Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency in healthy adults.

OBJECTIVE Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in high-risk patient populations, but the prevalence among otherwise healthy adults is less well-defined. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of low 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in healthy younger adults. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study of 634 healthy volunteers aged 18-50 years performed between January, 2006 and May, 2008. We measured serum 25(OH)D and parathyroid hormone and recorded demographic variables including age, sex, race, and use of multivitamin supplements. RESULTS Thirty-nine percent of subjects had 25(OH)D ≤ 20 ng/mL and 64% had 25(OH)D ≤ 30 ng/mL. Predictors of lower 25(OH)D levels included male sex, black or Asian race, and lack of multivitamin use (P<0.001 for each predictor). Seasonal variation in 25(OH)D levels was present in the overall cohort but was not observed in multivitamin users. Lower 25(OH)D levels were associated with increased risk of elevated parathyroid hormone. Regression models predicted 25(OH)D levels ≤ 20 or ≤ 30 ng/mL with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.76 and 0.80, respectively. CONCLUSION Low 25(OH)D levels are prevalent in healthy adults and may confer risk of skeletal disease. Black and Asian adults are at increased risk of deficiency and multivitamin use appears partially protective. Our models predicting low 25(OH)D levels may guide decision-making regarding whom to screen for vitamin D deficiency.
Mapping Face Recognition Information Use across Cultures

Face recognition is not rooted in a universal eye movement information-gathering strategy. Western observers favor a local facial feature sampling strategy, whereas Eastern observers prefer sampling face information from a global, central fixation strategy. Yet, the precise qualitative (the diagnostic) and quantitative (the amount) information underlying these cultural perceptual biases in face recognition remains undetermined. To this end, we monitored the eye movements of Western and Eastern observers during a face recognition task, with a novel gaze-contingent technique: the Expanding Spotlight. We used 2° Gaussian apertures centered on the observers’ fixations expanding dynamically at a rate of 1° every 25 ms at each fixation – the longer the fixation duration, the larger the aperture size. Identity-specific face information was only displayed within the Gaussian aperture; outside the aperture, an average face template was displayed to facilitate saccade planning. Thus, the Expanding Spotlight simultaneously maps out the facial information span at each fixation location. Data obtained with the Expanding Spotlight technique confirmed that Westerners extract more information from the eye region, whereas Easterners extract more information from the nose region. Interestingly, this quantitative difference was paired with a qualitative disparity. Retinal filters based on spatial-frequency decomposition built from the fixations maps revealed that Westerners used local high-spatial-frequency information sampling, covering all the features critical for effective face recognition (the eyes and the mouth). In contrast, Easterners achieved a similar result by using global low-spatial-frequency information from those facial features. Our data show that the face system flexibly engages into local or global eye movement strategies across cultures, by relying on distinct facial information span and culturally tuned spatially filtered information. Overall, our findings challenge the view of a unique putative process for face recognition.
Blood-brain barrier disruption with focused ultrasound enhances delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs for glioblastoma treatment.

PURPOSE To demonstrate the feasibility of using focused ultrasound to enhance delivery of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) to glioblastomas in rats with induced tumors and determine if such an approach increases treatment efficacy. MATERIALS AND METHODS All animal experiments were approved by the animal committee and adhered to the experimental animal care guidelines. A 400-kHz focused ultrasound generator was used to transcranially disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in rat brains by delivering burst-tone ultrasound energy in the presence of microbubbles. The process was monitored in vivo by using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Cultured C6 glioma cells implanted in Sprague-Dawley rats were used as the tumor model. BCNU (13.5 mg/kg) was administered intravenously and its concentration in brains was quantified by using high-performance liquid chromatography. MR imaging was used to evaluate the effect of treatments longitudinally, including analysis of tumor progression and animal survival, and brain tissues were histologically examined. Methods including the two-tailed unpaired t test and the Mantel-Cox test were used for statistical analyses, with a significance level of . 05. RESULTS Focused ultrasound significantly enhanced the penetration of BCNU through the BBB in normal (by 340%) and tumor-implanted (by 202%) brains without causing hemorrhaging. Treatment of tumor-implanted rats with focused ultrasound alone had no beneficial effect on tumor progression or on animal survival up to 60 days. Administration of BCNU only transiently controlled tumor progression; nevertheless, relative to untreated controls, animal survival was improved by treatment with BCNU alone (increase in median survival time [IST(median)], 15.7%, P = . 023). Treatment with focused ultrasound before BCNU administration controlled tumor progression (day 31: 0.05 cm(3) + or - 0.1 [standard deviation] vs 0.28 cm(3) + or - 0.1) and improved animal survival relative to untreated controls (IST(median), 85.9%, P = . 0015). CONCLUSION This study demonstrates a means of increasing localized chemotherapeutic drug delivery for brain tumor treatment and strongly supports the feasibility of this treatment in a clinical setting.
Brief encounters: Sensing, modeling and visualizing urban mobility and copresence networks

Moving human-computer interaction off the desktop and into our cities requires new approaches to understanding people and technologies in the built environment. We approach the city as a system, with human, physical and digital components and behaviours. In creating effective and usable urban pervasive computing systems, we need to take into account the patterns of movement and encounter amongst people, locations, and mobile and fixed devices in the city. Advances in mobile and wireless communications have enabled us to detect and record the presence and movement of devices through cities. This article makes a number of methodological and empirical contributions. We present a toolkit of algorithms and visualization techniques that we have developed to model and make sense of spatial and temporal patterns of mobility, presence, and encounter. Applying this toolkit, we provide an analysis of urban Bluetooth data based on a longitudinal dataset containing millions of records associated with more than 70000 unique devices in the city of Bath, UK. Through a novel application of established complex network analysis techniques, we demonstrate a significant finding on the relationship between temporal factors and network structure. Finally, we suggest how our understanding and exploitation of these data may begin to inform the design and use of urban pervasive systems.
Meditation and neurofeedback

Dating back as far as 1957, the academic investigation of meditation and the Asian contemplative traditions have fascinated not only the likes of philosophers and religious scholars, but researchers in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and medicine. While most of the contemplative traditions are comprised of spiritual practices that aim to bring the practitioner closer to self-actualization and enlightenment, from a neuroscientific and clinical perspective, meditation is usually considered a set of diverse and specific methods of distinct attentional engagement (Cahn and Polich, 2009).
Modern Mechanical Surface Treatment: States, Stability, Effects

1 Introduction. 2 Procedures of Mechanical Surface Treatments. 2.1 Shot Peening. 2.1. 1 Definition and Delimitation of Procedure. 2.1. 2 Application Examples. 2.1. 3 Devices, Tools and Important Parameters. 2.2 Stress Peening. 2.2.1 Definition and Delimitation of Procedure. 2.2.2 Application Examples. 2.2.3 Devices, Tools and Important Parameters. 2.3 Warm Peening. 2.3.1 Definition and Delimitation of Procedure. 2.3.2 Application Examples. 2.3.3 Devices, Tools and Important Parameters. 2.4 Stress Peening at Elevated Temperature. 2.5 Deep Rolling. 2.5.1 Definition and Delimitation of Procedure. 2.5.2 Application Examples. 2.5. 3 Devices, Tools and Important Parameters. 2.6 Laser Peening. 2.6.1 Definition and Delimitation of Procedure. 2.6.2 Application Examples. 2.6.3 Devices, Tools and Important Parameters. 3 Surface Layer States after Mechanical Surface Treatments. 3.1 Shot Peening. 3.1. 1 Process Models. 3.1. 2 Changes in the Surface State. 3.2 Stress Peening. 3.2.1 Process Models. 3.2.2 Changes in the Surface State. 3.3 Warm Peening. 3.3.1 Process Models. 3.3.2 Changes in the Surface State. 3.4 Stress Peening at elevated Temperature. 3.5 Deep Rolling. 3.5.1 Process Models. 3.5.2 Changes in the Surface State. 3.6 Laser Peening. 3.6.1 Process Models. 3.6.2 Changes in the Surface State. 4 Changes of Surface States due to Thermal Loading. 4.1 Process Models. 4.1. 1 Elementary Processes. 4.1. 2 Quantitative Description of Processes. 4.2 Experimental Results and their Descriptions. 4.2.1 Influences on Shape and Topography. 4.2.2 Influences on Residual Stress State. 4.2.3 Influences on Workhardening State. 4.2.4 Influences on Microstructure. 5 Changes of Surface Layer States due to Quasi-static Loading. 5.1 Process Models. 5.1. 1 Elementary Processes. 5.1. 2 Quantitative Description of Processes. 5.2 Experimental Results and their Descriptions. 5.2.1 Influences on Shape and Deformation Behavior. 5.2.2 Influences on Residual Stress State. 5.2.3 Influences on Workhardening State. 5.2.4 Influences on Microstructure. 6 Changes of Surface States during Cyclic Loading. 6.1 Process Models. 6.1. 1 Elementary Processes. 6.1. 2 Quantitative Description of Processes. 6.2 Experimental Results and their Descriptions. 6.2.1 Influences on Residual Stress State. 6.2.2 Influences on Worhardening State. 6.2.3 Influences on Microstructure. 6.3 Effects of Surface Layer Stability on Behavior during Cyclic Loading. 6.3.1 Basic Results. 6.3.2 Effects on Cyclic Deformation Behavior. 6.3.3 Effects on Crack Initiation Behavior. 6.3.4 Effects on Crack Propagation Behavior. 6.3.5 Effects on Fatigue Behavior. 7 Summary. Acknowledgments. Index.
TIME-DEPENDENT INHIBITORY EFFECT OF LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE INJECTION ON PER1 AND PER2 GENE EXPRESSION IN THE MOUSE HEART AND LIVER

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a pathogen-associated large molecule responsible for sepsis-related endotoxic shock, and the heart is one of the most common organs adversely affected. LPS is reported to increase serum TNFα levels and reduce Per1 and Per2 gene expression. Therefore, in this experiment, we determined the time-dependent effects of LPS on heart rate (HR) and circadian gene expression in the mouse heart and liver. HR of the LPS group was significantly elevated 2 and 8 h after injection compared to the control group. A significant percent increase in HR was observed at ZT6, 12, and 18. LPS increased Tnfα mRNA expression in the heart and liver at ZT6, 18, and 24. A time-dependent effect of LPS on reduction of Per1 and Per2 gene expression was also observed in the heart and liver. In order to examine the effect of LPS on cell damage, we examined apoptosis-related gene expression after LPS injection. Bax mRNA expression level of the LPS group was higher than that of the control group 8 and 26 h after injection. On the other hand, Bcl2 mRNA expression level of the LPS group was lower than that of the control group 2 and 26 h after injection. Dexamethasone strongly attenuated the LPS-induced increase of serum TNFα without significant change in Per1 and Per2 gene expression in the heart. In conclusion, the present results demonstrated that LPS exerts a time-dependent inhibitory effect on Per1 and Per2 gene expression in the heart and liver. The chronopharmacological lethal effect of LPS may be related to the time-dependent increase of serum TNFα level and simultaneously high level of Per2 gene expression in the heart and liver between ZT12–18. Taken together, chronopharmacological effect of LPS may be related to not only sickness behavior syndrome and mortality, but also circadian rhythm systems. (Author correspondence: shibatas@waseda.jp)
Wireless Fountain Coding with IEEE 802.11e Block ACK for Media Streaming in Wireline-cum-WiFi Networks: A Performance Study

We develop performance models for delay-sensitive uplink media streaming over a wireline-cum-WiFi network. Since the wireless channel is normally a bottleneck for such streaming, we modify the traditional 802.11e block acknowledgment (B-ACK) scheme to work with wireless fountain coding (WFC)-a packet-level coding scheme which codes packets in a similar manner to intrasession random network coding but delivers them in a manner similar to fountain coding. By using this modified B-ACK scheme, protocol complexity and wireless link-layer delay are potentially reduced. We analytically quantify this delay and use it to derive end-to-end packet loss/late probabilities when automatic repeat request (ARQ) and forward error correction (FEC) are jointly employed at the application-layer. We develop an integrated ns-3/EvalVid simulator to validate our models and compare them with the case when the traditional 802.11e B-ACK scheme is employed. Through simulations of video streaming, we observe that the modified B-ACK scheme does not always perform better than the traditional B-ACK scheme in terms of end-to-end packet loss/late probability and video distortion under certain conditions of the wireless channel. This observation leads us to propose a hybrid scheme that switches between the modified and traditional B-ACK strategies according to the conditions of the wireless channel and the number of packets to transmit in a block. Via simulations, we show the benefits of the hybrid scheme when compared to the traditional IEEE 802.11e B-ACK scheme under different network settings.
Final Disposition and Quality Auditing of the Rehabilitation Process in Wild Raptors Admitted to a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Catalonia, Spain, during a Twelve Year Period (1995–2007)

Background Variability in reporting and classification methods in previous published data of the final dispositions in the rehabilitation of wild raptors makes use of this data limited in trying to audit the quality of the rehabilitation process. Crude as well as stratified disposition rates are needed if quality auditing of the rehabilitation process is to be adequately performed. Methodology Final dispositions of 6221 hospitalized wild raptors admitted at a wildlife rehabilitation centre (WRC) of Catalonia during 1995–2007 were analyzed. These dispositions were calculated as the euthanasia (Er), unassisted mortality (Mr), release (Rr) and captivity rates (Cr). , time to death (Td) for dead and euthanized raptors, and length of stay for released (Tr) raptors was estimated. Stratified analyses by main causes of admission and clinical signs were performed. Results The disposition for the total population were: Er = 30.6%, Mr = 19.1%, Rr = 47.2%, and Cr = 3%. By main causes of admission, Er was higher in the trauma category (34.2%), whereas Mr was found similar between trauma (37.4%) and non-trauma categories (34.8%). The highest Rr was observed for the orphaned group (77.9%). Furthermore, Cr was low in all the categories (<4%). By clinical signs, the highest Er was found in animals suffering musculoskeletal (37.9%) or skin (32.3%) lesions; Mr was high in infectious/parasitic diseases (66.7%) and in case of neurological symptoms (64.5%). The euthanized birds had a median Td = 1 day (P10 = 0-P90 = 59) for both trauma and non-trauma categories, and Td = 36 days for the orphaned young group (P10 = 0; P90 = 596). The median Td in the unassisted dead birds was 2 days for all the categories (P10 = 0-P90 = 31). Finally, the median Tr in the centre was variable among categories. Conclusions/Significance Reporting of final dispositions in wildlife rehabilitation should include the crude and stratified rates (Er, Mr, Rr, and Cr), by causes and clinical presentation, as well as Td and Tr, to allow meaningful auditing of the rehabilitation process quality.
Human CD1c+ DCs are critical cellular mediators of immune responses induced by immunogenic cell death

ABSTRACT Chemotherapeutics, including the platinum compounds oxaliplatin (OXP) and cisplatin (CDDP), are standard care of treatment for cancer. Although chemotherapy has long been considered immunosuppressive, evidence now suggests that certain cytotoxic agents can efficiently stimulate antitumor responses, through the induction of a form of apoptosis, called immunogenic cell death (ICD). ICD is characterized by exposure of calreticulin and heat shock proteins (HSPs), secretion of ATP and release of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). Proper activation of the immune system relies on the integration of these signals by dendritic cells (DCs). Studies on the crucial role of DCs, in the context of ICD, have been performed using mouse models or human in vitro-generated monocyte-derived DCs (moDCs), which do not fully recapitulate the in vivo situation. Here, we explore the effect of platinum-induced ICD on phenotype and function of human blood circulating DCs. Tumor cells were treated with OXP or CDDP and induction of ICD was investigated. We show that both platinum drugs triggered translocation of calreticulin and HSP70, as well as the release of ATP and HMGB1. Platinum treatment increased phagocytosis of tumor fragments by human blood DCs and enhanced phenotypic maturation of blood myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs. Moreover, upon interaction with platinum-treated tumor cells, CD1c+ DCs efficiently stimulated allogeneic proliferation of T lymphocytes. Together, our observations indicate that platinum-treated tumor cells may exert an active stimulatory effect on human blood DCs. In particular, these data suggest that CD1c+ DCs are critical mediators of immune responses induced by ICD.
Modulation of the β-Catenin Signaling Pathway by the Dishevelled-Associated Protein Hipk1

Background Wnts are evolutionarily conserved ligands that signal through β-catenin-dependent and β-catenin–independent pathways to regulate cell fate, proliferation, polarity, and movements during vertebrate development. Dishevelled (Dsh/Dvl) is a multi-domain scaffold protein required for virtually all known Wnt signaling activities, raising interest in the identification and functions of Dsh-associated proteins. Methodology We conducted a yeast-2-hybrid screen using an N-terminal fragment of Dsh, resulting in isolation of the Xenopus laevis ortholog of Hipk1. Interaction between the Dsh and Hipk1 proteins was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation assays and mass spectrometry, and further experiments suggest that Hipk1 also complexes with the transcription factor Tcf3. Supporting a nuclear function during X. laevis development, Myc-tagged Hipk1 localizes primarily to the nucleus in animal cap explants, and the endogenous transcript is strongly expressed during gastrula and neurula stages. Experimental manipulations of Hipk1 levels indicate that Hipk1 can repress Wnt/β-catenin target gene activation, as demonstrated by β-catenin reporter assays in human embryonic kidney cells and by indicators of dorsal specification in X. laevis embryos at the late blastula stage. In addition, a subset of Wnt-responsive genes subsequently requires Hipk1 for activation in the involuting mesoderm during gastrulation. Moreover, either over-expression or knock-down of Hipk1 leads to perturbed convergent extension cell movements involved in both gastrulation and neural tube closure. Conclusions These results suggest that Hipk1 contributes in a complex fashion to Dsh-dependent signaling activities during early vertebrate development. This includes regulating the transcription of Wnt/β-catenin target genes in the nucleus, possibly in both repressive and activating ways under changing developmental contexts. This regulation is required to modulate gene expression and cell movements that are essential for gastrulation.
Constrained band selection for hyperspectral imagery

Constrained energy minimization (CEM) has shown effective in hyperspectral target detection. It linearly constrains a desired target signature while minimizing interfering effects caused by other unknown signatures. This paper explores this idea for band selection and develops a new approach to band selection, referred to as constrained band selection (CBS) for hyperspectral imagery. It interprets a band image as a desired target signature vector while considering other band images as unknown signature vectors. As a result, the proposed CBS using the concept of the CEM to linearly constrain a band image, while also minimizing band correlation or dependence provided by other band images, is referred to as CEM-CBS. Four different criteria referred to as Band Correlation Minimization (BCM), Band Correlation Constraint (BCC), Band Dependence Constraint (BDC), and Band Dependence Minimization (BDM) are derived for CEM-CBS. Since dimensionality resulting from conversion of a band image to a vector may be huge, the CEM-CBS is further reinterpreted as linearly constrained minimum variance (LCMV)-based CBS by constraining a band image as a matrix where the same four criteria, BCM, BCC, BDC, and BDM, can be also used for LCMV-CBS. In order to determine the number of bands required to select p, a recently developed concept, called virtual dimensionality, is used to estimate the p. Once the p is determined, a set of p desired bands can be selected by the CEM/LCMV-CBS. Finally, experiments are conducted to substantiate the proposed CEM/LCMV-CBS four criteria, BCM, BCC, BDC, and BDM, in comparison with variance-based band selection, information divergence-based band selection, and uniform band selection.
Fabrication and Properties of High- $T_{\rm c}$ YBCO Josephson Junction and SQUID With Variable Thickness Bridges by Focused Ion Beam

We have successfully fabricated YBCO Josephson junctions and SQUIDs with variable thickness bridges. The variable-thickness bridges of YBCO thin film were fabricated by photolithography and Focused ion beam mill. The Josephson effects of variable thickness bridges were obtained in a 80 nm-thick-film of high-Tc YBa2Cu3Oy. The Shapiro steps were observed in single junction in the gigahertz range from 3.02 to 14.64 GHz. The voltage-current and voltage-field characteristics were measured in SQUID magnetometer. The SQUID shows a peak-to-peak voltage swing of 1.5 μV at 70 K. The properties of one junction and SQUID magnetometer have been investigated.