRA MESCIOĞLU, ŞERIFE GENIŞ, GOKCE METIN
A new approach for accurate distributed cluster analysis for Big Data: competitive K-Means

The tremendous growth in data volumes has created a need for new tools and algorithms to quickly analyse large datasets. Cluster analysis techniques, such as K-Means can be distributed across several machines. The accuracy of K-Means depends on the selection of seed centroids during initialisation. K-Means++ improves on the K-Means seeder, but suffers from problems when it is applied to large datasets. In this paper, we describe a new algorithm and a MapReduce implementation we developed that addresses these problems. We compared the performance with three existing algorithms and found that our algorithm improves cluster analysis accuracy and decreases variance. Our results show that our new algorithm produced a speedup of 76 ± 9 times compared with the serial K-Means++ and is as fast as the streaming K-Means. Our work provides a method to select a good initial seeding in less time, facilitating fast accurate cluster analysis over large datasets.
15(S)-Lipoxygenase-2 Mediates Arachidonic Acid-stimulated Adhesion of Human Breast Carcinoma Cells through the Activation of TAK1, MKK6, and p38 MAPK*

The dietary cis-polyunsaturated fatty acid, arachidonic acid, stimulates adhesion of metastatic human breast carcinoma cells (MDA-MB-435) to the extracellular matrix, but the molecular mechanisms by which fatty acids modify the behavior of these cells are unclear. Exposure to arachidonic acid activates multiple signaling pathways. Activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) is required for increased cell adhesion to type IV collagen, and this activation is sensitive to inhibitors of lipoxygenases, suggesting a requirement for arachidonic acid metabolism. The goals of the current study were to identify the one or more key metabolites of arachidonic acid that are responsible for activation of p38 MAPK and to elucidate the upstream kinases that lead to p38 MAPK activation. High performance liquid chromatographic analysis revealed that MDA-MB-435 cells metabolize exogenous arachidonic acid predominantly to 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15(S)-HETE). Immunoblot analysis with antibodies specific to 15(S)-lipoxygenase-1 (LOX-1) and 15(S)-lipoxygenase-2 (LOX-2) demonstrated the expression of 15-LOX-2, but not 15-LOX-1, in these tumor cells. A LOX inhibitor, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, attenuated production of 15(S)-HETE and inhibited the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK following exposure to arachidonic acid. In contrast, overexpression of LOX-2 sensitized the cells to the addition of arachidonic acid, leading to increased activation of p38 MAPK. Addition of exogenous 15(S)-HETE to MDA-MB-435 cells stimulated cell adhesion to type IV collagen and activated the p38 MAPK pathway, including the upstream kinases transforming growth factor-β1-activated protein kinase-1 (TAK1) and MAPK kinase 6. Transfection of these cells with a dominant negative form of TAK1 blocked arachidonic acid-stimulated p38 MAPK phosphorylation. These data demonstrate that 15(S)-LOX-2 generation of 15(S)-HETE activates specific growth factor receptor-related signaling pathways, thereby initiating signal transduction events leading to increased cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix.
The Mechanism of Inhibition of Human Erythrocyte Catalase by Azide

In order to elucidate the kinetic mechanism of human erythrocyte catalase a well-known substrate, H2O2 and inhibitor azide were used. The catalase-mediated conversion of H2O2 to H2O and O2, in the presence and absence of azide, was studied in 50 mM phosphate buffer pH 7.0 at 37 oC under conditions where the peroxidation side reaction (RH2 + H2O2  R + 2H2O) is negligible ([H2O2] =< 25 mM; assay time, 10 s). The kinetics conformed to the Michaelis-Menten model. Lineweaver-Burk plots for H2O2 at different fixed concentrations of azide were linear and intersected on the abscissa indicating a noncompetitive or irreversible type of inhibition. To identify the inhibition type Vm vs. [E] plots were constructed at different [N3-]. The plots were linear and converged at the origin, indicating that N3- is a noncompetitive inhibitor. Using a non-linear curve-fitting program, the kinetic parameters were calculated. The Km value for H2O2, and the Ki value for azide were found to be 10.97 ± 1.46 mM and 1.107 ± 0.093 µM, respectively.
Comparison of the major malformation rate of children conceived from cryopreserved embryos and fresh embryos.

BACKGROUND Cryopreserved embryo transfer has become indispensable in reproductive technology. More and more children are conceived from frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET). The risk of birth defects associated with frozen-thawed embryo transfer has been evaluated and conflict results are obtained. The aim of this study was to compare the rate of major malformations in children conceived from cryopreserved embryos with that of children from fresh embryos. METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on children conceived from frozen-thawed embryos and fresh embryos between January 2005 and December 2008 at the Reproduction Center of the Third Hospital, Peking University. The major malformation rates were compared between two groups for all children, as well as singletons or twins, separately. The frequencies of different subtypes of malformations classified according to different organ system were also compared. RESULTS Thirty-four of 3125 children from cryopreserved embryos had a major malformation. The malformation rate was 1.09%, which was comparable to that for children after fresh embryos transfer (1.53% (55/3604), OR: 0.71, 95%CI; 0.46-1.09). The malformation rate was also similar when the analysis was limited to children from cryopreserved embryos resulted from in vitro fertilization (IVF) (1.39%) and fresh IVF (1.3%). However, children from cryopreserved embryos resulted from intracytoplasmic sperm injections (ICSI) had much lower malformation rate than from fresh ICSI (0.63% vs.1.83%, OR: 0.34, 95%CI: 0.16-0.75). No difference was found in the incidence of major malformations in singletons from cryo ICSI (0.73%) and fresh ICSI (1.9%), or from cryo IVF (1.49%) and fresh IVF (1.67%). Similar malformation rate was found in multiples from cryo ICSI (0.52%) and fresh ICSI (1.76%), or cryo IVF (1.30%) and fresh IVF (0.90%). The distribution and risk of the subtype of malformations, such as cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neural tube, urogenital, musculoskeletal and facial abnormalities was not different between the cryo group and fresh group. CONCLUSIONS The major malformation rate is similar between fetuses/children conceived from cryopreserved embryos and those from fresh embryos. Large prospective and long-term follow-up studies are needed to get exact results concerning the birth defects of the children born after cryopreserved embryos.