Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Noninvasive assessment of dermal carotenoids as a biomarker of fruit and vegetable intake.

BACKGROUND Resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) has been suggested as a feasible method for noninvasive carotenoid measurement of human skin. However, before RRS measures of dermal carotenoids can be used as a biomarker, data on intra- and intersubject variability and validity are needed. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility and validity of RRS measures of dermal total carotenoids and lycopene in humans. DESIGN In study 1, 74 men and women with diverse skin pigmentation were recruited. RRS measures of the palm, inner arm, and outer arm were obtained at baseline, 1 wk, 2 wk, 1 mo, 3 mo, and 6 mo (to maximize seasonal variation). The RRS device used visible light at 488 nm to estimate total carotenoids and at 514 nm to estimate lycopene. Reproducibility was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). In study 2, we recruited 28 subjects and assessed dietary carotenoid intake, obtained blood for HPLC analyses, performed RRS measures of dermal carotenoid status, and performed dermal biopsies (3-mm punch biopsy) with dermal carotenoids assessed by HPLC. RESULTS ICCs for total carotenoids across time were 0.97 (palm), 0.95 (inner arm), and 0.93 (outer arm). Total dermal carotenoids assessed by RRS were significantly correlated with total dermal carotenoids assessed by HPLC of dermal biopsies (r = 0.66, P = 0.0001). Similarly, lycopene assessed by RRS was significantly correlated with lycopene assessed by HPLC of dermal biopsies (r = 0.74, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION RRS is a feasible and valid method for noninvasively assessing dermal carotenoids as a biomarker for studies of nutrition and health.
Unsteady wave pattern generation by water striders

We perform an experimental and theoretical study of the wave pattern generated by the leg strokes of water striders during a propulsion cycle. Using the synthetic schlieren method, we are able to measure the dynamic response of the free surface accurately. In order to match experimental conditions, we extend Bühler’s theory of impulsive forcing (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 573, 2007, pp. 211–236) to finite depth. We demonstrate the improved ability of this approach to reproduce the experimental findings, once the observed continuous forcing and hence non-zero temporal and spatial extent of the leg strokes is also taken into account.
Acute partial sleep deprivation increases food intake in healthy men.

BACKGROUND Acute partial sleep deprivation increases plasma concentrations of ghrelin and decreases those of leptin. OBJECTIVE The objective was to observe modifications in energy intake and physical activity after acute partial sleep deprivation in healthy men. DESIGN Twelve men [age: 22 +/- 3 y; body mass index (in kg/m(2)): 22.30 +/- 1.83] completed a randomized 2-condition crossover study. During the first night of each 48-h session, subjects had either approximately 8 h (from midnight to 0800) or approximately 4 h (from 0200 to 0600) of sleep. All foods consumed subsequently (jam on buttered toast for breakfast, buffet for lunch, and a free menu for dinner) were eaten ad libitum. Physical activity was recorded by an actimeter. Feelings of hunger, perceived pleasantness of the foods, desire to eat some foods, and sensation of sleepiness were also evaluated. RESULTS In comparison with the 8-h sleep session, subjects consumed 559 +/- 617 kcal (ie, 22%) more energy on the day after sleep restriction (P < 0.01), and preprandial hunger was higher before breakfast (P < 0.001) and dinner (P < 0.05). No change in the perceived pleasantness of the foods or in the desire to eat the foods was observed. Physical activity from 1215 to 2015 was higher after sleep restriction than after 8 h of sleep (P < 0.01), even though the sensation of sleepiness was more marked (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS One night of reduced sleep subsequently increased food intake and, to a lesser extent, estimated physical activity-related energy expenditure in healthy men. These experimental results, if confirmed by long-term energy balance measurements, suggest that sleep restriction could be a factor that promotes obesity. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00986492.
Long-term effect of low-dose folic acid intake : potential effect of mandatory fortification on the prevention of neural tube defects 1 – 3

Background: Understanding the full effect of chronic low-dose folic acid is important in interpreting the effect of the mandatory folic acid fortification program in North America. Objective: We aimed to describe the rate of attainment and steady state (plateau) of red blood cell (RBC) folate in response to longterm intake of 140 lg (designed to mimic fortification) and 400 lg (recommended dose for the primary prevention of neural tube defects) folic acid/d in reproductive-aged women living in a country with minimal fortification. Design: On the basis of pharmacokinetics principles, it was recently proposed that a steady state should be reached after 40 wk. Thus, 144 women aged 18–40 y were randomly assigned to receive a daily folic acid supplement of 140 (n = 49) or 400 (n = 48) lg or placebo (n = 47) for 40 wk. RBC folate was measured at baseline and at 6,
Different classifiers for the problem of evaluating cork quality in an industrial system

In this paper we study the use of different classifiers to solve a classification problem existing in the cork industry: the cork stopper/disk classification according to their quality using a visual inspection system. Cork is a natural and heterogeneous material, therefore, its automatic classification (usually, seven different quality classes exist) is very difficult. The classifiers, which we present in this paper, work with several quality discriminators (features), that we think could influence cork quality. These discriminators (features) have been checked and evaluated before being used by the different classifiers that will be exposed here. In this paper we attempt to evaluate the performance of a total of 4 different cork quality-based classifiers in order to conclude which of them is the most appropriate for this industry, and therefore, obtains the best cork classification results. In conclusion, our experiments show that the Euclidean classifier is the one which obtains the best results in this application field.
Quality Evaluation Of Bread Incorporated With Different Levels Cinnamon Powder

Cinnamon powder was substituted (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4%) in wheat flour for bread making. Baking, sensory and storage quality of bread were analyzed and compared with white bread. Cinnamon powder was found to have high total phenol content (TPC) and antioxidant activity. The highest TPC (0.94 mg GAE/DW) and antioxidant activity (27.67%) were observed in the bread containing highest level of cinnamon powder (4%). But loaf volume and sensory scores were less at this level of incorporation. Results suggested that among the studied samples, bread with 2% of cinnamon powder showed improved baking and textural properties with maximum overall acceptability by panelist and had a shelf life of 6 days at room temperature (30±5 0 C).
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of fining non-attendance at public hospitals: a randomised controlled trial from Danish outpatient clinics

Objectives Fines have been proposed as means for reducing non-attendance in healthcare. The empirical evidence of the effect of fines is however limited. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of fining non-attendance at outpatient clinics. Design, participants and setting 1:1 randomised controlled trial of appointments for an outpatient clinic, posted to Danish addresses, between 1 May 2015 and 30 November 2015. Only first appointment for users was included. Healthcare professionals and investigators were masked. Intervention A fine of DKK250 (€34) was issued for non-attendance. Users were informed about the fine in case of non-attendance by the appointment letter, and were able to reschedule or cancel until the appointment. A central administration office administered the fine system. Main outcome measures The main outcome measures were non-attendance of non-cancelled appointments, fine policy administration costs, net of productivity consequences and probability of fining non-attendance being cost-effective over no fining for a range of hypothetical values of reduced non-attendance. Results All of the 6746 appointments included were analysed. Of the 3333 appointments randomised to the fine policy, 130 (5%) of non-cancelled appointments were unattended, and of the 3413 appointments randomised to no-fine policy, 131 (5%) were unattended. The cost per appointment of non-attendance was estimated at DKK 56 (SE 5) in the fine group and DKK47 (SE 4) in the no-fine group, leading to a non-statistically significant difference of DKK10 (95% CI –9 to 22) per appointment attributable to the fine policy. The probability of cost-effectiveness remained around 50%, irrespective of increased values of reduced non-attendance or various alternative assumptions used for sensitivity analyses. Conclusions At a baseline level of around 5%, fining non-attendance does not seem to further reduce non-attendance. Future studies should focus on other means for reduction of non-attendance such as nudging or negative reinforcement. Trial registration number ISRCTN61925912.
A comparison of structural-acoustic coupled reduced order models ({ROMS}): Modal coupling and implicit moment matching via Arnoldi

The calculation of the coupled response of a structure with an enclosed acoustic cavity is of great interest, with many practical applications in the automotive and aerospace industries. Traditional methods such as a fully coupled fluid-structure interaction finite element calculation can be very computationally expensive, and methods have been proposed that reduce this computational burden and make it possible to include iteration and optimisation in the design process. This paper compares the performance of two such reduced order model (ROM) methods, a traditional modal coupling technique and an implicit moment matching method via Arnoldi, with a fully coupled finite element calculation. A simple model, a square simply supported steel plate backed by a rigid walled cavity is used as an example, and the accuracy of each method is examined for both damped and undamped cases. It was found that Arnoldi gave excellent agreement with the fully coupled calculation, and that while modal coupling gave excellent agreement near resonance, the performance off resonance was dependent on the number of modes retained.
Seroprevalence of Zika virus and Rubella virus IgG among blood donors in Rwanda and in Sweden

Seroprevalence studies provide information on the susceptibility to infection of certain populations, including women of childbearing age. Such data from Central Africa are scarce regarding two viruses that cause congenital infections: Zika virus (ZIKV), an emerging mosquito‐borne infection, and Rubella virus (RuV), a vaccine‐preventable infection. We report on the seroprevalence of both ZIKV and RuV from Rwanda, a country without any known cases of ZIKV, but bordering Uganda where this virus was isolated in 1947. Anti‐ZIKV‐specific and anti‐RuV‐specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies were analyzed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum samples from 874 Rwandan and 215 Swedish blood donors. Samples positive for IgG antibodies against ZIKV were examined for viral RNA using real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR). The seroprevalence of ZIKV IgG in Rwanda was 1.4% (12/874), of which the predominance of positive findings came from the Southeastern region. All anti‐ZIKV IgG‐positive samples were PCR‐negative. Among 297 female blood donors of childbearing age, 295 (99.3%) were seronegative and thus susceptible to ZIKV. All Swedish blood donors were IgG‐negative to ZIKV. In contrast, blood donors from both countries showed high seroprevalence of IgG to RuV: 91.2% for Rwandan and 92.1% for Swedish donors. Only 10.5% (31/294) of female donors of childbearing age from Rwanda were seronegative for RuV. In Rwanda, seroprevalence for ZIKV IgG antibodies was low, but high for RuV. Hence, women of childbearing age were susceptible to ZIKV. These data may be of value for decision‐making regarding prophylactic measures.
Barriers and facilitators of disclosures of domestic violence by mental health service users: qualitative study.

BACKGROUND Mental health service users are at high risk of domestic violence but this is often not detected by mental health services. AIMS To explore the facilitators and barriers to disclosure of domestic violence from a service user and professional perspective. METHOD A qualitative study in a socioeconomically deprived south London borough, UK, with 18 mental health service users and 20 mental health professionals. Purposive sampling of community mental health service users and mental healthcare professionals was used to recruit participants for individual interviews. Thematic analysis was used to determine dominant and subthemes. These were transformed into conceptual maps with accompanying illustrative quotations. RESULTS Service users described barriers to disclosure of domestic violence to professionals including: fear of the consequences, including fear of Social Services involvement and consequent child protection proceedings, fear that disclosure would not be believed, and fear that disclosure would lead to further violence; the hidden nature of the violence; actions of the perpetrator; and feelings of shame. The main themes for professionals concerned role boundaries, competency and confidence. Service users and professionals reported that the medical diagnostic and treatment model with its emphasis on symptoms could act as a barrier to enquiry and disclosure. Both groups reported that enquiry and disclosure were facilitated by a supportive and trusting relationship between the individual and professional. CONCLUSIONS Mental health services are not currently conducive to the disclosure of domestic violence. Training of professionals in how to address domestic violence to increase their confidence and expertise is recommended.
Ectopic expression of transcription factor BATF3 induces B-cell lymphomas in a murine B-cell transplantation model

The mechanisms involved in malignant transformation of mature B and T lymphocytes are still poorly understood. In a previous study, we compared gene expression profiles of the tumor cells of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) to their normal cellular counterparts and found the basic leucine zipper protein ATF-like 3 (BATF3) to be significantly upregulated in the tumor cells of both entities. To assess the oncogenic potential of BATF3 in lymphomagenesis and to dissect the molecular interactions of BATF3 in lymphoma cells, we retrovirally transduced murine mature T and B cells with a BATF3-encoding viral vector and transplanted each population into Rag1-deficient recipients. Intriguingly, BATF3-expressing B lymphocytes readily induced B-cell lymphomas after characteristic latencies, whereas T-cell transplanted animals remained healthy throughout the observation time. Further analyses revealed a germinal center B-cell-like phenotype of most BATF3-initiated lymphomas. In a multiple myeloma cell line, BATF3 inhibited BLIMP1 expression, potentially illuminating an oncogenic action of BATF3 in B-cell lymphomagenesis. In conclusion, BATF3 overexpression induces malignant transformation of mature B cells and might serve as a potential target in B-cell lymphoma treatment.
Methylation in the promoter regions of WT1, NKX6-1 and DBC1 genes in cervical cancer tissues of Uygur women in Xinjiang

Abstract This study aimed to explore: 1) DNA methylation in the promoter regions of Wilms tumor gene 1 (WT1), NK6 transcription factor related locus 1 gene (NKX6-1) and Deleted in bladder cancer 1 (DBC1) gene in cervical cancer tissues of Uygur women in Xinjiang, and 2) the correlation of gene methylation with the infection of HPV16/18 viruses. We detected HPV16/18 infection in 43 normal cervical tissues, 30 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia lesions (CIN) and 48 cervical cancer tissues with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Methylation in the promoter regions of the WT1, NKX6-1 and DBC1 genes in the above-mentioned tissues was measured by methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and cloning sequencing. The expression level of these three genes was measured by real-time PCR (qPCR) in 10 methylation-positive cervical cancer tissues and 10 methylation-negative normal cervical tissues. We found that the infection of HPV16 in normal cervical tissues, CIN and cervical cancer tissues was 14.0, 36.7 and 66.7%, respectively. The infection of HPV18 was 0, 6.7 and 10.4%, respectively. The methylation rates of WT1, NKX6-1 and DBC1 genes were 7.0, 11.6 and 23.3% in normal cervical tissues, 36.7, 46.7 and 30.0% in CIN tissues, and 89.6, 77.1 and 85.4% in cervical cancer tissues. Furthermore, WT1, NKX6-1 and DBC1 genes were hypermethylated in the high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (CIN2, CIN3) and in the cervical cancer tissues with infection of HPV16/18 (both P< 0.05). The expression of WT1, NKX6-1 and DBC1 was significantly lower in the methylation-positive cervical cancer tissues than in methylation-negative normal cervical tissues. Our findings indicated that methylation in the promoter regions of WT1, NKX6-1 and DBC1 is correlated with cervical cancer tumorigenesis in Uygur women. The infection of HPV16/18 might be correlated with methylation in these genes. Gene inactivation caused by methylation might be related to the incidence and development of cervical cancer.
Ekiden: A Platform for Confidentiality-Preserving, Trustworthy, and Performant Smart Contracts

Smart contracts are applications that execute on blockchains. Today they manage billions of dollars in value and motivate visionary plans for pervasive blockchain deployment. While smart contracts inherit the availability and other security assurances of blockchains, however, they are impeded by blockchains' lack of confidentiality and poor performance. We present Ekiden, a system that addresses these critical gaps by combining blockchains with Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs). Ekiden leverages a novel architecture that separates consensus from execution, enabling efficient TEE-backed confidentiality-preserving smart-contracts and high scalability. Our prototype (with Tendermint as the consensus layer) achieves example performance of 600x more throughput and 400x less latency at 1000x less cost than the Ethereum mainnet. Another contribution of this paper is that we systematically identify and treat the pitfalls arising from harmonizing TEEs and blockchains. Treated separately, both TEEs and blockchains provide powerful guarantees, but hybridized, though, they engender new attacks. For example, in naïve designs, privacy in TEE-backed contracts can be jeopardized by forgery of blocks, a seemingly unrelated attack vector. We believe the insights learned from Ekiden will prove to be of broad importance in hybridized TEE-blockchain systems.
CD4+ Cell Count, Lipid And Lipoprotein Levels In Hiv Patients On Drug Treatment

Background: Previous reports showed lack of consensus on the possible etiology of coronary artery disease (CAD) between HIV-treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and HIV-infection in particular. The aim of this study was to find out correlations of HIV-treatment and HIV-infection with CAD risk. Method: One hundred and twenty (120) participants involving HIV-patients on treatment (n = 40), treatment-naïve (n = 40) and equal number of age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled. The total cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoprotein (HDL-C) were analyzed using spectrophotometry. The LDL-C was calculated using Friedewald equation, TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C ratios were also calculated. The CD4+ cell count was determined using flow cytometry. Result: The mean plasma total cholesterol levels in patients’ groups on treatment and treatment-naïve were significantly reduced when compared with controls, but the mean triglyceride levels for both treatment and the treatment-naïve groups were significantly increased when compared with controls. However, HDL-C and LDL-C values for patients on HAART and the treatment-naive were significantly reduced when compared with controls respectively. The CAD risk predictors, LDL-c and TC/HDL-C ratio, were significantly increased in patients on HAART when compared with the treatment-naive. The mean CD4+ cell count in treatment-naive was significantly lowered against both groups for treatment and controls. Conclusion: In this present study, abnormal lipid profile was associated with both HIV-infection and HAART-treatment. However, TC/HDL-C ratio, the strong predictor of CAD events in metabolic disorder was markedly high in HAART-treatment and the associated difference may threaten higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) during treatment.
Determinants of Ceftazidime Clearance by Continuous Venovenous Hemofiltration and Continuous Venovenous Hemodialysis

ABSTRACT Although several dosage adjustment regimens have been proposed, there is little quantitative information to guide the initiation of ceftazidime therapy in patients who are receiving continuous renal replacement therapy. To determine the clearance of ceftazidime by continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) and continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD), we performed controlled clearance studies with stable hemodialysis patients with three hemofilters: a 0.6-m2 acrylonitrile copolymer (AN69; Hospal) filter, a 2.1-m2 polymethylmethacrylate filter (PMMA; Toray) filter and a 0.65-m2 polysulfone (PS; Fresenius) filter. Subjects received 1,000 mg of ceftazidime intravenously prior to the start of a clearance study. The concentration of ceftazidime in multiple plasma and dialysate or ultrafiltrate samples was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The diffusional clearances (CIdiffusion) and sieving coefficients of ceftazidime were compared by a mixed-model repeated-measures analysis of variance with filter and blood, dialysate inflow, or ultrafiltration rate as the main effect and the patient as a random effect. The fraction of ceftazidime bound to plasma proteins was 17% ± 7% (range, 10 to 25%). The clearances of ceftazidime, urea, and creatinine by CVVHD were essentially constant at blood flow rates of 75 to 250 ml/min for all three filters. Significant linear relationships (P < 0.0001) were observed between CIdiffusion of ceftazidime and clearance of urea for all three filters: AN69 (slope = 0.83), PMMA (slope = 0.89), and PS (slope = 1.03). Ceftazidime clearance was membrane independent during CVVH and CVVHD. CVVH and CVVHD can significantly augment the clearance of ceftazidime. Dosing strategies for initiation of ceftazidime therapy in patients receiving CVVH and CVVHD are proposed.