Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the causal role of adiposity on disordered eating in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood: a Mendelian randomization analysis

Background: Observational studies have shown that higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with increased risk of developing disordered eating patterns. However, the causal direction of this relation remains ambiguous. Objective: We used Mendelian randomization (MR) to infer the direction of causality between BMI and disordered eating in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Design: MR analyses were conducted with a genetic score as an instrumental variable for BMI to assess the causal effect of BMI at age 7 y on disordered eating patterns at age 13 y with the use of data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) (n = 4473). To examine causality in the reverse direction, MR analyses were used to estimate the effect of the same disordered eating patterns at age 13 y on BMI at age 17 y via a split-sample approach in the ALSPAC. We also investigated the causal direction of the association between BMI and eating disorders (EDs) in adults via a two-sample MR approach and publically available genome-wide association study data. Results: MR results indicated that higher BMI at age 7 y likely causes higher levels of binge eating and overeating, weight and shape concerns, and weight-control behavior patterns in both males and females and food restriction in males at age 13 y. Furthermore, results suggested that higher levels of binge eating and overeating in males at age 13 y likely cause higher BMI at age 17 y. We showed no evidence of causality between BMI and EDs in adulthood in either direction. Conclusions: This study provides evidence to suggest a causal effect of higher BMI in childhood and increased risk of disordered eating at age 13 y. Furthermore, higher levels of binge eating and overeating may cause higher BMI in later life. These results encourage an exploration of the ways to break the causal chain between these complex phenotypes, which could inform and prevent disordered eating problems in adolescence.
Injury Prevention Counseling for Adults: Have We Made Progress?

Injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Physicians are a trusted source that can disseminate information about the prevention of injury and violence. This study used the second Injury Control and Risk Survey to report the national prevalence of healthcare provider injury prevention counseling to adults. Results indicate that overall 1 in 5 adults who visited a healthcare provider received some counseling on injury prevention. Counseling prevalence varied by injury topic and patient demographic characteristics. Many people who could benefit from counseling are not receiving it, even among those who had visited a healthcare provider.
Identification of serologic biomarkers for predicting microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma

Microvascular invasion (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major risk factor for early recurrence and poor survival after curative surgical therapies. However, MVI can only be diagnosed by pathological examination following resection. The aim of this study is to identify serologic biomarkers for predicting MVI preoperatively to help facilitate treatment decisions. We used the sero-proteomic approach to identify antigens that induce corresponding antibody responses either specifically in the serum from MVI (+) patients or from MVI (−) patients. Six antigens were subsequently identified as HSP 70, HSP 90, alpha-enolase (Eno-1), Annexin A2, glutathione synthetase and beta-actin by mass spectrometry. The antibodies titers in sera corresponding to four of these six antigens were measured by ELISA and compared between 35 MVI (+) patients and 26 MVI (−) patients. The titers of anti-HSP 70 antibodies were significantly higher in MVI (−) patients than those in MVI (+) patients; and the titers of anti-Eno-1 antibodies were significantly lower in MVI (−) patients than those in MVI (+) patients. The results were subjected to multivariate analysis together with other clinicopathologic factors, suggesting that antibodies against HSP 70 and Eno-1 in sera are potential biomarkers for predicting MVI in HCC prior to surgical resection. These biomarkers should be further investigated as potential therapeutic targets.
From Paris to Tokyo: on the suitability of ping to measure latency

Monitoring Internet performance and measuring user quality of experience are drawing increased attention from both research and industry. To match this interest, large-scale measurement infrastructures have been constructed. We believe that this effort must be combined with a critical review and calibrarion of the tools being used to measure performance. In this paper, we analyze the suitability of ping for delay measurement. By performing several experiments on different source and destination pairs, we found cases in which ping gave very poor estimates of delay and jitter as they might be experienced by an application. In those cases, delay was heavily dependent on the flow identifier, even if only one IP path was used. For accurate delay measurement we propose to replace the ping tool with an adaptation of paris-traceroute which supports delay and jitter estimation, without being biased by per-flow network load balancing.
HBase-QoD : Vector-Field Consistency for Replicated Cloud Storage

There has been extensive recent research in distributed systems regarding consistency in geo-replicated systems. NoSQL databases have introduced a new paradigm in this field, where user data location and replication mechanisms work together to be able to offer best-in-class distributed applications. As such, that means running costly operations under lower system latency while still ensuring data read is still valid for application logic processing. Therefore, several consistency models (like the eventual) use a flexible data consistency approach, that consists in taking advantage of those where staleness of data can be tolerated temporarily. We materialize that the idea in the context of an extensible record store. We assign priority to data depending of data semantics and serve it to applications when it is just required, avoiding overloading the network during large periods of disconnection or partitions. It is a practical and flexible approach that currently is not implemented in HBase as such, but even though, it is a desired feature in some community forums of the Apache project itself. We will introduce the data semantics used for non-relational data stores and built around the core architecture of an existing wellknown system as such, enabling it to trigger data replication selectively with the support of a three-dimensional field vector. In addition, grouping of operations is possible, ensuring atomic changes and therefore valid updates are propagated. Using this paradigm we can realize bandwidth savings in simulated peak loads scenarios in regard to high overhead of replication between data centers. We still provide different levels of consistency to different users or applications needs (e.g., regarding timeliness, number of pending updates and divergence bounds). We verify the implementation of the Quality-of-Data based vector on a set of distributed clusters. Levels of data consistency are enforced while performance of the cluster is monitored to ensure it remains stable, and updates can be tagged and grouped atomically in logical batches, akin to transactions.
A perspectiva dialógica no agir empreendedor: um estudo de caso em uma lan house

Technoculture is a contemporary and including phenomenon that acts as a mediador between man and the world modifying some of its fundamental characteristcs (e.g., social interactions, the relation of men with time/space, the subjectivity´s construction and the perception of the own body). A typical business environment of this social phenomenon is a lan house and the objective of this article is to modelize the entrepreneurship phenomenom through the Thierry Verstraete (2001)´s theory applied to this kind of business. This approach integrates two levels of analysis: the entrepreneur and the organization through a study of the dialogical relation among three dimensions (cognitive, practical and structural). The methodology used was a case study and the data was collected through interview. It was concluded that the explored model is including and that it contains fundamental aspects to comprehend the entrepreneurship phenomenon.
“Afferent dysgraphia” in a patient and in normal subjects

Abstract We report a detailed single case study of a patient, VB, who showed a form of dysgraphia which Lebrun (1976) termed “afferent dysgraphia”. VB, who was not aphasic and showed preserved spelling knowledge in spelling aloud or arranging cardboard letters, tended to write only down the right-hand side of a page and made frequent errors involving the omission or repetition of letters or strokes. These errors occurred most often in repeated sequences of identical or similar letters or strokes. The same letter and stroke errors, occurring at much the same frequency, were observed when normal subjects were required to write without sight of their writing hand whilst simultaneously executing a continuous tapping sequence with the fingers of their left hand. We attribute certain of VB's dysgraphic symptoms to a general left-sided neglect which also affected her reading (Ellis, Young,&Flude, 1987). The letter and stroke errors (with the possible exception of failures to dot i's and to cross t's) are, howeve.
Robust Estimates of Covariance Matrices in the Large Dimensional Regime

This paper studies the limiting behavior of a class of robust population covariance matrix estimators, originally due to Maronna in 1976, in the regime where both the number of available samples and the population size grow large. Using tools from random matrix theory, we prove that, for sample vectors made of independent entries having some moment conditions, the difference between the sample covariance matrix and (a scaled version of) such robust estimator tends to zero in spectral norm, almost surely. This result can be applied to various statistical methods arising from random matrix theory that can be made robust without altering their first order behavior.
Planar inverted miniaturized E antenna, for compact wireless systems

In this paper, a planar inverted miniaturized Ultra High Frequency E antenna, with high gain will be discussed. This paper will present the design of the microstrip antenna, its development and performance based on the measured results. The shape of the antenna is similar to the inverted alphabet E, which is why the antenna is referred as E antenna. The operating frequency of the antenna is 868 MHz. This antenna works on a phenomenon similar to that of a PIFA (Planar Inverted F Antenna). The radiating part is shorted with the ground plane, to reduce the size of the antenna. The aim of this project was to make a small, compact, low cost planar antenna, which has a good gain and can be accommodated in small card shaped areas, for different compact wireless systems. E antenna can be considered as a miniaturized, low cost antenna model, suitable for many small wireless systems with a good gain and an omni-directional radiation pattern.
The alveolar-arterial oxygen difference: its size and components in normal man.

Alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference and physiological dead space was measured in 80 normal subjects in resting conditions. A significant rise in both parameters with rising age was demonstrated. The composition of the alveolar-arterial oxygen difference was studied by two independent methods of shunt measurement: Determination of alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference during oxygen breathing was used for measurement of the total venoarterial shunt, whereas analysis of the concentration of tritium (hydrogen) in arterial blood after intravenous injection of this gas in physical solution was employed as a measure of right-to-left shunt. It is concluded, that of the normal alveolar-arterial oxygen difference only a small fraction is caused by right-to-left “anatomical” shunt in the lungs and less than half is caused by bronchial and thebesian vein drainage to the left side of the heart. The remaining part, which increases with age, must be due to inequalities in the distribution of ventilation/perfusion ratio in the lungs.
Response to Masafumi Ogawa, "Music Teacher Education in Japan: Structure, Problems, and Perspectives"

many perspectives–their value systems, logical relationships, grammar, structure, notations (if they exist), and within their contexts the relationship of music to other arts, religion, philosophy, and human values. 4. Students should develop an ability to make music, by performance, improvisation, and composition, and preferably in more than one tradition. 5. Students should develop an ability to perceive links and connections–by means of comparative studies–that synthesize and extrapolate information gained from different disciplines and specialties. 6. Students should develop a familiarity with technology and the ability to consider the electronic age in aesthetic and humanistic, and scientific and mathematical terms. 7. Students should develop an understanding of the political, social, and economic factors which affect the arts disciplines in their own country and in the rest of the world in order to make informed decisions as performers, listeners, composers, consumers, and/or patrons, taxpayers, and voters.1 Although the report was written about fifteen years ago, we are still very far away from realizing it. Since this is one aspect of Palmer’s philosophy, it may be wise to start on a smaller scale, and not so radically, and realize those suggestions made by the College Music Society. Other steps need to follow or develop in parallel. Since we are talking about changing the culture of education, such a change may only come slowly.
Fast heuristic algorithm for three-block decomposition of a system of weakly specified Boolean functions

The paper presents an approach to decomposition of a system of weakly specified Boolean functions represented by a sum-of-products (SOP) into a netlist of logic blocks. The approach is based on a fast heuristic splitting of a weakly specified Boolean function into three interconnected multi-input multioutput logic blocks. The vector-functions of the blocks are found using orthogonality of the output vectors of the original function. The orthogonality relation is represented as an incompatibility graph, which is successively partitioned into a set of bichromatic partial graphs corresponding to the components of vectorfunctions. The partial graphs are determined using a fast greedy algorithm Bisect. The approach discussed in the paper is illustrated by the step-by-step decomposition of a non-trivial example of the weakly specified function with six input variables and six output variables.
Korean temporary migrant mothers' conceptualization of parent involvement in the United States

The purpose of this study is to gain insight into how Korean temporary migrant mothers conceptualize the nature of parent involvement in the USA. The participants in this study consisted of Korean mothers who were educated in Korea, migrated temporarily to the USA for educational purposes, and sent their children to American schools. Using the perspective of figured worlds, this study examines how these Korean mothers enact their figured worlds of parent involvement. Year-long qualitative case studies were conducted with six Korean mothers in Maxwell, a city in the Midwestern USA. The data included individual interviews, a focus group interview, observations, and document collection. The study found that the mothers engaged in a process of “figuring out” what it meant to be parents as they interacted with schools. In this process, they improvised, creating strategies to negotiate their social positions so that they can influence the school life of their children. The Korean mothers were authors of their worlds, and their engagement was a story of improvisations.
Incessant ventricular tachycardia as a manifestation of septic cardiomyopathy – case report

Incessant ventricular tachycardia is defined as frequent, repetitive and persistent ventricular arrhythmia or appropriate activation of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator when present, which occurs more than three times within 24 hours and is ultimately followed by hemodynamic collapse. It is usually associated with structural heart disease ischaemia and often has a poor prognosis. The treatment strategy involves defining the aetiology through a targeted medical history and a physical examination (toxins, drugs, etc.), a 12-lead ECG, laboratory tests (electrolytes, etc.) and the detection of ischaemia. This report presents a case of young puerpera with peripartal sepsis, with no evidence of peripartal cardiomyopathy or ischaemia, which manifested itself initially with an arrhythmic cardiac arrest and a sequentially lethal outcome after a prolonged resuscitation procedure. PETAR PEKIĆ ( ) Department for Cardiovascular Disease University Hospital Sveti Duh
THE CONTINUING INTERACTION OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION

Abstract. Stephen I Gould's notion of non-overlapping magisteria (NOMA) is neither experientially supported nor rationally justifiable. Influence flows between science and religion, as when evolutionary thinking encouraged theology to adopt a kenotic view of the Creator's act of allowing creatures to be and to make themselves. Alleged simplistic dichotomies between science and religion, such as motivated belief contrasted with fideistic assertion, are seen to be false. Promising topics in the currently vigorous dialogue between science and religion include relational ontology, eschatological credibility, and ethical issues relating to advances in human genetics.
World Journal of Critical Care Medicine Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for pediatric respiratory failure: History, development and current status

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is currently used to support patients of all ages with acute severe respiratory failure non-responsive to conventional treatments, and although initial use was almost exclusively in neonates, use for this age group is decreasing while use in older children remains stable (300-500 cases annually) and support for adults is increasing. Recent advances in technology include: refinement of double lumen veno-venous (VV) cannulas to support a large range of patient size, pumps with lower prime volumes, more efficient oxygenators, changes in circuit configuration to decrease turbulent flow and hemolysis. Veno-arterial (VA)
Arterial spin labeling MRI study of age and gender effects on brain perfusion hemodynamics

Normal aging is associated with diminished brain perfusion measured as cerebral blood flow (CBF), but previously it is difficult to accurately measure various aspects of perfusion hemodynamics including: bolus arrival times and delays through small arterioles, expressed as arterial‐arteriole transit time. To study hemodynamics in greater detail, volumetric arterial spin labeling MRI with variable postlabeling delays was used together with a distributed, dual‐compartment tracer model. The main goal was to determine how CBF and other perfusion hemodynamics vary with aging. Twenty cognitive normal female and 15 male subjects (age: 23–84 years old) were studied at 4 T. Arterial spin labeling measurements were performed in the posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and whole brain gray matter. CBF declined with advancing age (P < 0.001). Separately from variations in bolus arrival times, arterial‐arteriole transit time increased with advancing age (P < 0.01). Finally, women had overall higher CBF values (P < 0.01) and shorter arterial‐arteriole transit time (P < 0.01) than men, regardless of age. The findings imply that CBF and blood transit times are compromised in aging, and these changes together with differences between genders should be taken into account when studying brain perfusion. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Expression and Regulation of ST2, an Interleukin-1 Receptor Family Member, in Cardiomyocytes and Myocardial Infarction

Background—We identified an interleukin-1 receptor family member, ST2, as a gene markedly induced by mechanical strain in cardiac myocytes and hypothesized that ST2 participates in the acute myocardial response to stress and injury. Methods and Results—ST2 mRNA was induced in cardiac myocytes by mechanical strain (4.7±0.9-fold) and interleukin-1&bgr; (2.0±0.2-fold). Promoter analysis revealed that the proximal and not the distal promoter of ST2 is responsible for transcriptional activation in cardiac myocytes by strain and interleukin-1&bgr;. In mice subjected to coronary artery ligation, serum ST2 was transiently increased compared with unoperated controls (20.8±4.4 versus 0.8±0.8 ng/mL, P <0.05). Soluble ST2 levels were increased in the serum of human patients (N=69) 1 day after myocardial infarction and correlated positively with creatine kinase (r =0.41, P <0.001) and negatively with ejection fraction (P =0.02). Conclusions—These data identify ST2 release in response to myocardial infarction and suggest a role for this innate immune receptor in myocardial injury.
Hormonal aspects of postnatal depression

The evidence relating postpartum mood disorder to endocrine factors is reviewed, with particular reference to thyroid hormones, progesterone, cortisol and oestrogen. The findings on non-psychotic depression and thyroid dysfunction are the most robust, but such biological changes have to be seen as interacting with psychological and social factors to produce depression. Hormone treatment trials in specific subgroups of postnatal women would enhance our understanding of aetiology
Creating contextual help for GUIs using screenshots

Contextual help is effective for learning how to use GUIs by showing instructions and highlights on the actual interface rather than in a separate viewer. However, end-users and third-party tech support typically cannot create contextual help to assist other users because it requires programming skill and source code access. We present a creation tool for contextual help that allows users to apply common computer skills-taking screenshots and writing simple scripts. We perform pixel analysis on screenshots to make this tool applicable to a wide range of applications and platforms without source code access. We evaluated the tool's usability with three groups of participants: developers, in-structors, and tech support. We further validated the applicability of our tool with 60 real tasks supported by the tech support of a university campus.
Feeling Rough: Multimodal Perception of Virtual Roughness

The texture of a real or virtual surface can both increase the sense of realism of an object as well as convey information about an object's identity, type, location, function, and so on. It is crucial therefore that interface designers know the range of textural information available to them through current interaction devices in virtual environments. We have examined roughness perception of a set of force feedback generated textures (conveyed via a PHANToM device) in order to better understand the range and resolution of textural information available through such interaction. We propose that the addition of audio stimuli will increase further the potential for conveying more varied and realistic texture percepts through force feedback interaction. We are currently examining roughness perception of a set of auditory stimuli and will use both sets of unimodal results to test the potential benefits of combining haptic and auditory textural stimuli.