Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inequities in tobacco retailer sales to minors by neighbourhood racial/ethnic composition, poverty and segregation, USA, 2015

Objective Tobacco retailers are an important source of tobacco products for minors. Previous research shows racial discrimination in sales to minors, but no national study has examined neighbourhood correlates of retailer under-age sales. Methods We accessed publicly available results of 2015 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspections of tobacco retailers (n=108 614). In this cross-sectional study, we used multilevel logistic regression to predict the likelihood of retailer sale to a minor based on tract characteristics. We assessed the proportion of residents identifying as American Indian, Asian, Black, Latino and White; Isolation Index scores for each racial/ethnic group; the proportion of people less than age 65 living in poverty; and the proportion of residents age 10–17 in relation to retailer inspection results. Results The proportion of American Indian residents, Black residents, Latino residents and residents less than age 65 under the poverty line in a neighbourhood are independently, positively associated with the likelihood that a retailer in that neighbourhood will fail an under-age buy inspection. The proportion of White residents and residents age 10–17 are independently, negatively associated with the likelihood of sale of tobacco products to a minor. Isolation Index scores show a similar pattern. In multivariable models holding neighbourhood characteristics constant, higher proportions of Black (+), Latino (+) and age 10–17 (−) residents remained significant predictors of the likelihood of under-age sale. Discussion Regulatory agencies should consider oversampling retailers in areas with higher likelihood of sales to minors for inspection. Interventions with tobacco retailers to reduce inequities in youth access should be implemented.
Executive functioning and daily living of individuals with chronic stroke: measurement and implications

Deficits in executive functioning (EF) are often still present at the chronic stage after stroke, which may negatively impact independent living. The objectives of this study were (a) to characterize the EF and independence in daily living of community-dwelling individuals with chronic stroke by using pen-and-paper and performance-based EF assessments, (b) to explore correlations between scores detected by different EF assessments and (c) to assess the correlations between EF and independence in basic activities of daily living (BADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). This cross-sectional study included 50 (30 men and 20 women) community-dwelling individuals [mean (SD) age 59.8 (9.3)] with chronic stroke. Participants were overall independent in basic activities of daily living, without significant cognitive impairment. Participants underwent EF assessment using two pen-and-paper tools: Trail Making Test, Zoo Map subtest from the Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome and two performance-based tools; EF Route-Finding Task and bill-paying subtest from the Executive Functions Performance Test. BADL, IADL, depressive symptoms, gait speed and upper extremity motor impairment were also assessed. Participants demonstrated mild to moderate EF deficits with moderate significant correlations between the scores of various EF assessments. Participants varied in their independence in IADL, and EF was significantly correlated to independence in BADL and IADL (−0.31<r<0.48; −0.37<r<−0.42; P<0.05, respectively, depending on the assessment). EF deficits with varying severity are still present at the chronic stage after stroke among independent community-dwelling individuals. These findings can guide the choice of an appropriate assessment tool for the specific needs of individuals with chronic stroke.
Single-shot transient absorption spectroscopy with a 45  ps pump-probe time delay range.

We report a single-shot transient absorption apparatus that successfully uses a tilted pump pulse to spatially encode a 45 ps pump-probe time delay. The time delay range is significantly improved over other reported instruments by using a spatial light modulator to flatten the intensity of the excitation field at the sample position. The full time delay range of the instrument is demonstrated by measuring a long-lived dye. A signal-to-noise ratio of >35 is attained in 8 s. This advance will enable the measurement of excited state dynamics of systems that are not at structural equilibrium.
Convergent roles of ATF3 and CSL in chromatin control of cancer-associated fibroblast activation

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are important for tumor initiation and promotion. CSL, a transcriptional repressor and Notch mediator, suppresses CAF activation. Like CSL, ATF3, a stress-responsive transcriptional repressor, is down-modulated in skin cancer stromal cells, and Atf3 knockout mice develop aggressive chemically induced skin tumors with enhanced CAF activation. Even at low basal levels, ATF3 converges with CSL in global chromatin control, binding to few genomic sites at a large distance from target genes. Consistent with this mode of regulation, deletion of one such site 2 Mb upstream of IL6 induces expression of the gene. Observed changes are of translational significance, as bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) inhibitors, unlinking activated chromatin from basic transcription, counteract the effects of ATF3 or CSL loss on global gene expression and suppress CAF tumor-promoting properties in an in vivo model of squamous cancer–stromal cell expansion. Thus, ATF3 converges with CSL in negative control of CAF activation with epigenetic changes amenable to cancer- and stroma-focused intervention.
Neural mechanism and heritability of complex motor sequence and audiovisual integration: A healthy twin study

Complex motor sequencing and sensory integration are two key items in scales assessing neurological soft signs. However, the underlying neural mechanism and heritability of these two functions is not known. Using a healthy twin design, we adopted two functional brain imaging tasks focusing on fist‐edge‐palm (FEP) complex motor sequence and audiovisual integration (AVI). Fifty‐six monozygotic twins and 56 dizygotic twins were recruited in this study. The pre‐ and postcentral, temporal and parietal gyri, the supplementary motor area, and the cerebellum were activated during the FEP motor sequence, whereas the precentral, temporal, and fusiform gyri, the thalamus, and the caudate were activated during AVI. Activation in the supplementary motor area during FEP motor sequence and activation in the precentral gyrus and the thalamic nuclei during AVI exhibited significant heritability estimates, ranging from 0.5 to 0.62. These results suggest that activation in cortical motor areas, the thalamus and the cerebellum associated with complex motor sequencing and audiovisual integration function may be heritable.
The Role of Peroxiredoxins in the Transduction of H2O2 Signals.

SIGNIFICANCE Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is produced on stimulation of many cell surface receptors and serves as an intracellular messenger in the regulation of diverse physiological events, mostly by oxidizing cysteine residues of effector proteins. Mammalian cells express multiple H2O2-eliminating enzymes, including catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and peroxiredoxin (Prx). A conserved cysteine in Prx family members is the site of oxidation by H2O2. Peroxiredoxins possess a high-affinity binding site for H2O2 that is lacking in catalase and GPx and which renders the catalytic cysteine highly susceptible to oxidation, with a rate constant several orders of magnitude greater than that for oxidation of cysteine in most H2O2 effector proteins. Moreover, Prxs are abundant and present in all subcellular compartments. The cysteines of most H2O2 effectors are therefore at a competitive disadvantage for reaction with H2O2. Recent Advances: Here we review intracellular sources of H2O2 as well as H2O2 target proteins classified according to biochemical and cellular function. We then highlight two strategies implemented by cells to overcome the kinetic disadvantage of most target proteins with regard to H2O2-mediated oxidation: transient inactivation of local Prx molecules via phosphorylation, and indirect oxidation of target cysteines via oxidized Prx. Critical Issues and Future Directions: Recent studies suggest that only a small fraction of the total pools of Prxs and H2O2 effector proteins localized in specific subcellular compartments participates in H2O2 signaling. Development of sensitive tools to selectively detect phosphorylated Prxs and oxidized effector proteins is needed to provide further insight into H2O2 signaling. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 537-557.
Association between an ectoparasitic copepod (Caligus sp.) and the monogenean Udonella cf. caligorum Johnston 1835 on a catfish population

Abstract We analysed the association between a monogenean (Udonella cf. caligorum Johnston 1835) and its copepod host (Caligus sp.) living on a wild population of Arius herzbergii Bloch, 1794 in a north-eastern coastal lagoon from Venezuela. This study characterized infestation levels and analysed the effects of monogeneans on the fecundity and hatching success of the copepod host, as well as damage to its egg capsules and genital complex. A total of 218 Caligus specimens were analysed (94 males, 110 females and 14 immature stages) in which a total of 1017 monogeneans were found. These included 311 mature stages and 706 egg capsules. Monogenean stages were found attached to the cephalothorax, abdomen, genital complex and egg capsules of the copepods. No significant differences were found in fecundity and egg hatching when infested and non-infested ovigerous females were compared. No damage was observed on egg capsules or genital areas of infested ovigerous females. Our results suggest that this association, at the level of prevalence and intensity observed, is closer to commensalism than parasitism. The importance of considering that the nature of interaction is dynamic and changing with environmental conditions and time scale is highlighted.
Active colloidal propulsion over a crystalline surface

We study both experimentally and theoretically the dynamics of chemically self-propelled Janus colloids moving atop a two-dimensional crystalline surface. The surface is a hexagonally close-packed monolayer of colloidal particles of the same size as the mobile one. The dynamics of the self-propelled colloid reflects the competition between hindered diffusion due to the periodic surface and enhanced diffusion due to active motion. Which contribution dominates depends on the propulsion strength, which can be systematically tuned by changing the concentration of a chemical fuel. The mean-square displacements (MSDs) obtained from the experiment exhibit enhanced diffusion at long lag times. Our experimental data are consistent with a Langevin model for the effectively two-dimensional translational motion of an active Brownian particle in a periodic potential, combining the confining effects of gravity and the crystalline surface with the free rotational diffusion of the colloid. Approximate analytical predictions are made for the MSD describing the crossover from free Brownian motion at short times to active diffusion at long times. The results are in semi-quantitative agreement with numerical results of a refined Langevin model that treats translational and rotational degrees of freedom on the same footing.
Performance in complex motor tasks deteriorates in hyperthermic humans

ABSTRACT Heat stress, leading to elevations in whole-body temperature, has a marked impact on both physical performance and cognition in ecological settings. Lab experiments confirm this for physically demanding activities, whereas observations are inconsistent for tasks involving cognitive processing of information or decision-making prior to responding. We hypothesized that divergences could relate to task complexity and developed a protocol consisting of 1) simple motor task [TARGET_pinch], 2) complex motor task [Visuo-motor tracking], 3) simple math task [MATH_type], 4) combined motor-math task [MATH_pinch]. Furthermore, visuo-motor tracking performance was assessed both in a separate- and a multipart protocol (complex motor tasks alternating with the three other tasks). Following familiarization, each of the 10 male subjects completed separate and multipart protocols in randomized order in the heat (40°C) or control condition (20°C) with testing at baseline (seated rest) and similar seated position, following exercise-induced hyperthermia (core temperature ∼ 39.5°C in the heat and 38.2°C in control condition). All task scores were unaffected by control exercise or passive heat exposure, but visuo-motor tracking performance was reduced by 10.7 ± 6.5% following exercise-induced hyperthermia when integrated in the multipart protocol and 4.4 ± 5.7% when tested separately (both P < 0.05). TARGET_pinch precision declined by 2.6 ± 1.3% (P < 0.05), while no significant changes were observed for the math tasks. These results indicate that heat per se has little impact on simple motor or cognitive test performance, but complex motor performance is impaired by hyperthermia and especially so when multiple tasks are combined.
Effect of Cuscuta campestris parasitism on the physiological and anatomical changes in untreated and herbicide-treated sugar beet

ABSTRACT The effects of field dodder on physiological and anatomical processes in untreated sugar beet plants and the effects of propyzamide on field dodder were examined under controlled conditions. The experiment included the following variants: N—noninfested sugar beet plants (control); I - infested sugar beet plants (untreated), and infested plants treated with propyzamide (1500 g a.i. ha−1 (T1) and 2000 g a.i. ha−1(T2)). The following parameters were checked: physiological—pigment contents (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total carotenoids); anatomical -leaf parameters: thickness of epidermis, parenchyma and spongy tissue, mesophyll and underside leaf epidermis, and diameter of bundle sheath cells; petiole parameters: diameter of tracheid, petiole hydraulic conductance, xylem surface, phloem cell diameter and phloem area in sugar beet plants. A conventional paraffin wax method was used to prepare the samples for microscopy. Pigment contents were measured spectrophotometrically after methanol extraction. All parameters were measured: prior to herbicide application (0 assessment), then 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days after application (DAA). Field dodder was found to affect the pigment contents in untreated sugar beet plants, causing significant reductions. Conversely, reduction in the treated plants decreased 27% to 4% for chlorophyll a, from 21% to 5% for chlorophyll b, and from 28% to 5% for carotenoids (T1). Also, in treatment T2, reduction decreased in infested and treated plants from 19% to 2% for chlorophyll a, from 21% to 2% for chlorophyll b, from 23% to 3% for carotenoids and stimulation of 1% and 2% was observed 28 and 35 DAA, respectively. Plants infested (untreated) by field dodder had lower values of most anatomical parameters, compared to noninfested plants. The measured anatomical parameters of sugar beet leaves and petiole had significantly higher values in noninfested plants and plants treated with propyzamide than in untreated plants. Also, the results showed that propyzamide is an adequate herbicide for control of field dodder at the stage of early infestation.
Engineering an adaptive and socially-aware feedback acquisition

Self-adaptive software systems are characterised by their ability to monitor changes in their dynamic environment and react to these changes when needed. Adaptation is driven by these changes in the internal state of the system and its external environment. Social Adaptation is a kind of adaptation which gives users’ feedback a primary role in shaping adaptation decisions. Social Adaptation infers and employs users’ collective judgement on the alternative behaviours of a system as the main driver in tailoring adaptation decision. Users’ collective judgement is determined through individual users’ feedback collected during the lifetime of the software. Social Adaptation still lacks systematic and efficient engineering mechanisms of the acquisition process of users’ feedback. The goal of this thesis is to devise an engineering method for a systematic and adaptive acquisition of users’ feedback. Given the various contextual information which could influence how feedback should be collected from users, this thesis looks at the acquisition process itself as an adaptive process. The goal of such adaptation is to optimize the quality of obtained feedback without affecting users’ experience. In order to achieve the goal of this thesis, several empirical studies with software engineering experts and end-users have been conducted. This helped gaining insights into how the role of users’ feedback is perceived by software experts and how users behave and react to feedback acquisition. The outcomes of the empirical studies are then exploited to achieve the aim of thesis. The findings informed by these studies suggest that users’ behaviours to feedback acquisition highly varies and an adaptive feedback acquisition is highly needed to cater for differences in behaviours, improve users’ satisfaction, feedback quality and software success. To tackle this problem, the concept of Persona is employed to aid software engineers understand the various users’ behaviours and improve their ability to design feedback acquisition techniques more efficiently. The personas are developed based on a mixture of the qualitative and quantitative studies conducted throughout this thesis. In addition, this thesis proposes PAFA, a Persona-based method for a systematic design of an Adaptive Feedback Acquisition and reports on its evaluation. Finally, this thesis is also meant to contribute to the knowledge of software engineering community on developing systematic ways for feedback engineering which are hoped to lead to a better quality feedback and maintained users experience.
Use of clinical MRI maximum intensity projections for improved breast lesion classification with deep convolutional neural networks

Abstract. Deep learning methods have been shown to improve breast cancer diagnostic and prognostic decisions based on selected slices of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). However, incorporation of volumetric and temporal components into DCE-MRIs has not been well studied. We propose maximum intensity projection (MIP) images of subtraction MRI as a way to simultaneously include four-dimensional (4-D) images into lesion classification using convolutional neural networks (CNN). The study was performed on a dataset of 690 cases. Regions of interest were selected around each lesion on three MRI presentations: (i) the MIP image generated on the second postcontrast subtraction MRI, (ii) the central slice of the second postcontrast MRI, and (iii) the central slice of the second postcontrast subtraction MRI. CNN features were extracted from the ROIs using pretrained VGGNet. The features were utilized in the training of three support vector machine classifiers to characterize lesions as malignant or benign. Classifier performances were evaluated with fivefold cross-validation and compared based on area under the ROC curve (AUC). The approach using MIPs [AUC=0.88(se=0.01)] outperformed that using central-slices of either second postcontrast MRIs [0.80(se=0.02)] or second postcontrast subtraction MRIs [AUC=0.84(se=0.02)], at statistically significant levels.
Metallic, 3D-Printed, K-Band-Stepped, Double-Ridged Square Horn Antennas

This paper presents K-band-stepped, double-ridged square horn antennas fabricated by metallic 3D printing technology in copper (85% copper and 15% stannum) and aluminum alloy (89.5% aluminum, 10% silicon, and 0.5% magnesium). Compared with the popular dielectric 3D-printed horn antenna, the metallic counterpart features better mechanical robustness in terms of material. Moreover, the metallic horns are printed in one piece in one run, different from the dielectric horns that are printed in split pieces and electroplated, they simplify the process and thus result in reduced cost. The agreement between the simulation and measurement results verified the antenna’s performance. Both the 3D-printed copper and aluminum alloy antenna have an impedance bandwidth across the K-band, with a maximum gain of 13.23 dBi @ 25 GHz and 13.5 dBi @ 24 GHz, respectively. The metallic, 3D-printed horn antennas are preferable alternatives to replace traditionally-fabricated antennas.
Mobile Behavioral Sensing for Outpatients and Inpatients With Schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and utility of behavioral sensing among individuals with schizophrenia. METHODS Nine outpatients and 11 inpatients carried smartphones for two- or one-week periods, respectively. Device-embedded sensors (accelerometers, microphone, global positioning system, WiFi, and Bluetooth) collected behavioral data and ascertained the patients' location, activity, and exposure to human speech as they went about their day. Participants rated this approach by completing usability and acceptability measures. RESULTS Sensing successfully captured individuals' activity, time spent proximal to human speech, and time spent in various locations. Participants felt comfortable using the sensing system (95%), and most were interested in receiving feedback (65%) and suggestions (65%). Approximately 20% reported that sensing made them upset. One-third of inpatients were concerned about their privacy, but no outpatients expressed this concern. CONCLUSIONS Mobile behavioral sensing was a feasible, acceptable, and informative approach for data collection among outpatients and inpatients with schizophrenia.
Data Aggregation Scheduling in Wireless Sensor Networks under SINR

Data aggregation is an essential operation in various applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), where sensor nodes sense information and forward the sensing data to a sink node via multi-hop wireless communications. Most existing data aggregation algorithms were based on protocol interference model, which were not practical in real schemes. In this paper, we propose efficient algorithms to decrease data aggregation delay under physical interference model, that is, the SINR (signal to interference plus noise ratio) model. Firstly, we apply previous distributed minimum spanning tree (MST) construction method to form a MST under SINR model. Secondly, we propose a link scheduling algorithm DALS by gird partition, and finally we combine MST and DALS into data aggregation algorithm DA with node states transition. We theoretically prove that the aggregation scheduling algorithm is θ-approximation with θ = K2Γ and obtain the latency of DA O(HΔ), where K is a positive integer depended on α, β and Γ = [Pmax(2√2+1)α/Nβ2(1—1/Kα)] is a constant. H is the height of MST and Δ is the maximum node degree in G(V, E).
Multiple robustness in factorized likelihood models

Summary We consider inference under a nonparametric or semiparametric model with likelihood that factorizes as the product of two or more variation‐independent factors. We are interested in a finite‐dimensional parameter that depends on only one of the likelihood factors and whose estimation requires the auxiliary estimation of one or several nuisance functions. We investigate general structures conducive to the construction of so‐called multiply robust estimating functions, whose computation requires postulating several dimension‐reducing models but which have mean zero at the true parameter value provided one of these models is correct.