Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Substitution of saturated with monounsaturated fat in a 4-week diet affects body weight and composition of overweight and obese men

A randomised crossover study of eight overweight or obese men (aged 24–49 years, BMI 25.5–31.3 kg/m2), who followed two diets for 4 weeks each, was performed to determine whether substitution of saturated fat with monounsaturated fat affects body weight and composition. Subjects were provided with all food and beverages as modules (selected ad libitum) of constant macronutrient composition, but differing energy content. The % total energy from saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat was 24, 13 and 3% respectively on the saturated fatty acid (SFA)-rich diet and 11, 22 and 7% respectively on the monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA)-rich diet. MUFA accounted for about 80% of the unsaturated fats consumed on both diets. Body composition, blood pressure, energy expenditure (resting and postprandial metabolic rates, substrate oxidation rate, physical activity), serum lipids, the fatty acid profile of serum cholesteryl esters and plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were measured before and after each diet period. Significant (P≤0·05) differences in total cholesterol and the fatty acid composition of serum cholesteryl esters provided evidence of dietary adherence. The men had a lower weight (-2·1 (se 0·4) kg, P=0·0015) and fat mass (-2·6 (se 0·6) kg, P= 0·0034) at the end of the MUFA-rich diet as compared with values at the end of the SFA-rich diet. No significant differences were detected in energy or fat intake, energy expenditure, substrate oxidation rates or self-reported physical activity. Substituting dietary saturated with unsaturated fat, predominantly MUFA, can induce a small but significant loss of body weight and fat mass without a significant change in total energy or fat intake.
Effectiveness and Limitations of Hand Hygiene Promotion on Decreasing Healthcare–Associated Infections

Background Limited data describe the sustained impact of hand hygiene programs (HHPs) implemented in teaching hospitals, where the burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is high. We use a quasi-experimental, before and after, study design with prospective hospital-wide surveillance of HAIs to assess the cost effectiveness of HHPs. Methods and Findings A 4-year hospital-wide HHP, with particular emphasis on using an alcohol-based hand rub, was implemented in April 2004 at a 2,200-bed teaching hospital in Taiwan. Compliance was measured by direct observation and the use of hand rub products. Poisson regression analyses were employed to evaluate the densities and trends of HAIs during the preintervention (January 1999 to March 2004) and intervention (April 2004 to December 2007) periods. The economic impact was estimated based on a case-control study in Taiwan. We observed 8,420 opportunities for hand hygiene during the study period. Compliance improved from 43.3% in April 2004 to 95.6% in 2007 (p<.001), and was closely correlated with increased consumption of the alcohol-based hand rub (r = 0.9399). The disease severity score (Charlson comorbidity index) increased (p = .002) during the intervention period. Nevertheless, we observed an 8.9% decrease in HAIs and a decline in the occurrence of bloodstream, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, and intensive care unit infections. The intervention had no discernable impact on HAI rates in the hematology/oncology wards. The net benefit of the HHP was US$5,289,364, and the benefit-cost ratio was 23.7 with a 3% discount rate. Conclusions Implementation of a HHP reduces preventable HAIs and is cost effective.
Contribution Cognitive Lifestyle and Long-Term Risk of Dementia and Survival After Diagnosis in a Multicenter Population-based Cohort

An active cognitive lifestyle has been linked to dementia incidence and survival, but the separate and combined effects of its subcomponents are not clear. Data were derived from the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study, a population-based study of 13,004 individuals in England and Wales first interviewed in 1991–1992 and followed over a 10-year period for dementia incidence and 12 years for mortality. A Cognitive Lifestyle Score (CLS), defined as a composite of cognitive activity including education, occupational complexity, and social engagement, was available for 12,600 individuals in 3 stages of life. A higher CLS was protective of dementia (odds ratio 1⁄4 0.6, 95% confidence interval: 0.4, 0.9). Sensitivity analyses found this main effect to be reliable and replicable even when considering just 2 components of the score, either education and occupation or education and late-life social engagement. No single CLS factor was associated with dementia incidence on its own. Survival differences did not reach statistical significance. Our data suggest that more years of education, as well as further stimulatory experiences in either midlife or late life. are necessary for a protective link with dementia incidence. There was little evidence of an effect of cognitive lifestyle on survival after dementia diagnosis.
Evaluation of Oral Rehydration Solution by Whole-Gut Perfusion in Rats: Effect of Osmolarity, Sodium Concentration and Resistant Starch

Background: Reduced osmolarity oral rehydration solution (ORS) improved small bowel absorption of fluid and electrolytes in segmental perfusion in experimental animals; this was borne out in clinical practice. Adding amylase-resistant starch (RS) to ORS is expected to increase colonic fluid absorption. This study used combined small and large bowel perfusion to evaluate combinations of reduced osmolarity and starch in ORS. Methods: Single-pass steady-state perfusions of the whole gut at 30 mL/h, using the nonabsorbable marker 14C-polyethylene glycol 4000, were performed in Wistar rats after exposure to cholera toxin or Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin (STa). Results: Steady state was established within 90 minutes after commencing perfusion. Net secretion of water, sodium and chloride induced by cholera toxin was partially reversed by standard glucose-ORS (G-ORS). Substituting glucose in G-ORS with RS (RS-ORS) substantially increased net water absorption (P < 0.001) as did reduced osmolarity ORS (RO-ORS) (P < 0.001); addition of RS to RO-ORS further increased water absorption (P < 0.001). In STa-treated intestine, RO-ORS and RS-ORS significantly improved water absorption compared to G-ORS (P < 0.005). RO- and RS-RO-ORS did not significantly augment net electrolyte absorption compared with G-ORS. RS-ORS was associated with highest net absorption of sodium and chloride compared with all other groups. Conclusions: RS increased net water (and sodium) absorption from isosmolar and reduced osmolar ORS consistent with increased absorption by the colon. RS in reduced osmolar ORS may have advantages to reduce severity of diarrhea and prevent hyponatremia in severe diarrhea and may be applicable to diarrhea of different etiologies.
Neural Modularity Helps Organisms Evolve to Learn

A long-standing goal in artificial intelligence is creating agents that can learn a variety of different skills for different problems. In the artificial intelligence subfield of neural networks, a barrier to that goal is that when agents learn a new skill they typically do so by losing previously acquired skills, a problem called catastrophic forgetting. That occurs because, to learn the new task, neural learning algorithms change connections that encode previously acquired skills. How networks are organized critically affects their learning dynamics. In this paper, we test whether catastrophic forgetting can be reduced by evolvingmodular neural networks. Modularity intuitively should reduce learning interference between tasks by separating functionality into physically distinct modules in which learning can be selectively turned on or off. Modularity can further improve learning by having a reinforcement learning module separate from sensory processingmodules, allowing learning to happen only in response to a positive or negative reward. In this paper, learning takes place via neuromodulation, which allows agents to selectively change the rate of learning for each neural connection based on environmental stimuli (e.g. to alter learning in specific locations based on the task at hand). To producemodularity, we evolve neural networks with a cost for neural connections. We show that this connection cost technique causes modularity, confirming a previous result, and that such sparsely connected, modular networks have higher overall performance because they learn new skills faster while retaining old skills more and because they have a separate reinforcement learning module. Our results suggest (1) that encouraging modularity in neural networks may help us overcome the long-standing barrier of networks that cannot learn new skills without forgetting old ones, and (2) that one benefit of the modularity ubiquitous in the brains of natural animals might be to alleviate the problem of catastrophic forgetting.
Reply to comments of Referee 3 and Referee 4 on the revised

I now have in hand two reviews of your revised manuscript. Unfortunately, neither of these is positive as they raise fundamental objections with the either the methodology or presentation. Reviewer 1 is concerned with either repetition or inaccurate characterization of Pauluis et al. (2000). Reviewer 2 is sympathetic with the effort and the contribution to the discussion but nonetheless disagrees with the methodological approach. At this point, I believe any future consideration of the paper needs to be as a new submission. I would suggest that particular care be taken to accurately characterize and cite prior efforts given the field does appear to be contentious. Given there are widely varying views on what is essentially a simple question, I suggest that utmost care be given to making the paper as clear and transparent as possible. Box diagrams have been used in the past to illustrate relationships between APE and KE for example. Point 2 by Reviewer 2 might be helpful in this regard. Response: We thank the referees and the Editor for their useful comments. During the revision, we have seen as our main task to show how our formulations relate to the equations of motion and continuity (as requested in Comment No. 2 of Referee 4) and to respond to the concerns of Referee 3 by clarifying the difference between our formulations and the formulations of Pauluis et al. (2000) (hereafter PBH). To clarify the paper’s structure, we have re-written the abstract and added a concluding section with a numbered list of the main results. Section 3 has been re-written completely to reflect the following major changes:
Hole-Transporting Materials for Printable Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) represent undoubtedly the most significant breakthrough in photovoltaic technology since the 1970s, with an increase in their power conversion efficiency from less than 5% to over 22% in just a few years. Hole-transporting materials (HTMs) are an essential building block of PSC architectures. Currently, 2,2’,7,7’-tetrakis-(N,N’-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9’-spirobifluorene), better known as spiro-OMeTAD, is the most widely-used HTM to obtain high-efficiency devices. However, it is a tremendously expensive material with mediocre hole carrier mobility. To ensure wide-scale application of PSC-based technologies, alternative HTMs are being proposed. Solution-processable HTMs are crucial to develop inexpensive, high-throughput and printable large-area PSCs. In this review, we present the most recent advances in the design and development of different types of HTMs, with a particular focus on mesoscopic PSCs. Finally, we outline possible future research directions for further optimization of the HTMs to achieve low-cost, stable and large-area PSCs.
Both Lewis and secretor status mediate susceptibility to rotavirus infections in a rotavirus genotype-dependent manner.

BACKGROUND The live oral rotavirus (RV) vaccines have shown a reduced efficacy in Africa. Recent in vitro studies have shown binding of the RV surface protein (VP4) to histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) in an RV genotype-dependent manner, suggesting them to be putative receptors for RV. The diversity of HBGA phenotypes in different ethnic populations, combined with prevalence/absence of specific RV genotypes, led us to hypothesize whether the genetic variations in HBGAs in a population limit susceptibility to certain RV genotypes, plausibly leading to reduced vaccine efficacy. METHODS Association between HBGAs status and susceptibility to RV P genotypes was investigated in children in Burkina Faso and Nicaragua. In total, 242 children with diarrhea in Burkina Faso and Nicaragua were investigated, 93 of whom were RV positive. RESULTS In Burkina Faso, the P[8] RV strains (n = 27) infected only Lewis- and secretor-positive children (27/27; P < .0001), but no Lewis-negative children. In contrast, the P[6] strains (n = 27) infected predominantly Lewis-negative children (n = 18; P < .0001) but also Lewis-positive children, irrespective of their secretor status. The results from Nicaragua confirmed that all P[8]-infected children (n = 22) were secretor Lewis positive. CONCLUSIONS As VP4 of genotype P[8] is a component of current RV vaccines, our finding that Lewis-negative children are resistant to P[8] strains provides a plausible explanation for the reduced vaccine efficacy in populations with a high percentage of Lewis-negative individuals, such as in Africa. Furthermore, our findings provide a plausible explanation as to why P[6] RV strains are more common in Africa.
Effectiveness of Propolis, Probiotics And Chlorhexidine on Streptococcus Mutans And Candida Albicans: An In-Vitro Study

Introduction: Natural products have always been used by the health industries as alternatives to the conventional allopathic formulations for prevention and treatment of various health problems. Flavonoids, present in propolis obtained from honey bees have antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory proprieties. Probiotics are food products containing beneficial micro-organisms, which stimulate health promoting flora thus, suppressing the pathologic colonization and disease spread. Objective: To determine and compare the effectiveness of propolis, probiotics and chlorhexidine on Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans. Methods: An in vitro study was conducted to test the effectiveness of propolis, probiotics and chlorhexidine on S mutans and C albicans. The antimicrobial activity was determined using Agar Diffusion Technique-Well method. Equidistant wells were bored into Muller Hinton Agar plates using a cork borer and then filled with 50 μl of each of the test products. These plates were then left to dry at room temperature for 2 hours and then incubated at 37 o C for 24 hours and examined for the zone of inhibition. Results: The mean zone of inhibition for S mutans was maximum for propolis (14.6 mm) and minimum for probiotics (9.4 mm). Similarly, for C albicans the values obtained were 15.6mm, 12mm and 14mm for propolis, probiotics and chlorhexidine respectively. Conclusion: Propolis is as good as chlorhexidine in inhibiting S mutans and better than chlorhexidine in inhibiting C albicans in-vitro; whereas propolis inhibits both the organisms better than probiotics.
Cranial Anatomy of Wendiceratops pinhornensis gen. et sp. nov., a Centrosaurine Ceratopsid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Oldman Formation (Campanian), Alberta, Canada, and the Evolution of Ceratopsid Nasal Ornamentation

The fossil record of ceratopsid dinosaurs between the occurrence of their proximate sister taxa in the Turonian and the beginning of their well-documented radiation from the late Campanian of North America onwards (approximately 90 and 77 Ma) is poor, with only seven taxa described from this early period in their evolution. We describe a new taxon of a highly adorned basal centrosaurine, Wendiceratops pinhornensis gen. et sp. nov., from the lower part of the Oldman Formation (middle Campanian, approximately 78-79 Ma), Alberta, Canada. Over 200 bones derived from virtually all parts of the skeleton, including multiple well-preserved specimens of the diagnostic parietosquamosal frill, were collected from a medium-density monodominant bonebed, making the new taxon one of the best-represented early ceratopsids. The new taxon is apomorphic in having epiparietals at loci 2 and 3 developed as broad-based, pachyostotic processes that are strongly procurved anterodorsally to overhang the posterior and lateral parietal rami, and an ischium with a broad, rectangular distal terminus. Although the morphology of the nasal is incompletely known, Wendiceratops is inferred to have a large, upright nasal horn located close to the orbits, which represents the oldest occurrence of this feature in Ceratopsia. Given the phylogenetic position of the new taxon within Centrosaurinae, a enlarged nasal horn is hypothesized to have arisen independently at least twice in ceratopsid evolution.
Oral immunization of mice with Omp31-loaded N-trimethyl chitosan nanoparticles induces high protection against Brucella melitensis infection

Brucellosis is a group of closely associated zoonotic bacterial illnesses caused by members of the genus Brucella. B. melitensis Omp31 is a promising candidate for a subunit vaccine against brucellosis. This study surveyed the immunogenicity of Omp31 alone and with incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (Omp31-IFA) and N-trimethyl chitosan (TMC/Omp31) nanoparticles (NPs), as well as the effect of Omp31 immunization route on immunological responses and protection. After expression and purification, the recombinant Omp31 (rOmp31) was loaded onto TMC NPs by ionic gelation. The particle size, loading efficiency and in vitro release of the NPs were examined. Omp31-IFA was administered intraperitoneally, while TMC/Omp31 NPs were administered orally and intraperitoneally. According to the antibody subclasses and cytokine profile, intraperitoneal immunization by Omp31-IFA and TMC/Omp31 NPs induced T helper 1 (Th1) and Th1–Th2 immune responses, respectively. On the other hand, oral immunization with TMC/Omp31 NPs elicited a mixed Th1–Th17 immune response. Data obtained from the cell proliferation assay showed that vaccination with Omp31 stimulated a vigorous antigen-specific cell proliferative response, which could be further increased after oral immunization with TMC/Omp31 NPs. Vaccinated groups of mice when challenged with B. melitensis 16M were found to be significantly protected in the orally administered group in comparison with the intraperitoneally immunized mice. Results of this study indicated that the reason for high protection after oral vaccination can be via elicited Th17 response.
A Low Cross-Polarization Slotted Ridged SIW Array Antenna Design With Mutual Coupling Considerations

A novel shunt longitudinal slot planar array antenna based on a ridged substrate integrated waveguide (RSIW) with a good cross polarization and isolation is designed and fabricated. The slots in the proposed structure are placed on the centerline of the broad wall of the substrate integrated waveguide (SIW), in order to reduce cross polarization. Also, the asymmetric field distributions on both sides of each slot, which are required for making radiation possible, are realized through using ridges close to the narrow walls of the SIW. The admittance of a single slot in the proposed structure is obtained regarding the different values of the main parameters of the structure. An eight-element longitudinal slot array antenna on the broad wall of the RSIW is designed based on Elliot's design procedure. In this design, internal and external mutual coupling effects are taken into account through calculating the active admittance for each slot of the array. A 2-D graph is presented which contains the real and imaginary parts of the equivalent admittance of a slot based on the changes in the widths of the ridges and length of the slot. Using this graph, the widths of the ridges and length of the slot can be revised in a way that the mutual coupling effect is taken into account. Since the array antenna is composed of collinear elements, it demonstrates a better cross polarization and isolation in comparison with conventional slot array antennas. Simulation results show good agreement with measurement results of the fabricated proposed antenna.
Behavioral and Molecular Tracing of Risky Sexual Contacts in a Sample of Chinese HIV-infected Men Who Have Sex With Men

Contact tracing, coupled with molecular epidemiologic investigation, is especially useful for identifying an infection with few cases in the population, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in China. No such research is available on Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM). From 2008 to 2010 in Taizhou Prefecture in China, every newly diagnosed HIV-infected MSM was invited to participate as an “index case” in a contact tracing survey by providing contact information for up to 8 sexual contacts, who themselves were approached to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing. Those who tested HIV-positive were then subjected to another contact tracing survey. This process was repeated until no more sexual contacts were reported or tested positive. A total of 100 HIV-infected MSM served as “index cases,” including the initial 49 cases identified through routine surveillance programs and 51 cases from the present survey. Traced MSM exhibited little willingness to receive voluntary counseling and testing. CRF01_AE (HIV type 1) was the dominant subtype. Seven of 49 independent sexual networks were deemed HIV transmission clusters. Fear of stigma or discrimination may deter Chinese MSM from receiving voluntary counseling and testing. Nonetheless, the integration of behavioral network analysis and HIV phylogenetic analysis provides enhanced evidence for developing tailored prevention strategies for HIV-infected MSM.
Brain–computer interface systems: progress and prospects

Brain–computer interface (BCI) systems support communication through direct measures of neural activity without muscle activity. BCIs may provide the best and sometimes the only communication option for users disabled by the most severe neuromuscular disorders and may eventually become useful to less severely disabled and/or healthy individuals across a wide range of applications. This review discusses the structure and functions of BCI systems, clarifies terminology and addresses practical applications. Progress and opportunities in the field are also identified and explicated.
Optimal Catalyst and Cocatalyst Precontacting in Industrial Ethylene Copolymerization Processes

In industrial-scale catalytic olefin copolymerization processes, catalyst and cocatalyst precontacting before being introduced in the polymerization reactor is of profound significance in terms of catalyst kinetics and morphology control. The precontacting process takes place under either well-mixing (e.g., static mixers) or plug-flow (e.g., pipes) conditions. The scope of this work is to study the influence of mixing on catalyst/cocatalyst precontacting for a heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalyst system under different polymerization conditions. Slurry ethylene homopolymerization and ethylene copolymerization experiments with 1-butene are performed in a 0.5 L reactor. In addition, the effect of several key parameters (e.g., precontacting time, and ethylene/hydrogen concentration) on catalyst activity is analyzed. Moreover, a comprehensive mass transfer model is employed to provide insight on the mass transfer process and support the experimental findings. The model is capable of assessing the external and internal mass transfer limitations during catalyst/cocatalyst precontacting process. It is shown that catalyst/cocatalyst precontacting is very important for the catalyst activation as well as for the overall catalyst kinetic behavior. The study reveals that there is an optimum precontacting time before and after which the catalyst activity decreases, while this optimum time depends on the precontacting mixing conditions.