Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What’s Age Got to Do With It? A Comparison of Bariatric Surgical Outcomes Among Young, Midlife, Older and Oldest Adults

Bariatric surgery has become an accepted method to treat obesity and its related diseases in adults; nevertheless, few bariatric surgery follow-up studies compare changes in body mass index (BMI), disease outcomes, and side effects among age groups. This study compares bariatric surgery outcomes across four adult age groups by comparing changes in milestone BMIs such as highest and lowest BMI, perceived existing disease outcomes, and symptoms related to those diseases. Data were obtained using a 40-item questionnaire that was mailed to 2,520 patients of a Midwestern weight management center who were at least 18 months post-bariatric surgical procedure. The 534 respondents were divided into four age groups in years: 18 to 49 (n = 171), 50-59 (n = 148), 60-69 (n = 138), and ≥ 70 (n = 77). There were no differences among the age groups for lowest (p = .93) and current BMI (p = .51). Significant improvement in eight chronic diseases occurred across all age groups. There were no differences between age groups in reported occurrence of incontinence (p = .65), diarrhea (p = .22), flatulence (p = .46), heartburn (p = .73), and indigestion (p = .22). Constipation rarely occurred among the oldest adults (p < .001). Bariatric surgery should be considered an option for weight loss and disease management for older adults as much as it is for younger adults.
A Selective Emotional Decision-Making Bias Elicited by Facial Expressions

Emotional and social information can sway otherwise rational decisions. For example, when participants decide between two faces that are probabilistically rewarded, they make biased choices that favor smiling relative to angry faces. This bias may arise because facial expressions evoke positive and negative emotional responses, which in turn may motivate social approach and avoidance. We tested a wide range of pictures that evoke emotions or convey social information, including animals, words, foods, a variety of scenes, and faces differing in trustworthiness or attractiveness, but we found only facial expressions biased decisions. Our results extend brain imaging and pharmacological findings, which suggest that a brain mechanism supporting social interaction may be involved. Facial expressions appear to exert special influence over this social interaction mechanism, one capable of biasing otherwise rational choices. These results illustrate that only specific types of emotional experiences can best sway our choices.
Multiculturalism in Australia

The concept of multiculturalism as a social goal is often viewed normatively rather than descriptively. In its normative meaning, multiculturalism refers to ways in which society should be organised to respond to the social reality of a community which abounds in social and cultural diversity. The philosophy and rationale of multiculturalism is in fact a shorthand for 'cultural pluralism' and it is this pluralism which needs to be subject to scrutiny and comment, especially because it is used to fashion policies relating to such aspects of social life as education and the media.
Structural Damage Identification via Modal Data Based on Genetic Algorithm

This paper presents a nondestructive global damage identification method based on the changes in frequencies, mode shapes and flexibilities of vibration of structural system. The method is applied at an element level, the damage is represented by a reduction factor of the element bending stiffness and an adaptive genetic algorithms (AGA) is proposed to identify damage location and severity, which is improved in selection, crossover, mutation and construction of objective function. The method has been verified by a number of damage scenarios for simulated beams, and from the analysis results it can be seen that the proposed AGA yields a suitable damage location and severity identification. The results can be used in the practice of bridge structures for damage detection, health monitoring, bearing capacity evaluation and the application is significant theoretically and practically.
Multi-tone EMC testing strategy for RF-devices

In low-cost miniaturized electronic systems, filters are often omitted in front of active non-linear components, potentially resulting in unwanted intermodulation products in the band of operation. Current immunity tests most often use a single-frequency source and are hence not able to capture all relevant intermodulation products. Relying on an anechoic chamber as test facility and using multiple-tone excitation from a dual-source network analyzer, we present an advanced test methodology to evaluate in-the-band leakage of out-of-band undesired frequencies. To demonstrate our approach we use a frequency-selective active textile antenna with integrated non-linear low-noise amplifier.
Symbolic functional vector generation for VHDL specifications

Verification of the functional correctness of VHDL specifications is one of the primary and most time consuming tasks of design. However, it must necessarily be an incomplete task since it is impossible to completely exercise the specification by exhaustively applying all input patterns. The paper aims at presenting a two-step strategy based on symbolic analysis of the VHDL specification, using a behavioral fault model. First, we generate a reduced number of functional test vectors for each process of the specification which allows complete code statement coverage and bit coverage, allowing the identification of possible redundancies in the VHDL process. Then, through the definition of a controllability measure, we verify if these functional test vectors can be applied to the process inputs when interconnected to other processes. If this is not the case, the analysis of the nonapplicable inputs provides identification of possible code redundancies and design errors. Experimental results show that bit coverage provides complete statement coverage and a more detailed identification of possible design errors.
STOCHSIM: modelling of stochastic biomolecular processes

SUMMARY STOCHSIM is a stochastic simulator for chemical reactions. Molecules are represented as individual software objects that react according to probabilities derived from concentrations and rate constants. Version 1.2 of STOCHSIM provides a novel cross-platform graphical interface written in Perl/Tk. A simple two-dimensional spatial structure has also been implemented, in which nearest-neighbour interactions of molecules in a 2-D lattice can be simulated.
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— Interactive robots participating in our daily lives should have the fundamental ability to socially communicate with humans. In this paper, we propose a mechanism for two social communication abilities: the forming long-term relationships and the estimating friendly relationships among people. The mechanism for long-term relationships is based on three principles of behavior design. The robot we developed, Robovie, is able to interact with children in the same way children do. Moreover, the mechanism is designed for long-term interaction along the following three design principles: 1) it calls children by name using RFID tags; 2) it adapts its interactive behaviors for each child based on a pseudo development mechanism; and 3) it confides its personal matters to the children who have interacted with the robot for an extended period of time. Regarding the estimation of friendly relationships, the robot assumes that people who spontaneously behave as a group together are friends. Then, by identifying each person in the interacting group around the robot, it estimates the relationships between them. We conducted a two-month field trial at an elementary school. An interactive humanoid robot, Robovie, was placed in a classroom at the school. The results of the field trial revealed that the robot successfully continued interacting with many children for two months, and seemed to have established friendly relationships with them. In addition, it demonstrated reasonable performance in identifying friendships among children. We believe that these results demonstrate the potential of current interactive robots to establish social relationships with humans in our daily lives.
Interplay of orthography and semantics in reading: an event-related potential study

Morphology refers to the subcomponents of words such as roots and affixes. It is unclear whether morphological properties of words go beyond a relationship between form and meaning. Here, using event-related brain potentials, we compared orthographic priming (e.g. archer–arch), semantic priming (e.g. vault–arch) and morphological priming (e.g. archway–arch) in participants performing a lexical decision task. Relative to baseline (i.e. no priming, e.g. frog–arch), orthographic priming modulated brain potentials from 190–460 ms poststimulus onset and semantic priming had a measurable effect only after 240 ms. Critically, morphological priming was well approximated by the cumulative effects of orthographic and semantic priming at all times. We conclude that morphological effects can be accounted for by the conjunction of orthography and semantics in a priming experiment.
Retinal Neurodegeneration in the Course of Diabetes-Pathogenesis and Clinical Perspective

Diabetic retinopathy is generally considered as a microvascular disease which develops as a result of chronic hyperglycaemia. However, the neuronal apoptosis and reactive gliosis are recently postulated as early changes in diabetic retinopathy. This phenomenon is described as a neurodegeneration and suggests that diabetic retinopathy should be recognized as a neurovascular complication. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms leading to the neurodegeneration of the retina in diabetic patients including: low-grade inflammatory process, oxidative stress, activation of polymorphonuclear neutrophils, glutamate excitotoxicity and imbalance in the neuroprotective factors. Secondly, we point out the clinical significance of measuring the retinal neurodegeneration.
The value of personalized approaches to improve pharmacotherapy in renal disease

Nierziekten verlagen de levensverwachting en kwaliteit van leven en zijn erg duur. Om de farmacotherapie te verbeteren worden personalized approaches, behandelingen toegespitst op de individuele patient, steeds belangrijker. Het werk in dit proefschrift bevat een checklist voor doelmatigheids-onderzoek van genetische strategieen; tevens werden twee genetische strategieen voor nierpatienten onderzocht. Uit het eerste onderzoek bleek dat het ACE-(I/D)-polymorfisme de (kosten-)effectiviteit van ACE remmers bij niet-diabetische nierziekte beinvloedt. Het tweede onderzoek richtte zich op een polymorfisme voor de CCR5 receptor; een genetisch defect van deze receptor is geassocieerd met een verbeterde overleving bij dialyse patienten. Een model beschreven in dit proefschrift suggereert dat farmacologische blokkade van de receptor ook klinische en economische voordelen kan bieden. Dit proefschrift beschrijft ook niet-genetische strategieen om de farmacotherapie te verbeteren. Ten eerste, juiste keuzen in voorschrijven kan economische voordelen bieden, zoals blijkt uit onderzoek naar het voorschrijven van specifieke fosfaatbinders (lanthaancarbonaat) als tweedelijns therapie. Dit proefschrift onderschrijft voorschrijven van goedkope RAAS intervenierende geneesmiddelen, aangezien er geen verschil in therapietrouw werd gevonden tussen dure en goedkope middelen. Ten tweede, farmacotherapie kan verbeterd worden door nauwkeurig te letten op bijwerkingen, zoals in dit proefschrift onderzocht werd voor de bijwerking prikkelhoest bij ACE remmers. Ten derde, farmacotherapie bij nierziekten kan verbeterd worden door een hoge zoutinname te vermijden. De effectiviteit van ACE remmers bleek namelijk groter bij minder zoutinname. Er kan geconcludeerd worden dat personalized approaches veel potentie bieden bij nierziekten. Ze kunnen niet alleen de zorg voor individuele patienten verbeteren maar ook grote economische voordelen bieden voor de samenleving als geheel.
IFDB: decentralized information flow control for databases

Numerous sensitive databases are breached every year due to bugs in applications. These applications typically handle data for many users, and consequently, they have access to large amounts of confidential information. This paper describes IFDB, a DBMS that secures databases by using decentralized information flow control (DIFC). We present the Query by Label model, which introduces new abstractions for managing information flows in a relational database. IFDB also addresses several challenges inherent in bringing DIFC to databases, including how to handle transactions and integrity constraints without introducing covert channels. We implemented IFDB by modifying PostgreSQL, and extended two application environments, PHP and Python, to provide a DIFC platform. IFDB caught several security bugs and prevented information leaks in two web applications we ported to the platform. Our evaluation shows that IFDB's throughput is as good as PostgreSQL for a real web application, and about 1% lower for a database benchmark based on TPC-C.
Function of the Nucleotide Exchange Activity of Vav1 in T Cell Development and Activation

The guanine nucleotide exchange activity of Vav1 is required for some, but not all, of its functions in T cell development, activation, and signaling. Not All GEF All The Time Vav1 is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that activates members of the Rho family of small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases). Vav1 is an important mediator of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling and is required for the development of T cells in the thymus and for their activation and proliferation in response to antigen stimulation. TCR-stimulated remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton also requires Vav1; however, whether all of these functions of Vav1 require its GEF activity is unknown. Saveliev et al. generated mice that expressed a mutant Vav1 lacking GEF activity but that otherwise retained the properties of wild-type Vav1. Although the GEF activity of Vav1 was required for positive selection of CD4 and CD8 single-positive thymocytes and for T cell activation, other TCR- and Vav1-dependent processes were unaffected by the loss of its GEF activity, such as Ca2+ flux and activation of extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK). The authors suggest that Vav1 might play a role as an adaptor protein to mediate its GEF-independent functions, particularly for the activation of PLC-γ1. The guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) Vav1 is essential for transducing T cell antigen receptor (TCR) signals and therefore plays a critical role in the development and activation of T cells. It has been presumed that the GEF activity of Vav1 is important for its function; however, there has been no direct demonstration of this. Here, we generated mice expressing enzymatically inactive, but normally folded, Vav1 protein. Analysis of these mice showed that the GEF activity of Vav1 was necessary for the selection of thymocytes and for the optimal activation of T cells, including signal transduction to Rac1, Akt, and integrins. In contrast, the GEF activity of Vav1 was not required for TCR-induced calcium flux, activation of extracellular signal–regulated kinase and protein kinase D1, and cell polarization. Thus, in T cells, the GEF activity of Vav1 is essential for some, but not all, of its functions.
Magnesium‐Containing Bioactive Glasses for Biomedical Applications

The importance of Mg in the human body, its key role in bone tissue development, in addition to its application to improve and modify physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of bioactive silicate glasses, make Mg a very interesting element as a component of bioactive glasses for medical applications. Although Mg is a typical element in the composition of numerous developed bioactive glasses, the analysis of the literature reveals that further research is required to gain comprehensive understanding about the effects of MgO on bioactive glass structure and properties. This article presents a comprehensive overview of the field of Mg-containing bioactive glasses discussing available compositions and summarizing existing knowledge on effects of MgO on glass properties. The biomedical applications of several developed glasses are discussed highlighting the distinct effects of Mg in relevant areas, such as bioactivity and cell response, and focusing on the most common applications for these glasses, such as bone cements, bioactive coatings, and scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. The effect of Mg on bone development is discussed and avenues for future research in the field are proposed, emphasizing the need to investigate unstudied properties of (already developed) Mg-containing glass compositions, such as angiogenesis-stimulating action and the effect on osteoclast functions, to develop new Mg-containing bioactive glasses as well as to make products of different shape designs such as nanoparticles, fibers, and complex porous structures.
Investigation on glassy skin formation of porous polystyrene fibers electrospun from DMF

Micrometer and submicrometer diameter of polystyrene (PS) fibers were electrospun from various dimethyl for- mamide (DMF) solutions at different weight fractions under 35% relative humidity. Increasing polymer fraction in the solu- tion results in a gradual morphological transition from beads-with-incipient to bead-free fibers and also increases the diameter. The formation of uniform glassy skin presumably due to radial capillary flow within the liquid jet was confirmed by scanning electron microscope. The thickness of the skin varies with the weight fraction of PS; therefore, it was normal- ized with respect to average fiber diameter (AFD). The skin gets thinner as the weight fraction of PS increases. In addition, the fibers exhibit highly porous internal structure and smooth surface along with slight porosity. The development of poros- ity is attributed to liquid-liquid phase separation of water molecules in atmospheric moisture and DMF.
US Public Support for Vaccine Donation to Poorer Countries in the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic

Background During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the global health community sought to make vaccine available “in developing nations in the same timeframe as developed nations. ” However, richer nations placed advance orders with manufacturers, leaving poorer nations dependent on the quantity and timing of vaccine donations by manufacturers and rich nations. Knowledge of public support for timely donations could be important to policy makers during the next pandemic. We explored what the United States (US) public believes about vaccine donation by its country to poorer countries. Methods and Findings We surveyed 2079 US adults between January 22nd and February 1st 2010 about their beliefs regarding vaccine donation to poorer countries. Income (p = 0.014), objective priority status (p = 0.005), nativity, party affiliation, and political ideology (p<0.001) were significantly related to views on the amount of vaccine to be donated. Though party affiliation and political ideology were related to willingness to donate vaccine (p<0.001), there was bipartisan support for timely donations of 10% of the US vaccine supply so that those “at risk in poorer countries can get the vaccine at the same time” as those at risk in the US. Conclusions We suggest that the US and other developed nations would do well to bolster support with education and public discussion on this issue prior to an emerging pandemic when emotional reactions could potentially influence support for donation. We conclude that given our evidence for bipartisan support for timely donations, it may be necessary to design multiple arguments, from utilitarian to moral, to strengthen public and policy makers' support for donations.
Ethanolic Extract of Propolis Augments TRAIL-Induced Apoptotic Death in Prostate Cancer Cells

Prostate cancer is a commonly diagnosed cancer in men. The ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) and its phenolic compounds possess immunomodulatory, chemopreventive and antitumor effects. Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL/APO2L) is a naturally occurring anticancer agent that preferentially induces apoptosis in cancer cells and is not toxic to normal cells. We examined the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of EEP and phenolic compounds isolated from propolis in combination with TRAIL on two prostate cancer cell lines, hormone-sensitivity LNCaP and hormone-refractory DU145. The cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT and LDH assays. The apoptosis was determined using flow cytometry with annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide. The prostate cancer cell lines were proved to be resistant to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Our study demonstrated that EEP and its components significantly sensitize to TRAIL-induced death in prostate cancer cells. The percentage of the apoptotic cells after cotreatment with 50 μg mL−1 EEP and 100 ng mL−1 TRAIL increased to 74.9 ± 0.7% for LNCaP and 57.4 ± 0.7% for DU145 cells. The strongest cytotoxic effect on LNCaP cells was exhibited by apigenin, kaempferid, galangin and caffeic acid phenylethyl ester (CAPE) in combination with TRAIL (53.51 ± 0.68–66.06 ± 0.62% death cells). In this work, we showed that EEP markedly augmented TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in prostate cancer cells and suggested the significant role of propolis in chemoprevention of prostate cancer.
MOIR/MT: Monitoring Large-Scale Road Network Traffic in Real-Time

Floating Car Data (FCD) provides an economic complement to infrastructure-based traffic monitoring systems. Based on our previous MOIR platform [5], we use FCD as the data source for large-scale real-time traffic monitoring. This new function brings a challenge of efficiently handling of streaming data from a very large number of moving objects. Server overload problems can occur when a system fails to process data and queries in real-tme, which can lead to critical issues such as unbounded delay accumulation, lost monitoring accuracy or lack of spontaneity. These problems can be addressed by adopting suitable load dropping decisions. In this work, we demonstrate several load shedding techniques, focusing on decision-making based on data attributes. With the end results being quantified and visualized using real data for a large city, this proof-of-concept system provides a convincing way of validating our ideas.