Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dispositional optimism and the risk of cardiovascular death: the Zutphen Elderly Study.

BACKGROUND Dispositional optimism, defined in terms of life engagement and generalized positive outcome expectancies for one's future, may be related to lower cardiovascular mortality. We aimed to determine whether dispositional optimism is a stable trait over time and whether it is independently related to lower cardiovascular mortality in elderly men. METHODS In a cohort study with a follow-up of 15 years, we included 545 (61.4%) of 887 men, aged 64 to 84 years, who were free of preexisting cardiovascular disease and cancer and who had complete data on cardiovascular risk factors and sociodemographic characteristics. Dispositional optimism was assessed using a 4-item questionnaire in 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000. In Cox proportional hazards models, the first 2 years of observation were excluded. RESULTS Optimism scores significantly decreased over 15 years, but showed temporal stability (reliability coefficients, 0.72 over 5 years and 0.78 over 15 years; P < .001). Optimists in 1985 had a hazard ratio for cardiovascular mortality of 0.45 (top tertile vs lowest tertile; 95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.68), adjusted for classic cardiovascular risk factors. The risk of cardiovascular death was inversely associated with increased tertiles of dispositional optimism (P < .001 for trend). Similar results were obtained using 1990 data after additional adjustment for depression (assessed by the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale). CONCLUSION Dispositional optimism is a relatively stable trait over 15 years and shows a graded and inverse association with the risk of cardiovascular death.
Ghost-hack AR: human augmentation using multiple telepresence systems for network communication

We present Ghost-Hack AR, an approach that enhances network communication with a simple interaction technique by which remote users can change telepresence systems depending on the situation and purpose. Various telepresence systems, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, support communication between remote and local users. However, since remote users of conventional systems primarily use one telepresence system to communicate with local users, their activities and interactions depend on the system and are thus limited. By contrast, our system allows remote users to change telepresence systems via a simple interaction technique in order to reap the benefits of each system.
A model of propagating calcium-induced calcium release mediated by calcium diffusion

The effect of sudden local fluctuations of the free sarcoplasmic [Ca++]i in cardiac cells on calcium release and calcium uptake by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) was calculated with the aid of a simplified model of SR calcium handling. The model was used to evaluate whether propagation of calcium transients and the range of propagation velocities observed experimentally (0.05-15 mm s(-1)) could be predicted. Calcium fluctuations propagate by virtue of focal calcium release from the SR, diffusion through the cytosol (which is modulated by binding to troponin and calmodulin and sequestration by the SR), and subsequently induce calcium release from adjacent release sites of the SR. The minimal and maximal velocities derived from the simulation were 0.09 and 15 mm s(-1) respectively. The method of solution involved writing the diffusion equation as a difference equation in the spatial coordinates. Thus, coupled ordinary differential equations in time with banded coefficients were generated. The coupled equations were solved using Gear's sixth order predictor-corrector algorithm for stiff equations with reflective boundaries. The most important determinants of the velocity of propagation of the calcium waves were the diastolic [Ca++]i, the rate of rise of the release, and the amount of calcium released from the SR. The results are consistent with the assumptions that calcium loading causes an increase in intracellular calcium and calcium in the SR, and an increase in the amount and rate of calcium released. These two effects combine to increase the propagation velocity at higher levels of calcium loading.
Fluctuations in northeast monsoon rainfall of Tamil Nadu

The average rainfall series of Tamil Nadu for the NE monsoon months of October-December and the season as a whole were analysed for trends, periodicities and variability using standard statistical methods. The trend analysis showed that there are no long-term trends of increasing or decreasing rainfall in the individual months or the season as a whole. The power spectrum analysis of rainfall series showed peaks at frequencies corresponding to the time periods of 2-2.44 yr and 3.66-4.40 yr.
An articulated universal joint based flexible access robot for minimally invasive surgery

This paper introduces an articulated robotic device based on universal joints with embedded micro motors for minimally invasive surgery. The device features an articulated distal tip with seven independently controllable degrees-of-freedom (DoF), arranged as two universal joints (intersecting pitch and yaw) and three single DoF joints (yaw only); two Ø3mm internal channels, one for an on-board camera for visualization and the other for passing interventional instruments. The design allows the robot to explore the entire peritoneal cavity from a chosen single incision point. A trans-vaginal procedure using the device to locate the uterine horn, as a model of a human fallopian tube, and apply an endoscopic clip was carried out during a live porcine trial to demonstrate the potential for performing a Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) tubal ligation procedure.
Effects of Age of Broiler Breeders and Egg Storage on Egg Quality, Hatchability, Chick Quality, Chick Weight, and Chick Posthatch Growth to Forty-Two Days

SUMMARY Nutritional and environmental conditions influence broiler flock performance. Besides these factors, other less-well-understood factors, such as incubating egg characteristics, affect the embryonic life of chicks. This study demonstrated that egg storage depressed egg albumen Haugh units (HU) and chick quality; these effects of storage were greater in egg and chicks from old breeders. Absolute weight gains (AG) during the first 7 d of rearing were negatively affected by storage and age of breeders. However, the effect of storage was more obvious in chicks from eggs of younger breeders. Field reports indicate that chick weights during the first 2 wk of rearing were lower for chicks from eggs of younger hens but were not affected by the storage time. At the end of the third week, chicks from fresh eggs were heavier than those from eggs stored for 7 d, and this difference increased until 42 d. During the same period, age of hens did not affect broiler weights. Average daily weight gain (ADG) was negatively affected from the end of fourth or fifth week of rearing by egg storage or increasing age of hens, respectively. There was a significant positive relationship between 7- to 35-d-old weights and broiler weights at slaughter age (42 d). It was concluded that growth potential of chicks 1 d posthatch is partly linked to the incubating egg quality and other characteristics that can be linked to the physiological stage of breeders (e.g., age).
Spatial Variation of Sub-national Fertility Trends in Austria, Germany and Switzerland

Sub-national trends in fertility are of great importance for policy makers and regional planners. This paper aims to provide a theoretical and empirical frame- work for policy makers, taking into account past and present trends in fertility, as well as their theoretical underpinnings. These will, we argue, be crucial in determin- ing future trajectories and potential political responses to them. The theoretical part of the paper deals with the factors that may infl uence fertility differences at the sub-national level, including decisions and life course trajectories at the individual level, as well as contextual socio-economic phenomena operating at different geographical levels (local, regional, national, global). This is followed by an empirical section, which takes the Eurostat publications on spatial fertility dif- ferences in Europe as a starting point. In an attempt to overcome the limitations of these reports - both in terms of the lack of geographic detail and the short time span covered - we provide more thorough overviews for Austria, Germany and Switzer- land. Using historical data from the Princeton European Fertility Project and other sources, we have been able to reconstruct comparative regional fertility time series for the past 150 years. Finally, we present a case study on local fertility development in the municipalities and unifi ed rural communities of the German state of Lower Saxony and the districts of the German city of Bremen. Based on the results of this analysis, we conclude that the recent degree of fer- tility convergence between regions within countries - particularly at the macro- regional level - is, indeed, striking. However, taking a long-term perspective, we are able to identify some substantial time periods over the last 150 years in which re- gional fertility levels diverged. This implies that the current picture must not neces- sarily constitute Fukuyama's "end of history" over the coming decades. Moreover, the study of local-level data reveals that, in contrast to the overall macro-regional fertility convergence process in all three countries, a trend towards divergence can be observed within the city of Bremen. This demonstrates that local divergence can run parallel to overall regional convergence.
Mechanisms governing sea surface temperature anomalies in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean associated with the boreal winter Madden‐Julian Oscillation

[1] The study objective is to explore the relationship between the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and intraseasonal sea surface temperature (SST) variability in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Previous studies have illustrated the connection between MJO and the production of zonally large (>2000 km), persistent (∼weeks) SST anomalies. Those studies suggested that vertical processes, such as advection and entrainment, forced remotely by winds in the western Pacific (via Kelvin waves) may be the mechanism controlling SST changes. To overcome limitations in situ observations (e.g., sparse and missing data/quantities) and to develop a more comprehensive physical understanding, this study examines the relationship using an ocean general circulation model. A simulation was conducted in which the model was forced by idealized MJO conditions constructed from observed forcing fields. Analysis of the model simulation shows an equatorial Kelvin wave initiated in the western Pacific Ocean. However, analysis of the model's mixed layer temperature heat budget shows that in the eastern Pacific meridional advection plays the major role in the sea surface temperature change, 61.8% of the warming phase and 70.7% of the cooling phase percent heat budget. Zonal advection is the second most important term to the warming phase (20.5%) with the vertical advection and mixing term being second for the cooling phase (37.6%). In addition, the results indicate that the primary component of the meridional advection is the advection of the mean meridional temperature gradient by MJO-forced meridional current anomalies. The implications and caveats of these results are discussed in relationship to results in prior studies.
A consistent approach towards clustering in low energy adaptive clustering hierarchy protocol

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) facilitate efficient and reliable monitoring of specified area for multiple applications. Variety of protocols are designed to increase the effectiveness and lifetime of WSNs. Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) protocol is one of them. LEACH is a hierarchical clustering based protocol where data is transferred to the data evaluation center through an intermediary node i.e., cluster head (CH). Cluster heads (CHs) consume much more energy than normal sensor nodes which requires CH's job to be rotated among all the nodes. CHs are chosen randomly with a predefined probability of fixed update intervals (round) to preserve energy of each node and to increase the lifetime of the whole network. In this paper, we propose an enhancement to the LEACH protocol. The clustering mechanism in LEACH protocol is not efficient to endorse optimal number of CHs. The proposed clustering algorithm selects nearly equal number of CHs in each round to evenly distribute the energy dissipation and therefore delays node failures and increases the network lifetime.
Detection and regulation of CCFL current and open-lamp voltage while keeping floating condition of the lamp

A new simple balanced circuitry using four printed circuit board trace capacitors effectively detects the cold-cathode fluorescent lamp current and the transformer voltage of the inverter without grounding either side of the lamp. The inverter employing this circuit is free from the problems caused by grounding one side of the lamp, and it provides a stable and wide dimming control as well as an open-lamp voltage regulation with a better efficacy.
Knowledge Management and Collaboration

We report on a study of the relationship between collaboration and knowledge management. Successful knowledge management projects encourage and enhance collaboration between employees. The presence of ‘collaborative’ technologies might help that process but does not automatically increase collaboration. Empirical evidence is taken from a broad range of organisations: Anglian Water plc, BG Technology, BP Amoco plc, Ernst and Young and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Four of these organisations focus their knowledge management policy on the development of their corporate intranet. The empirical evidence shows that knowledge management is a collaborative activity, which depends on the creation of ‘shared context’ between the participants. This is more likely to occur with a combination of face-toface meetings and machine-mediated communications. __________________ The copyright of this paper belongs to the paper’s authors. Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provide that copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage Proc. of the Third Int. Conf. On Practical Aspects of Knowledge Management (PAKM2000) Basel, Switzerland , 30 – 31 Oct. 2000, (U Reimer, ed.) http://sunsite.informatik. rwth-aachen.de/Publications/SEUR-WS/Vol-34/
The adjuvant effect of Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli heat‐labile enterotoxins is linked to their ADP‐ribosyltransferase activity

This study addressed the question of whether the mucosal adjuvant property of cholera toxin (CT) and the structurally closely related Escherichia coli heat‐labile toxin (LT) requires the enterotoxic and adenylate cyclase/cAMP activating property of these molecules. Therefore, we investigated the cytotoxic and adjuvant abilities of the enterotoxins and compared the results with those obtained with the non‐toxic CT and LT derivatives; recombinant CTB (rCTB) and a mutated LT (mLT), which had a single amino acid substitution in position 112 (Glu→Lys) of the A subunit. Detailed functional studies revealed that, in contrast to the enterotoxins, both rCTB and mLT lacked ADP‐ribosylating and cAMP‐stimulating abilities. However, similar membrane ganglioside GM1‐receptor binding ability of all the putative adjuvants was demonstrated. When the probe antigen, keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), was given perorally together with CT or LT strong gut mucosal anti‐KLH immune responses were stimulated, whereas no or very low anti‐KLH responses were seen in the groups which antigen admixed with rCTB or the mLT. Moreover, the specific serum antibody responses to the various immunization protocols closely paralleled the local anti‐KLH response in the gut. From these results it appears that the adjuvant mechanism of LT, and probably also of CT, is linked to the ability to ADP‐ribosylate and to stimulate cAMP formation. However, this study does not unequivocally rule out other possibilities such as interactions by the A1 fragment of CT or LT with other G‐proteins than Gsα or events that parallel or precede the effects on the adenylate cyclase/cAMP system. Thus, the levels of ADP‐ribosylation and cAMP‐induction that are required and the key event or target cell that is responsible for the adjuvant effect of CT and LT remain to be elucidated. Studies are underway to address these issues.
Image/source statistics of surfaces in natural scenes

Perceiving surfaces in a manner that accords with their physical properties is essential for successful behaviour. Since, however, a given retinal image can have been generated by an infinite variety of natural surfaces with different geometrical and/or physical qualities, the corresponding percepts cannot be determined by the stimulus per se. Rather, resolution of this quandary requires a strategy of vision that incorporates the statistical relationship of the information in retinal images to its sources in representative environments. To examine this probabilistic relationship with respect to the features of object surfaces, we analysed a database of range images in which the distances of all the objects in a series of natural scenes were measured with respect to the image plane by a laser range scanner. By taking any particular scene obtained in this way to be made up of a set of concatenated surface patches, we were able to explore the statistics of scene roughness, size–distance relationships, surface orientation and local curvature, as well as the independent components of natural surfaces. The relevance of these statistics to both perception and the neuronal organization of the underlying visual circuitry is discussed.
Pneumonia Pneumocystis with Mice Apoptosis Prolongs Survival of Rats and Suppression of Alveolar Macrophage

The number of alveolar macrophages is decreased in patients or animals with Pneumocystis pneumonia (Pcp). This loss of alveolar macrophages is in part due to apoptosis caused by Pneumocystis infection. The mechanism of apoptosis induction is unknown. Cell-free bronchoalveolar lavage ﬂuids from Pneumocystis -infected rats or mice have the ability to induce apoptosis in normal alveolar macrophages. To characterize the mechanisms by which apoptosis proceeds in alveolar macrophages during Pcp, speciﬁc caspase inhibitors are tested for their ability to suppress the apoptosis. In vitro induction of apoptosis can be inhibited by the caspase-9 inhibitor (Z-LEHD-FMK) but not by the inhibitor to caspase-8 or -10. The caspase-9 inhibitor can also inhibit apoptosis of alveolar macrophages in vivo when it is intranasally instilled into dexamethasone-immunosuppressed, Pneumocystis -infected rats or L3T4 cell-depleted, Pneumocystis- infected mice. The number of alveolar macrophages rebounds in caspase-9 inhibitor-treated Pcp animals. Phagocytic activity of alveolar macrophages in treated animals is also recovered, and organism burden in these animals is reduced. Administration of caspase-9 inhibitor also clears the exudate that normally ﬁlls the alveoli during Pcp and decreases lung inﬂammation. Furthermore, caspase-9-treated Pcp animals survive for the entire 70-day period of the study, whereas nontreated Pcp animals die 40–60 days after initiation of infection. Depletion of recovered alveolar macrophages by intranasal administration of clodronate-containing liposomes in caspase-9 inhibitor-treated paired or unpaired Student’s t test where appropriate, using a two-tail distribution. Compari- sons between three or more treatment groups were made by ANOVA. Planned comparison tests as follow-up to ANOVA included both Bonfer- roni’s test and multiple paired t tests for groups identiﬁed as statistically different . A p value (cid:7) 0.05 was considered signiﬁcant. and
Nonphotosynthetic Bacteria and the Formation of Carbonates and Evaporites Through Time

Abstract Nonskeletal sedimentary carbonate rocks are an important component of the Precambrian geological record, but consensus on their origin is lacking. Phanerozoic carbonates are almost exclusively biogenic products of shelly fossils, but it has generally been assumed that carbonate rocks deposited before a shelly biota evolved in the marine environment formed by direct precipitation from supersaturated solution in seawater. However, there is no unequivocal empirical evidence that calcium carbonate or dolomite precipitates directly from modern seawater, and it has been suggested that kinetic inhibitors to carbonate precipitation, related to the low concentration and activity of the carbonate ion, cation hydration and ion complexing, are especially effective in saline waters. On the other hand, there is increasing evidence that these inhibitors can be overcome through microbial mediation. Bacteria have been implicated in calcium carbonate precipitation since the Archaean, and though best known in seas and lakes, microbial carbonates are also important in fluviatile, spring, cave, and soil environments. The mechanisms of microbial mineral precipitation appear diverse, but many bacteria exhibit an ability to change solution chemistry and control pH at the microscale, passively or actively, thereby creating the ambient conditions for both oversaturation of Ca2 + and CO3 2 − ions, and removal of kinetic inhibitors. Bacteria dominated the ecosystems of Precambrian shallow marine environments, enhancing their potential involvement in widespread carbonate formation. Chemical precipitation of evaporite minerals is generally accepted, but the involvement of microbes may be significant and underestimated. This review evaluates current knowledge and attempts to define some of the many questions that await resolution.
Temporal coherence in North Pacific sea‐surface temperature patterns

Temporal coherence between monthly mean temperature patterns for the sea surface of the North Pacific is far greater than any known meteorological coherence, has a smooth non-Markovian die-away with increasing lag, and is greatest when preceded by cold season months. When stratified according to initial month, the data show a striking tendency for pattern recurrence from one nonsummer month to subsequent months out to two years except for summer. Apparently this pattern recurrence is due to storage of anomalously cold or warm water that is shielded by a shallow layer in summer but is stirred up to the surface by the increased wind stress during cold months.