Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Associations of Suboptimal Growth with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in Children under Five Years: A Pooled Analysis of Ten Prospective Studies

Background Child undernutrition affects millions of children globally. We investigated associations between suboptimal growth and mortality by pooling large studies. Methods Pooled analysis involving children 1 week to 59 months old in 10 prospective studies in Africa, Asia and South America. Utilizing most recent measurements, we calculated weight-for-age, height/length-for-age and weight-for-height/length Z scores, applying 2006 WHO Standards and the 1977 NCHS/WHO Reference. We estimated all-cause and cause-specific mortality hazard ratios (HR) using proportional hazards models comparing children with mild (−2≤Z<−1), moderate (−3≤Z<−2), or severe (Z<−3) anthropometric deficits with the reference category (Z≥−1). Results 53 809 children were eligible for this re-analysis and contributed a total of 55 359 person-years, during which 1315 deaths were observed. All degrees of underweight, stunting and wasting were associated with significantly higher mortality. The strength of association increased monotonically as Z scores decreased. Pooled mortality HR was 1.52 (95% Confidence Interval 1.28, 1.81) for mild underweight; 2.63 (2.20, 3.14) for moderate underweight; and 9.40 (8.02, 11.03) for severe underweight. Wasting was a stronger determinant of mortality than stunting or underweight. Mortality HR for severe wasting was 11.63 (9.84, 13.76) compared with 5.48 (4.62, 6.50) for severe stunting. Using older NCHS standards resulted in larger HRs compared with WHO standards. In cause-specific analyses, all degrees of anthropometric deficits increased the hazards of dying from respiratory tract infections and diarrheal diseases. The study had insufficient power to precisely estimate effects of undernutrition on malaria mortality. Conclusions All degrees of anthropometric deficits are associated with increased risk of under-five mortality using the 2006 WHO Standards. Even mild deficits substantially increase mortality, especially from infectious diseases.
In silico assembly and nanomechanical characterization of carbon nanotube buckypaper

Carbon nanotube sheets or films, also known as ‘buckypaper’, have been proposed for use in actuating, structural and filtration systems, based in part on their unique and robust mechanical properties. Computational modeling of such a fibrous nanostructure is hindered by both the random arrangement of the constituent elements as well as the time- and length-scales accessible to atomistic level molecular dynamics modeling. Here we present a novel in silico assembly procedure based on a coarse-grain model of carbon nanotubes, used to attain a representative mesoscopic buckypaper model that circumvents the need for probabilistic approaches. By variation in assembly parameters, including the initial nanotube density and ratio of nanotube type (single- and double-walled), the porosity of the resulting buckypaper can be varied threefold, from approximately 0.3 to 0.9. Further, through simulation of nanoindentation, the Young’s modulus is shown to be tunable through manipulation of nanotube type and density over a range of approximately 0.2–3.1 GPa, in good agreement with experimental findings of the modulus of assembled carbon nanotube films. In addition to carbon nanotubes, the coarse-grain model and assembly process can be adapted for other fibrous nanostructures such as electrospun polymeric composites, high performance nonwoven ballistic materials, or fibrous protein aggregates, facilitating the development and characterization of novel nanomaterials and composites as well as the analysis of biological materials such as protein fiber films and bulk structures.
Social identity support and friendship outcomes: A longitudinal study predicting who will be friends and best friends 4 years later

This longitudinal study tested the hypothesis that social identity support would predict the long-term status of first-year college friendships. Social identity support refers to perceived support for valued aspects of the self that are related to identification with social groups, categories, and roles. First-year undergraduates (N = 100) reported levels of closeness, contact, general support, and social identity support for new same-sex friendships. Logistic regression analyses indicated, as expected, that social identity support predicted whether or not a new friend would be a best friend 4 years later, after controlling for initial levels of closeness, contact, and general relationship-specific social support. Social identity support, however, did not predict status as a mere friend at follow-up. The results regarding best friend status suggest that social identity support may be a unique form of social support that contributes to the development of close relationships.
Reliability evaluation of AC/DC hybrid power grid considering transient security constraints

With the rapid development of DC transmission technology and High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) programs, the reliability of AC/DC hybrid power grid draws more and more attentions. The paper takes both the system static and dynamic characteristics into account, and proposes a novel AC/DC hybrid system reliability evaluation method considering transient security constraints based on Monte-Carlo method and transient stability analytical method. The interaction of AC system and DC system after fault is considered in evaluation process. The transient stability analysis is performed firstly when fault occurs in the system and BPA software is applied to the analysis to improve the computational accuracy and speed. Then the new system state is generated according to the transient analysis results. Then a minimum load shedding model of AC/DC hybrid system with HVDC is proposed. And then adequacy analysis is taken to the new state. The proposed method can evaluate the reliability of AC/DC hybrid grid more comprehensively and reduce the complexity of problem which is tested by IEEE-RTS 96 system and an actual large-scale system.
AGE AND ULTIMATE ATTAINMENT IN THE PRONUNCIATION OF A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

This paper reports on two studies that addressed the issue of ultimate attainment by late second language learners. The aim of the studies, which included a carefully screened group of highly successful Dutch learners of English in their designs, was to determine whether or not late second language learners who had achieved a nativelike performance in the pronunciation of a second language could be identified. Speech samples provided by two groups of learners, one of which consisted of highly successful learners only, and a native speaker control group were rated for accent by native speakers of English. The ratings obtained by some learners were within the range of the ratings assigned to the native speaker controls. Such results suggest that it is not impossible to achieve an authentic, nativelike pronunciation of a second language after a specified biological period of time. Examination of the learning histories of the highly successful learners lead the authors to argue that certain learner characteristics and learning contexts may work together to override the disadvantages of a late start.
Trafficking of an Acylated Cytosolic Protein: Newly Synthesized p56lck Travels to the Plasma Membrane via the Exocytic Pathway

The Src-related tyrosine kinase p56lck (Lck) is primarily expressed in T lymphocytes where it localizes to the cytosolic side of the plasma membrane and associates with the T cell coreceptors CD4 and CD8. As a model for acylated proteins, we studied how this localization of Lck is achieved. We followed newly synthesized Lck by pulse–chase analysis and found that membrane association of Lck starts soon after synthesis, but is not complete until at least 30–45 min later. Membrane-binding kinetics are similar in CD4/CD8-positive and CD4/CD8-negative cells. In CD4-positive T cells, the interaction with CD4 rapidly follows membrane association of Lck. Studying the route via which Lck travels from its site of synthesis to the plasma membrane, we found that: CD4 associates with Lck within 10 min of synthesis, long before CD4 has reached the plasma membrane; Lck associates with intracellular CD4 early after synthesis and with cell surface CD4 at later times; and transport of CD4-bound Lck to the plasma membrane is inhibited by Brefeldin A. These data indicate that the initial association of newly synthesized Lck with CD4, and therefore with membranes, occurs on intracellular membranes of the exocytic pathway. From this location Lck is transported to the plasma membrane.
Thumb: A real-time resource information sharing application over mobile phones

Information sharing plays a significant role in human daily life. With the development of the Internet and applications over it, we share almost all kinds of information in a much wider space and time scope that we never had. However, when it comes to sharing information about resources which are available in an instant manner and expire in a very short time, such as the cases in carpooling, train ticket resale and short-term discount information, the Internet is not that all-powerful. On the other hand, we have witnessed the rapid development of smart mobile phones over recent years, and which is gradually reshaping our way to learn and communicate. To the best of our knowledge, instant resource information sharing systems have not been available in this new environment. In this work, we develop and demonstrate Thumb, a system aiming to leverage the new functionalities of smart mobile phones and the Internet to allow users to share instant availability of resource information, especially for resources with extreme short life time.
Song of Songs: A Metaphorical Vision for Pastoral Care

The use of Scripture in pastoral care needs to attend to what is disclosed about God's power to transform as well as to the limitations of persons seeking care. Song of Songs provides a vision for pastoral care grounded in metaphors that tell a story that witnesses to the transforming power of love between equals. Even though the text ends in yearning, the book as a whole illustrates why desire is necessary for healthy human relationships and why love, a basic human need, is integral for any counseling relationship and especially with individuals struggling with depression.
Short-range wireless technologies with mobile payments systems

Mobile devices and wireless technologies seem destined to make a large and continuing impact on our lives. Mobile devices especially have been widely used in the last few years, and recent developments in wireless technologies have provided some new solutions to problems of connectivity. Wireless technologies provide a new channel for implementation of mobile payments systems. The potential of short-range wireless technologies in commercial markets is enormous. Mobile payments is one such exciting application presently in development. Mobile payments systems offer great potential for both mobile and non-mobile products and services. However, in this early stage, mobile payments systems are facing some challenges. There are several available technologies for the applications and the mobile payments world is still waiting for standardization.This paper examines several available short-range wireless technologies for mobile payments systems. The ways in which short-range wireless technologies support mobile payments systems are explored. This paper also evaluates the advantages and issues involved with using these technologies. Finally, this paper will discuss the future developments of mobile payments with wireless technologies and the challenges faced by the mobile payments industry.
Bixie: Finding and Understanding Inconsistent Code

We present Bixie, a tool to detect inconsistencies in Java code. Bixie detectsinconsistent code at a higher precision than previous tools and provides novelfault localization techniques to explain why code is inconsistent. Wedemonstrate the usefulness of Bixie on over one million lines of code, showthat it can detect inconsistencies at a low false alarm rate, and fix a numberof inconsistencies in popular open-source projects. Watch our Demo at http://youtu.be/QpsoUBJMxhk.
Indexation de co-occurrences guidée par la structure des documents et contrôlée par une ontologie et l'exploitation du corpus

Confronte a la problematique de l'indexation de tres grands corpus documentaires d'entreprises, nous avons mis au point une methode simple mais efficace (en terme de temps de calcul et de volumetrie), permettant de filtrer par document les co-occurrences les plus representatives de ceux-ci. Nous nous placons dans un contexte de co-occurrences pour deux raisons. D'une part les requetes portant sur des corpus specialises, et composees par des experts, s'appuient sur peu de termes precisement choisis dont nous indexons les associations, et d'autre part car cela facilitera la construction de cartes semantiques de navigation dans les concepts du corpus. L'axe principal de ce travail est la prise en compte de la structure des documents en validant les contenus des paragraphes par ceux de leurs titres. Notre methode s'appuie sur des mesures tf.idf successives effectuees dans le contexte d'un document et non d'un corpus, sur les contenus des paragraphes auxquels sont integres progressivement la hierarchie des titres les introduisant. Puis nous exploitons simultanement une ontologie de controle et les requetes des utilisateurs comportant les termes precedemment discrimines pour valider par le theoreme de Bayes, les associations semantiques ainsi determinees.
Towards structured semantic embedding of multimedia

This abstract paper sketches our research towards Structured Semantic Embedding of multimedia data. Though a tag may have multiple senses with completely different visual imagery, current semantic embedding methods represent the tag by a single vector regardless of its senses. We challenge this convention, arguing the importance of adding semantic structures into semantic embedding. In particular, we develop Hierarchical Semantic Embedding, a simple model that exploits the WordNet hierarchy to make the semantic embedding structured to some extent. We demonstrate the viability of structured semantic embedding for tag disambiguation and zero-shot image tagging.
Potentiating mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 to treat post-infarction heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) is common after acute myocardial infarction (MI) with an estimated one in five individuals aged 65 years or older who experience a first MI subsequently developing HF over the next 5 years.1 While a temporal trend towards reduction in HF hospitalizations post-MI has been noted, survival remains poor even in the era of primary reperfusion therapy, multiagent neurohormonal modulation and device implantation, with a 1-year mortality for patients hospitalized for HF after MI of over 45%. 2 Complex changes in ventricular geometry ensue within hours of MI—particularly for transmural infarcts—and progress well beyond the acute episode in a process termed ventricular remodelling.3 The degree of ventricular remodelling—described by parameters such as left ventricular (LV) end-systolic volume—has emerged as a key predictor of long-term survival post-MI.4 All therapies proved to beneficially alter HF clinical outcomes, including renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibition, beta-adrenergic receptor blockade, cardiac resynchronization therapy, and LV assist devices, have been associated with LV reverse remodelling, highlighting it as a therapeutic target.5 Modern definitions of cardiac remodelling6 build on earlier, largely morphological descriptions of infarct expansion, progressive ventricular dilatation, and eccentric hypertrophy culminating in systolic failure.3 These reflect complex changes in: gene expression, molecular response (altered expression of proteins resulting in impaired sarcoplasmic calcium cycling and abnormal excitation–contraction coupling, increased AT1 receptor expression, and altered β-adrenoceptor function),5,7,8 cellular adaptations (altered myocyte shape, size, and increased levels of apoptosis),9 and interstitial [matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-mediated extracellular matrix remodelling, RAAS- and TGF-β-mediated fibrosis, activation and recruitment of inflammatory and progenitor cells, and reduced capillary density]10,11 in the pathogenesis and progression of post-MI HF. The ability of current evidence-based therapies to induce reverse remodelling depends on their ability to favourably alter some of these pathological changes, …
BRIEF REVIEWS Stimulus-Secretion Coupling of Renin Role of Hemodynamic and Other Factors

IT IS generally agreed that three intrarenal receptors control renin secretion. The macula densa receptor responds to some yet unknown function of the fluid passing the distal nephron (Thurau, 1964; Vander, 1967; Kotchen et al., 1978). The neurogenic receptor, which presumably is on the juxtaglomerular cell membrane, stimulates renin secretion by a /? -adrenergic mechanism and inhibits by an a mechanism (Ganong, 1972; Vandongen et al., 1973; Capponi and Valloton, 1976). The vascular stretch receptor, presumably the juxtaglomerular cell itself, responds to the degree of stretch of the afferent arteriole such that a decreased stretch increases renin secretion (Tobian, 1960; Fray, 1976). Since it has been demonstrated that the neurogenic receptor and the stretch receptor can function independently of the macula densa (Davis and Freeman, 1976), several investigators have sought to determine the chemical or physical events connecting the receptors to the secretory process. If we accept the proposition that decreased stretch and jS-adrenergic stimulation increase renin secretion, then it is natural to enquire about the hemodynamic factors that affect the stretch and about the cellular mechanism by which 0 stimulation leads to increased secretion.
Toward successful joint knowledge production for climate change adaptation: lessons from six regional projects in the Netherlands

In the domain of climate change adaptation, joint knowledge production (JKP) through intensive cooperation between scientists, policy-makers, and other actors is often proposed as a means to reconcile supply and demand for knowledge. Regional adaptation projects in the Netherlands form prominent examples of this. However, there is a lack of systematic empirical studies on how JKP can be done successfully. Here, we take the next step toward generating design principles for JKP. We do so by carrying out a comparative analysis of six Dutch adaptation projects using a previously developed assessment framework. Project documents were studied, and 30 semi-structured interviews were held with researchers, policy-makers, and financiers in the projects. Based on project comparisons, we derive and elaborate on two design principles for JKP. First, the most successful projects managed to create what we term a protected space for knowledge development while establishing connections with ongoing policy processes. Successful JKP seems to be more likely in cases in which actors make a conscious decision for the institutional location of the project on the research-policy nexus, whereby the coordinating entity has some characteristics of a boundary organization. Second, specific resources, including facilities, boundary objects, and specific competencies increase the chance for success.
Does Pain Relief Improve Pain Behavior and Mood in Chronic Pain Patients?

Chronic pain is a subjective experience and has not only physical, but also psychological and social dimensions. In the present study, we sought to determine whether an effective pain reduction would improve mood, behavioral, and cognitive outcome measures in chronic pain patients. Four-hundred-seventy-seven patients entering pain therapy at our university pain center were prospectively studied during the first year of treatment. Patients received pharmacotherapy, acupuncture, transcutaneous nerve stimulation, physiotherapy, and invasive pain treatment. Intensity and quality of pain were assessed with the Visual Analog Scale and Multidimensional Pain Scale. Psychological and social aspects were evaluated using the Pain Behavior Questionnaire and the Profile of Mood States questionnaire. Significant reductions in pain intensity (Visual Analog Scale, 7.35 at pretreatment and 1.03 after 12 mo; P = 0.01; Multidimensional Pain Scale, F = 6.185; P < 0.001) were accompanied by improvements in behavioral and cognitive dimensions (Pain Behavior Questionnaire, F = 9.483; P = 0.002). However, mood and psychological well-being did not improve (Profile of Mood States, F = 0.416; P = 0.551). The authors conclude that reducing pain intensity improves behavioral and cognitive dimensions but not psychological well-being and cognitive assessment.
Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Free-Ranging Sooty Mangabeys (Cercocebus atys atys) from the Taï Forest, Côte d'Ivoire: Implications for the Origin of Epidemic Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2

ABSTRACT Simian immunodeficiency virus of sooty mangabeys (SIVsmm) is recognized as the progenitor of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) and has been transmitted to humans on multiple occasions, yet the epidemiology and genetic diversity of SIVsmm infection in wild-living populations remain largely unknown. Here, we report the first molecular epidemiological survey of SIVsmm in a community of ∼120 free-ranging sooty mangabeys in the Taï Forest, Côte d'Ivoire. Fecal samples (n = 39) were collected from 35 habituated animals (27 females and 8 males) and tested for SIVsmm virion RNA (vRNA). Viral gag (800 bp) and/or env (490 bp) sequences were amplified from 11 different individuals (eight females and three males). Based on the sensitivity of fecal vRNA detection and the numbers of samples analyzed, the prevalence of SIVsmm infection was estimated to be 59% (95% confidence interval, 0.35 to 0.88). Behavioral data collected from this community indicated that SIVsmm infection occurred preferentially in high-ranking females. Phylogenetic analysis of gag and env sequences revealed an extraordinary degree of genetic diversity, including evidence for frequent recombination events in both the recent and distant past. Some sooty mangabeys harbored near-identical viruses (<2% interstrain distance), indicating epidemiologically linked infections. These transmissions were identified by microsatellite analyses to involve both related (mother/daughter) and unrelated individuals, thus providing evidence for vertical and horizontal transmission in the wild. Finally, evolutionary tree analyses revealed significant clustering of the Taï SIVsmm strains with five of the eight recognized groups of HIV-2, including the epidemic groups A and B, thus pointing to a likely geographic origin of these human infections in the eastern part of the sooty mangabey range.