Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prenatal and Childhood Traffic-Related Pollution Exposure and Childhood Cognition in the Project Viva Cohort (Massachusetts, USA)

Background Influences of prenatal and early-life exposures to air pollution on cognition are not well understood. Objectives We examined associations of gestational and childhood exposure to traffic-related pollution with childhood cognition. Methods We studied 1,109 mother–child pairs in Project Viva, a prospective birth cohort study in eastern Massachusetts (USA). In mid-childhood (mean age, 8.0 years), we measured verbal and nonverbal intelligence, visual motor abilities, and visual memory. For periods in late pregnancy and childhood, we estimated spatially and temporally resolved black carbon (BC) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposures, residential proximity to major roadways, and near-residence traffic density. We used linear regression models to examine associations of exposures with cognitive assessment scores, adjusted for potential confounders. Results Compared with children living ≥ 200 m from a major roadway at birth, those living < 50 m away had lower nonverbal IQ [–7.5 points; 95% confidence interval (CI): –13.1, –1.9], and somewhat lower verbal IQ (–3.8 points; 95% CI: –8.2, 0.6) and visual motor abilities (–5.3 points; 95% CI: –11.0, 0.4). Cross-sectional associations of major roadway proximity and cognition at mid-childhood were weaker. Prenatal and childhood exposure to traffic density and PM2.5 did not appear to be associated with poorer cognitive performance. Third-trimester and childhood BC exposures were associated with lower verbal IQ in minimally adjusted models; but after adjustment for socioeconomic covariates, associations were attenuated or reversed. Conclusions Residential proximity to major roadways during gestation and early life may affect cognitive development. Influences of pollutants and socioeconomic conditions on cognition may be difficult to disentangle. Citation Harris MH, Gold DR, Rifas-Shiman SL, Melly SJ, Zanobetti A, Coull BA, Schwartz JD, Gryparis A, Kloog I, Koutrakis P, Bellinger DC, White RF, Sagiv SK, Oken E. 2015. Prenatal and childhood traffic-related pollution exposure and childhood cognition in the Project Viva cohort (Massachusetts, USA). Environ Health Perspect 123:1072–1078; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1408803
Differential effects of C-terminal molecular tagged integrase on replication competent moloney murine leukemia virus.

Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV) proviruses carrying integrase (IN) protein tagged either with a simian virus 40 (SV40) nuclear localization signal (NLS) or various antigenic epitopes were generated. Hexahistidine (His(6)), hemagluttinin (HA), or two consecutive HA sequences (2XHA) were fused to the C-terminus of IN as antigenic markers. These epitope-tagged IN proteins were stably expressed through multiple rounds of infection. The IN-His(6), IN-HA, and IN-2XHA proteins, purified from virus, could be immunoprecipitated with antibodies against His(6) and HA, respectively. An M-MuLV provirus encoding the SV40 large T antigen NLS fused to IN at the same position as the epitope tags was also passaged through cells. In contrast to the stability of the epitope tags, the SV40 NLS sequence was rapidly mutated by a frameshift mutation that introduced negatively charged amino acids into the basic NLS. The instability of the NLS suggests that the strong nuclear localization of the IN-SV40 NLS may have detrimental effects on virus assembly. These observations have implications for studying nuclear transport properties of M-MuLV and for engineering a murine-based retroviral vector for gene therapy.
PRESENT WITHOUT PRESENCE? GENDER, QUOTAS AND DEBATE RECOGNITION IN THE UGANDAN PARLIAMENT

This article charts a new direction in gender quota research by examining whether female legislators in general, and quota recipients in particular, are accorded respect and authority in plenary debates. We measure this recognition in relation to the number of times an individual member of parliament (MP) is referred to by name in plenary debates. We use a unique dataset from the Ugandan parliament to assess the determinants of MP name recognition in plenary debates over an eight-year period (2001–08). Controlling for other possible determinants of MP recognition, we find that women elected to reserved seats are significantly less recognised in plenary debates over time as compared to their male and female colleagues in open seats.
Prostanoid Receptors

Prostanoids including prostaglandins (PGs) and thromboxanes (TXs) exhibit a wide variety of actions in various cells and tissues to maintain local homeostasis in the body. Characterization of the prostanoid receptors mediating these actions was carried out first pharmacologically by comparing effects and potencies of various types of PGs in different bioassay systems and by examining the effects of various PG analogues in these systems. Through these studies it was suggested that each prostanoid has a specific receptor and that there may be several receptor subtypes for the PGs of the E series. ’ PG receptors were characterized also biochemically as ligandbinding activities of radiolabeled PGs and their analogues, and by analyzing PGinduced signal transduction in cells. These analyses suggested that the PG receptor is a receptor coupling via a G protein to effectors such as adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C . However, none of the receptors was purified or cloned until we purified the TXA2/PGH2 receptor from human blood platelets’ and cloned its cDNA. ~ These studies demonstrated that the TXA’ receptor is indeed a G protein-coupled rhodopsin-type receptor with seven transmembrane domains and that it showed a very limited homology to other members of the rhodopsin-type receptors such as adrenergic and muscarinic receptors. These results suggest that the TXA’ receptor belongs to a new subfamily of the rhodopsin superfamily of receptors and that the prostanoid receptors having homologous structures as a whole constitute this subfamily. Based on this assumption, we performed homology screening in various cDNA libraries and cloned several types and subtypes of the prostanoid receptors. These include the mouse TXA’ receptor: the mouse PGE receptor EP1, EP2, and EP3 subtypes,’-’ the mouse PGF receptor,8 and the mouse PGI receptor. ’ We also found that the EP3 receptor mRNA undergoes alternative splicing to produce several isof 0 m 1 s . l ~ ’ ~ We also identified the human gene of the TXA’ receptor, and revealed its ~rganization. ’~ These studies not only elucidated molecular structures of the prostanoid receptors, but also enabled us to study their properties in an isolated system. They also provided information on tissue and cell distribution of their expression. Based on such distribution, novel prostanoid actions have been examined and re~ea1ed.l~
Statement-Coverage Testing for Concurrent Programs in Reachability Testing

In this paper we propose a scheme for reachability testing to achieve statement coverage in the dynamic testing of concurrent programs. Previous studies on reachability testing have only enumerated the feasible interleavings of a concurrent program for a given input. The proposed scheme derives inputs from SYN-sequences obtained in reachability testing and uses these inputs to perform reachability testing multiple times in order to achieve statement-coverage testing for a concurrent program. We prove formally that the proposed method can achieve statement-coverage testing if all the path conditions derived from SYN-sequences can be solved and the concurrent program contains no dead code.
Refugia, differentiation and postglacial migration in arctic‐alpine Eurasia, exemplified by the mountain avens (Dryas octopetala L.)

Many arctic‐alpine organisms have vast present‐day ranges across Eurasia, but their history of refugial isolation, differentiation and postglacial expansion is poorly understood. The mountain avens, Dryas octopetala sensu lato, is a long‐lived, wind‐dispersed, diploid shrub forming one of the most important components of Eurasian tundras and heaths in terms of biomass. We address differentiation and migration history of the species with emphasis on the western and northern Eurasian parts of its distribution area, also including some East Greenlandic and North American populations (partly referred to as the closely related D. integrifolia M. Vahl). We analysed 459 plants from 52 populations for 155 amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) markers. The Eurasian plants were separated into two main groups, probably reflecting isolation and expansion from two major glacial refugia, situated south and east of the North European ice sheets, respectively. Virtually all of northwestern Europe as well as East Greenland have been colonized by the Southern lineage, whereas northwest Russia, the Tatra Mountains and the arctic archipelago of Svalbard have been colonized by the Eastern lineage. The data indicate a contact zone between the two lineages in northern Scandinavia and possibly in the Tatra Mountains. The two single populations analysed from the Caucasus and Altai Mountains were most closely related to the Eastern lineage but were strongly divergent from the remaining eastern populations, suggesting survival in separate refugia at least during the last glaciation. The North American populations grouped with those from East Greenland, irrespective of their taxonomic affiliation, but this may be caused by independent hybridization with D. integrifolia and therefore not reflect the true relationship between populations from these areas.
Quality Assessment of Preclassification Maps Generated From Spaceborne/Airborne Multispectral Images by the Satellite Image Automatic Mapper and Atmospheric/Topographic Correction-Spectral Classification Software Products: Part 1—Theory

In compliance with the Quality Assurance Framework for Earth Observation (QA4EO) guidelines, the goal of this paper is to provide a theoretical comparison and an experimental quality assessment of two operational (ready-for-use) expert systems (prior knowledge-based nonadaptive decision trees) for automatic near real-time preattentional classification and segmentation of spaceborne/airborne multispectral (MS) images: the Satellite Image Automatic Mapper™ (SIAM™) software product and the Spectral Classification of surface reflectance signatures (SPECL) secondary product of the Atmospheric/Topographic Correction™ (ATCOR™) commercial software toolbox. For the sake of simplicity, this paper is split into two: Part 1-Theory, presented herein, and Part 2-Experimental results, already published elsewhere. The main theoretical contribution of the present Part 1 is threefold. First, it provides the published Part 2 with an interdisciplinary terminology and a theoretical background encompassing multiple disciplines, such as philosophical hermeneutics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision, human vision, and remote sensing (RS). Second, it highlights the several degrees of novelty of the ATCOR-SPECL and SIAM deductive preliminary classifiers (preclassifiers) at the four levels of abstraction of an information processing system, namely, system design, knowledge/information representation, algorithms, and implementation. Third, the present Part 1 requires the experimental Part 2 to collect a minimum set of complementary statistically independent metrological quality indicators (QIs) of operativeness (QIOs), in compliance with the QA4EO guidelines and the principles of statistics. In particular, sample QIs are required to be: 1) statistically significant, i.e., provided with a degree of uncertainty in measurement; and 2) statistically valid (consistent), i.e., representative of the entire population being sampled, which requires the implementation of a probability sampling protocol. Largely overlooked by the RS community, these sample QI requirements are almost never satisfied in the RS common practice. As a consequence, to date, QIOs of existing RS image understanding systems (RS-IUSs), including thematic map accuracy, remain largely unknown in statistical terms. The conclusion of the present Part 1 is that the proposed comparison of the two alternative ATCOR-SPECL and SIAM prior knowledge-based preclassifiers in operating mode, accomplished in the Part 2, can be considered appropriate, well-timed, and of potential interest to a large portion of the RS readership.
A prospective, randomized, and comparative study of 3 different methods for the diagnosis of intravascular catheter colonization.

BACKGROUND Demonstration of catheter tip colonization is usually performed by use of Maki's semiquantitative technique, although the superiority of quantitative techniques has been claimed on the basis of their purported ability to detect both endoluminal and exoluminal microorganisms. METHODS We prospectively compared Maki's semiquantitative technique and the quantitative methods of sonication and vortexing for the detection of colonization of intravascular catheter tips and catheter-related bloodstream infections. All 3 techniques were performed on the tip of each catheter, and the order in which each technique was performed was randomly assigned. RESULTS Of the 1000 catheter tips that were processed, 329 (32.9%) had positive results for at least 1 of the 3 techniques when a breakpoint of >or=100 colony-forming units (cfu)/catheter segment was used for the quantitative techniques and a breakpoint of >or=15 cfu was used for Maki's technique. Eighty-two of the catheter tips for which results were positive were from patients with catheter-related bloodstream infections. For each technique, the likelihood of detection decreased progressively depending on the order in which the technique was performed (i.e., second vs. first and third vs. second). The likelihood of detection of catheter colonization for each technique, when the technique was performed first and when 2 breakpoints (>or=100 cfu/catheter segment [criterion B] and >or=1000 cfu/catheter segment [criterion A]) were used for the quantitative techniques and a breakpoint of >or=15 cfu was used for Maki's technique, was as follows: 99.1% and 100% for Maki's technique, 95.1% and 92.9% for sonication, and 93.1% and 72.8% for vortexing (for criteria B and A, respectively). No inferiority of Maki's technique could be demonstrated when results were compared according to whether catheter placement was short term (i.e., <7 days) or long term (i.e., >or=7 days), either for the detection of colonization or for the detection of catheter-related bloodstream infections. CONCLUSIONS According to data from the present study, the quantitative techniques of sonication and vortexing were not superior to Maki's technique under the test conditions used. The greater simplicity of Maki's semiquantitative technique makes it the procedure of choice for routine work in the microbiology laboratory.
Multi-mode SHEPWM with low switch frequency for traction application

To eliminate current harmonics and improve voltage utilization. When traction motor was run in high speed area, a new method is proposed that solve the harmonics component is high and transition which from SPWM to SHEPWM then to six-step mode on the condition of low switch frequency. The method was introduced, principles were analyzed and formulas were derived in this paper. The validity of the proposed method has been verified by simulation and experiments. The advantages of this strategy are it not only reduced the harmonics and torque ripple but also achieved transition from SPWM to six-mode on the condition of the switch frequency. It is no more than 1 kHz.
Conjugative transposons: the tip of the iceberg

Elements that excise and integrate, such as prophages, and transfer by conjugation, such as plasmids, have been found in various bacteria. These elements appear to have a diversified set of characteristics including cell‐to‐cell contact using pili or cell aggregation, transfer of single‐stranded or double‐stranded DNA, low or high specificity of integration and serine or tyrosine recombinases. This has led to a highly heterogeneous nomenclature, including conjugative transposons, integrative ‘plasmids’, genomic islands and numerous unclassified elements. However, all these elements excise by site‐specific recombination, transfer the resulting circular form by conjugation and integrate by recombination between a specific site of this circular form and a site in the genome of their host. Whereas replication of the circular form probably occurs during conjugation, this replication is not involved in the maintenance of the element. In this review, we show that these elements share very similar characteristics and, therefore, we propose to classify them as integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs). These elements evolve by acquisition or exchanges of modules with various transferable elements including at least ICEs and plasmids. The ICEs are probably widespread among the bacteria.
A Personalized Approach for Recommending Useful Product Reviews Based on Information Gain

Customer product reviews have become great influencers of purchase decision making. To assist potential customers, online stores provide various ways to sort customer reviews. Different methods have been developed to identify and recommend useful reviews to customers, primarily using feedback provided by customers about the helpfulness of reviews. Most of the methods consider the preferences of all users to determine whether reviews are helpful, and all users receive the same recommendations. In this paper, we assessed methods for generating personalized recommendations based on information gain. The information gain approach was extended to consider each individual’s preference together with votes of other users. A total of 172 respondents rated 48 reviews selected from Amazon.com using a 7-point Likert scale. The performance of the devised methods was measured by varying the ratio of training sets and number of recommendations for the data collected. The personalized methods outperformed the existing information gain method, which takes into account the votes from all users. The greatest precision was achieved by the personalized method and a method employing selective use of predictions from the personalized method combined with the existing method based on all users’ reviews. However, the personalized method, which classified helpful reviews based on each user’s threshold value, showed statistically better performance.
Health Literacy Associations Between Hispanic Elderly Patients and Their Caregivers

Knowing health literacy levels of older patients and their caregivers is important because caregivers assist patients in the administration of medications, manage daily health care tasks, and help make health services utilization decisions. The authors examined the association of health literacy levels between older Hispanic patients and their caregivers among 174 patient-caregiver dyads enrolled from 3 community clinics and 28 senior centers in San Antonio, Texas. Health literacy was measured using English and Spanish versions of the Short-Test of Functional Health Literacy Assessment and categorized as “low” or “adequate. ” The largest dyad category (41%) consisted of a caregiver with adequate health literacy and patient with low health literacy. Among the dyads with the same health literacy levels, 28% had adequate health literacy and 24% had low health literacy. It is notable that 7% of dyads consisted of a caregiver with low health literacy and a patient with adequate health literacy. Low health literacy is a concern not only for older Hispanic patients but also for their caregivers. To provide optimal care, clinicians must ensure that information is given to both patients and their caregivers in clear effective ways as it may significantly affect patient health outcomes.
Interfacial and Mechanical Property Analysis of Waste Printed Circuit Boards Subject to Thermal Shock

Abstract Waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) are the focal points for handling electric and electronic waste. In this paper, a thermal shock method was used to pretreat waste PCBs for the improvement of crushing performance. The influence of the thermal shock process on interfacial modification and mechanical property attenuation of PCB waste was studied. The appearance and layer spacing of the basal plane began to change slightly when the temperature reached 200 °C. By 250 °C, apparent bulging, cracking, and delamination were observed. However, pyrolysis of PCBs occurred when the temperature reached 275 °C, where PCBs were carbonized. The thermogravimetric analysis of PCB particles under vacuum showed that 270 °C was the starting point of pyrolysis. The tensile and impact strength of PCBs were reduced as shock temperature rose gradually, with a reduction by 2.6 and 16.5%, respectively, at 250 °C from its unheated strength. The PCBs that were heated to 250 °C achieved 100% liberation, increasing linearly from 13.6% for unheated PCBs through a single-level shear-crusher (2-mm mesh) and resulting in an obvious reduction of 9.5% (dB) in dust and noise at 250 °C. These parameters could be helpful for establishing the operational setup for industrial-scale facilities with the aim of achieving a compact process and a highly efficient recovery for waste PCBs compared with those of the traditional combination mechanical technologies.
When Open Architecture Beats Closed: The Entrepreneurial Use of Architectural Knowledge

This paper describes how entrepreneurial firms can use superior architectural knowledge to open up a technical system to gain strategic advantage. The strategy involves, first, identifying "bottlenecks" in the existing system, and then creating a new open architecture that isolates the bottlenecks in modules and allows others to connect to the system at key interfaces. An entrepreneurial firm with limited financial resources can then focus on supplying superior bottleneck modules, and while outsourcing and allowing complementors to supply non-bottleneck components. I show that a firm pursuing this strategy will have a higher return on invested capital (ROIC) than competitors with a less modular, closed architecture. Over time, the more open firm can drive the ROIC of competitors below their cost of capital, causing them to shrink and possibly exit the market. The strategy was used by Sun Microsystems in the 1980s and Dell Computer in the 1990s.
Determination of mutagenicity and genotoxicity of indium tin oxide nanoparticles using the Ames test and micronucleus assay

In this study, the mutagenicity and genotoxicity of indium tin oxide (ITO) nanomaterial were assessed using two standard genotoxicity assays, the Salmonella reverse mutation assay (Ames test) and the in vitro micronucleus (MN) assay. Seven different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 µg/plate) of this nanomaterial were tested using the Ames test on the TA98 and TA100 strains in the presence and absence of the S9 mixture. At all the concentrations tested, this substance did not significantly increase the number of revertant colonies compared with the control with or without S9 mixture. The genotoxic effects of ITO were investigated in human peripheral lymphocytes treated with 125, 250, 500, and 750 µg/ml concentrations of this substance for 24- and 48-h treatment periods using an MN test. Nuclear division index (NDI) was also calculated in order to determine the cytotoxicity of ITO. It was determined that ITO increased MN frequency in the 750 µg/ml concentration in 24- and 48-h treatments. In addition, ITO dose dependently decreased the NDI significantly for two treatment periods.