Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Total serum cholesterol levels and mortality risk as a function of age. A report based on the Framingham data.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relationship between serum cholesterol level and all-cause, coronary heart disease (CHD), and non-CHD mortality as a function of age. METHODS The data source was the biennial examination data from 1948 through 1980 for the 5209 men and women enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study. Age-specific analyses by the Cox proportional hazards regression model were performed of survival subsequent to ages 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 years for all subjects enrolled and alive at each of the stated ages. Complementary models were studied that used high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or total cholesterol level as predictors of survival subsequent to the examination at which lipoprotein subfractions were determined (1968) through 1973). RESULTS The relationship between total cholesterol level and all-cause mortality was positive (ie, higher cholesterol level associated with higher mortality) at age 40 years, negative at age 80 years, and negligible at ages 50 to 70 years. The relationship with CHD mortality was significantly positive at ages 40, 50, and 60 years but attenuated with age until the relationship was positive, but not significant, at age 70 years and negative, but not significant, at age 80 years. Results for the relationship between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and mortality help explain these findings. Non-CHD mortality was significantly negatively related to cholesterol level for ages 50 years and above. The negative results in the oldest age group for all-cause and CHD morality appeared to be due to a negative relationship with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels rather than the protective effect of high high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Similar results from several modified analyses make low cholesterol level due to severe illness an unlikely explanation for our results. CONCLUSIONS Physicians should be cautious about initiating cholesterol-lowering treatment in men and women above 65 to 70 years of age. Only randomized clinical trials in older people can settle the debate over the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of lipid-lowering interventions for reducing mortality and morbidity in this population.
Comparison of the measurement methods of bursting pressure of intestinal anastomoses.

BACKGROUND/AIMS This study was designed to determine whether there exists a difference between in vivo and in vitro measurements of bursting pressure (BP) of experimental intestinal anastomosis studied in Wistar-albino rats. METHODOLOGY In the first group (n=8), the BP was measured using in vivo method without detaching the adhesions around the anastomosis. BP was determined with digital manometer, and then anastomotic region was removed to measure tissue hydroxyproline (HP) levels. In the second group (n=8), the BP was measured with in vitro method after the segment of intestine including the anastomosis was dissected and isolated. The isolated specimen was then submerged in a normal saline bath. BP was determined with a digital manometer and anastomotic region was removed to measure tissue HP levels. RESULTS While HP value in the first group was 105.60 +/- 9.43 microg/mg dry tissue, it was found to be 121.11 +/- 16.26 microg/mg dry tissue in the second group and this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.195). The BP was determined as 240.71 +/- 11.65 mmHg in the first group, 144.71 +/- 16.41 mmHg in the second group and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.002). The anastomotic resistances to intraluminal pressure were found to be statistically different whereas tissue HP levels were normal between the groups. CONCLUSIONS These results make us consider that mechanical changes occur about the isolated anastomotic line and dissection of adhesions weakens the anastomosis.
Visualisation of standardized life‐history patterns

The life-history patterns of fish and invertebrate species are complex. But much of this complexity can be captured in simple diagrams of coastal transects, where juveniles usually occur in larger numbers in shallow waters, while adults generally inhabit deeper, offshore waters. Iconographic representations of generalized life-history patterns and depth profiles, with specific key life-history parameters can capture much of these standardized patterns, including spawning areas, nursery/juvenile distributions, adult distributions and spawning migrations. Several examples presented here from a wide range of habitats and ecosystems (temperate and tropical waters, demersal, deep water, pelagic and coral reefs), including an example of different stocks of the same species, illustrate some general patterns with regard to water depth and distance from shore. The present approach should be viewed as a first step towards obtaining standardized patterns about key life-history parameters, and will hopefully lead to incorporation into management of life-history interconnectivity between different fishery sectors or gears. This may contribute to sustainable, ecosystem-based approaches to management by informing policy options when faced with decisions to rationalize overcapitalized fisheries.
Humor styles and relationship satisfaction in dating couples: Perceived versus self-reported humor styles as predictors of satisfaction

Abstract Humor has been identified as a potentially important variable in facilitating relationship satisfaction in romantic couples. Using a measure of stable differences in how humor is expressed by individuals, the current research looks at the possibility that dating couples have similar humor styles, and at whether self-reported or perceived humor styles best predict relationship satisfaction. Individuals in a sample of 82 couples independently completed the measures of own and perceived partner's humor styles and relationship satisfaction on multiple indicators of satisfaction. The results indicate little similarity within couples on humor styles. The best predictors of satisfaction were perceptions of a partner's humor style, with humor styles that were other-directed explaining the most variability in satisfaction. The results demonstrate the usefulness of treating humor uses as a multidimensional variable to better understand the roles humor might play across circumstances and relationships.
PERCEPTION AND PRODUCTION OF ENGLISH VOT PATTERNS BY BRAZILIAN LEARNERS: THE ROLE OF MULTIPLE ACOUSTIC CUES IN A DST PERSPECTIVE

• ABSTRACT: In this study, departing from a dynamic conception of L2 phonetic-phonological acquisition, we investigate 34 Southern Brazilian learners’ perception (identification and discrimination) and production of VOT patterns of initial stops in English. We initially hypothesized that, especially among learners with a basic level of L2 proficiency, VOT was not the main acoustic cue employed in the perception of voicing distinctions. Our results show that, regardless of the learners’ proficiency level (basic or advanced), VOT is not a sufficient cue for the distinction between /p/, /t/, /k/ and /b/, /d/, /g/. These results, which have an influence on the lower VOT values found in our production data, conform with a dynamic view of L2 acquisition, according to which multiple acoustic cues play a role in language acquisition, forcing learners to tune in to the most important cue(s) in the target language.
Towards Fully Observable Non-Deterministic Planning as Assumption-based Automatic Synthesis

Whereas previous work on non-deterministic planning has focused on characterizing (and computing) "loopy" but "closed" plans, we look here at the kind of environments that these plans are to be executed in. In particular, we provide a logical characterization of the standard "fairness" assumption used, and show that strong cyclic plans are correct solution concepts for fair environments. We argue then that such logical characterization allows us to recast non-deterministic planning as a reactive synthesis task, and show that for a special case, recent efficient synthesis techniques can be applied.
Three dimensional fuzzy carrot-chasing path following algorithm for fixed-wing vehicles

Over the past several years, Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) have received considerable attentions due to many useful applications in military and civil missions. Applications such as search and rescue, mapping, and surveillance require the MAVs to autonomously follow a predefined three dimensional path. Because of unavailability of the pilot during a mission, it is necessary to use autopilot systems. In this paper a parametric path following algorithm is designed and then implemented on a simulated nonlinear six-DoF MAV. For designing the path following algorithm, first, two-dimensional (2D) carrot-chasing algorithm is modified to a 3D algorithm. Then a 3D path following algorithm is presented using a combination of the carrot-chasing geometric algorithm, fuzzy logic and genetic algorithm optimization method. It is concluded that adding a fuzzy system to the carrot-chasing algorithm, improves its performance significantly. Also, for comparison, two other 3D carrot-chasing algorithm and 3D vector field method are designed and simulated. Finally, by considering a control system for the simulated MAV, a comparison among the three path following algorithms is done. Wind as an external disturbance is applied to the MAV. Simulation results show significant superiority of the proposed 3D fuzzy carrot-chasing algorithm over both the carrot-chasing and vector field methods.
Converter used as a battery charger and a motor speed controller in an industrial truck

This paper presents a bi-directional power converter used on one hand as a battery charger and on the other hand as a motor speed controller. Different possibilities are presented and a comparison of these structures is carried out. In battery charger mode, the power converter has to absorb a sinusoidal current with a unit power factor. According to the power range, two possibilities are presented: the isolated CUK converter with a 1.5 kW DC motor and a pulse width modulation (P.W.M.) inverter/rectifier to supply a 6 kW induction machine
Detection of haemagglutinin D222 polymorphisms in influenza A(H1N1)pdm09-infected patients by ultra-deep pyrosequencing.

This study was aimed at establishing the genetic heterogeneity of influenza virus haemagglutinin (HA) gene quasi-species and the polymorphisms at codon 222, by application of ultra-deep pyrosequencing (UDPS) to respiratory samples from patients hospitalized for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 infection, presenting with severe or moderate-mild disease. HA diversity was significantly higher in samples collected from patients with severe manifestations than in those from patients with moderate-mild manifestations (p 0.02). D222 polymorphism was detected in 40.7% of patients by UDPS, and in only 7.1% by Sanger sequencing. D222E, D222G, D222N and D222A were observed in 37.0%, 11.1%, 7.4% and 3.7% of patients, respectively; 10.7% of samples harboured more than two variants. The relative frequency of each single variant showed a wide range of intrapatient variation. D222G/N/A were detected, as either minor or predominant variants, only in severe cases, whereas D222E was equally represented in severe and moderate-mild infections. Other amino acid variants were observed at different positions within the analysed HA fragment. Consistent with higher heterogeneity, non-D222 variants were more frequently detected in severe cases than in moderate-mild cases. In addition, seven non-D222 mutations carried by minority variants, not previously described, were observed.
Is There Theoretical Growth in Sociology?: Comment on Wagner and Berger

Berger, J., and M. Zelditch, Jr. 1983. "Artifacts and Challenges: A Comment on Lee and Ofshe. " Social Psychology Quarterly 46:59-62. Cohen, B. 1980. Developing Sociological Knowledge. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. Deutsch, M. , and R. Krauss. 1960. "The Effect of Threat on Interpersonal Bargaining. " Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 61:181-89. Durkheim, E. 1915. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York: Macmillan. Garfinkel, H. , M. Lynch, and E. Livingston. 1981. "The Work of a Discovering Science Construed with Materials from the Optically Discovered Pulsar. " Philosophy of Social Sciences 11:131-58. Glaser, B. , and A. Strauss. 1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Chicago: Aldine. Homans, G. 1950. The Human Group. New York: Harcourt, Brace. 1974. Social Behavior: Its Elementary Forms. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Lakatos, I. 1971. "History of Science and its Rational Reconstruction. " Boston Studies in Philosophy of Science 8:91-136. Lee, M. , and R. Ofshe. 1981. "The Impact of Behavioral Style and Status Characteristics on Social Influence: A Test of Two Competing Theories. " Social Psychology Quarterly 44:73-82. Merton, R. 1968. Social Theory and Social Structure. New York: Free Press. Nisbet, R. 1966. The Sociological Tradition. New York: Basic. Ofshe, R. , and M. Lee. 1983. " 'What Are We to Make of All This? ' Reply to Berger and Zelditch. " Social Psychology Quarterly 46:63-65. Smelser, N. , and R. S. Warner. 1976. Sociological Theory: Historical and Formal. Morristown, N.J.: General Learning. Sorokin, P. 1956. Fads and Foibles in Modern Sociology and Related Sciences. Chicago: Regnery. Turner, J. 1978. The Structure of Sociological Theory. Homewood, Ill. : Dorsey. Turner, S. 1980. "Modelling and Evaluating Theories Involving Sequences: Description of a Formal Method. " Quality and Quantity 14:511-18. Vine, M. W. 1959. An Introduction to Sociological Theory. New York: Longmans, Green. Wagner, D. 1984. The Growth of Sociological Theory. Beverly Hills, Calif. : Sage. Wilson, J. 1983. Social Theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Controlling entity state updates to maintain remote consistency within a distributed interactive application

One of the ongoing challenges for Distributed Interactive Applications (DIAs) is balancing the quality of service delivered to the end user with the operational costs involved. In particular the resultant network traffic should be minimized without affecting the end user experience where possible. This article proposes the use of remote feedback as a method of maintaining a desired consistency level within a peer-to-peer DIA. Though many existing techniques attempt to maintain consistency within a DIA, they operate in an open-loop manner and do not take error introduced into the system due to transmission delay into consideration. The goal of the work presented in this article is to transform this open-loop scheme into a closed-loop control system utilizing feedback from the remote users. By incorporating remote error into the systems update paradigm, the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) transmission rate can be dynamically altered to reflect changing network conditions. The performance of the resultant closed-loop control system is presented within.
Analytical workflow of monitoring human mobility in big event settings using Bluetooth

In recent times, consumer research at major social events received significant interest by organizing companies. Understanding the movements and motivations of the customers enables new business strategies and is needed to minimize the risk of investment. The spatiotemporal complexity of major events poses high demands on survey and analytical methods. New technological advances in both event monitoring systems and evaluation methods of movement data provide new insights into the behavioral patterns of customers by preserving their privacy. In this paper we present a work that seeks to systematize the research process of design, collection, and analysis of visitor behavior in a mixed indoor-outdoor event setting using Bluetooth sensor technology. The defined workflow is comprised of 5 steps and designed to answer heterogeneous business questions with respect to customer movement behavior in a single event context. Our approach is applied in a real-world business application for a Formula 1 event.
NAFLD: Is There Anything New under the Sun?

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an "umbrella" definition that encompasses a spectrum of histological liver changes ranging from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with/without fibrosis, "cryptogenic" cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), occurring in a dysmetabolic milieu, though in the absence of excessive alcohol consumption and other competing etiologies of chronic liver disease [1]. [. ].
Towards quantum simulations of biological information flow

Recent advances in the spectroscopy of biomolecules have highlighted the possibility of quantum coherence playing an active role in biological energy transport. The revelation that quantum coherence can survive in the hot and wet environment of biology has generated a lively debate across both the physics and biology communities. In particular, it remains unclear to what extent non-trivial quantum effects are used in biology and what advantage, if any, they afford. We propose an analogue quantum simulator, based on currently available techniques in ultra-cold atom physics, to study a model of energy and electron transport based on the Holstein Hamiltonian. By simulating the salient aspects of a biological system in a tunable laboratory set-up, we hope to gain insight into the validity of several theoretical models of biological quantum transport in a variety of relevant parameter regimes.
Applying visual servoing techniques to control a mobile hand-eye system

Discusses both theoretical and implementation issues of a vision based control approach applied to a mobile robot. After a brief presentation of the visual servoing framework used, the authors point out some key problems associated to its application in the case of nonholonomic mobile robots. To overcome these problems, the authors propose to use a hand-eye system mounted on the mobile robot in order to introduce redundancy with respect to the task. The second part of the paper presents the authors' first results obtained on their experimental testbed.
On the stability of unforced nonautonomous underdamped dissipative Hamiltonian systems

A sufficient rank condition that guarantees uniform asymptotic stability at the origin for a class of underdamded dissipative nonautonomous Hamiltonian system is derived. To this end, first it is shown that this kind of systems require an observability condition to hold true for asymptotic stability. However, since observability cannot be easily checked for nonautonomous systems, this condition is suitably transformed to a simpler rank constraint. Simultaneously, it is proven that for this class of systems, the time varying eigenvalues should remain on the left half of the complex plane. The theoretical results are finally verified by a simulated example.
Multiple influences of reward on perception and attention

Visual processing is influenced by stimulus-driven and goal-driven factors. Recent interest has centred on understanding how reward might provide additional contributions to visual perception and unravelling the underlying neural mechanisms. In this review, I suggest that the impact of reward on vision is not unitary and depends on the type of experimental manipulation. With this in mind, I outline a possible classification of the main paradigms employed in the literature and discuss potential brain processes that operate during some of the experimental manipulations described.
The Effects of Adiponectin and Metformin on Prostate and Colon Neoplasia Involve Activation of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase

Population studies provide evidence that obesity and insulin resistance are associated not only with elevated serum insulin levels and reduced serum adiponectin levels but also with increased risk of aggressive prostate and colon cancer. We show here that adiponectin activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in colon (HT-29) and prostate (PC-3) cancer cells. These results are consistent with prior observations in myocytes, but we show that in epithelial cancer cells AMPK activation is associated with reduction in mammalian target of rapamycin activation as estimated by Ser2448 phosphorylation, with reduction in p70S6 kinase activation as estimated by Thr389 phosphorylation, with ribosomal protein S6 activation as estimated by Ser235/236 phosphorylation, with reduction in protein translation as estimated by [35S]methionine incorporation, and with growth inhibition. Adiponectin-induced growth inhibition is significantly attenuated when AMPK level is reduced using small interfering RNA, indicating that AMPK is involved in mediating the antiproliferative action of this adipokine. Thus, adiponectin has the characteristics of a AMPK-dependent growth inhibitor that is deficient in obesity, and this may contribute to the adverse effects of obesity on neoplastic disease. Furthermore, metformin was observed to activate AMPK and to have growth inhibitory actions on prostate and colon cancer cells, suggesting that this compound may be of particular value in attenuating the adverse effects of obesity on neoplasia.
Using social identity to explore the link between a decline in adolescent smoking and an increase in mobile phone use

– The study seeks to further explore the hypothesised link between the increase in mobile phone ownership and use and the reported decline in adolescent smoking. Evidence for the link was gathered by examining perceptions of mobile phone use in the context of social identity and adolescent smoking. , – The study developed and employed a questionnaire‐based survey design asking a sample of student participants to characterise mobile phone users using a semantic differential scale. Data were also collected in relation to individual levels and patterns of mobile phone usage. The sample consisted of 172 undergraduate students studying in the Faculty of Health based in a UK university. , – Findings show first that mobile phone use is associated with a number of positive, desirable personal and social attributes relating to concepts of social identity and image formation, and that many of the attributes associated with mobile phone use are those commonly associated with smoking behaviour. , – The association between mobile phone use and social identity theory provides a theoretical framework which helps explain the prolific rise in mobile phone use and can be used to support the viability of a link between a decline in levels of adolescent smoking and a rise in mobile phone ownership. Further evidence needs to be gathered which examines both behaviours in a single cohort of adolescents to establish the direct impact of mobile phone use on smoking behaviour in this particular group. , – Mobile phone use may serve as a displacement behaviour for smoking in adolescents and may provide an example of a positive – as opposed to a negative – addiction, given that it is a potential alternative to smoking in adolescents. , – The paper provides an examination of the health implications of a modern‐day social phenomenon. It draws on and draws together established theory and empirical work to further advance a previously proposed link between smoking and mobile phone use. Establishing such a link has important implications for health education and promotion activities.
Simple MAP decoding of first-order Reed-Muller and Hamming codes

A maximum a posteriori (MAP) probability decoder of a block code minimizes the probability of error for each transmitted symbol separately. The standard way of implementing MAP decoding of a linear code is the Bahl-Cocke-Jelinek-Raviv (BCJR) algorithm, which is based on a trellis representation of the code. The complexity of the BCJR algorithm for the first-order Reed-Muller (RM-1) codes and Hamming codes is proportional to n/sup 2/, where n is the code's length. In this correspondence, we present new MAP decoding algorithms for binary and nonbinary RM-1 and Hamming codes. The proposed algorithms have complexities proportional to q/sup 2/n log/sub q/n, where q is the alphabet size. In particular, for the binary codes this yields complexity of order n log n.