Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The contribution of cardiovascular risk factors to peripheral arterial disease in South Asians and Blacks: a sub-study to the Ethnic-Echocardiographic Heart of England Screening (E-ECHOES) study.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether differences exist in prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) between South Asians (people originating from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) and Blacks (Black Caribbean and Black African), the two largest minority ethnic groups in the UK. To determine if associations with cardiovascular risk factors and this disease differ between these two ethnic groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS We recruited 572 patients (356 South Asian and 216 Blacks) > or = 45 years as a sub-study to a community screening project, the Ethnic-Echocardiographic Heart of England Screening (E-ECHOES) study. All subjects completed an interviewer-led questionnaire, anthropometric measurements and blood sampling. Ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI) was calculated and intermittent claudication was assessed using the Edinburgh Claudication Questionnaire. The presence of PAD was defined as ABPI <0.9. RESULTS The mean age was 62 years overall with no difference between the two ethnic groups. The prevalence of PAD was 13.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 9.7-16.7] in South Asians and 10.2% (95% CI 6.2-14.2) in Blacks with no significant difference between the two ethnic groups. The prevalence of PAD was higher in South Asian women than Black women (16.3 vs. 6.1%; P = 0.011). No difference in prevalence was found in men (11 vs. 14% P = 0.47, in South Asians and Blacks, respectively). The prevalence of intermittent claudication was 0.9% (95% CI 0.11-1.63). On multivariate logistic regression, mean systolic blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and male sex were independently associated with PAD in South Asians (P = 0.016, 0.022, 0.037 and 0.008, respectively). In Blacks, only age remained independently associated with PAD on multivariate logistic regression (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION The prevalence of PAD is similar in South Asians and Blacks, and similar to levels reported in pre-dominantly White populations. South Asian women had a higher prevalence of PAD than Black women, which is not explained by traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
Depressed fathers' speech to their 3-month-old infants: a study of cognitive and mentalizing features in paternal speech

Background Depression in fathers in the postnatal period is associated with an increased risk of child behaviour problems. A key potential pathway of risk transmission is exposure of the child to negative cognitions and affect in the context of early parenting. This study examines paternal speech during face-to-face father–infant interactions at 3 months. Method Currently depressed (n=19) and non-depressed (n=19) fathers were individually matched on age and education. Speech was coded for cognitive biases and mentalizing statements using a modified version of previous measures of maternal speech. Paternal depression was diagnosed using a structured psychiatric interview. Results Depression in fathers was associated with more speech focused on the paternal experience and less on the infants' experience. Depressed fathers' speech comprised more negative and critical utterances, compared with non-depressed fathers. Conclusions Important differences emerge in the speech of fathers who experience depression. Examining negative cognitions in the speech of these fathers as early as 3 months may help in understanding children's risk in relation to paternal psychopathology.
Role of tropical Pacific SSTs in global medieval hydroclimate: A modeling study

The role of tropical Pacific SSTs in driving global medieval hydroclimate is assessed. Using fossil coral records from Palmyra Atoll, tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) boundary conditions are derived for the period 1320–1462 A.D. These boundary conditions consist of La Niña‐like mean state conditions in the tropical Pacific with inter‐annual and decadal variability about that altered state. The reconstructed SSTs in the tropical Pacific are used to force a 16 member ensemble of atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) simulations, coupled to a one layer ocean model outside of the tropical Pacific. The AGCM simulations of medieval climate are compared with modern climate simulations for the period 1856–2005 A.D. and are shown to reproduce many aspects of medieval hydroclimate found in paleo‐proxy records for much of the Western Hemisphere, northern Eurasia, and the northern tropics. These results suggest that many features of global medieval hydroclimate changes can be explained by changes in tropical Pacific SSTs, though the potential role for other oceans is also discussed.
Cardiovascular-Renal Mechanisms in Health and Disease The elevated blood pressure of human GRK 4 A 142 V transgenic mice is not associated with increased ROS production

Zheng Wang, Ines Armando, Laureano D. Asico, Crisanto Escano, Xiaoyan Wang, Quansheng Lu, Robin A. Felder, Christine G. Schnackenberg, David R. Sibley, Gilbert M. Eisner, and Pedro A. Jose Department of Pediatrics and Physiology and Biophysics, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia; Department of Pathology, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, Virginia; Department of Investigative and Cardiac Biology, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania; Molecular Neuropharmacology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; and Department of Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia
Critical Multicultural Analysis of Children's Literature: Mirrors, Windows, and Doors

Foreword, Sonia Nieto Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1 The Metaphors We Read By: Theoretical Foundations Chapter 2 The Historical Construction of Children's Literature Chapter 3 Reading Literacy Narratives Chapter 4 Deconstructing Multiculturalism in Children's Literature Chapter 5 Theorizing Critical Multicultural Analysis of Children's Literature Chapter 6 Doors to the Diaspora: The Social Construction of Race Chapter 7 Leaving Poverty Behind: The Social Construction of Class Chapter 8 Genres as Social Constructions: The Intertextuality of Children's Literature Chapter 9 Cinderella: The Social Construction of Gender Chapter 10 Shock of Hair: The Endurance of Hair as a Cultural Theme in Children's Literature Chapter 11 Teaching Critical Multicultural Analysis Further Dialogue with Mingshui Cai, Patrick Shannon, and Junko Yokota APPENDICES Appendix A Children's Book Awards Appendix B Children's Book Publishers Appendix C Power Continuum: How Power is Exercised Appendix D Critical Multicultural Analysis Appendix E The Publishing Practices of the Mexican American Migrant Farmworker Text Collection Appendix F Children's Literature Journals Appendix G Online Resources
Inheritance in Actor Based Concurrent Object-Oriented Languages

Inheritance is a valuable mechanism which enhances reusability and maintainability of software. A language design based on the actor model of concurrent computation faces a serious problem arising from the interference between concurrency and inheritance. A similar problem also occurs in other concurrent object-oriented languages. In this paper, we describe problems found in existing concurrent object-oriented languages. We present a solution which is based on a concept called behavior abstraction.
Progression of aortic dilatation and the benefit of long-term beta-adrenergic blockade in Marfan's syndrome.

BACKGROUND The aortic root enlarges progressively in Marfan's syndrome, and this enlargement is associated with aortic regurgitation and dissection. Long-term treatment with beta-adrenergic blockade, by reducing the impulse (i.e., the rate of pressure change in the aortic root) of left ventricular ejection and the heart rate, may protect the aortic root. METHODS We conducted an open-label, randomized trial of propranolol in adolescent and adult patients with classic Marfan's syndrome (32 treated and 38 untreated [control] patients). Aortic-root dimensions and clinical end points (aortic regurgitation, aortic dissection, cardiovascular surgery, congestive heart failure, and death) were monitored for an average of 9.3 years in the control group and 10.7 years in the treatment group. All 70 patients were included in the analysis according to the intention-to-treat principle. RESULTS The dose of propranolol was individualized; the mean (+/- SE) dose was 212 +/- 68 mg per day. The mean slope of the regression line for the aortic-root dimensions, which reflect the rate of dilatation, was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group (0.023 vs. 0.084 per year, P < 0.001). Clinical end points were reached in five patients in the treatment group and nine in the control group. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve for the treatment group differed significantly from that for the control group during the middle years of the trial and remained better for the treatment group throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS Prophylactic beta-adrenergic blockade is effective in slowing the rate of aortic dilatation and reducing the development of aortic complications in some patients with Marfan's syndrome.
Mappings Creation Using a View Based Approach

Solving the heterogeneity problems between semantically enriched data can only be done by having accurate alignments between the underlying ontologies. To obtain 100% accuracy of these alignments the human user (i.e. the domain expert) has to be kept in the loop in order to validate the mappings part of these alignments. Since creating mappings between ontologies in a manual fashion can be an error prone and time consuming task, our aim is to provide semiautomatic mechanisms that reduce the human effort to simple validations and choices. Furthermore we propose a mechanism for transforming domain experts inputs placed in graphical interface in formal representations of the semantic relationships between ontologies. The domain expert can choose between different views, each of them displaying certain relationships and entities in the ontologies, used for generating different types of mappings. At each step suggestion algorithms propose possible solutions for creating new mappings.
Ratings of Journals by ARL Library Directors and Deans of Library and Information Science Schools.

A study of the perceived prestige of a core group of library journals by directors of ARL libraries and library school deans reveals a prestige hierarchy for each group. Although in rough agreement on the rating of two-thirds of the journals, the deans and directors differ significantly on the ratings of the remaining one-third. The subset of ARL directors in institutions where librarians have faculty status as evidenced by tenure does not rate journals substantially more like library school deans than do ARL directors as a whole, and library school deans are shown to agree much more as a group on their ratings than the ARL directors.
Highly improved SNR differential sensing method using parallel operation signaling for touch screen application

In this paper, a continuous-time differential type multi-signal parallel driving architecture touch screen sensing circuit for projective capacitive type panel is presented. In order to further enhance the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), a new transmitter (TX) architecture is proposed with parallel signal processing algorithm. In this work, charge amplifiers with built-in band-pass filter are designed that filter out low frequency noise and common-mode noise simultaneously. Conventional approaches in continuous-time operation with band-pass filter suffer from a synchronization problem in the case of multi-signal parallel driving. In this work, a built-in delay calibration circuit is proposed that can align signal timing for TX signal and adjacent receiver (RX) sensing line. This proposed architecture enables multi-signal parallel driving in continuous-time operation for projective capacitive sensing circuits. The proposed work supports 16 × 8 mutual capacitive touch screen panel (TSP). TSP load is 12.5 kΩ and 40 pF with frame rate of 200 Hz and 58 dB SNR. Power dissipation is 46 mW.
Author ' s personal copy Overview No . 150 Phase field modeling of defects and deformation

New perspectives on the phase field approach in modeling deformation and fracture at the fundamental defect level are reviewed. When applied at sub-angstrom length scales the phase field crystal (PFC) model is able to describe thermally averaged atomic configurations of defects and defect processes on diffusional timescales. When applied at individual defect levels the microscopic phase field (MPF) model is a superset of the Cahn–Hilliard description of chemical inhomogeneities and the Peierls (cohesive zone) description of displacive inhomogeneities. A unique feature associated with the MPF model is its ability to predict fundamental properties of individual defects such as size, formation energy, saddle point configuration and activation energy of defect nuclei, and the micromechanisms of their mutual interactions, directly using ab initio calculations as model inputs. When applied at the mesoscopic level the coarse grained phase field (CGPF) models have the ability to predict the evolution of microstructures consisting of a large assembly of both chemically and mechanically interacting defects through coupled displacive and diffusional mechanisms. It is noted that the purpose of the MPF model is fundamentally different from that of the CGPF models. The latter have been used primarily to study microstructural evolution with user-supplied linear response rate laws, defect energies and mobilities. Combined phase field simulations hold great promise in modeling deformation and fracture with complex microstructural and chemical interactions. 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effects of physical characteristics and residence style on alignment of lower extremity

This research was performed to identify the incidence of deformity of lower extremity and to identify the relationship of the incidence between the deformities. Once the incidences and relationship are found, next purpose was to find the effects of physical characteristics and residence styles on the development of lower extremity deformities. One hundred fifteen males and 108 females participated in this study. Data collecting was performed by questionnaire and visual postural evaluation. The incidence of genu varus was significantly high in standing-up life style compared to sitting-on life style (chi-square=8.28; P=0.004). However, the incidences of heel varus (chi-square=13.223; P=0.004) and femoral torsion (chi-square=19.347; P<0.0001) were significantly high in sitting-on life style than standing-up life style. The incidences of genu varus (chi-square=24.18; P<0.0001), heel varus (chi-square= 15.412; P<0.0001), and tibial torsion (chi-square=6.285; P<0.012) were significantly high in sitting-on life style compared to standing-up life style (P<0.05). The odd ratio result for sitting-on life style against standing-up life style showed 6.6 times significantly high relationship in femoral torsion (95% confidence range, 1.64–26.47) in men.
SAN Data Encryption System on iSCSI

To protect the static data in SAN, this paper proposed and realized a SAN storage and encryption system based on iSCSI by encrypting the SAN disk static data, which realized a flexible security management strategy by multiple-key and multiple layer encryption system to project the physical resources through iSCSI protocol stack and virtualization technique. Besides, as it has optimized iSCSI’s function through RC aggregation cache data pack and this system is proved to function well in simulation test. This system is as good as or better than other products in this line on the international market, by saving about 10% of the conversation expenditure.
Simple estimation of hidden correlation in repeated measures

In medical and social studies, it is often desirable to assess the correlation between characteristics of interest that are not directly observable. In such cases, repeated measures are often available, but the correlation between the repeated measures is not the same as that between the true characteristics that are confounded with the measurement errors. The latter is called the hidden correlation. Previously, the problem has been treated by assuming prior knowledge about the measurement errors or by using relatively complex statistical models, such as the mixed‐effects models, with no closed‐form expression for the estimated hidden correlation. We propose a simple estimator of the hidden correlation that is very much like the Pearson correlation coefficient, with a closed‐form expression, under assumptions much weaker than the mixed‐effects model. Simulation results show that the proposed simple estimator performs similarly as the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimator in mixed models but is computationally much more efficient than REML. We also made simulation comparison with the Pearson correlation. We considered a real data example. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Initial-Final Mass Relationship: Spectroscopy of White Dwarfs in NGC 2099 (M37)

We present new observations of very faint white dwarfs (WDs) in the rich open star cluster NGC 2099 (M37). Following deep, wide-field imaging of the cluster using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, we have now obtained spectroscopic observations of candidate WDs using both the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on Gemini North and the Low-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer on Keck. Of our 24 WD candidates (all fainter than V = 22.4), 21 are spectroscopically confirmed to be bona fide WDs, four or five of which are most likely field objects. Fitting 18 of the 21 WD spectra with model atmospheres, we find that most WDs in this cluster are quite massive (0.7-0.9 M☉), as expected given the cluster's young age (650 Myr) and, hence, high turnoff mass (~2.4 M☉). We determine a new initial-final mass relationship and almost double the number of existing data points from previous studies. The results indicate that stars with initial masses between 2.8 and 3.4 M☉ lose 70%-75% of their mass through stellar evolution. For the first time, we find some evidence of a metallicity dependence on the initial-final mass relationship.
Progesterone Action in the Myometrium and Decidua in Preterm Birth

Progesterone is central to many reproductive processes and is critical in regulating the menstrual cycle and maintaining pregnancy. We discuss here similarities in the molecular mechanisms that regulate the process of decidualisation in endometrial stromal cells and uterine quiescence in myometrial smooth muscle cells. We discuss recent evidence that the decidua may be an important mediator of progesterone actions in the onset of labor in mammalian species lacking progesterone withdrawal. These observations have relevance to recent clinical observations of the effect of progesterone administration in the prevention of preterm labor. We suggest that further research is required to understand the role of progesterone in maintaining the decidua in late pregnancy and particular focus should be given to the mechanisms that increase prostaglandin production in the uterus at term.
The Neuroprotective Role of Protein Quality Control in Halting the Development of Alpha-Synuclein Pathology

Synucleinopathies are a family of neurodegenerative disorders that comprises Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. Each of these disorders is characterized by devastating motor, cognitive, and autonomic consequences. Current treatments for synucleinopathies are not curative and are limited to improvement of quality of life for affected individuals. Although the underlying causes of these diseases are unknown, a shared pathological hallmark is the presence of proteinaceous inclusions containing the α-synuclein (α-syn) protein in brain tissue. In the past few years, it has been proposed that these inclusions arise from the self-templated, prion-like spreading of misfolded and aggregated forms of α-syn throughout the brain, leading to neuronal dysfunction and death. In this review, we describe how impaired protein homeostasis is a prominent factor in the α-syn aggregation cascade, with alterations in protein quality control (PQC) pathways observed in the brains of patients. We discuss how PQC modulates α-syn accumulation, misfolding and aggregation primarily through chaperoning activity, proteasomal degradation, and lysosome-mediated degradation. Finally, we provide an overview of experimental data indicating that targeting PQC pathways is a promising avenue to explore in the design of novel neuroprotective approaches that could impede the spreading of α-syn pathology and thus provide a curative treatment for synucleinopathies.
An improved algorithm for analytical gradient evaluation in resolution‐of‐the‐identity second‐order Møller‐Plesset perturbation theory: Application to alanine tetrapeptide conformational analysis

We present a new algorithm for analytical gradient evaluation in resolution‐of‐the‐identity second‐order Møller‐Plesset perturbation theory (RI‐MP2) and thoroughly assess its computational performance and chemical accuracy. This algorithm addresses the potential I/O bottlenecks associated with disk‐based storage and access of the RI‐MP2 t‐amplitudes by utilizing a semi‐direct batching approach and yields computational speed‐ups of approximately 2–3 over the best conventional MP2 analytical gradient algorithms. In addition, we attempt to provide a straightforward guide to performing reliable and cost‐efficient geometry optimizations at the RI‐MP2 level of theory. By computing relative atomization energies for the G3/99 set and optimizing a test set of 136 equilibrium molecular structures, we demonstrate that satisfactory relative accuracy and significant computational savings can be obtained using Pople‐style atomic orbital basis sets with the existing auxiliary basis expansions for RI‐MP2 computations. We also show that RI‐MP2 geometry optimizations reproduce molecular equilibrium structures with no significant deviations (>0.1 pm) from the predictions of conventional MP2 theory. As a chemical application, we computed the extended‐globular conformational energy gap in alanine tetrapeptide at the extrapolated RI‐MP2/cc‐pV(TQ)Z level as 2.884, 4.414, and 4.994 kcal/mol for structures optimized using the HF, DFT (B3LYP), and RI‐MP2 methodologies and the cc‐pVTZ basis set, respectively. These marked energetic discrepancies originate from differential intramolecular hydrogen bonding present in the globular conformation optimized at these levels of theory and clearly demonstrate the importance of long‐range correlation effects in polypeptide conformational analysis. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2007
Activation of the left planum temporale in pitch processing is shaped by language experience

Implicit, abstract knowledge acquired through language experience can alter cortical processing of complex auditory signals. To isolate prelexical processing of linguistic tones (i.e., pitch variations that convey part of word meaning), a novel design was used in which hybrid stimuli were created by superimposing Thai tones onto Chinese syllables (tonal chimeras) and Chinese tones onto the same syllables (Chinese words). Native speakers of tone languages (Chinese, Thai) underwent fMRI scans as they judged tones from both stimulus sets. In a comparison of native vs. non‐native tones, overlapping activity was identified in the left planum temporale (PT). In this area a double dissociation between language experience and neural representation of pitch occurred such that stronger activity was elicited in response to native as compared to non‐native tones. This finding suggests that cortical processing of pitch information can be shaped by language experience and, moreover, that lateralized PT activation can be driven by top‐down cognitive processing. Hum Brain Mapp, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.