Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlated genetic and non-shared environmental influences account for the co-morbidity between female sexual dysfunctions

Background Previous studies have shown moderate heritability for female orgasm. So far, however, no study has addressed the pattern of genetic and environmental influences on diverse sexual dysfunctions in women, nor how genetic and environmental factors contribute to the associations between them. Method The sample was drawn from the Genetics of Sex and Aggression (GSA) sample and consisted of 6446 female twins (aged 18–43 years) and 1994 female siblings (aged 18–49 years). The participants responded to the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), either by post or online. Results Model fitting analyses indicated that individual differences on all six subdomains of the FSFI (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain) were primarily due to non-shared (individual-specific) environmental influences. Genetic influences were modest but significant, whereas shared environmental influences were not significant. A correlated factors model including additive and non-additive genetic and non-shared environmental effects proved to have the best fit and suggested that both correlated additive and non-additive genetic factors and unique environmental factors underlie the co-occurrence of the sexual function problems. Conclusions The findings suggest that female sexual dysfunctions are separate entities with some shared aetiology. They also indicate that there is a genetic susceptibility for sexual dysfunctions. The unique experiences of each individual are, however, the main factors determining if, and which, dysfunction develops.
Sub-Bandgap Laser Light-Induced Excess Carrier Transport Between Surface States and Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Channel in AlGaN/GaN Structure

Variations of the channel resistance of a AlGaN/GaN high electron mobilities transistor caused by subsequently incident photons with sub-bandgap energies after ultraviolet light-induced changes became stable were studied. Temperature-dependent measurements yielded a 0.342 eV thermal activation energy and wavelength-varying measurements yielded a 0.8 eV cut-off photon energy. The ratio between the two values is very close to the theoretical value of the ratio between the valence and conduction band discontinuities. A qualitative description about the transports of excess carriers through the band discontinuities, is also proposed and consistent with the experimental results.
Prevalence of insulin resistance in metabolic disorders: the Bruneck Study.

The prevalence of insulin resistance in the most common metabolic disorders is still an undefined issue. We assessed the prevalence rates of insulin resistance in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), NIDDM, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, and hypertension as identified within the frame of the Bruneck Study. The study comprised an age- and sex-stratified random sample of the general population (n = 888; aged 40-79 years). Insulin resistance was estimated by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA(IR)), preliminarily validated against a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp in 85 subjects. The lower limit of the top quintile of HOMA(IR) distribution (i.e., 2.77) in nonobese subjects with no metabolic disorders (n = 225) was chosen as the threshold for insulin resistance. The prevalence of insulin resistance was 65.9% in IGT subjects, 83.9% in NIDDM subjects, 53.5% in hypercholesterolemia subjects, 84.2% in hypertriglyceridemia subjects, 88.1% in subjects with low HDL cholesterol, 62.8% in hyperuricemia subjects, and 58.0% in hypertension subjects. The prevalence of insulin resistance in subjects with the combination of glucose intolerance (IGT or NIDDM), dyslipidemia (hypercholesterolemia and/or hypertriglyceridemia and/or low HDL cholesterol), hyperuricemia, and hypertension (n = 21) was 95.2%. In isolated hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, or hyperuricemia, prevalence rates of insulin resistance were not higher than that in nonobese normal subjects. An appreciable number of subjects (n = 85, 9.6% of the whole population) was insulin resistant but free of IGT, NIDDM, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, and hypertension. These results from a population-based study documented that 1) in hypertriglyceridemia and a low HDL cholesterol state, insulin resistance is as common as in NIDDM, whereas it is less frequent in hypercholesterolemia, hyperuricemia, and hypertension; 2) the vast majority of subjects with multiple metabolic disorders are insulin resistant; 3) in isolated hypercholesterolemia, hyperuricemia, or hypertension, insulin resistance is not more frequent than can be expected by chance alone; and 4) in the general population, insulin resistance can be found even in the absence of any major metabolic disorders.
Bereavement in paediatric intensive care

The death of a child is a very sad event in anyone's life. It also affects all staff in paediatric intensive care units in different ways at different times. The publication of standards of bereavement care in paediatric intensive care hopes to be able to assist medical and nursing staff to understand and feel more confident in this emotionally difficult area of medicine. The aim of this article is to summarize some of the major points made in the document.
Sleep complaints and depression in an aging cohort: A prospective perspective.

OBJECTIVE Most research on the association between sleep disturbances and depression has looked at cross-sectional data. The authors used two waves of data from a panel study of community residents aged 50 years or more to investigate this issue prospectively. METHOD Data on symptoms of major depressive episodes and sleep problems were examined for a subgroup of the 1994 and 1995 surveys of the Alameda County (California) Study (N=2,370). The authors examined the effects of age, gender, education, marital status, social isolation, functional impairment, financial strain, and alcohol use. Depression was measured with 12 items that covered the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for major depressive episodes, including insomnia and hypersomnia. RESULTS The prevalences were 23. 1% for insomnia and 6.7% for hypersomnia in 1994. Sleep was a significant correlate of depression, as were being female, older age, social isolation, low education, financial strain, and functional impairment. When sleep problems and depression were examined prospectively, with controls for the effects of the other variables, sleep problems in 1994 predicted depression in 1995. However, other symptoms of major depressive episodes-anhedonia, feelings of worthlessness, psychomotor agitation/retardation, mood disturbance, thoughts of death-were much stronger predictors of future major depression. CONCLUSIONS Sleep disturbance and other symptoms that are diagnostic for major depression are strongly associated with the risk of future depression. Sleep disturbance appears to be a less important predictor of depression. More epidemiologic research is needed on the relative contributions of the range of depressive symptoms to the risk of clinical depression.
The Role of Personal Resources in the Job Demands-Resources Model

This study examined the role of three personal resources (self-efficacy, organizational-based self-esteem, and optimism) in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. The authors hypothesized that personal resources (1) moderate the relationship between job demands and exhaustion, (2) mediate the relationship between job resources and work engagement, and (3) relate to how employees perceive their work environment and well-being. Hypotheses were tested among 714 Dutch employees. Results showed that personal resources did not offset the relationship between job demands and exhaustion. Instead, personal resources mediated the relationship between job resources and engagement/exhaustion and influenced the perception of job resources. The implications of these findings for the JD-R model are discussed.
A Novel winding topology applied for a self-shielding induction cooker

In this paper, the magnetic coupling between an induction cooker and a metallic pot is studied for various winding topologies. Effects of the winding orientation on the power transfer capability and on the emitted magnetic field under the cooker are discussed and compared. A novel topology inspired by permanent magnet Halbach array is proposed. This consists in coupling in both horizontal and vertical directions and to create an asymmetric field in order to reduce the emission under the cooker.
IL‐1 activation of endothelium supports VLA‐4 (CD49d/CD29)‐mediated monocyte transendothelial migration to C5a, MIP‐1α, RANTES, and PAF but inhibits migration to MCP‐1: a regulatory role for endothelium‐derived MCP‐1

We investigated the effect of interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) activation of human umbilical vein endothelium (HUVE) on human monocyte transendothelial migration induced by chemotactic factors. Monocyte migration across unacdvated endothelium in response to macrophage inflammatory protein‐lα (MIP‐1α), RANTES, platelet‐activating factor (PAF), or monocyte chemoat‐tractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) was completely inhibited (90%) by monoclonal antibodies (mAbs; 60.3) to CD 18 of the CD11/CD18 complex on the monocyte and partially inhibited (by 75%) in response to C5a. When the HUVE was stimulated with IL‐lα (5 h, 0.1 ng/ml), monocyte migration in response to C5a, MIP‐lα, RANTES, or PAF was no longer inhibited by mAb to CD18. However, migration was blocked by the combination of mAb to the (α4‐integrin (CD49d) chain of very late antigen‐4 (CD49d(/CD29) with the mAb to CD18. In contrast to the above stimuli, activation of the HUVE with IL‐1α inhibited the transendothelial migration of monocytes in response to MCP‐1. mAbs to the adhesion molecules up‐regulated on HUVE by IL‐1, i.e., E‐selectin (CD62E), intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (CD54) or vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (CD106), did not reverse the inhibitory effect. Transendothelial migration in response to MCP‐1 but not to C5a was inhibited by the treatment of monocytes with culture supernatant from IL‐1α‐stimulated (but not from unstimulated) HUVE. Such supernatant contained chemotactic activity for monocytes, and a mAb to MCP‐1 blocked the migration inhibitory effect of IL‐1 activation of the HUVE monolayer, as well as the chemotactic activity in the supernatant from IL‐1‐stimulated HUVE. The inhibitory effect on migration of IL‐1‐stimulated HUVE was specific for monocytes because polymorphonuclear leukocyte transendothelial migration in response to IL‐8 (a related chemokine) was not inhibited by IL‐1 activation of HUVE. These results demonstrate that: (1) C5a but not MCP‐1, MIP‐lα, RANTES, or PAF activates not only a CD 18‐dependent but also a VLA‐4‐dependent mechanism on monocytes, which mediates migration across unstimulated HUVE; (2) IL‐1 (tumor necrosis factor‐α or lipopolysaccharide) activation of HUVE results in efficient VLA‐4 (CD494/CD29)‐mediated monocyte transendothelial migration in response to C5a, RANTES, MIP‐1α, and PAF, in addition to the CD 18‐dependent pathway, but inhibits the response to MCP‐1; and (3) this selective inhibition is probably due to MCP‐1 production by the activated endothelium monolayer and may be one mechanism of down‐regulation by the endothelium of monocyte migration in response to extravascular MCP‐1. J. Leukoc. Biol. 58: 71–79,1995.
Organization of motor units in the axolotl: A continuously growing animal

The characteristics of motor units in the iliotibialis posterior muscle of the axolotl hindlimb are described. Tension recording and intracellular electrophysiological methods demonstrate that the physiological properties of the population of motor units are continuously distributed rather than grouped into a series of discrete types. Overlap between motor units occurs and this is positively correlated with motor unit size but negatively correlated with differences in time to peak tension. Immunocytochemical staining with antimyosin antibodies combined with histochemical demonstration of actomyosin ATPase activity revealed at least four types of muscle fibre which were distributed asymmetrically within iliotibialis posterior. The results are discussed in terms of the continuous growth of the muscle and the interactions between muscle and nerve in the formation of the axolotl motor system.
Effect of cardiac ventricular mechanical contraction on the characteristics of the ECG: A simulation study

Introduction: The 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is the most widely-used tool for the detection and diagnosis of cardiac conditions including myocardial infarction and ischemia. It has therefore been a focus of cardiac modeling. However, the most contemporary in silico ECG investigations of the intact heart have assumed a static heart and ignored the mechanical contraction that is an essential component of cardiac function. The aim of this study was to utilize electromechanically coupled human ventricle models to explore the consequences of ventricular mechanical contraction on the ECG profiles. Methods and Results: Biophysically detailed human ventricular cell models incorporating contractile activity and a stretchactivated current (Isac) were incorporated into a 3D human ventricular model within a human torso, from which 12-lead ECGs were computed at a stimulation rate of 1 Hz. Compared to the static model, ventricular contraction without Isac had little effect on the QRS complex, but shifted the T-wave peak leftwards and reduced its peak amplitude. With Isac, ventricular mechanical contraction increased the QRS duration by 23% and QT interval by 5%. Conclusion: Mechanical contraction of the heart has a significant effect on the morphology and characteristics of the ECG particularly on the T-wave. The alteration of the cell membrane kinetics by stretch via Isac further exacerbates these effects. Our simulation data suggest that mechanical contraction should be considered in the interpretation of ECGs in pathological conditions, especially those in which mechanical contraction of the heart is impaired.
Queueing Simulation in Heavy Traffic

The heavy traffic behavior of a number of standard queueing simulation procedures like sample averaging and regenerative simulation is studied. In particular, limit theorems based upon Brownian approximations are given in a double limit with both the sample size t tending to infinity and the traffic intensity I tending to one. The results demonstrate that the growth rate t = tI â 1-I-2 plays a critical role, and it follows both from the present theoretical results and empirical illustrations in a companion paper that negative bias presents a serious problem. Furthermore the heavy traffic behavior of the limiting variances in the standard large sample theory is found.
Ultrasound compressed sensing: Performance study of reconstruction on different ultrasound imaging data

In this work, we investigate performance of reconstruction on different ultrasound (US) post-beamformed data when performing compressed sensing (CS) with fewer measurements. Three types of post-beamformed data - radio frequency (RF), envelope, and log-converted data are used. Each data type has its own signal distribution, which, given a typical sparse representation, affects sparsifying efficiency during CS reconstruction and hence further determines restored image quality. Field II simulation of a speckle generating phantoms with a hyperechoic cyst is performed. The re-sampled image data used for evaluation of reconstruction performance has 75% data reduction rate from the original image. Here reconstruction is performed using convex optimization algorithm along the lateral direction and sparse transformation with CDF 5/3 wavelet is typically chosen. The results show that for feature recognition, reconstructions on post-beamformed RF and envelope data have close performance, and are better than that on log-converted data. In terms of mean-square-error, reconstruction on RF data performs best.
[Cost-effectiveness in diagnosis of coronary artery disease].

akute Myokardinfarkt, sind mit einem Anteil von 21% weiterhin die bedeutendste Gruppe unter den Todesursachen in Deutschland [1]. Fast alle Patienten sind nach einem akuten Myokardinfarkt lebenslang medikamentenpflichtig, jeder f-nfte von ihnen entwickelt eine Postinfarktdepression und jeder zehnte Patient bildet im Laufe des weiteren Lebens eine Herzinsuffizienz aus [2]. Allerdings sind auch die /konomischen Folgen der KHK bemerkenswert. So wurden in Deutschland Mitte der 90er Jahre j4hrlich 6,1 Milliarden C = f-r die ambulante und station4re Behandlung der KHK ausgegeben [3]. Zur weiteren Veranschaulichung kann beispielsweise darauf hingewiesen werden, dass f-r jeden Patienten mit KHK f-r den gesamten Krankheitsverlauf durchschnittliche Kosten von 64000 C = entstehen [3].
Inter-user interference reduction factor for 3-D massive MIMO systems

Massive MIMO has recently attracted considerable attention, regarded as a way to improve both spectrum and energy efficiency for broadband wireless communication systems. In traditional MIMO or 2-D MIMO only the horizontal beam (azimuth angle) is exploited, not considering the potential advantage of the elevation angle. In order to evaluate the elevation angle effect, over the inter-user interference, a 3-D massive MIMO scenario is proposed through a correlation-based stochastic model. Expressions to assess the inter-user interference are derived as an interference reduction factor (IRF) for linear, planar and cubical antennas array. A performance comparison between 2-D and 3-D massive MIMO systems is presented. Finally, the tradeoff between IRF and array compaction for linear, planar and cubical arrays for unlimited and limited physical space is analyzed.
Requirements for Time-to-Digital Converters in the context of digital-PLL based Frequency Synthesis and GSM Modulation

A key issue in proceeding the digitization of phase-locked loops (PLLs) is the realization of proper phase detectors in the digital domain. This paper presents simulative analysis of the properties and requirements for time-to-digital converters (TDCs) used for phase comparison in digitized fractional-N modulators with two-point modulation. Effects due to quantization of the TDC on frequency synthesis as well as GSM modulation quality are considered, defining the realization requirements for a transmitter
Graph dependency construction based on interval-event dependencies detection in data streams

Pattern mining over data streams is critical to a variety of applications such as understanding and predicting weather phenomena or outdoor surveillance. Most of the current techniques attempt to discover relationships between time-point events but are not practical for discovering dependencies over interval-based events. In this work, we present a new approach to mine dependencies between streams of interval-based events that links two events if they occur in a similar manner, one being often followed by the other one after a certain time interval in the data. The proposed method is robust to temporal variability of events and determines the most appropriate time intervals whose validity is assessed by a Chi2 test. As several intervals may redundantly describe the same dependency, the approach retrieves only the most speci c intervals with respect to a dominance relationship over temporal dependencies, and thus avoids the classical problem of pattern flooding in data mining. The TEDDY algorithm, TEmporal Dependency DiscoverY, prunes the search space while guaranteeing the discovery of all valid and signifi cant temporal dependencies. We present empirical results on simulated and real-life data to show the scalability and the robustness of our approach. The dependency relationships defi ne a graph that supports intelligent analysis as illustrated by two case studies: Outdoor surveillance of a building via video camera and motion sensors, and assistance for road deicing operations based on the humidity and temperature measurements at the urban scale. These applications demonstrate the eficiency and the e fectiveness of our approach.
Promoting physical activity in a socially and economically deprived community: a 12 month randomized control trial of fitness assessment and exercise consultation

The main aim of this study was to assess the effects of a fitness assessment and exercise consultation on physical activity over 1 year in non-regularly active participants drawn from a socially and economically deprived community. Of 3000 people invited to volunteer for either intervention, 225 fitness assessment volunteers were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group; 145 exercise consultation volunteers were similarly assigned. Physical activity was measured at baseline, 4 weeks, 3 months (plus an intervention re-test), 6 months and 1 year. Analysis of variance and follow-up Bonferroni analysis showed that, for those not regularly active at baseline, physical activity increased significantly to 4 weeks, was maintained to 6 months but had fallen by 1 year. Only those receiving an exercise consultation significantly increased their physical activity after 1 year. Compared with fitness assessments, chi-square analysis showed that significantly more non-regularly active participants volunteered for an exercise consultation and those receiving an exercise consultation had significantly better long-term study adherence than those receiving a fitness assessment. The study also showed that, contrary to popular opinion, those in a socially and economically deprived community are not 'hard to reach' and respond well to physical activity interventions.
The short‐term effect of sheep grazing on selected invertebrates (Diptera and Hemiptera) relative to other environmental factors in an alpine ecosystem

Grazing by large herbivores is well-known to influence plant communities, while much fewer studies have been carried out on grazing effects on invertebrates. In Norway, some 2.2 million sheep graze on outlying pastures during summer, most of them in the alpine zone, but no study has reported the relative impact of sheep grazing on invertebrate communities relative to other environmental factors such as the plant community and altitude. A fully replicated landscape-scale experiment (2.7 km 2 ) was performed with no, low (25 per km 2 ) and high (80 per km 2 ) sheep densities in an alpine habitat of Norway (1050–1300 m a.s.l.). The increased vulnerability hypothesis (H1) predicts that the more folivorous invertebrates, the higher the grazing pressure by sheep, as large herbivore grazing may stress the plants so they are more vulnerable to insect herbivory.Theincreaseddefencehypothesis (H2 )p redicts increased levels of general anti-herbivore defences, and thus a lower abundance of invertebrates with increasing sheep densities. Contrary to both predictions, no evidence was found that sheep grazing affected invertebrate richness, or abundance of folivorous, predatory or detritivore invertebrates – in a community dominated by Diptera and Hemiptera. Demonstrating an effect will always be a function of sample size, but at least our study shows that other environmental variables (such as plant species richness and functional plant richness) are more important determinants than sheep grazing for the selected invertebrate groups. Our study was short-term (first year of grazing) mainly designed to test specific hypotheses related to induced plant defences; long-term effects are probably owing to the impact sheep may have on vegetation composition, primary production, litter cover and soil properties.