Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Specific Parameters of the Perturbation Profile Differentially Influence the Vertical and Horizontal Head Accelerations During Human Whiplash Testing

Whiplash experiments using human subjects are important tools for evaluating biological response during collisions and can provide key insights into mechanisms of injury (Muhlbauer et al., 1999). Human experimentation, including whiplash-like perturbation testing, is essential to evaluate the kinematic, kinetic and electromyographic responses to enable mathematical models to predict the loads within neck structures (Choi & Vanderby, 1999). Although some experimentation has been performed with staged collisions between actual automobiles (Welcher & Szabo, 2001; Severy et al., 1955; Castro et al., 2001; Brault et al., 1998), more typically, human testing has been performed using experimental sleds (Dehner et al., 2007; Kumar et al., 2005b; Kumar et al., 2002; Muhlbauer et al., 1999; Siegmund et al., 2003; Kaneoka et al., 1999). One limitation of sled testing is that the perturbation pulse varies from trial to trial due to the varying inertia between subjects, and the varying effective inertia as subjects respond differently to the perturbation. This is an important issue since certain properties of the crash pulse influence the risk of injury (Kullgren et al., 2000; Hynes & Dickey, 2008). In order to address this limitation, some researchers have developed advanced test sleds that incorporate feedback-controlled linear motors to enable them to precisely control the properties of the perturbation pulse (Siegmund et al., 2005; Siegmund et al., 2004). This approach offers considerable advantage over spring (Magnusson et al., 1999), gravity (Kaneoka et al., 1999) and pneumatic (Kumar et al., 2002; Hernandez et al., 2005) driven sleds, yet it is still limited to simulating the anterior-posterior motion of vehicles. In contrast, research from experimental automobile collision studies that have used real vehicles has shown that the vehicle accelerations include substantial vertical accelerations (Severy et al., 1955; Welcher & Szabo, 2001) due to factors such as the vehicle suspension and bumper height mismatch (Siegel et al., 2001). Peak head acceleration is thought to be a key variable in whiplash, and typical and reproducible head/neck motion patterns have been observed in experiments with male (Muhlbauer et al., 1999) and female (Dehner et al., 2007) volunteers; however, various published studies have observed different responses which cloud the interpretation of this
A century of sprawl in the United States

Significance Urban development patterns in the 20th century have been increasingly typified by urban sprawl, which exacerbates climate change, energy and material consumption, and public health challenges. We construct the first long-run, high-resolution time series of street-network sprawl in the United States. We find that even in the absence of a coordinated policy effort, new developments have already turned the corner toward less sprawl. Initial impacts on vehicle travel and greenhouse gas emissions will be modest given that the stock of streets changes slowly, but feedbacks are likely to mean that benefits compound in future years. Our publicly released data provide further opportunities for research on urban development and the social and environmental impacts of different urban forms. The urban street network is one of the most permanent features of cities. Once laid down, the pattern of streets determines urban form and the level of sprawl for decades to come. We present a high-resolution time series of urban sprawl, as measured through street network connectivity, in the United States from 1920 to 2012. Sprawl started well before private car ownership was dominant and grew steadily until the mid-1990s. Over the last two decades, however, new streets have become significantly more connected and grid-like; the peak in street-network sprawl in the United States occurred in ∼1994. By one measure of connectivity, the mean nodal degree of intersections, sprawl fell by ∼9% between 1994 and 2012. We analyze spatial variation in these changes and demonstrate the persistence of sprawl. Places that were built with a low-connectivity street network tend to stay that way, even as the network expands. We also find suggestive evidence that local government policies impact sprawl, as the largest increases in connectivity have occurred in places with policies to promote gridded streets and similar New Urbanist design principles. We provide for public use a county-level version of our street-network sprawl dataset comprising a time series of nearly 100 y.
Visual Fatigue Induced by Viewing a Tablet Computer with a High-resolution Display

Purpose In the present study, the visual discomfort induced by smart mobile devices was assessed in normal and healthy adults. Methods Fifty-nine volunteers (age, 38.16 ± 10.23 years; male : female = 19 : 40) were exposed to tablet computer screen stimuli (iPad Air, Apple Inc.) for 1 hour. Participants watched a movie or played a computer game on the tablet computer. Visual fatigue and discomfort were assessed using an asthenopia questionnaire, tear film break-up time, and total ocular wavefront aberration before and after viewing smart mobile devices. Results Based on the questionnaire, viewing smart mobile devices for 1 hour significantly increased mean total asthenopia score from 19.59 ± 8.58 to 22.68 ± 9.39 (p < 0.001). Specifically, the scores for five items (tired eyes, sore/aching eyes, irritated eyes, watery eyes, and hot/burning eye) were significantly increased by viewing smart mobile devices. Tear film break-up time significantly decreased from 5.09 ± 1.52 seconds to 4.63 ± 1.34 seconds (p = 0.003). However, total ocular wavefront aberration was unchanged. Conclusions Visual fatigue and discomfort were significantly induced by viewing smart mobile devices, even though the devices were equipped with state-of-the-art display technology.
Interarm Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure Difference Is Diversely Associated With Cerebral Atherosclerosis in Noncardioembolic Stroke Patients

BACKGROUND Interarm systolic and diastolic blood pressure differences (IASBD, IADBD) are not infrequent in various populations. Cerebral atherosclerosis, including extracranial cerebral atherosclerosis (ECAS) and intracranial cerebral atherosclerosis (ICAS), is an important risk factor for stroke. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship of IASBD, IADBD with presence and burden of ICAS and ECAS. METHODS This was a retrospective hospital-based cross-sectional study. In total, 1,063 consecutive noncardioembolic ischemic stroke patients, who were checked for bi-brachial blood pressures from ankle-brachial index and brain magnetic resonance angiographic images of cerebral arteries, were included. The IASBD and IADBD were defined as absolute value of the blood pressure difference in both arms. RESULTS In all included patients, patients with IASBD ≥10 and IADBD ≥10 were noted in 9.4% (100/1,063) and 5.3% (56/1,063). The patients with IASBD ≥10 mm Hg were more frequently burdened with ICAS (P = 0.001) and ECAS (P = 0.027) and patients with IADBD ≥10 mm Hg were more frequently burdened with ICAS (P = 0.042) but not ECAS (P = 0.187). Multivariate analysis after adjusting gender, age, and a P value <0.1 in univariate analysis showed IASBD ≥10 mm Hg was associated with the presence of both ECAS and ICAS [odds ratio (OR): 2.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.65-5.31]. The IADBD ≥10 mm Hg was related with presence of ICAS only (OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.05-3.37) but not with ECAS only (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 0.73-3.06). CONCLUSIONS Our study showed IASBD and IADBD were diversely associated with cerebral atherosclerosis. In noncardioembolic stroke patients with IASBD ≥10 or IADBD ≥10, the possibility of accompanying cerebral atherosclerosis should be considered.
FoveaNet: Perspective-Aware Urban Scene Parsing

Parsing urban scene images benefits many applications, especially self-driving. Most of the current solutions employ generic image parsing models that treat all scales and locations in the images equally and do not consider the geometry property of car-captured urban scene images. Thus, they suffer from heterogeneous object scales caused by perspective projection of cameras on actual scenes and inevitably encounter parsing failures on distant objects as well as other boundary and recognition errors. In this work, we propose a new FoveaNet model to fully exploit the perspective geometry of scene images and address the common failures of generic parsing models. FoveaNet estimates the perspective geometry of a scene image through a convolutional network which integrates supportive evidence from contextual objects within the image. Based on the perspective geometry information, FoveaNet “undoes” the camera perspective projection — analyzing regions in the space of the actual scene, and thus provides much more reliable parsing results. Furthermore, to effectively address the recognition errors, FoveaNet introduces a new dense CRFs model that takes the perspective geometry as a prior potential. We evaluate FoveaNet on two urban scene parsing datasets, Cityspaces and CamVid, which demonstrates that FoveaNet can outperform all the well-established baselines and provide new state-of-the-art performance.
Natural History of Untreated Coronary Total Occlusions Revealed with Follow-Up Semi-Automated Quantitative Coronary CT Angiography: The Morphological Characteristics of Initial CT Predict Occlusion Shortening

Objective To investigate the morphological changes of coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) as determined by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) follow-up using semi-automated quantitative analysis. Materials and Methods Thirty patients with 31 CTO lesions confirmed by invasive coronary angiography and baseline/follow-up CCTA were retrospectively included. CTOs were quantitatively analyzed by a semi-automated coronary plaque analysis software (Coronary Plaque Analysis, version 2.0, Siemens) after manually determining the lesion border. Recanalized lumen was defined as the linear-like enhanced opacity traversing the non-opacified occluded segment. Other parameters, such as total occlusion length, total occlusion volume, volume with low attenuation component (< 30 Hounsfield unit [HU]), volume with middle to high attenuation component (30–190 HU) as well as the calcification volume, were also recorded. Results Recanalized lumen was found within 48.4% (15/31) occlusions on the follow-up CCTA, compared to 45.2% (14/31) occlusions on the baseline CCTA. Eleven of 14 lesions (78.6%) with CT-visible recanalized lumen within CTOs had a shorter occlusion length on follow-up compared to only 3 of 17 lesions (17.6%) without CT-visible recanalized lumen (odds ratio, 17.1, p < 0.001). The percentage of low attenuation component of occlusions was smaller on follow-up CCTA compared to baseline value (18.1 ± 20.1% vs. 22.6 ± 19.6%, p = 0.033). Conclusion Coronary computed tomography angiography enables non-invasive characterization of natural progression of untreated CTO lesions. Recanalized lumen within CTOs observed at baseline CCTA was associated with shortening of occlusion length on follow-up. Compared to their earlier stage, occlusions of later stage were presented with higher density of non-calcified components.
Betaine in human nutrition 1 , 2

Betaine is distributed widely in animals, plants, and microorganisms, and rich dietary sources include seafood, especially marine invertebrates ( 1%); wheat germ or bran ( 1%); and spinach ( 0.7%). The principal physiologic role of betaine is as an osmolyte and methyl donor (transmethylation). As an osmolyte, betaine protects cells, proteins, and enzymes from environmental stress (eg, low water, high salinity, or extreme temperature). As a methyl donor, betaine participates in the methionine cycle—primarily in the human liver and kidneys. Inadequate dietary intake of methyl groups leads to hypomethylation in many important pathways, including 1) disturbed hepatic protein (methionine) metabolism as determined by elevated plasma homocysteine concentrations and decreased S-adenosylmethionine concentrations, and 2) inadequate hepatic fat metabolism, which leads to steatosis (fatty accumulation) and subsequent plasma dyslipidemia. This alteration in liver metabolism may contribute to various diseases, including coronary, cerebral, hepatic, and vascular diseases. Betaine has been shown to protect internal organs, improve vascular risk factors, and enhance performance. Databases of betaine content in food are being developed for correlation with population health studies. The growing body of evidence shows that betaine is an important nutrient for the prevention of chronic disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80:539–49.
of Information , Communication and Ethics in Society Privacy concerns in integrating big data in “ e-Oman ”

Purpose – Whereas integration of big data in “e-Oman” – the e-government face of Oman – is a significant prospect, this paper aims to underscore the challenges of privacy concerns in effecting such integration. Design/methodology/approach – Providing a brief description about the concepts of e-government and big data, the paper follows a discussion on “e-Oman”. While drawing a framework for integration of big data in “e-Oman”, the paper throws light on the privacy concerns in effecting such an integration following a qualitative approach. Findings – Integration of big data in “e-Oman” is fraught with ethical challenges in terms of privacy issues which have social implications. Practical implications – While the pros of integration of big data in “e-Oman” are noteworthy, technical and administrative constraints vis-à-vis the cons of such integration need to be taken care of. It may be underlined that there is a trade-off between the norms of transparency and privacy of individuals versus the deployment of big data in “e-Oman” for effective real-time problem-solving. Social implications – Technical and administrative infrastructure needs to be robust for countering challenges of cybercrimes. Furthermore, confidentiality and privacy of individuals may be at stake; the government needs to tackle these issues. Originality/value – Integration of big data in “e-Oman” needs to be probed, and this paper seeks to fill this gap. Second, the paper underscores that it is important that ethical norms are being accounted for while effecting this integration.
Novel indolyl-chalcones target stathmin to induce cancer cell death

ABSTRACT Efficacy of current therapies for advanced and metastatic cancers remains a challenge in clinical practice. We investigated the anti-cancer potency of 3 novel indoly-chalcones (CITs). Our results indicated the lead molecule CIT-026 (Formula = C20H16FNO) induced cell death in prostate and lung cancer cell lines at sub-micromolar concentration. CITs (CIT-026, CIT-214, CIT-223) lead to microtubule destabilization, cell death and low cell proliferation, which in part was dependent on stathmin (STMN1) expression. Knockdown of STMN1 with siRNA against STMN1 in part restored viability of cancer cells in response to CITs. Further, CIT-026 and CIT-223 blocked cancer cell invasion through matrigel-coated chambers. Mechanistically, CITs inhibited phosphorylation of STMN1 leading to STMN1 accumulation and mitotic catastrophe. In summary, we have synthetized novel anti-cancer CIT molecules and defined their mechanism of action in vitro.
A Three–MicroRNA Signature as a Potential Biomarker for the Early Detection of Oral Cancer

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is often diagnosed at a late stage and may be malignantly transformed from oral leukoplakia (OL). This study aimed to identify potential plasma microRNAs (miRNAs) for the early detection of oral cancer. Plasma from normal, OL, and OSCC patients were evaluated. Small RNA sequencing was used to screen the differently expressed miRNAs among the groups. Next, these miRNAs were validated with individual samples by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays in the training phase (n = 72) and validation phase (n = 178). The possible physiological roles of the identified miRNAs were further investigated using bioinformatics analysis. Three miRNAs (miR-222-3p, miR-150-5p, and miR-423-5p) were identified as differentially expressed among groups; miR-222-3p and miR-423-5p negatively correlated with T stage, lymph node metastasis status, and clinical stage. A high diagnostic accuracy (Area under curve = 0.88) was demonstrated for discriminating OL from OSCC. Bioinformatics analysis reveals that miR-423-5p and miR-222-3p are significantly over-expressed in oral cancer tissues and involved in various cancer pathways. The three-plasma miRNA panel may be useful to monitor malignant progression from OL to OSCC and as potential biomarkers for early detection of oral cancer.
Marriage behavior response to prime-age adult mortality: evidence from malawi

This article examines the effect of AIDS-related mortality of the prime-age adult population on marriage behavior among women in Malawi. A rise in prime-age adult mortality increases risks associated with the search for a marriage partner in the marriage market. A possible behavioral change in the marriage market in response to an increase in prime-age adult mortality is to marry earlier to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS risks. We test this hypothesis by using micro data from Malawi, where prime-age adult mortality has drastically increased. In the analysis, we estimate the probability of prime-age adult mortality that sample women have observed during their adolescent period by utilizing retrospective information on deaths of their siblings. Empirical analysis shows that excess prime-age adult mortality in the local marriage market lowers the marriage age for females and shortens the interval between the first sex and first marriage.
The evolution of body fatness: trading off disease and predation risk

ABSTRACT Human obesity has a large genetic component, yet has many serious negative consequences. How this state of affairs has evolved has generated wide debate. The thrifty gene hypothesis was the first attempt to explain obesity as a consequence of adaptive responses to an ancient environment that in modern society become disadvantageous. The idea is that genes (or more precisely, alleles) predisposing to obesity may have been selected for by repeated exposure to famines. However, this idea has many flaws: for instance, selection of the supposed magnitude over the duration of human evolution would fix any thrifty alleles (famines kill the old and young, not the obese) and there is no evidence that hunter-gatherer populations become obese between famines. An alternative idea (called thrifty late) is that selection in famines has only happened since the agricultural revolution. However, this is inconsistent with the absence of strong signatures of selection at single nucleotide polymorphisms linked to obesity. In parallel to discussions about the origin of obesity, there has been much debate regarding the regulation of body weight. There are three basic models: the set-point, settling point and dual-intervention point models. Selection might act against low and high levels of adiposity because food unpredictability and the risk of starvation selects against low adiposity whereas the risk of predation selects against high adiposity. Although evidence for the latter is quite strong, evidence for the former is relatively weak. The release from predation ∼2-million years ago is suggested to have led to the upper intervention point drifting in evolutionary time, leading to the modern distribution of obesity: the drifty gene hypothesis. Recent critiques of the dual-intervention point/drifty gene idea are flawed and inconsistent with known aspects of energy balance physiology. Here, I present a new formulation of the dual-intervention point model. This model includes the novel suggestion that food unpredictability and starvation are insignificant factors driving fat storage, and that the main force driving up fat storage is the risk of disease and the need to survive periods of pathogen-induced anorexia. This model shows why two independent intervention points are more likely to evolve than a single set point. The molecular basis of the lower intervention point is likely based around the leptin pathway signalling. Determining the molecular basis of the upper intervention point is a crucial key target for future obesity research. A potential definitive test to separate the different models is also described. Summary: Body fat is essential to survival – but having too much is detrimental. This paper develops an evolutionary model where disease risk pushes fat storage up while predation risk pushes it down. These patterns result in a system with dual intervention points at low and high levels of adiposity.
Measuring Sexual Behavior Stigma to Inform Effective HIV Prevention and Treatment Programs for Key Populations

Background The levels of coverage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment and prevention services needed to change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic among key populations, including gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and sex workers, have consistently been shown to be limited by stigma. Objective The aim of this study was to propose an agenda for the goals and approaches of a sexual behavior stigma surveillance effort for key populations, with a focus on collecting surveillance data from 4 groups: (1) members of key population groups themselves (regardless of HIV status), (2) people living with HIV (PLHIV) who are also members of key populations, (3) members of nonkey populations, and (4) health workers. Methods We discuss strengths and weaknesses of measuring multiple different types of stigma including perceived, anticipated, experienced, perpetrated, internalized, and intersecting stigma as measured among key populations themselves, as well as attitudes or beliefs about key populations as measured among other groups. Results With the increasing recognition of the importance of stigma, consistent and validated stigma metrics for key populations are needed to monitor trends and guide immediate action. Evidence-based stigma interventions may ultimately be the key to overcoming the barriers to coverage and retention in life-saving antiretroviral-based HIV prevention and treatment programs for key populations. Conclusions Moving forward necessitates the integration of validated stigma scales in routine HIV surveillance efforts, as well as HIV epidemiologic and intervention studies focused on key populations, as a means of tracking progress toward a more efficient and impactful HIV response.