Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Smoking Is Associated with More Abdominal Fat in Morbidly Obese Patients

Introduction While the association between cigarette smoking and abdominal fat has been well studied in normal and overweight patients, data regarding the influence of tobacco use in patients with morbid obesity remain scarce. The aim of this study is to evaluate body fat distribution in morbidly obese smokers. Methods We employed a cross-sectional study and grouped severely obese patients (body mass index [BMI] >40 kg/m2 or >35 kg/m2 with comorbidities) according to their smoking habits (smokers or non-smokers). We next compared the anthropometrical measurements and body composition data (measured by electric bioimpedance) of both groups. We analyzed the effect of smoking on body composition variables using univariate and multiple linear regression (MLR); differences are presented as regression coefficients (b) and their respective 95% confidence intervals. Results We included 536 morbidly obese individuals, 453 (84.5%) non-smokers and 83 (15.5%) smokers. Male smokers had a higher BMI (b=3.28 kg/m2, p=0.036), larger waist circumference (b=6.07 cm, p=0.041) and higher percentage of body fat (b=2.33%, p=0.050) than non-smokers. These differences remained significant even after controlling for confounding factors. For females, the only significant finding in MLR was a greater muscle mass among smokers (b=1.34kg, p=0.028). No associations were found between tobacco load measured in pack-years and anthropometric measures or body composition. Discussion Positive associations between smoking and BMI, and waist circumference and percentage of body fat, were found among male morbidly obese patients, but not among females. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first investigation of these aspects in morbidly obese subjects. We speculate that our findings may indicate that the coexistence of morbid obesity and smoking helps to explain the more serious medical conditions, particularly cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms, seen in these patients.
Wilms' tumor

Purpose of review Wilms' tumor accounts for nearly 6% of all pediatric cancers and more than 95% of all kidney tumors in children. Fortunately, survival for patients with Wilms' tumor is generally excellent. This review will outline the results of prior clinical trials that have led to this excellent outcome and how information gleaned from these trials has led to the development of the current series of clinical trials for the management of children with Wilms' tumor. Recent findings Tumor stage and histologic subtype have long been recognized as important prognostic factors in Wilms' tumor. More recent evidence suggests that, in certain instances, patient age, tumor size, response to therapy, and genetic abnormalities, specifically the loss of genetic material on chromosomes 1p and 16q, provide additional prognostic information. These factors have, therefore, been incorporated into a new risk stratification system that is currently being used to assign patients with Wilms' tumor to specific protocol-based therapies. Summary Survival for patients with Wilms' tumor when considered as a whole, once less than 30%, is currently greater than 90%, with this dramatic improvement being due, in part, to the systematic manner in which the approach to therapy has evolved. Further refinement in therapy is being undertaken, with the current trials aiming to maintain the excellent survival for children being treated for Wilms' tumor, while minimizing therapy-related toxicity.
Comparing Two Non-Blocking Concurrent Data Switching Schemes for Network-on-Chip

Based on a previously developed Code-Division Multiple-Access (CDMA) Network-on-Chip (NoC) structure, this paper examines the overhead cost of data encoding and decoding operations in the CDMA data switching scheme by comparing it with another non-blocking concurrent data switching scheme, crossbar, in the same six-node on-chip network environment. Different data path configurations are explored in the realizations of the six-node network in order to further examine the characteristics of the CDMA NoC. The crossbar structure is realized by parallel multiplexers. The two different realizations of the six-node network which apply the CDMA scheme and crossbar scheme separately are realized in Register-Transfer Level (RTL) by using Hardware Description Language (HDL). Based on the RTL realizations, area and power costs, data transfer latencies, and the number of data wires of the two schemes is compared.
Assistive smartphone for people with special needs : The Personal Social Assistant

The goal of the Personal Social Assistant (PSA) is to help those people who just cannot handle a mobile phone, a GPS, etc. The PSA is a novel multimodal assistive interface for smartphones, i.e., a customizable, scalable layer above the standard software that is already available on these devices. Hence, not only the interface is made more usable, but also new accessible technologies are included in the PSA to simplify certain daily living tasks. Some examples of our helpful technological innovations are photo-based GPS, scalable interfaces and an externally accessible content management system that uses SMS push technology. By using the PSA, everyone can get access to ICT. For elderly and people with cognitive, visual and/or motor disabilities the PSA can be the key to integration into society.
ARCHIMEDEAN COPULAS AND TEMPORAL DEPENDENCE

We study the dependence properties of stationary Markov chains generated by Archimedean copulas. Under some simple regularity conditions, we show that regular variation of the Archimedean generator at zero and one implies geometric ergodicity of the associated Markov chain. We verify our assumptions for a range of Archimedean copulas used in applications.
Free/Open Source Software Development Practices in the Computer Game Community

Introduction This study presents findings from empirical studies of software development practices, social processes, technical system configurations, organizational contexts, and interrelationships that give rise to free or open source software (F/OSS) systems in different communities. F/OSS represents an approach for communities of like-minded participants to develop software systems and related artifacts that are intended to be shared freely, rather than offered as closed commercial products. While there is a growing popular literature attesting to F/OSS [2,11], there are a small but growing number of systematic empirical studies that informs how these communities produce software (see Sidebar at the end of this document for a study sample). Similarly, little is known about how people in these communities coordinate software development across different settings, or about what software processes, work practices, and organizational contexts are necessary to their success. To the extent that academic communities, commercial enterprises, or government agencies seek the supposed efficacy of F/OSS, they will need grounded models of the processes and practices of F/OSS development to allow effective investment of their limited resources. Therefore this article investigates processes and practices that arise in F/OSS projects in different communities, and specifically focuses on F/OSS computer game community to provide examples of these common practices.
Combined Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Hubble Space Telescope observations of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 2808

Aims. Using new Chandra X-ray observations and existing XMM-Newton X-ray and Hubble far ultraviolet observations, we aim to detect and identify the faint X-ray sources belonging to the Galactic globular cluster NGC 2808 in order to understand their role in the evolution of globular clusters. Methods. We present a Chandra X-ray observation of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 2808. We classify the X-ray sources associated with the cluster by analysing their colours and variability. Previous observations with XMM-Newton and far ultraviolet observations with the Hubble Space Telescope are re-investigated to help identify the Chandra sources associated with the cluster. We compare our results to population synthesis models and observations of other Galactic globular clusters. Results. We detect 113 sources, of which 16 fall inside the half-mass radius of NGC 2808 and are concentrated towards the cluster core. From statistical analysis, these 16 sources are very likely to be linked to the cluster. We detect short-term (1 day) variability in X-rays for 7 sources, of which 2 fall inside the half-mass radius, and long-term (28 months) variability for 10 further sources, of which 2 fall inside the half-mass radius. Ultraviolet counterparts are found for 8 Chandra sources in the core, of which 2 have good matching probabilities and have ultraviolet properties expected for cataclysmic variables. We find one likely neutron star-quiescent low-mass X-ray binary and 8 cataclysmic variable candidates in the core of NGC 2808. The other sources are cataclysmic variable candidates, but some could possibly be active binaries or millisecond pulsars. We find a possible deficit of X-ray sources compared to 47 Tuc which could be related to the metallicity content and the complexity of the evolution of NGC 2808.
Simultaneous localization and mapping for pedestrians using only foot-mounted inertial sensors

In this paper we describe a new Bayesian estimation approach for simultaneous mapping and localization for pedestrians based on odometry with foot mounted inertial sensors. When somebody walks within a constrained area such as a building, then even noisy and drift-prone odometry measurements can give us information about features like turns, doors, and walls, which we can use to build a form of a map of the explored area, especially when these features are revisited over time. Our initial results for our novel scheme which we call "FootSLAM" are very surprising in that true SLAM with stable relative positioning accuracy of 1-2 meters for pedestrians is indeed possible based on inertial sensors alone without any prior known building indoor layout. Furthermore, the 2D maps obtained even for just 10 minutes of walking converge to a good approximation of the true layout forming the basis for future automated collaborative mapping of buildings.
MicroRNA Expression in Human Omental and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, that play important regulatory roles in a variety of biological processes, including development, differentiation, apoptosis, and metabolism. In mammals, miRNAs have been shown to modulate adipocyte differentiation. Therefore, we performed a global miRNA gene expression assay in different fat depots of overweight and obese individuals to investigate whether miRNA expression in human adipose tissue is fat-depot specific and associated with parameters of obesity and glucose metabolism. Paired samples of abdominal subcutaneous (SC) and intraabdominal omental adipose tissue were obtained from fifteen individuals with either normal glucose tolerance (NGT, n = 9) or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2D, n = 6). Expression of 155 miRNAs was carried out using the TaqMan®MicroRNA Assays Human Panel Early Access Kit (Applied Biosystems, Darmstadt, Germany). We identified expression of 106 (68%) miRNAs in human omental and SC adipose tissue. There was no miRNA exclusively expressed in either fat depot, suggesting common developmental origin of both fat depots. Sixteen miRNAs (4 in NGT, 12 in T2D group) showed a significant fat depot specific expression pattern. We identified significant correlations between the expression of miRNA-17-5p, -132, -99a, -134, 181a, -145, -197 and both adipose tissue morphology and key metabolic parameters, including visceral fat area, HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, and circulating leptin, adiponectin, interleukin-6. In conclusion, microRNA expression differences may contribute to intrinsic differences between omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue. In addition, human adipose tissue miRNA expression correlates with adipocyte phenotype, parameters of obesity and glucose metabolism.
The SwitchWare active network architecture

Active networks must balance the flexibility of a programmable network infrastructure against the safety and security requirements inherent in sharing that infrastructure. Furthermore, this balance must be achieved while maintaining the usability of the network. The SwitchWare active network architecture is a novel approach to achieving this balance using three layers: active packets, which contain mobile programs that replace traditional packets; active extensions, which provide services on the network elements and can be dynamically loaded; and a secure active router infrastructure, which forms a high-integrity base on which the security of the other layers depends. In addition to integrity checking and cryptography-based authentication, security in our architecture depends heavily on verification techniques from programming languages, such as strong type checking.
Underexplored microbial metabolisms for enhanced nutrient recycling in agricultural soils

Worldwide, arable soils have been degraded through erosion and exhaustive cultivation, and substantial proportions of fertilizer nutrients are not taken up by crops. A central challenge in agriculture is to understand how soils and resident microbial communities can be managed to deliver nutrients to crops more efficiently with minimal losses to the environment. Throughout much of the twentieth century, intensive farming has caused substantial loss of organic matter and soil biological function. Today, more farmers recognize the importance of protecting soils and restoring organic matter through reduced tillage, diversified crop rotation, cover cropping, and increased organic amendments. Such management practices are expected to foster soil conditions more similar to those of undisturbed, native plant-soil systems by restoring soil biophysical integrity and re-establishing plant-microbe interactions that retain and recycle nutrients. Soil conditions which could contribute to desirable shifts in microbial metabolic processes include lower redox potentials, more diverse biogeochemical gradients, higher concentrations of labile carbon, and enrichment of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen gas (H2) in soil pores. This paper reviews recent literature on generalized and specific microbial processes that could become more operational once soils are no longer subjected to intensive tillage and organic matter depletion. These processes include heterotrophic assimilation of CO2; utilization of H2 as electron donor or reactant; and more diversified nitrogen uptake and dissimilation pathways. Despite knowledge of these processes occurring in laboratory studies, they have received little attention for their potential to affect nutrient and energy flows in soils. This paper explores how soil microbial processes could contribute to in situ nutrient retention, recycling, and crop uptake in agricultural soils managed for improved biological function.
Nucleobase Transport by Human Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter 1 (hENT1)*

The human equilibrative nucleoside transporters hENT1 and hENT2 (each with 456 residues) are 40% identical in amino acid sequence and contain 11 putative transmembrane helices. Both transport purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and are distinguished functionally by a difference in sensitivity to inhibition by nanomolar concentrations of nitrobenzylmercaptopurine ribonucleoside (NBMPR), hENT1 being NBMPR-sensitive. Previously, we used heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes to demonstrate that recombinant hENT2 and its rat ortholog rENT2 also transport purine and pyrimidine bases, h/rENT2 representing the first identified mammalian nucleobase transporter proteins (Yao, S. Y., Ng, A. M., Vickers, M. F., Sundaram, M., Cass, C. E., Baldwin, S. A., and Young, J. D. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 24938–24948). The same study also revealed lower, but significant, transport of hypoxanthine by h/rENT1. In the present investigation, we have used the enhanced Xenopus oocyte expression vector pGEMHE to demonstrate that hENT1 additionally transports thymine and adenine and, to a lesser extent, uracil and guanine. Fluxes of hypoxanthine, thymine, and adenine by hENT1 were saturable and inhibited by NBMPR. Ratios of Vmax (pmol/oocyte·min−1):Km (mm), a measure of transport efficiency, were 86, 177, and 120 for hypoxantine, thymine, and adenine, respectively, compared with 265 for uridine. Hypoxanthine influx was competitively inhibited by uridine, indicating common or overlapping nucleobase and nucleoside permeant binding pockets, and the anticancer nucleobase drugs 5-fluorouracil and 6-mercaptopurine were also transported. Nucleobase transport activity was absent from an engineered cysteine-less version hENT1 (hENT1C−) in which all 10 endogenous cysteine residues were mutated to serine. Site-directed mutagenesis identified Cys-414 in transmembrane helix 10 of hENT1 as the residue conferring nucleobase transport activity to the wild-type transporter.
A R Tif Ac T the Missing Link: Explaining Elf Static Linking, Semantically

Beneath the surface, software usually depends on complex linker behaviour to work as intended. Even linking hello _ world.c is surprisingly involved, and systems software such as libc and operating system kernels rely on a host of linker features. But linking is poorly understood by working programmers and has largely been neglected by language researchers. In this paper we survey the many use-cases that linkers support and the poorly specified linker speak by which they are controlled: metadata in object files, command-line options , and linker-script language. We provide the first validated formalisation of a realistic executable and linkable format (ELF), and capture aspects of the Application Binary Interfaces for four mainstream platforms (AArch64, AMD64, Power64, and IA32). Using these, we develop an executable specification of static linking, covering (among other things) enough to link small C programs (we use the example of bzip2) into a correctly running executable. We provide our specification in Lem and Isabelle/HOL forms. This is the first formal specification of mainstream linking. We have used the Isabelle/HOL version to prove a sample correctness property for one case of AMD64 ABI reloca-tion, demonstrating that the specification supports formal proof, and as a first step towards the much more ambitious goal of verified linking. Our work should enable several novel strands of research, including linker-aware verified compilation and program analysis, and better languages for controlling linking.
Energy-Aware Resource Adaptation for Next-Generation Network Equipment

In this contribution, we explore and evaluate the feasibility and the impact of power management policies, able to well suit a heterogeneous set of highly modular architectures, generally used for developing today's network equipment. The proposed policies aim at optimizing the power consumption of each device component with respect to its expected network performance. In order to provide an experimental evaluation of the proposed ideas, we applied such power management policies to a new generation SW router based on multi-core COTS platform, and we evaluated it with real traffic traces.
Electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy predicts atrial fibrillation independent of left ventricular mass

Although left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) detected by electrocardiography (ECG‐LVH) and echocardiography (echo‐LVH) independently predict cardiovascular disease events, it is unclear if ECG‐LVH and echo‐LVH independently predict atrial fibrillation (AF).
Recommending personalized scenic itinerarywith geo-tagged photos

Applications with geo-tagged photos have drawn lots of attentions in recent years. However, most previous works consider the GPS information of each photo individually to improve the metadata of the corresponding photo. In this paper, we leverage GPS data in a series of scenic photos and propose the personalized scenic itinerary recommendation system. Our system provides personalized suggestion of a sequence of following visiting spots when each user takes the photo of the current scenic spot. The recommendation is based on the data mining techniques to extract and differentiate the preferences of various users. Our system is designed to provide a new location service for geo-tagged photo management.
Temporal Variations of Urban Air Pollutants in Damietta Port, North Egypt

Air pollution is considered one of the most important factors that affect the surrounding environment and the human health. This study investigated seasonal variation in air pollutants parameters (CO, NO2, O3, SO2 and PM10) in Damietta Port (DP), Egypt using the archive data, from the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) branch in DP, for the period from 2015 to 2017. Statistical results showed that the mean concentration of CO was 2.7, 6.2 and 3.2 mg/m3 in 2015, 2016 and 2017 respectively. Mean concentration of NO2 was 27.9, 28.5, and 16.5 μg/m3 in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Ozone mean concentration was 27.7, 25.1, and 16.5 μg/m3 in 2015, 2016 and 2017. PM10 mean concentration was 83.5, 111, and 74.4 μg/m3 in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Mean concentration of SO2 was 17.5, 22.3, and 11.9 μg/m3 in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The CO concentration increased from 2015 to 2017, due to increasing port activities from vessels, cargo handling equipment, and heavyduty vehicles. On the other hand, ozone decreased from 2015 to 2017, and this may be related to the improvement and application of safety and environmental rules, and systems in the port. From the collected results, it was observed that some pollutant concentrations were exceeded, beyond the threshold limit for CO and PM10, according to Environmental Law no. 4/1994. Finally, we recommend to monitor and measure the concentration of different air pollutants in the port regularly, to assess, analyze, and control the environmental risks to achieve health in the surrounding environment for the port man-power. Original Research Article Beheary et al.; AJEE, 8(3): 1-9, 2018; Article no.AJEE. 42760 2
Validation of a DNA Quantitation Method on the Biomek® 3000

Abstract: Laboratory automation has the ability to increase the throughput and efficiency of laboratory processes to keep pace with current backlogs and requests for analysis. This paper addresses the specific studies employed to properly evaluate an automated method for DNA quantitation setup using Applied Biosystems Quantifiler™ Human DNA Quantification kit on a Biomek® 3000. The calibration of robotic pipetting as well as comparison with manually performed steps confirmed the accuracy of the automated methods used. Reproducibility studies evaluated differences between robotic and manually prepared human DNA standard curves. Additional studies examined DNA samples of known quantities, extract storage formats, sensitivity, and an assessment of contamination. The Biomek® 3000 not only demonstrated reproducibility and accuracy that equaled or surpassed the manual method but also revealed a contamination‐free method to replace the multiple pipetting steps required during quantitation setup.