Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do movie stars encourage adolescents to start smoking? Evidence from California.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between adolescents' favorite movie stars and their smoking status, controlling for variables associated with smoking initiation. METHODS The 1996 California Tobacco Survey questioned 6,252 adolescents about their favorite stars, smoking history, exposure to smokers, rebelliousness, knowledge and attitudes regarding smoking, and cigarette advertising and promotion. The top 10 favorite stars were tested for differential preference between ever and never smokers, defined as those who had never puffed on a cigarette. Never smokers were categorized as susceptible or nonsusceptible to smoking. RESULTS Favorite stars differed significantly among adolescent ever and never smokers. A majority of favorite stars of ever smokers smoked on and off screen compared to favorite stars of never smokers. In multivariate analyses, adolescent never smokers who preferred favorite stars of adolescent ever smokers were significantly more likely to be susceptible to smoking (OR = 1.35; 95% CI 1.12, 1.62), even after adjustment for known predictors of adolescent smoking and demographic variables. This effect was only slightly weaker than that of exposure to friends and family who smoke (OR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.13, 1.85). CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary evidence that stars who smoke on and off screen may encourage youth to smoke.
Factors Affecting Macroinvertebrate Richness and Diversity in Portuguese Streams: a Two-Scale Analysis

We analysed the spatial patterns in macroinvertebrate taxon richness and abundance at two scales: sampling unit and basin. We sampled 12 stream sites in three zones of Portugal, differing in climate geomorphology and water chemistry. At a sampling unit scale, substratum organic matter content, depth and the dominant size of substratum particles were correlated with numbers of taxa and individuals. We propose that the number of taxa at a small scale depends on the number of individuals, which in turn is the result of organic matter accumulation, hydrologic and substratum characteristics. The environmental parameters better explaining the large-scale biological data were temperature, minimum size of substratum particles and pH. Regardless of the relative importance of variable types and mechanisms regulating stream invertebrates along the climatic gradient, rivers from the North and Centre appeared to be richer in taxa than the typically Mediterranean streams in the South.
Expected Social Welfare under a Convex Phillips Curve and Asymmetric Policy Preferences

This paper evaluates the expected social welfare implications of monetary policy with a convex Phillips curve under a symmetric loss function and an asymmetric loss function corresponding to the "opportunistic approach" to disinflation. The convex--asymmetric specification yields an inaction range of inflation shocks for which the optimal monetary policy setting does not adjust. For parameter estimates relevant to the United States, numerical simulations show that the symmetric loss function dominates the asymmetric alternative in expected social welfare terms. Asymmetric policy preferences enhance social welfare only under extreme parameter values. This result is robust to sensitivity analysis with respect to inflation variability and the degrees of Phillips curve convexity and preference asymmetry, thereby supporting arguments for a tough anti-inflationary stance by the Federal Reserve regardless of the "true" social loss function.
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE OF ESKAPE-PATHOGENS IN CULTURE-POSITIVE PNEUMONIA

The aim of our study was to characterize the antimicrobial resistance in ESKAPE pathogens (E. faecium, S. aureus, Klebsiella spp., A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa and Enterobacter spp.) isolated from 606 culture-positive pneumonia: community-acquired (CAP), healthcare-associated (HCAP), hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated (HAP/VAP). A retrospective analysis was performed in tertiary care settings from Cluj-Napoca (2007-2013). Antibiotic resistance was determined according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and the trend by multiple antibiotic resistance index (MAR). ESKAPE pathogens (52%) were more likely found in HCAP and HAP/VAP. Co-resistance to ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin was dominant (48%). Highly resistant pathogens, Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)Klebsiella spp. , carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa were identified mainly in HAP/VAP versus HCAP (39.3% vs. 2.3%, 92% vs. 7.5% and 40% vs. 1.4%, respectively). Except for S. aureus, multiple antibiotics resistance (MAR) index of ESKAPE pathogens revealed an increasing trend. In conclusion, ESKAPE pathogens are commonly identified in HCAP and HAP/VAP. An alarming frequency of highly resistant pathogens in hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia was noticed.
Olfaction: Anatomy, physiology, and disease

The olfactory system is an essential part of human physiology, with a rich evolutionary history. Although humans are less dependent on chemosensory input than are other mammals (Niimura 2009, Hum. Genomics 4:107–118), olfactory function still plays a critical role in health and behavior. The detection of hazards in the environment, generating feelings of pleasure, promoting adequate nutrition, influencing sexuality, and maintenance of mood are described roles of the olfactory system, while other novel functions are being elucidated. A growing body of evidence has implicated a role for olfaction in such diverse physiologic processes as kin recognition and mating (Jacob et al. 2002a, Nat. Genet. 30:175–179; Horth 2007, Genomics 90:159–175; Havlicek and Roberts 2009, Psychoneuroendocrinology 34:497–512), pheromone detection (Jacob et al. 200b, Horm. Behav. 42:274–283; Wyart et al. 2007, J. Neurosci. 27:1261–1265), mother–infant bonding (Doucet et al. 2009, PLoS One 4:e7579), food preferences (Mennella et al. 2001, Pediatrics 107:E88), central nervous system physiology (Welge‐Lüssen 2009, B‐ENT 5:129–132), and even longevity (Murphy 2009, JAMA 288:2307–2312). The olfactory system, although phylogenetically ancient, has historically received less attention than other special senses, perhaps due to challenges related to its study in humans. In this article, we review the anatomic pathways of olfaction, from peripheral nasal airflow leading to odorant detection, to epithelial recognition of these odorants and related signal transduction, and finally to central processing. Olfactory dysfunction, which can be defined as conductive, sensorineural, or central (typically related to neurodegenerative disorders), is a clinically significant problem, with a high burden on quality of life that is likely to grow in prevalence due to demographic shifts and increased environmental exposures. Clin. Anat. 27:54–60, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Group Differences in Delinquency

Race and ethnic difference in delinquency are examined using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. We argue that crime theories that attempt to explain race and ethnic differences imply consistent effects for different offenses and common mediating processes. Analyses suggest some degree of group consistency in delinquent behaviors for Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Native Americans, and some Asian groups, but not for African Americans. Black youth have higher rates of violent offenses than White youth, lower rates of substance use, and similar rates of property offending. Some variables are consistent mediators while others are not. Crime theories can account for the low rates of delinquency among Asian Americans while theories of violence and substance use are needed to understand differences between Black and White youth. The findings are inconsistent with the idea that group differences among youth are due to the socioeconomic status of their families or neighborhoods. The race patterns are also inconsistent with the stereotype of high crime rates in Black communities.
Obstructive sleep apnoea and cardiovascular complications: perception versus knowledge

Epidemiological evidence has confirmed that obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) significantly promotes cardiovascular risk, independent of age, sex, race and other common risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as smoking, drinking, obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia and hypertension. Patients with severe OSA exhibit a higher prevalence of coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke. Despite the tight correlation between sleep apnoea and these comorbidities, the mechanisms behind increased cardiovascular risk in OSA remain elusive. Several theories have been postulated, including sympathetic activation, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and inflammation. The association between OSA and cardiovascular diseases may be rather complicated and compounded by the presence of components of metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidaemia. The present minireview updates current knowledge with regard to the cardiovascular sequelae of OSA and the mechanisms involved.
MRI Surrogates for Molecular Subgroups of Medulloblastoma

These authors seek to establish the imaging features that would allow classification of medulloblastomas according to their genetic attributes. In nearly 100 tumors they found that groups 3 and 4 occurred predominantly in the fourth ventricle, wingless ones were located in the cerebellar peduncles or CPA region, and sonic hedgehog tumors were present in cerebellar hemispheres. Midline group 4 tumors showed minimal contrast enhancement. Thus, tumor location and contrast-enhancement patterns may be predictive of the molecular subtypes of medulloblastoma. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recently identified molecular subgroups of medulloblastoma have shown potential for improved risk stratification. We hypothesized that distinct MR imaging features can predict these subgroups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients with a diagnosis of medulloblastoma at one institution, with both pretherapy MR imaging and surgical tissue, served as the discovery cohort (n = 47). MR imaging features were assessed by 3 blinded neuroradiologists. NanoString-based assay of tumor tissues was conducted to classify the tumors into the 4 established molecular subgroups (wingless, sonic hedgehog, group 3, and group 4). A second pediatric medulloblastoma cohort (n = 52) from an independent institution was used for validation of the MR imaging features predictive of the molecular subtypes. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis within the discovery cohort revealed tumor location (P < .001) and enhancement pattern (P = .001) to be significant predictors of medulloblastoma subgroups. Stereospecific computational analyses confirmed that group 3 and 4 tumors predominated within the midline fourth ventricle (100%, P = .007), wingless tumors were localized to the cerebellar peduncle/cerebellopontine angle cistern with a positive predictive value of 100% (95% CI, 30%–100%), and sonic hedgehog tumors arose in the cerebellar hemispheres with a positive predictive value of 100% (95% CI, 59%–100%). Midline group 4 tumors presented with minimal/no enhancement with a positive predictive value of 91% (95% CI, 59%–98%). When we used the MR imaging feature–based regression model, 66% of medulloblastomas were correctly predicted in the discovery cohort, and 65%, in the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor location and enhancement pattern were predictive of molecular subgroups of pediatric medulloblastoma and may potentially serve as a surrogate for genomic testing.
Efficiently finding the ‘best’ solution with multi-objectives from multiple topologies in topology library of analog circuit

This paper presents a new method using multi-objective optimization algorithm to automatically find the best solution from a topology library of analog circuits. Firstly this method abstracts the Pareto-front of each topology in the library by SPICE simulation. Then, the Pareto-front of the topology library is abstracted from the Pareto-fronts of topologies in the library followed by the theorem we proved. The best solution which is defined as the nearest point to specification on the Pareto-front of the topology library is then calculated by the equations derived from collinearity theorem. After the local searching using Nelder-Mead method maps the calculated best solution back to design variable space, the non-dominated best solution is obtained.
Exploring the relationship between head anatomy and cochlear implant stability in children

Abstract In our experience, surgical outcomes in children have been excellent with a low complication rate. Our aim in this study was to better understand what aspects of our current surgical technique have been successful with a view to retain those that are beneficial as we proceed with implantation of future devices. Because the receiver–stimulator and overlying skin flap may be more vulnerable to damage in children than adults, we concentrated on issues related to the positioning and security of this part of the implant on the head. Three specific areas of vulnerability were explored in separate experiments. In Experiment 1, we determined the effect of the position of the device on the ability of a child to roll their head without allowing contact between the device and a supporting surface. The ‘freeroll’ angle was determined for devices position conventionally (back position) and for those in which the device is placed in a more anterior position (up position). In Experiment 2, we studied the retentive capacity of the child's pericranium and measured the displacement force required to dislodge an implant from the bed if retained by the calvarium only. In Experiment 3, we compared the skull curvature of children in whom the device was placed in the back versus the up position. These results inform us as how to best proceed with implantation in children using future devices that have thinner and wider receiver–stimulators.
A Proboscis Extension Response Protocol for Investigating Behavioral Plasticity in Insects: Application to Basic, Biomedical, and Agricultural Research

Insects modify their responses to stimuli through experience of associating those stimuli with events important for survival (e.g., food, mates, threats). There are several behavioral mechanisms through which an insect learns salient associations and relates them to these events. It is important to understand this behavioral plasticity for programs aimed toward assisting insects that are beneficial for agriculture. This understanding can also be used for discovering solutions to biomedical and agricultural problems created by insects that act as disease vectors and pests. The Proboscis Extension Response (PER) conditioning protocol was developed for honey bees (Apis mellifera) over 50 years ago to study how they perceive and learn about floral odors, which signal the nectar and pollen resources a colony needs for survival. The PER procedure provides a robust and easy-to-employ framework for studying several different ecologically relevant mechanisms of behavioral plasticity. It is easily adaptable for use with several other insect species and other behavioral reflexes. These protocols can be readily employed in conjunction with various means for monitoring neural activity in the CNS via electrophysiology or bioimaging, or for manipulating targeted neuromodulatory pathways. It is a robust assay for rapidly detecting sub-lethal effects on behavior caused by environmental stressors, toxins or pesticides. We show how the PER protocol is straightforward to implement using two procedures. One is suitable as a laboratory exercise for students or for quick assays of the effect of an experimental treatment. The other provides more thorough control of variables, which is important for studies of behavioral conditioning. We show how several measures for the behavioral response ranging from binary yes/no to more continuous variable like latency and duration of proboscis extension can be used to test hypotheses. And, we discuss some pitfalls that researchers commonly encounter when they use the procedure for the first time.
Characterisation of Eubacterium cell wall: peptidoglycan structure determines arthritogenicity

OBJECTIVE To elucidate factors involved in the arthritogenicity of bacterial cell walls. METHODS For characterisation of an arthritogenic Eubacterium aerofaciens cell wall, peptidoglycan-polysaccharide (PG-PS) polymers were isolated by removing cell wall associated proteins (CWPs), PG and PS moieties were separated, and an attempt was made to de-O-acetylate PG-PS. The cell wall ofE limosum was used as a non-arthritogenic control. The chemical composition of these cell wall preparations was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Also, their ability to resist lysozyme degradation and to sustain experimental chronic arthritis was tested. RESULTS The observations made with the cell wall of E aerofaciens, an anaerobic habitant of the human intestine, were compared with those reported from a pathogenicStreptococcus, showing that in both strains a complex consisting of PG-PS is required for the induction of chronic arthritis. The PS moiety most probably protects PG from enzyme degradation, allowing prolonged tissue persistence and leading to the chronic synovial inflammation. CWPs attached to PG-PS are not necessary for this function. O-Acetylation of PG, which is required for arthritogenicity of the streptococcal cell wall, seems not to be present in the arthritogenic E aerofaciens PG or only occurs to a small degree; attempts to de-O-acylate the E aerofaciens cell wall did not affect its arthritogenicity or lysozyme resistance. CONCLUSION The results obtained indicate that the source of bacterial cell wall plays no part in the chemical or structural requirements for PG to induce chronic cell wall arthritis in the rats; the chemical structure of the PG moiety is decisive.
A reversible infinite HMM using normalised random measures

We present a nonparametric prior over reversible Markov chains. We use completely random measures, specifically gamma processes, to construct a countably infinite graph with weighted edges. By enforcing symmetry to make the edges undirected we define a prior over random walks on graphs that results in a reversible Markov chain. The resulting prior over infinite transition matrices is closely related to the hierarchical Dirichlet process but enforces reversibility. A reinforcement scheme has recently been proposed with similar properties, but the de Finetti measure is not well characterised. We take the alternative approach of explicitly constructing the mixing measure, which allows more straightforward and efficient inference at the cost of no longer having a closed form predictive distribution. We use our process to construct a reversible infinite HMM which we apply to two real datasets, one from epigenomics and one ion channel recording.
Digital Image Stabilization Based on Improved Scale Invariant Feature Transform

A novel digital image stabilization approach using Harris and Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) was presented in this article. Using SIFT in digital image stabilization, too many feature points and matches were extracted, but some of them were not so stable. Using these feature points and matches can not only increase the computational effort, but also enhance the wrong matching probability. We proposed to use SIFT to detect feature points and incorporate the Harris criterion to select the most stable feature points in the video sequence where image motion was happened due to vehicle or platform vibration. With these feature points, we use general feature descriptor and matching algorithm to achieve the image stabilization. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can not only bring down the probability of wrong matching and get more accurate matches, but also reduce the computation burden than SIFT effectively.
Rer 1 p maintains ciliary length and signaling by regulating-secretase activity and Foxj 1 a levels

N. Jurisch-Yaksi and A.J. Rose contributed equally to this paper. Correspondence to Wim Annaert: Wim.Annaert@cme.vib-kuleuven.be Abbreviations used in this paper: 5mmC, 5 mismatch control; ALL, anterior lateral line; CMV, cytomegalovirus; DFC, dorsal forerunner cell; dpf, day postfertilization; ERG, electroretinogram; FAM, fluorescein; Hh, Hedgehog; hpf, hour postfertilization; ICD, intracellular domain; IFT, intraflagellar transport; KV, Kupffer’s vesicle; LR, left–right; MO, morpholino; NICD, Notch ICD; OV, otic vesicle; PLL, posterior lateral line; RPE, retinal pigmental epithelial; SMO, splicemodifying MO; WISH, whole mount in situ hybridization. Introduction
Security: a Killer App for SDN?

Abstract : Software Defined Networking (SDN) has been developed rapidly and is now used by early adopters such as data centres. It offers immediate capital cost savings by replacing proprietary routers with commodity switches and controllers; the use of computer science abstractions in network management offers operational cost savings, with performance and functionality improvements too. However, there is a third class of benefits, that will come into their own once SDN is deployed in less controlled environments: and that is security. Traditional network architectures have many points of serious failure; the compromise of a single router can lead to significant attacks. SDN enables network designers to limit the damage that compromised switches can do, and thus can support more resilient and survivable networks in environments where opponents may have access to some of the infrastructure. In this paper we discuss the security aspects of SDN, and the possible opportunities that result.
Adenylate Kinase 3 Sensitizes Cells to Cigarette Smoke Condensate Vapor Induced Cisplatin Resistance

Background The major established etiologic risk factor for bladder cancer is cigarette smoking and one of the major antineoplastic agents used for the treatment of advanced bladder cancer is cisplatin. A number of reports have suggested that cancer patients who smoke while receiving treatment have lower rates of response and decreased efficacy of cancer therapies. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we investigated the effect of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) vapor on cisplatin toxicity in urothelial cell lines SV-HUC-1 and SCaBER cells. We showed that chronic exposure to CSC vapor induced cisplatin resistance in both cell lines. In addition, we found that the expression of mitochondrial-resident protein adenylate kinase-3 (AK3) is decreased by CSC vapor. We further observed that chronic CSC vapor-exposed cells displayed decreased cellular sensitivity to cisplatin, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and increased basal cellular ROS levels compared to unexposed cells. Re-expression of AK3 in CSC vapor-exposed cells restored cellular sensitivity to cisplatin. Finally, CSC vapor increased the growth of the tumors and also curtail the response of tumor cells to cisplatin chemotherapy in vivo. Conclusions/Significance The current study provides evidence that chronic CSC vapor exposure affects AK3 expression and renders the cells resistant to cisplatin.