Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Residential proximity to naturally occurring asbestos and mesothelioma risk in California.

RATIONALE Little is known about environmental exposure to low levels of naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) and malignant mesothelioma (MM) risk. OBJECTIVES To conduct a cancer registry-based case control study of residential proximity to NOA with MM in California. METHODS Incident MM cases (n = 2,908) aged 35 yr or more, diagnosed between 1988 and 1997, were selected from the California Cancer Registry and frequency matched to control subjects with pancreatic cancer (n = 2,908) by 5-yr age group and sex. Control subjects were selected by stratified random sampling from 28,123 incident pancreatic cancers in the same time period. We located 93.7% of subjects at the house or street level at initial diagnosis. Individual occupational exposure to asbestos was derived from the longest held occupation, available for 74% of MM cases and 63% of pancreatic cancers. Occupational exposure to asbestos was determined by a priori classification and confirmed by association with mesothelioma. MAIN RESULTS The adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence interval for low, medium, and high probabilities of occupational exposures to asbestos were 1.71 (1.32-2.21), 2.51 (1.91-3.30), and 14.94 (8.37-26.67), respectively. Logistic regression analysis from a subset of 1,133 mesothelioma cases and 890 control subjects with pancreatic cancer showed that the odds of mesothelioma decreased approximately 6.3% for every 10 km farther from the nearest asbestos source, an odds ratio of 0.937 (95% confidence interval = 0.895-0.982), adjusted for age, sex, and occupational exposure to asbestos. CONCLUSIONS These data support the hypothesis that residential proximity to NOA is significantly associated with increased risk of MM in California.
Elevated Levels of MMP-9 in Untreated Patients with Stage I Essential Hypertension

Increased expression and activity of metalloproteinases have been implicated in the pathophysiology of vascular remodeling and in the growth of atherosclerotic lesions. We aimed at determining the levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, their specific inhibitors TIMP-2 and TIMP-1, and the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α, which are related to the stimulation of MMPs, in patients with untreated mild essential hypertension (UH) and normotensive (NT) volunteers. Serum MMP-9 and TIMP-1 levels were significantly different in UH volunteers when compared to NT volunteers. Thus, MMP-9 is elevated in the early stages of essential hypertension and may be used as a marker of cardiovascular risk and vascular dysfunction.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Impact on British Columbia

This Research Report assesses the likely impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on the British Columbia economy from the vantage point of what is known as the negotiations enter the end phase of negotiations in the Fall of 2014. The assessment is based on a two-step process. First, the impact of the TPP at Canada-level is simulated using a dynamic specification of the widely-used GTAP model, modified to directly represent services trade conducted through foreign affiliates as well as on a cross-border basis, and to reflect the impact of liberalization of FDI in the services sectors. The simulations take into account tariff reductions, preference utilization, the compliance cost of using preferences, the regionalization of rules of origin, and the reduction of non-tariff barriers to goods, services and investment. Second, a computable partial equilibrium (CPE) model – the Global Simulation Model (GSIM) – is used to identify the direct trade impacts on British Columbia and the Rest of Canada, which are represented directly as individual trading partners both with international partners and with each other. Based on the decomposition of the TPP trade impacts, the study infers the impacts of the TPP on the BC economy consistent with the Canada-level GTAP simulation results.
Diversity Measurements of a Reconfigurable Antenna With Switched Polarizations and Patterns

A reconfigurable parasitic patch array is designed to provide polarization and pattern diversities. The performance of the device is predicted using a commercial simulator including a pin diode modelling and an optimization procedure of the switched loads based on an equivalent flow graph. Measurements of the correlation factor and the diversity gain in an indoor environment are performed with a dedicated platform for two orientations of the antenna.
Effects of acute controlled changes in end‐tidal carbon dioxide on the diameter of the optic nerve sheath: a transorbital ultrasonographic study in healthy volunteers

Transorbital ultrasonographic measurement of the diameter of the optic nerve sheath is a non‐invasive, bed‐side examination for detecting raised intracranial pressure. However, the ability of the optic nerve sheath diameter to predict acute changes in intracranial pressures remains unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the dynamic changes of the optic nerve sheath diameter in response to mild fluctuations in cerebral blood volume induced by changes in end‐tidal carbon dioxide. We studied 11 healthy volunteers. End‐tidal carbon dioxide was controlled by a model‐based prospective end‐tidal targeting system (RespirAct™). The volunteers' end‐tidal carbon dioxide was targeted and maintained for 10 min each at normocapnia (baseline); hypercapnia (6.5 kPa); normocapnia (baseline 1); hypocapnia (3.9 kPa) and on return to normocapnia (baseline 2). A single investigator repeatedly measured the optic nerve sheath diameter for 10 min at each level of carbon dioxide. With hypercapnia, there was a significant increase in optic nerve sheath diameter, with a mean (SD) increase from baseline 4.2 (0.7) mm to 4.8 (0.8) mm; p < 0.001. On return to normocapnia, the optic nerve sheath diameter rapidly reverted back to baseline values. This study confirms dynamic changes in the optic nerve sheath diameter with corresponding changes in carbon dioxide, and their reversibly with normocapnia.
Sex-specific differences in chromosome-dependent regulation of vascular reactivity in female consomic rat strains from a SS BN cross

Kunert MP, Dwinell MR, Peric ID, Lombard JH. Sex-specific differences in chromosome-dependent regulation of vascular reactivity in female consomic rat strains from a SS BN cross. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 295: R516–R527, 2008. First published May 28, 2008; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00038. 2008. —High-throughput studies in the Medical College of Wisconsin Program for Genomic Applications (Physgen) were designed to link chromosomes with physiological function in consomic strains derived from a cross between Dahl salt-sensitive SS/JrHsdMcwi (SS) and Brown Norway normotensive BN/NHsdMcwi (BN) rats. The specific goal of the vascular protocol was to characterize the responses of aortic rings from these strains to vasoconstrictor and vasodilator stimuli (phenylephrine, acetylcholine, sodium nitroprusside, and bath hypoxia) to identify chromosomes that either increase or decrease vascular reactivity to these vasoactive stimuli. Because previous studies demonstrated sex-specific quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to regulation of cardiovascular phenotypes in an F2 cross between the parental strains, males and females of each consomic strain were included in all experiments. As there were significant sex-specific differences in aortic sensitivity to vasoconstrictor and vasodilator stimuli compared with the parental SS strain, we report the results of the females separately from the males. There were also sex-specific differences in aortic ring sensitivity to these vasoactive stimuli in consomic strains that were fed a high-salt diet (4% NaCl) for 3 wk to evaluate salt-induced changes in vascular reactivity. Differences in genetic architecture could contribute to sex-specific differences in the development and expression of cardiovascular diseases via differential regulation and expression of genes. Our findings are the first to link physiological traits with specific chromosomes in female SS rats and support the idea that sex is an important environmental variable that plays a role in the expression and regulation of genes.
Optimization and Reliability Evaluation of an Offshore Wind Farm Architecture

This paper presents an original approach aiming to obtain the optimum configuration of an offshore wind farm (OWF). Thanks to cost models, we take into account the costs off all the parts of the electrical network. The optimization platform, based on a genetic algorithm, also allows us to evaluate the reliability of an OWF. This approach is used to compare the topologies obtained in different cases on a real OWF, the “Banc de Guerande. ” The selected design of the OWF is compared to the results obtained using different methods: cost optimization, or both cost and reliability optimization. The optimization results show that the ring topologies give interesting results if the total cost including the expected energy not supplied during the lifetime of the OWF are taken into account. The number of offshore substations and their positions are also considered in the optimization: we show that the introduction of more substations in order to obtain better performances is possible at a reasonable cost. The presented optimization tool can help to design such farms taking into account several constraints.
Kinematics Analysis of a 3-dof Rotational Parallel Mechanism

A 3-dof rotational parallel mechanism is presented which has three struts and three actuators and is a plasmodium of the Stewart platforms. The kinematics of this robot is derived, and the kinematics analysis is investigated based on analytical solution of the inverse kinematics and numerical solution of the forward kinematics. This mechanism is popular in the fields of simulators and parallel kinematics machines.
Short-term Reproducibility of Nocturnal Non-dipping Pattern in Recently Diagnosed Essential Hypertensives

Objective : To investigate in a selected population of patients with a recently diagnosed essential hypertension the short-term intrasubject variability of diurnal changes in blood pressure (BP). Methods : Two hundred and eight consecutive, recently diagnosed, never treated essential hypertensives (119 men, 89 women, 46 - 12 years) underwent 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) twice within 3 weeks. Dipping pattern was defined as a reduction in average systolic and diastolic BP at night greater than 10% compared to average daytime values. Results : 177 subjects (85%) showed no change in their diurnal variations in BP. Of the 159 subjects who had a dipping pattern on first ABPM, 134 (90.6%) confirmed this type of profile on the second ABPM, while 15 (9.4%) showed a non-dipping pattern. Of the 59 subjects who had a non-dipping pattern on the first ABPM, 43 (72.2%) confirmed their initial profile on the second ABPM, while 16 (28.8%) did not. Conclusion : These findings indicate that short-term reproducibility of diurnal changes in BP in early phases of untreated essential hypertension, characterized by a large prevalence of dipping pattern, is overall satisfactory. However, our study underlines that also in this particularly selected population of hypertensives the definition of non-dipping status on the basis of a single ABPM remains unreliable in about one-third of patients.
Cis-regulatory Mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans Homeobox Gene Locus cog-1 Affect Neuronal Development

We apply here comparative genome hybridization as a novel tool to identify the molecular lesion in two Caenorhabditis elegans mutant strains that affect a neuronal cell fate decision. The phenotype of the mutant strains resembles those of the loss-of-function alleles of the cog-1 homeobox gene, an inducer of the fate of the gustatory neuron ASER. We find that both lesions map to the cis-regulatory control region of cog-1 and affect a phylogenetically conserved binding site for the C2H2 zinc-finger transcription factor CHE-1, a previously known regulator of cog-1 expression in ASER. Identification of this CHE-1-binding site as a critical regulator of cog-1 expression in the ASER in vivo represents one of the rare demonstrations of the in vivo relevance of an experimentally determined or predicted transcription-factor-binding site. Aside from the mutationally defined CHE-1-binding site, cog-1 contains a second, functional CHE-1-binding site, which in isolation is sufficient to drive reporter gene expression in the ASER but in an in vivo context is apparently insufficient for promoting appropriate ASER expression. The cis-regulatory control regions of other ASE-expressed genes also contain ASE motifs that can promote ASE neuron expression when isolated from their genomic context, but appear to depend on multiple ASE motifs in their normal genomic context. The multiplicity of cis-regulatory elements may ensure the robustness of gene expression.
Mutual resistance to avermectins and milbemycins: oral activity of ivermectin and moxidectin against ivermectin-resistant and susceptible nematodes

To determine whether there is mutual resistance to avermectin and milbemycin anthelmintics, ivermectin and moxidectin sheep drenches were tested against ivermectin-resistant and susceptible isolates of Ostertagia circumcincta and Trichostrongylus colubriformis in sheep. None of the isolates had been exposed to moxidectin previously. The dosage of ivermectin required to remove 95 per cent of the ivermectin-resistant O circumcincta and T colubriformis were 23 times and six times larger, respectively, than the dosages required to remove the same percentage of susceptible isolates. The dosages of moxidectin required to remove 95 per cent of the ivermectin-resistant O circumcincta and T colubriformis were 31 times and nine times larger, respectively, than the dosages required to remove the same percentage of susceptible isolates. It is concluded that the worms resistant to ivermectin were also resistant to moxidectin.
Phrase-Based Transliteration with Simple Heuristics

This paper presents modeling of transliteration as a phrase-based machine translation system. We used a popular phrase-based machine translation system for English-Hindi machine transliteration. We have achieved an accuracy of 38.1% on the test set. We used some basic rules to modulate the existing phrased-based transliteration system. Our experiments show that phrase-based machine translation systems can be adopted by modulating the system to fit the transliteration problem.
Essays on Information and Firm Behavior

Author(s): Kwok, Siwei | Advisor(s): Snider, Connan A | Abstract: This dissertation consists of two chapters. In the first chapter, which is co-authored with Marcus Studart, we study the interaction of information and competition in incentivizing firms to produce high quality. We estimate a discrete quality choice game, using restaurant hygiene inspection data in Los Angeles County, from 1995 through 1998. Our results show that information is sufficient for competition to have an effect on quality provision. We also find that after the mandatory disclosure of information to consumers, a restaurant's equilibrium quality increases in the number of competitors up to a certain threshold. Beyond this threshold, an additional firm has a negative effect on quality choice. This result may indicate that too much competition reduces the returns of quality provision, which we interpret as a result of firms having more difficulty retaining customers.In the second chapter, I investigate the notion of "hype" in the U.S. motion picture industry, which occurs whenever an upcoming film is heavily advertised irrespective of its underlying quality. I address the questions of 1) whether hype is a measurable phenomenon in data from the movie industry, 2) why the practice of hype is feasible, and 3) how the feasibility of hype impacts the movie industry. I first search for evidence of hype using a data set of weekly advertising expenditures, box office revenues, critical review outcomes, and movie characteristics of wide release theatrical films from 2003 to 2012. Using critical review outcomes as a measure of underlying quality, I observe that advertising levels are similar across film quality levels. I find that advertising levels fall dramatically between the pre-release and post-release phases for all movies, but they decay much more sharply for low quality films. Building on this finding, I exploit weekly variation in the data by using regression analysis and a matching difference-in-differences estimator to quantify the causal effect of release and high critical reviews on advertising behavior. I find that advertising prior to a film's release is not statistically related to underlying film quality, but distributors with movies revealed to be high quality spend 62% more on advertising after release than other films. I then build a theoretical model of advertising on the movie industry based on Butters (1977) which incorporates consumer verification of film quality as a key feature to support this result. I provide conditions that ensure the existence and uniqueness of an advertising equilibrium in the model. I compute numerical examples of advertising equilibria and show that under certain parameter values, the distributors of bad films have no incentivize to advertise if consumers are sufficiently informed of quality. These findings suggest that consumer access to critical reviews could explain the feasibility of hype in the movie industry.
Comparisons of egg quality traits, egg weight loss and hatchability between striped and normal duck eggs

Abstract 1. The egg quality of striped and normal duck eggs was compared to determine why striped eggs show decreased hatchability. A total of 430 eggs, obtained from a Pekin duck breeder flock aged 50–65 wks, were used in three experiments. The eggs were weighed and assigned randomly to measure egg quality traits, egg weight (EW) loss and hatchability during incubation. 2. There were no significant differences between egg types in terms of egg shape index, eggshell strength and thickness, albumen height, Haugh unit, yolk colour, weight of the eggshell with or without membranes, calcium, phosphorus, copper and manganese contents in the eggshell (with the inner and outer membranes or without the inner membrane), albumen weight, dry matter of albumen, crude protein (CP) of thick albumen and pH of the thick albumen. 3. The weight of eggshells with membranes, weight of thick albumen and CP of thin albumen in striped eggs were lower than those in normal eggs. 4. The thin albumen in striped eggs was heavier than that in normal eggs. The pH of the thin albumin in striped egg was significantly higher than that in normal eggs. 5. There were no significant differences in EW loss during incubation or duckling weight between striped and normal eggs. However, the hatchability of striped eggs was lower. 6. The lower weight of the eggshell inner membrane and thick albumen, lower CP content and higher pH in the thin albumen of striped eggs might contribute to lower hatchability.
The role for microRNAs in drug toxicity and in safety assessment

Introduction: Adverse drug reactions present significant challenges that impact pharmaceutical development and are major burdens to public health services worldwide. In response to this need, the field of toxicology is rapidly expanding to identify key pathways involved in drug toxicity. Areas covered: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small evolutionary conserved endogenous non-coding RNAs that regulate the translation of protein-coding genes. A wide range of toxicants alter miRNA levels in target organs and these altered miRNAs can also be detected in easily accessible biological fluids. This, combined with an early miRNA response to toxic insults and miRNA stability, substantiates the potential for these small molecules to be useful biomarkers for drug safety assessment. Expert opinion: miRNAs are early indicators and useful tools to detect drug-induced toxicity. Incorporation of miRNA profiling into the drug safety testing process will complement currently used techniques and may substantially enhance drug safety. With the increasing interests in translational research, the field of miRNA biomarker research will continue to expand and become an important part of the investigation of human drug toxicity.
Simultaneous Formation of Through Wafer Electrical Interconnects and Highly Dense & Uniform Nickel Tips for Silicon-Cantilever Probe-Cards

Presented is a novel MEMS probe-card for wafer-level IC testing. In one 4-inch wafer, a total of 17300 cantilever-tip probes are fabricated, with 90 mum pitch for adjacent probes. Combined with the silicon cantilevers formed by advanced bulk micromachining techniques, the electroplated nickel is used to simultaneously form the probing tips and the through-wafer interconnects (TWIs). The TWIs are designed to transfer the testing signals from the dies under test (DUT) at the wafer bottom side to the I/O interface at the front side. The cantilever spring-constant is measured as about 1520 N/m. The contact resistance values on Al, Cu and Au pads on DUT wafers are measured always below 1 Omega, while the current-leakage is about 90 pA under 5 V applied voltage between two adjacent tips.
Tipin is required for stalled replication forks to resume DNA replication after removal of aphidicolin in Xenopus egg extracts

Tipin and its interacting partner Tim1 (Timeless) form a complex at replication forks that plays an important role in the DNA damage checkpoint response. Here we identify Xenopus laevis Tipin as a substrate for cyclin E/cyclin-dependent kinases 2 that is phosphorylated in interphase and undergoes further phosphorylation upon entry into mitosis. During unperturbed DNA replication, the Tipin/Tim1 complex is bound to chromatin, and we were able to detect interactions between Tipin and the MCM helicase. Depletion of Tipin from Xenopus extracts did not significantly impair normal replication but substantially blocked the ability of stalled replication forks to recover after removal of a block imposed by aphidicolin. Tipin-depleted extracts also showed defects in the activation of Chk1 in response to aphidicolin, probably because of a failure to load the checkpoint mediator protein Claspin onto chromatin.
The application of ARDR in IT project management as a basis for the process model 'REFPM'

Qualitative Research Methods can be used for the improvement of processes but also for designing information systems properly. In combination of these two it is an addition for project managers who need both: knowledge about reflections on project work and a bridge to reflect on technical developments. By enriching the project management discipline of the exemplary iterative model Unified Process a better understanding for the proposed model „refPM‟ will be given which leads to more efficient project work; an example will show the necessary interventions of Action Research and Design Research for explaining the shortcomings of the current approach of the Unified Process in regard to the proposed reflection activities. The main purpose of this model is that it leads to a better understanding of time, cost and quality in project work. If project managers integrate these reflection activities into a project more consciously, they will have the option to pay more attention to the economic effects of their projects because invested money is tied up in projects and a payback is therefore necessary for raising the companies’ shareholder values. Several figures will point to this circumstance to introduce a solution to this efficiency problem especially for project oriented companies.