Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Food Intake Patterns Associated With Incident Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE—Markers of hemostasis and inflammation such as plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and fibrinogen have been associated with risk of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to identify food intake patterns influencing this pathway and evaluate their association with incident diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study cohort included 880 middle-aged adults initially free of diabetes. At the 5-year follow-up, 144 individuals had developed diabetes. Usual dietary intake was ascertained with a 114-item food frequency questionnaire. Using reduced rank regression, we identified a food pattern maximizing the explained variation in PAI-1 and fibrinogen. Subsequently, the food pattern–diabetes association was evaluated using logistic regression. RESULTS—High intake of the food groups red meat, low-fiber bread and cereal, dried beans, fried potatoes, tomato vegetables, eggs, cheese, and cottage cheese and low intake of wine characterized the pattern, which was positively associated with both biomarkers. With increasing pattern score, the odds of diabetes increased significantly (Ptrend < 0.01). After multivariate adjustment, the odds ratio comparing extreme quartiles was 4.3 (95% CI 1.7–10.8). Adjustment for insulin sensitivity and secretion and other metabolic factors had little impact (4.9, 1.8–13.7). CONCLUSIONS—Our findings provide support for potential behavioral prevention strategies, as we identified a food intake pattern that was strongly related to PAI-1 and fibrinogen and independently predicted type 2 diabetes.
Design, Manufacture, and Structural Dynamic Analysis of a Biomimetic Insect-Sized Wing for Micro Air Vehicles

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Adaptation, Update and Validation of the General Nutrition Questionnaire in a Portuguese Adolescent Sample

This article describes the adaptation of the adult Portuguese version of the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ) for adolescents, and its validation. Respondents were 1,315 adolescents, who completed the questionnaire in two phases. A subsample of 73 adolescents was used to measure test–retest reliability. Concurrent validity was tested using a sample of 32 dietetic students. The adapted version showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.92), test–retest reliability (R = 0.71) and concurrent validity (U = 22766.0; p < .01). Adolescents’ nutrition knowledge can now be assessed with a valid and reliable instrument. Future validation works of this or others questionnaires for children and elderly are warranted.
Electromagnetic processing of molten light alloys reinforced by micro/nanoparticles

Improvement in mechanical properties of pure metals and alloys can be achieved by the introduction of ceramic particles appropriately dispersed within the material. These particles can act as nucleation sites enhancing the reduction of the crystallite (grain) size. The dispersion of these nucleant materials presents challenges due to their tendency to sediment and to agglomerate. Particles of nanometric size can also produce the improvement of mechanical properties by several reinforcement mechanisms such as Orowan or grain boundary strengthening. The use of electromagnetic stirring can provide a method to disperse particles and produce changes in the microstructure of the material. The induced stirring can increase the number of nucleation points available during solidification breaking the arms of the new formed dendrites at the solidification front. The temperature field in the molten material can be also homogenized by the action of the electromagnetic stirring. The small temperature gradient produced in the liquid metal can promote the growing of equiaxed dendrites. In this study a Bridgman type furnace has been used to produce materials containing grain refiners and reinforcement particles. The furnace has been equipped with a Bitter coil electromagnet capable to produce a travelling magnetic field (TMF). The electromagnetic stirring provides an induced flow which is used to disperse the particles and produced measurable changes in the microstructure of the materials studied. The experiments carried out were supported with numerical simulations performed by University of Greenwich and Simap laboratory. Experiments performed dispersing SiC microparticles into pure magnesium matrix showed that particle concentration patterns in the material are strongly governed by the vertical orientation of the magnetic field applied (upwards vs downwards). The observed patterns of dispersion obtained from the experiments presented a good agreement with the patterns predicted by the numerical simulation. The effects of the electromagnetic stirring in the grain refining of pure aluminium showed positive results whereas the alloys subjected to stirring presented grain growth. The TMF was used to disperse particles of micrometric and nanometric size. The dispersion of microparticles in magnesium and aluminium alloys did not produce improvements in either grain refinement or mechanical properties. However, the experiments performed dispersing nanoparticles in magnesium alloy showed the improvement of creep resistance.
The salivary secretome of the biting midge, Culicoides sonorensis

Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are hematophagous insects with over 1400 species distributed throughout the world. Many of these species are of particular agricultural importance as primary vectors of bluetongue and Schmallenberg viruses, yet little is known about Culicoides genomics and proteomics. Detailed studies of members from other blood-feeding Dipteran families, including those of mosquito (Culicidae) and black fly (Simuliidae), have shown that protein components within the insect’s saliva facilitate the blood feeding process. To determine the protein components in Culicoides sonorensis midges, secreted saliva was collected for peptide sequencing by tandem mass spectrometry. Forty-five secreted proteins were identified, including members of the D7 odorant binding protein family, Kunitz-like serine protease inhibitors, maltase, trypsin, and six novel proteins unique to C. sonorensis. Identifying the complex myriad of proteins in saliva from blood-feeding Dipteran species is critical for understanding their role in blood feeding, arbovirus transmission, and possibly the resulting disease pathogenesis.
Optimal Stopping Games and Nash Equilibrium

We show that the value function of the optimal stopping game for a right-continuous strong Markov process can be identified via equality between the smallest superharmonic and the largest subharmonic function lying between the gain functions (semiharmonic characterization) if and only if the Nash equilibrium holds (i.e., there exists a saddle point of optimal stopping times). When specialized to optimal stopping problems it is seen that the former identification reduces to the classic characterization of the value function in terms of superharmonic or subharmonic functions. The equivalence itself shows that finding the value function by “pulling a rope” between “two obstacles” is the same as establishing a Nash equilibrium. Further properties of the value function and the optimal stopping times are exhibited in the proof.
The iron-regulated staphylococcal lipoproteins

Lipoproteins fulfill diverse roles in antibiotic resistance, adhesion, protein secretion, signaling and sensing, and many also serve as the substrate binding protein (SBP) partner to ABC transporters for the acquisition of a diverse array of nutrients including peptides, sugars, and scarcely abundant metals. In the staphylococci, the iron-regulated SBPs are significantly upregulated during iron starvation and function to sequester and deliver iron into the bacterial cell, enabling staphylococci to circumvent iron restriction imposed by the host environment. Accordingly, this subset of lipoproteins has been implicated in staphylococcal pathogenesis and virulence. Lipoproteins also activate the host innate immune response, triggered through Toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2) and, notably, the iron-regulated subset of lipoproteins are particularly immunogenic. In this review, we discuss the iron-regulated staphylococcal lipoproteins with regard to their biogenesis, substrate specificity, and impact on the host innate immune response.
Simulation of Escherichia coli Dynamics in Biofilms and Submerged Colonies with an Individual-Based Model Including Metabolic Network Information

Clustered microbial communities are omnipresent in the food industry, e.g., as colonies of microbial pathogens in/on food media or as biofilms on food processing surfaces. These clustered communities are often characterized by metabolic differentiation among their constituting cells as a result of heterogeneous environmental conditions in the cellular surroundings. This paper focuses on the role of metabolic differentiation due to oxygen gradients in the development of Escherichia coli cell communities, whereby low local oxygen concentrations lead to cellular secretion of weak acid products. For this reason, a metabolic model has been developed for the facultative anaerobe E. coli covering the range of aerobic, microaerobic, and anaerobic environmental conditions. This metabolic model is expressed as a multiparametric programming problem, in which the influence of low extracellular pH values and the presence of undissociated acid cell products in the environment has been taken into account. Furthermore, the developed metabolic model is incorporated in MICRODIMS, an in-house developed individual-based modeling framework to simulate microbial colony and biofilm dynamics. Two case studies have been elaborated using the MICRODIMS simulator: (i) biofilm growth on a substratum surface and (ii) submerged colony growth in a semi-solid mixed food product. In the first case study, the acidification of the biofilm environment and the emergence of typical biofilm morphologies have been observed, such as the mushroom-shaped structure of mature biofilms and the formation of cellular chains at the exterior surface of the biofilm. The simulations show that these morphological phenomena are respectively dependent on the initial affinity of pioneer cells for the substratum surface and the cell detachment process at the outer surface of the biofilm. In the second case study, a no-growth zone emerges in the colony center due to a local decline of the environmental pH. As a result, cellular growth in the submerged colony is limited to the colony periphery, implying a linear increase of the colony radius over time. MICRODIMS has been successfully used to reproduce complex dynamics of clustered microbial communities.
Inflammation-induced GDNF improves locomotor function after spinal cord injury

Activation of microglia/macrophages after injury occurs limitedly in the CNS, which finding may explain unsuccessful axonal regeneration. Therefore, the relationship between lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation and recovery of locomotor function of rats after spinal cord injury was examined. High-dose LPS improved locomotor function greater than low-dose LPS, being consistent with the expression of neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in microglia/macrophages. Experiments using GDNF gene mutant mice confirmed that the increase in the GDNF mRNA level, rather than the reduction in the mRNA level of inducible NO synthase, could be correlated with the restoration activity of locomotor function. These results suggest that a higher degree of inflammation leads to a higher degree of repair of CNS injuries through GDNF produced by activated microglia/macrophages.
Brief antecedent ischemia attenuates platelet-mediated thrombosis in damaged and stenotic canine coronary arteries: role of adenosine.

BACKGROUND Recent studies suggest that patients with angina before myocardial infarction exhibit improved recovery of coronary perfusion after thrombolysis by an as-yet-unknown mechanism. We therefore proposed that brief antecedent ischemia/reperfusion may, via release of adenosine, improve vessel patency in damaged and stenotic coronary arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS Anesthetized dogs underwent coronary injury + stenosis, resulting in repeated cyclic variations in coronary blood flow (CFVs) caused by the formation/dislodgment of platelet-rich thrombi. Vessel patency was assessed for 3 hours after stenosis by quantification of the nadir of the CFVs, duration of total thrombotic occlusion (flow=0), and area of the flow-time profile (expressed as percent of baseline flow x 180 minutes). In protocol 1, dogs received 10 minutes of coronary occlusion + 10 minutes of reflow or a comparable 20-minute control period before injury + stenosis. The median nadir of the CFVs was higher (4.0 versus 0.3 mL/min), median zero flow duration per 30-minute time interval was shorter (0.4 versus 15.1 minutes), and mean percent flow-time area was greater (54+/-8% versus 28+/-9%) in dogs that received antecedent ischemia versus controls (P<.05). These benefits of antecedent ischemia/reperfusion were largely mimicked by a 10-minute intracoronary adenosine infusion (400 microg/min) in lieu of brief ischemia (protocol 2) and were abolished by administration of the adenosine A1/A2 receptor antagonist PD 115,199 (3 mg/kg i.v.) before brief antecedent coronary occlusion (protocol 3). CONCLUSIONS Brief antecedent ischemia attenuates subsequent platelet-mediated thrombosis in damaged and stenotic canine coronary arteries, due, in large part, to an adenosine-mediated mechanism.
Simultaneously Sparse Solutions to Linear Inverse Problems with Multiple System Matrices and a Single Observation Vector

A problem that arises in slice-selective magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio-frequency (RF) excitation pulse design is abstracted as a novel linear inverse problem with a simultaneous sparsity constraint. Multiple unknown signal vectors are to be determined, where each passes through a different system matrix and the results are added to yield a single observation vector. Given the matrices and lone observation, the objective is to find a simultaneously sparse set of unknown vectors that approximately solves the system. We refer to this as the multiple-system single-output (MSSO) simultaneous sparse approximation problem. This manuscript contrasts the MSSO problem with other simultaneous sparsity problems and conducts an initial exploration of algorithms with which to solve it. Greedy algorithms and techniques based on convex relaxation are derived and compared empirically. Experiments involve sparsity pattern recovery in noiseless and noisy settings and MRI RF pulse design.
Structural and optical properties of ZnO:Al films prepared by the sol-gel method

Aluminum doped zinc oxide polycrystalline thin films (ZAO) were prepared by sol-gel dip-coating process. The sol was prepared from an alcoholic solution of zinc acetate using DEA ( Di Ethyl Amin ) as a stabilizer. The structural characteristics have been studied by X-ray diffractometry and UV–Vis-NIR spectroscopy. The films are transparent from the near ultraviolet to the near infrared, presenting an absorption cut-off at almost 290 nm. An optical band-gap of 3.32 eV have been measured from the transmittance spectroscopy experiments when the quantity of aluminum in the sol was varied from 0% to 4%. The best films were obtained for the ZnO films containing 2% of aluminum prepared at 550°C by adding Al(NO3)3.9H2O, with the best transmittance over the range 400-1000 nm, a change in the Eg value from 3.16 eV to 3.18 eV when the ratio of Al was changed from 0% to 2%, with best structural orientation at (100) (002) (101). The smoothest surface was also obtained by SEM for a dopant 2% value of the Aluminium. Author Keywords: Sol–gel method; ZnO:Al; ZAO, SEM
Cautious Control of Industrial Process Variability With Uncertain Input and Disturbance Model Parameters

This article discusses a method for controlling variation in industrial processes when the model parameters are estimated from data and subject to uncertainty. A static input/output relationship with multiple input variables and an integrated moving average disturbance model are assumed. Most robust control methods use deterministic measures of uncertainty and a control objective that focuses on worst-case performance. This work uses a probabilistic measure of uncertainty and a control objective that relates more closely to minimizing variation, where parameter estimation errors are treated simply as an additional source of variability. We show that this approach results in a higher probability of closed-loop stability than the standard minimum variance control and can substantially lessen the adverse impact of parameter uncertainty on closed-loop variance. Guidelines for designing and evaluating the experiment used to estimate the model parameters are also discussed.
A comparative study of lingual bracket bond strength.

AIM To compare the adhesive potential, the mechanics implicated in adhesive failure, and the effect on the enamel of four brands of lingual brackets. METHODS One hundred sixty premolars and four types of commercially available lingual brackets (STB, ORG, Magic, and Stealth) were selected. Forty brackets per manufacturer were used, half bonded directly and half indirectly. Each of these bonding groups was further subdivided: 10 brackets were bonded without treatment, while the other 10 were sandblasted. Thus, a total of four groups were created for each type of bracket: (a) sandblasted and directly bonded, (b) sandblasted and indirectly bonded, (c) not sandblasted and directly bonded, and (d) not sandblasted and indirectly bonded. Immediately after bonding, each bracket was tested for adhesion strength, and each appliance was then examined via electron microscopy to calculate the ARI. RESULTS Statistical analysis showed a significant difference among the four bracket types; a general improvement in lingual appliance mechanical features provoked by sandblasting, albeit with some exceptions; and no significant effect of bonding method on the degree of bond strength. The ARI revealed that the most common area of adhesion crisis was at the adhesive-bracket interface. CONCLUSION Overall, STB brackets performed better, and sandblasting proved to be an efficient way of improving the mechanical features of lingual brackets. Bonding technique, on the other hand, did not seem to exert a great influence on bonding success, and the bracket-adhesive interface was identified as the area most prone to failure.
Liver abscess in newborn. Complication of umbilical vein catheterization.

A hypoglycemic neonate had an umbilical venous catheter inserted to monitor serum glucose level and to infuse alkalinizing and hypertonic glucose solutions. The catheter was left in place for five days and was believed to be causally related to development of a liver abscess and meningitis. The same two strains of Escherichia Coli were cultured from the catheter tip, the abscess cavity, and cerebrospinal fluid. The abscess was drained and along with the meningitis, resolved without obvious sequelae. To our knowledge, this is the first reported liver abscess as a complication of umbilical vein catheterization. A review of the reported hepatic complications of umbilical vein catheterization is presented and the pathogenesis of the abscess is proposed. In conclusion, the limitations and indications of the umbilical vein catheter are emphasized.
Investigating the Production Quality of Electrical Porcelain Insulators from Local Materials

Electrical porcelain insulators were manufactured from Agai and Kutigi Clay and other locally available raw material i.e. Feldspar (Kagara), Quartz (Kadna) and Talc (Kagara). Compositions were formulated using a universal triaxial porcelain composition (kaolin, 28%; ball clay, 10%; feldspar, 35% and quartz, 25%) to produce test pieces. The pulverized and mixed compositions were molded and fired at a temperature of 1250°C. The physical and electrical properties were investigated. The results show that the samples have electrical resistance between 3.52 x 108 Ω and 2.05 x 109 Ω, and dielectric constant between 8.7 and 11.4, with respect to the frequency considered. The results of the physical tests i.e. linear shrinkage, bulk density, water absorption and failing load were also in agreement with the standard for porcelain insulators.
Determinants of Prolonged QT Interval and Their Contribution to Sudden Death Risk in Coronary Artery Disease: The Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study

Background— In a recent cohort study, prolongation of the corrected QT interval (QTc) was associated with an independent increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). We evaluated determinants of prolonged QTc and the relationship of prolonged QTc to SCD risk among patients with coronary artery disease in the general population. Methods and Results— A case-control design was used. Cases were SCD patients with coronary artery disease among a metropolitan area of 1 000 000 residents (2002 to 2006); controls were area residents with coronary artery disease but no history of SCD. All cases were required to have an ECG suitable for QTc analysis before and unrelated to the occurrence of SCD. A total of 373 cases and 309 controls met criteria for analysis. Mean QTc was significantly longer in cases than in controls (450±45 versus 433±37 ms; P<0.0001). In a multivariate model, gender, diabetes mellitus, and QTc-prolonging drugs were significant determinants of QTc prolongation in controls. In a logistic regression model predicting SCD, diabetes mellitus (odds ratio, 1.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.32 to 2.96) and use of QTc-prolonging drugs (odds ratio, 2.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.92 to 4.37) were significant predictors of SCD among subjects with normal or borderline QTc. However, abnormally prolonged QTc in the absence of diabetes and QT-prolonging medications was the strongest predictor of SCD (odds ratio, 5.53; 95% confidence interval, 3.20 to 9.57). Conclusions— Diabetes mellitus and QTc-affecting drugs determined QTc prolongation and were predictors of SCD in coronary artery disease. However, idiopathic abnormal QTc prolongation was associated with 5-fold increased odds of SCD. A continued search for novel determinants of QTc prolongation such as genomic factors is likely to enhance risk stratification for SCD in coronary artery disease.