Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of cell blood counts and cardiometabolic risk factors among young obese children.

OBJECTIVE To determine the association of cell blood count with obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors in children. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st November 2007 to 1st October 2008 in the Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Research Clinic of the Preventive Pediatric Cardiology Department, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Isfahan, Iran. It comprised 326 (172 girls and 154 boys) obese children aged 6-12 years. RESULTS The mean age of participants was 8.8 +/- 2.7 years. A significant increasing trend in the mean body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), triglycerides (TG), total- and low density lipoprotein (LDL)- cholesterol were documented across the quartiles of the white blood cell (WBC) count, and for waist-to-hip ratio and total cholesterol across platelet quartiles. A similar increasing trend was documented for BMI, waist and hip circumference, diastolic blood pressure, LDL-C, and for TG from the second to the fourth quartile of the red blood cells. By the increase in the number of components of metabolic syndrome, the mean BMI, WBC, and TG increased significantly. The highest correlation was documented between WBC count and TG. The WBC count increased the risk of increased BMI (odds ratio [OR]=1.45, confidence interval [CI] 95%; 1.11-1.65, p=0.001), increased WC (OR; 1.47, CI 95%; 1.15-1.74, p=0.001), and high TG (CI 95%; 1.241.06-1.44, p=0.005 ). CONCLUSION We found significant associations between CBC components and cardiometabolic risk factors in young obese children. These findings are confirmatory evidence of the pro-inflammatory state of obese individuals, even in young children.
Effects of environmental enrichment on ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the rat prefrontal cortex following nicotine‐induced sensitization or nicotine self‐administration

Rats raised in an enriched condition (EC) exhibit alterations in the neurobiological and behavioral response to nicotine compared with rats reared in an impoverished condition (IC) or a standard condition (SC). The current study determined whether environmental enrichment differentially regulates extracellular signal‐regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) activity in the prefrontal cortex in rats following nicotine sensitization or nicotine self‐administration. Under the saline control condition, EC rats displayed diminished baseline activity and greater sensitization to repeated administration of nicotine compared with IC and SC rats. After repeated saline injections, the basal levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2 (pERK1/2) were higher in EC compared with IC and SC rats, which was negatively correlated with their respective baseline activities. Repeated nicotine (0.35 mg/kg) injections induced pERK1/2 to similar levels in SC and IC rats; however, the induction of pERK1/2 in EC rats by nicotine was not significantly different from saline controls, owing to their high baseline. In the self‐administration paradigm, EC rats self‐administered less nicotine (0.03 mg/kg/infusion) relative to IC or SC rats on a fixed ratio‐1 schedule of reinforcement. Accordingly, no differences in pERK1/2 were found between EC and IC rats self‐administering saline, whereas nicotine self‐administration resulted in an increase in pERK1/2 in IC rats but not in EC rats. Furthermore, the levels of pERK1/2 in EC and IC rats were positively correlated with their respective total number of nicotine infusions. Thus, these findings suggest that environmental enrichment alters the basal and nicotine‐mediated pERK1/2, which may contribute to enrichment‐induced behavioral alterations in response to nicotine.
Towards a Cost-Aware Data Migration Approach for Key-Value Stores

Live data migration is an important technique for key-value stores. However, due to the stateful feature, new virtualization technology, stringent low latency requirements and unexpected workload changes, key-value stores deployed in cloud environment have to face new challenges for data migration: effects of VM interference, and the need to trade off between the two ingredients of migration cost, say migration time and performance impact. To address these challenges, we focus on the data migration problem in a load rebalancing scenario and build a new framework that aims to rebalance load while minimizing migration costs. We build two interference-aware prediction models to predict the migration time and performance impact for each action using statistical machine learning and then create a cost model to strike a right balance between the two ingredients of cost. A cost-aware migration algorithm is designed to utilize the cost model and balance rate to guide the choice of possible migration actions. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the data migration approach as well as the cost model and two prediction models using YCSB.
Effect of aggregation on thermal conduction in colloidal nanofluids

Using effective medium theory the authors demonstrate that the thermal conductivity of nanofluids can be significantly enhanced by the aggregation of nanoparticles into clusters. Predictions of the effective medium theory are in excellent agreement with detailed numerical calculation on model nanofluids involving fractal clusters and show the importance of cluster morphology on thermal conductivity enhancements.
A GIDL free tunneling gate driver for a low power non-volatile memory array

A recently presented single-poly non-volatile C-Flash memory bitcell provides an ultra-low power low cost option for embedded RFID design. This cell requires the application of a 10V potential difference between the cell's control lines for program and erase operations. Providing the required voltages includes several challenges in the design of the voltage driver, such as the elimination of Gate Induced Drain Leakage (GIDL) currents. In this paper, we present a voltage driver architecture that utilizes novel techniques to overcome the power consumption problems during high voltage propagation. This driver was implemented in the TowerJazz 0. 18μm CMOS technology, providing the required functionality with a low static-power figure of 34.6pW.
ECE1352F Term Paper Decision Feedback Equalizers and their Application to Magnetic Storage Read Channels

Intersymbol interference (ISI) can be a major speed-limiting factor in high-speed communications links, and must be mitigated to achieve an acceptable bit-error rate (BER). One efficient method of ISI mitigation is channel equalization using a decision-feedback equalizer (DFE) [1]. One system in which DFEs have been implemented extensively to combat severe ISI is the magnetic storage read channel. Many DFE architectures for this application have been proposed and implemented ([1],[2],[3]) . This paper describes the motivation for the development of DFEs for use in high-speed communications systems, and in particular, the magnetic storage read channel. The operation and architecture of the DFE is described and several recent mixed-signal and analog implementations of DFEs are presented and compared. In particular, the Look-Ahead DFE (LADFE) and Random Access Memory DFE (RAM-DFE) are shown to provide substantial performance improvements over other architectures.
EXPLICITNESS, INTAKE, AND THE ISSUE OF AWARENESS

The conditions (implicit or explicit) under which exposure to L2 input takes place and the level of awareness raised while processing input may be strongly related to the learning process. This study investigates how intake was affected both by awareness and by the conditions under which a problem-solving task was performed. Spanish conditional sentences were presented to learners through five different degrees of explicitness, which were the result of combining the factors [±formal instruction] and [±directions to search for rules]. Intake was measured through a multiple-choice recognition test administered immediately after the experimental task. Level of awareness was assessed by means of think-aloud protocols collected during input processing. Results indicate that (a) the degrees of explicitness had a differential effect on intake, (b) the higher the level of awareness demonstrated, the stronger the effect on intake, and (c) the conditions under which the task was administered influenced the way information was processed.
ADAPTIVE RSS BASED INDOOR POSITIONING SYSTEM USING RFID AND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY

Recently, a number of empirical models have been introduced in the literature of Indoor Positioning System (IPS). Hence, position awareness is necessary for communication of reference nodes in the wireless sensor network. IPS can be very useful in navigating the indoor living commodities, tracking objects in any inside location such as malls, colleges, schools, hospitals etc. While for outdoor navigation we use Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), cellular network etc. Due to the problems with signal generation from satellites or cellular towers they can’t be used for navigation in indoor environments. The widely used technology for Indoor Positioning environment is based on Wi-Fi which consists of two categories namely Trilateration technique and Location Fingerprint technique (LF). The performance metrics of trilateration technique and LF with respect to noise and environmental changes results to inaccuracy. Particularly in indoor environment Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has proved its potential for locating objects. The RFIDbased and RSS-based localization approaches estimates the RFID tag’s location by calculating the variation in the signal power as the distance varies of the tagreader. In RSS, the strength of the received signal indicates the distance of the signal travelled by assuming that the transmission strength of the signal and its channel i.e. environment is known earlier.
Wrist rehabiitation training simulator for P.T. using pneumatic parallel manipulator

We focus on the rehabilitation of human wrist joint whose motion is indispensable in our day-life. According to a Japan physical therapy white paper in 2014, there are currently about 93,000 of physiotherapist (hereinafter P.T.). The total number of P.T. has been increasing comparing before but skill improvement of P.T. is still important issue. Hearing from P.T. , rookie P.T. are doing their wrist rehabilitation practice by taking another P.T. 's wrist each other. Robot technology has possibility to bring more efficient training environment. We develop a training simulator for P.T. in wrist rehabilitation using a pneumatic parallel manipulator from a view that it has 6 D.O. F. sufficient to correspond to complex wrist motion. Concretely, the manipulator behaves as a pseudo patient by realizing mechanical property of patient's wrist joint using an impedance control. After constructing a patient's wrist model on a manipulator, an expert P.T. and a rookie one give their training motion for the wrist model. Comparing the recorded training motion quantitatively using a visual interface, we give the environment to skill improvement and skill transfer between an expert and a rookie P.T. The validity of the proposed systems are confirmed through some experiments.
Pro IQ Testing

The controversy surrounding the issue of individualized intelligence testing may be entering the 500th year. Recent litigation has probably widened the gap between opponents in the controversy. This article explores six issues of that controversy: (a) questions related to the validity of the concept of intelligence and its testing (b) ethical issues, (c) legal issues, (d) racial/minority/cultural issues, (e) poor correlation between test results and teaching, and (f) alternatives proposed by various investigators. The author presents a proponent's position on the issue of individualized IQ testing and offers some suggestions to resolve the issues in each of the six areas of the controversy.
Identification of a Human C5 β‐Chain Epitope Exposed in the Native Complement Component but Concealed in the SC5b‐9 Complex

Monoclonal antibodies obtained after immunization of mice with human C5 were screened for activity against native C5 and SC5b‐9. Clone 568 reacted with the C5 β‐chain in western blotting and with purified native C5 in double antibody enzyme immunoassays. The reactivity of done 568 against serum decreased markedly when serum was activated with zymosan. The residual activity was found to be against free C5, whereas the antibody did not read at all wish the SC5b‐9 complex. Thus, the antibody 568 reacts with an activation‐dependent C5 epitope, which is concealed when C5 is incorporated into the terminal complement complex
A comparison of the relative effects of phonologic and semantic cueing treatments

Background: Lexical retrieval problems are pervasive in aphasia and are often an important focus of treatment. Although many treatments have been demonstrated to positively impact lexical retrieval in aphasia, comparisons of such treatments have been relatively rare. Aims: The purpose of this investigation was to compare the relative effects of two lexical retrieval cueing treatments when administered concurrently with a participant with chronic anomic aphasia. The cueing treatments, phonological cueing treatment (PCT) and semantic cueing treatment (SCT) were designed to target the lexical phonologic and lexical semantic levels of processing, respectively. Methods & Procedures: The participant received both treatments concomitantly in the context of an alternating treatments design and multiple baseline design across behaviours. Separate lists of words were assigned to each treatment and additional word lists were designated for generalisation assessment. Following achievement of criterion levels of performance, each treatment was then applied to the additional lists in order to attempt to replicate treatment effects. Outcomes & Results: The participant showed a positive response to both treatments. However, he achieved higher levels of accuracy of naming for items treated with SCT. This effect was observed in both phases of treatment application. Conclusions: For this participant, SCT appeared to be the preferred treatment, at least in the context of concurrent administration of the treatments. This preferential response may be related to a pretreatment pattern of responding in which the participant routinely used descriptions and semantically related sentence cues to attempt to retrieve words.
Localization of the PIP2 Sensor of TRPV1 Ion Channels*

Although a large number of ion channels are now believed to be regulated by phosphoinositides, particularly phosphoinositide 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), the mechanisms involved in phosphoinositide regulation are unclear. For the TRP superfamily of ion channels, the role and mechanism of PIP2 modulation has been especially difficult to resolve. Outstanding questions include: is PIP2 the endogenous regulatory lipid; does PIP2 potentiate all TRPs or are some TRPs inhibited by PIP2; where does PIP2 interact with TRP channels; and is the mechanism of modulation conserved among disparate subfamilies? We first addressed whether the PIP2 sensor resides within the primary sequence of the channel itself, or, as recently proposed, within an accessory integral membrane protein called Pirt. Here we show that Pirt does not alter the phosphoinositide sensitivity of TRPV1 in HEK-293 cells, that there is no FRET between TRPV1 and Pirt, and that dissociated dorsal root ganglion neurons from Pirt knock-out mice have an apparent affinity for PIP2 indistinguishable from that of their wild-type littermates. We followed by focusing on the role of the C terminus of TRPV1 in sensing PIP2. Here, we show that the distal C-terminal region is not required for PIP2 regulation, as PIP2 activation remains intact in channels in which the distal C-terminal has been truncated. Furthermore, we used a novel in vitro binding assay to demonstrate that the proximal C-terminal region of TRPV1 is sufficient for PIP2 binding. Together, our data suggest that the proximal C-terminal region of TRPV1 can interact directly with PIP2 and may play a key role in PIP2 regulation of the channel.
HR-HPV E6/E7 mRNA In Situ Hybridization: Validation Against PCR, DNA In Situ Hybridization, and p16 Immunohistochemistry in 102 Samples of Cervical, Vulvar, Anal, and Head and Neck Neoplasia

Dysregulated expression of oncogenic types of E6 and E7 is necessary for human papillomavirus (HPV)-driven carcinogenesis. An HPV E6/E7 mRNA in situ hybridization (ISH) assay covering 18 common high-risk types (“HR-RISH,” aka HR-HPV RNA18 ISH) has not been extensively studied in the anogenital tract or validated on automated technology. We herein compare HR-RISH to DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR), p16 immunohistochemistry, and a previously available HPV DNA ISH assay in HPV-related anogenital and head and neck (H&N) neoplasia. A total of 102 squamous intraepithelial lesions (16 CIN1, 25 CIN3, 3 AIN1, 12 AIN3, 9 VIN3)/invasive squamous cell carcinomas (17 cervical, 2 anal, 18 H&N) as well as 10 normal and 15 reactive cervix samples were collected. HR-RISH, DNA ISH, and p16 immunohistochemistry were performed on whole formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections. RNA ISH for 6 low-risk HPV types (LR-RISH) was also performed. RNA and DNA ISH assays used automated systems. HR-HPV PCR was performed on morphology-directed formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded punches. HR-RISH was ≥97% sensitive for PCR+ and p16+ neoplasia, as well as morphologically defined anogenital high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion/invasive squamous cell carcinoma. HR-RISH was also positive in 78% of anogenital low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, including 81% of CIN1. Furthermore, a subset of PCR-negative/invalid and p16-negative lesions was positive for HR-RISH. Only 1 problematic reactive cervix sample and no normal cervix samples stained. These results demonstrate that HR-RISH is a robust method for the detection of HR-HPV-related neoplasia and provides insight into HPV pathobiology. Performance meets or exceeds that of existing assays in anogenital and H&N lesions and may play a role in resolving diagnostically challenging CIN1 versus reactive cases.
The Public School: A Source of Alienation for Minority Parents.

Though the past three decades have seen dramatic changes in the civil rights status of American minorities, both society in general and the public schools in particular presently appear reluctant to grant further movement toward equality. Discriminatory practices continue in America's public schools. These practices, which Felice (1981) related to the very structure of American schooling, generate high minority dropout rates and disproportionately high numbers of minority student suspensions and placements in mentally or emotionally retarded classes (Cardenas & First, 1983). Public school officials refuse to identify the American educational process itself as discriminatory. Instead, armed with research findings, they continue to blame the victims of discrimination, suggesting that poor environmental circumstances produce disadvantaged students who are thus predisposed to second-class status and failure (see Beck & Muia, 1980; Coleman, 1987; and Fordham & Ogbu, 1986). However, researchers such as Calabrese (1988), Felice (1981), Fine (1986), and Michaelson (1981) have argued that minority students' educational disadvantages are the result of overt and covert school policies that are developed and maintained with the express purpose of ensuring a continuing disparity in the social-class system. As Bronfenbrenner (1986) has asserted, the schools serve to further exacerbate negative feelings and conditions that have their roots in poor economic circumstances and home environments. Although the literature suggests different causes, there is general agreement that minorities are alienated from social structures in general and from the school organization in particular (see Carnegie Corporation, 1984). Building upon Bronfenbrenner's (1986) work, the present study will examine the relationship of the parents of minority students to the public schools to ascertain the degree of separation or alienation, if any, that these parents feel toward the schools.
Root-canal shaping with manual and rotary Ni-Ti files performed by students.

AIM To investigate root-canal shaping with manual and rotary Ni-Ti files performed by students. METHODOLOGY Thirty undergraduate dental students prepared 150 simulated curved root canals in resin blocks with manual Ni-Ti files with a stepback technique and 450 simulated curved canals with rotary Ni-Ti files with a crowndown technique. Incidence of fracture, preparation length, canal shape and preparation time were investigated. Questionnaires were then issued to the students for them to note their experience of the two preparation methods. RESULTS Zips and elbows occurred significantly (P < 0.001) less frequently with rotary than with manual preparation. The correct preparation length was achieved significantly (P < 0.05) more often with rotary files than with manual files. Instrument fractures were recorded in only 1.3% of cases with both rotary and manual preparation. The mean time required for manual preparation was significantly (P < 0.001) longer than that required for rotary preparation. Prior experience with a hand preparation technique was not reflected in an improved quality of the subsequent rotary preparation. Approximately 83% of the students claimed to have a greater sense of security in rotary than in manual preparation. Overall 50% felt that manual and engine-driven preparation should be given equal status in undergraduate dental education. CONCLUSIONS Inexperienced operators achieved better canal preparations with rotary instruments than with manual files. No difference in fracture rate was recorded between the two systems.
Changing sets of parameters by partial mappings

Abstract: Changes between different sets of parameters are needed in multivariate statistical modeling. There may, for instance, be specific inference questions based on subject matter interpretations, alternative well-fitting constrained models, compatibility judgements of seemingly distinct constrained models, and different reference priors under alternative parameterizations. We introduce and discuss a partial mapping, called partial replication, and derive from it a more complex mapping, called partial inversion. Both operations are shown to be tools for decomposing matrix operations, for explaining recursion relations among sets of linear parameters, for deriving effects of omitted variables in alternative model formulations, for changing between different types of linear chain graph models, for approximating maximum-likelihood estimates in exponential family models under independence constraints, and for switching partially between sets of canonical and moment parameters in distributions of the exponential family or between sets of corresponding maximum-likelihood estimates.
The Role of Transient Receptor Potential Channel 6 Channels in the Pulmonary Vasculature

Canonical or classical transient receptor potential channel 6 (TRPC6) is a Ca2+-permeable non-selective cation channel that is widely expressed in the heart, lung, and vascular tissues. The use of TRPC6-deficient (“knockout”) mice has provided important insights into the role of TRPC6 in normal physiology and disease states of the pulmonary vasculature. Evidence indicates that TRPC6 is a key regulator of acute hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. Moreover, several studies implicated TRPC6 in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension. Furthermore, a unique genetic variation in the TRPC6 gene promoter has been identified, which might link the inflammatory response to the upregulation of TRPC6 expression and ultimate development of pulmonary vascular abnormalities in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Additionally, TRPC6 is critically involved in the regulation of pulmonary vascular permeability and lung edema formation during endotoxin or ischemia/reperfusion-induced acute lung injury. In this review, we will summarize latest findings on the role of TRPC6 in the pulmonary vasculature.