Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
40 YEARS OF IGF1: Insulin-like growth factors: actions on the skeleton

The discovery of the growth hormone (GH)-mediated somatic factors (somatomedins), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and -II, has elicited an enormous interest primarily among endocrinologists who study growth and metabolism. The advancement of molecular endocrinology over the past four decades enables investigators to re-examine and refine the established somatomedin hypothesis. Specifically, gene deletions, transgene overexpression or more recently, cell-specific gene-ablations, have enabled investigators to study the effects of the Igf1 and Igf2 genes in temporal and spatial manners. The GH/IGF axis, acting in an endocrine and autocrine/paracrine fashion, is the major axis controlling skeletal growth. Studies in rodents have clearly shown that IGFs regulate bone length of the appendicular skeleton evidenced by changes in chondrocytes of the proliferative and hypertrophic zones of the growth plate. IGFs affect radial bone growth and regulate cortical and trabecular bone properties via their effects on osteoblast, osteocyte and osteoclast function. Interactions of the IGFs with sex steroid hormones and the parathyroid hormone demonstrate the significance and complexity of the IGF axis in the skeleton. Finally, IGFs have been implicated in skeletal aging. Decreases in serum IGFs during aging have been correlated with reductions in bone mineral density and increased fracture risk. This review highlights many of the most relevant studies in the IGF research landscape, focusing in particular on IGFs effects on the skeleton.
The Psychedelic State Induced by Ayahuasca Modulates the Activity and Connectivity of the Default Mode Network

The experiences induced by psychedelics share a wide variety of subjective features, related to the complex changes in perception and cognition induced by this class of drugs. A remarkable increase in introspection is at the core of these altered states of consciousness. Self-oriented mental activity has been consistently linked to the Default Mode Network (DMN), a set of brain regions more active during rest than during the execution of a goal-directed task. Here we used fMRI technique to inspect the DMN during the psychedelic state induced by Ayahuasca in ten experienced subjects. Ayahuasca is a potion traditionally used by Amazonian Amerindians composed by a mixture of compounds that increase monoaminergic transmission. In particular, we examined whether Ayahuasca changes the activity and connectivity of the DMN and the connection between the DMN and the task-positive network (TPN). Ayahuasca caused a significant decrease in activity through most parts of the DMN, including its most consistent hubs: the Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PCC)/Precuneus and the medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC). Functional connectivity within the PCC/Precuneus decreased after Ayahuasca intake. No significant change was observed in the DMN-TPN orthogonality. Altogether, our results support the notion that the altered state of consciousness induced by Ayahuasca, like those induced by psilocybin (another serotonergic psychedelic), meditation and sleep, is linked to the modulation of the activity and the connectivity of the DMN.
Assessment of MRI findings and clinical symptoms in patients with temporomandibular joint disorders.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the correlations among various temporomandibular joint (TMJ) findings on MRI and the relationships between MRI findings and symptoms. METHODS 425 patients (850 TMJs) with temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) who underwent MRI were enrolled. Oblique sagittal proton density-weighted and T2 weighted images in open- and closed-mouth positions were evaluated. MRI findings included disc configuration, disc position, condylar morphology, bone marrow pattern, and joint effusion. Symptoms included TMJ pain, TMJ noise, and limitation of mouth opening. For statistical analyses, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and logistic regression analysis were applied. RESULTS Folded disc, disc displacement without reduction (DDWOR), and osteophytes had significant negative correlations with other normal MRI findings (p < 0.01). DDWOR and marrow edema were associated with TMJ pain. Conversely, osteophytes [odds ratio (OR): 0.52; 95% CI (0.30-0.90)] and combination-type condylar degeneration [OR: 0.45; 95% CI (0.24-0.83)] were associated with decreased risk of TMJ pain. Condylar flattening was positively associated with TMJ noise [OR: 5.25; 95% CI (1.44-19.07)] and negatively associated with limitation of mouth opening [OR: 0.34; 95% CI (0.11-0.99)]. High-grade joint effusion was significantly associated with TMJ pain and noise. CONCLUSIONS DDWOR and high-grade joint effusion (an indicator of inflammation in the articular cavity) were associated with TMD symptoms. This finding suggests that treatment strategy for DDWOR and decreasing inflammation might lessen clinical TMD symptoms. Condylar degeneration was not associated with indicators of inflammation or TMJ symptoms. These results suggest that patients with TMD symptoms should undergo initial MRI to allow rapid selection of appropriate therapies.
The Deposition Environment Controlling Method: A Vapor-Phase Solvent-Assisted Approach to Fabricate High-Quality Crystalline Perovskite

The deposition environment controlling (DEC) method is explored to enhance the carrier-extracting ability of a light-absorbing layer for perovskite solar cells. Inspired by the solvent engineering, the DEC method, an exquisite-controlled approach, is applied in vapor deposition for generating the CH<sub>3</sub>NH<sub>3</sub>PbI<sub>3 </sub>. This method not only gives the excellent uniformity, coverage of the film, and glove box free for all the solution-based and annealing steps, but also provides an easy but accurate control of the additive solvent, compared with the traditional solvent engineering. Here, chlorobenzene (CB) is introduced to the sandwich deposition technique process. The vaporized CB, which does not dissolve CH<sub>3</sub>NH<sub>3</sub>I, PbI<sub>2</sub>, and CH<sub>3</sub> NH<sub>3</sub>PbI<sub>3</sub>, offers a thermodynamic driving force to rapidly and continuously generate CH<sub>3</sub> NH<sub>3</sub>PbI<sub>3</sub> without forming the intermediate phase. The homogenous film and less defects of crystalline perovskite are yielded. As a result, the maximum grain size exceeds 1 <italic>μ</italic>m along the lateral direction and significantly improves the hole–electron dissociation. <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{{\text{oc}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> is improved to 0.99 V, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$J_{{\text{sc}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> to <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> ${\text{18.89 mA/cm}}^{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, and fill factor to 79.03%, yielding a 14.62% efficiency.
Oncotargets and Therapy Dovepress Dovepress Diagnostic Value of Braf

hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms V600e-mutation analysis in fine-needle aspiration of thyroid nodules: a meta-analysis Abstract: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a reliable method for preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules; however, about 10%–40% nodules are classified as indeterminate. The BRAF V600E mutation is the most promising marker for thyroid FNA. This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the diagnostic value of BRAF V600E analysis in thyroid FNA, especially the indeterminate cases. Systematic searches were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Ovid, Elsevier, and the Cochrane Library databases for relevant studies prior to June 2015, and a total of 88 studies were ultimately included in this meta-analysis. Compared with FNA cytology, the synergism of BRAF V600E testing increased the diagnostic sensitivity from 81.4% to 87.4% and decreased the false-negative rate from 8% to 5.2%. In the indeterminate group, the mutation rate of BRAF V600E was 23% and varied in different subcategories (43.2% in suspicious for malignant cells [SMC], 13.77% in atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance [AUS/FLUS], and 4.43% in follicular neoplasm/suspicious for follicular neoplasm [FN/SFN]). The sensitivity of BRAF V600E analysis was higher in SMC than that in AUS/FLUS and FN/SFN cases (59.4% vs 40.1% vs 19.5% respectively), while specificity was opposite (86.1% vs 99.5% vs 99.7% respectively). The areas under the summary receiver-operating characteristic curve also confirmed the diagnostic value of BRAF V600E testing in SMC and AUS/FLUS rather than FN/SFN cases. Therefore, BRAF V600E analysis can improve the diagnostic accuracy of thyroid FNA, especially indeterminate cases classified as SMC, and select malignancy to guide the extent of surgery.
Modeling of Stretch Reflex Activation Considering Muscle Type

Although the stretch reflex plays an important role in spasticity, so far the stretch reflex has not been sufficiently investigated. Previous stretch reflex activation models have some limitations, whereby they are not able to predict outcomes of some stretch reflex cases and do not consider uneven distribution of muscle length and stretch velocity on reflex activation. The purpose of this study was: 1) to develop a modified stretch reflex activation model employing a new muscle length threshold and weighting factors for slow-twitch fiber and fast-twitch fiber, and 2) to validate the model using pendulum experiments of the lower and upper limbs. The new muscle length threshold was defined using the optimal muscle fiber length. Based on the optimal fiber length, the new threshold allows for prediction of the stretch reflex activation at muscle lengths shorter than have been possible with previous models. The muscle type weighting factors realized unequal contributions between the muscle length and stretch velocity. We proved the validity of the proposed reflex activation model by using pendulum tests to induce patellar tendon and biceps brachii reflexes. Unknown parameters employed in the proposed model were obtained by minimizing differences in motion obtained with the proposed model and experiments. The proposed model can predict stretch reflex activation at shorter muscle lengths. In addition, the proposed model reflected nonhomogeneous characteristics related to the unequal contributions between muscle length and stretch velocity. As a result, patellar tendon and biceps brachii reflex phenomena were shown to be predicted more accurately in this study.
Contribution of street foods to the dietary needs of street food vendors in Kampala, Jinja and Masaka districts, Uganda

Abstract Objectives To assess the contribution of street foods to the energy and nutrient needs of street food vendors. Design A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Food intake for the street food vendors was measured using the 24 h recall method and a semi-quantitative FFQ with emphasis on the source of all foods consumed. Setting Kampala, Jinja and Masaka districts, Uganda. Subjects The study included 225 street food vendors trading in prepared cooked foods. Results The majority of vendors (87·6 %) were women with age range of 21–50 years. Traditional dishes were the most commonly prepared foods and classified into main meals, sauces, vegetables and snacks. The food groups consumed most commonly by street food vendors fall under energy-giving and body-building foods (0·26 (sd 0·81)). The mean daily intake of energy from street foods varied between 22·4 % and 25·6 % (2412 kJ). Carbohydrates contributed the highest proportion of energy (70·1 % to 93·4 %), followed by protein (38·6 % to 44·9 %) and fat (21·9 % to 26·3 %). Street food vendors obtained 24·0 % to 32·5 % of their RDA for Ca from street vended foods, with the lowest intake in Jinja (11·2 % to 23·9 %, P < 0·05). Niacin and thiamin intakes from street foods were respectively above 74 % and 150 % of the RDA. The contribution of street foods to the RDA for Zn ranged from 81·9 % to 190·9 %, and from 3·5 % to 4·9 % for retinol. Fe intake from street vended foods was 40·9 % to 49·7 % of the RDA. Conclusions Street foods contribute to sources of dietary energy and other nutrients among street food vendors in Uganda.
Association of Markers of Oxidative Stress, Medication Therapy and Life Habits in Fibromyalgia

Objective: To evaluate the association among genetic polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase, oxidative stress, lifestyle habits and medication therapy in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Patients and methods: A total of 187 women (22-84 years) were studied: 81 patients with fibromyalgia (G1) and 106 individuals without the disease (G2). They had their peripheral blood sample submitted for analysis of GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms, serum levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). All subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire for data registry. Results: M1/ T1 prevalent genotype in G1 (50.6%) and G2 (45.3%; P = 0.564). Serum TBARS values were similar between the groups (G1 = 218.0 nmol/L; G2 = 233.44 nmol/L, P = 0.9939), whereas TEAC showed reduced values in G1 (2.1 nmol/L) compared with G2 (2.31 nmol/L, P = 0.0005). There was a positive correlation between TBARS and TEAC only among patients (r = 0.49; P = 0.0019). High levels of TEAC stood out among controls, regardless of smoking or drinking habits, compared with G1 (P < 0.0001 for both). There was no association between medication and levels of TBARS and TEAC among the analysed patients (p > 0.05). However, TEAC, when analysed separately, was lower among patients (P = 0.0005). Conclusions: There was no association of medication and the GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms with FM. However, reduced TEAC levels in patients reflect the inflammatory effect of the disease, with possible implications in the pathophysiology of FM.
A Study on Overfitting in Deep Reinforcement Learning

Recent years have witnessed significant progresses in deep Reinforcement Learning (RL). Empowered with large scale neural networks, carefully designed architectures, novel training algorithms and massively parallel computing devices, researchers are able to attack many challenging RL problems. However, in machine learning, more training power comes with a potential risk of more overfitting. As deep RL techniques are being applied to critical problems such as healthcare and finance, it is important to understand the generalization behaviors of the trained agents. In this paper, we conduct a systematic study of standard RL agents and find that they could overfit in various ways. Moreover, overfitting could happen "robustly": commonly used techniques in RL that add stochasticity do not necessarily prevent or detect overfitting. In particular, the same agents and learning algorithms could have drastically different test performance, even when all of them achieve optimal rewards during training. The observations call for more principled and careful evaluation protocols in RL. We conclude with a general discussion on overfitting in RL and a study of the generalization behaviors from the perspective of inductive bias.
Microbial community structure and dynamics in restored subtropical seagrass sediments

Microorganisms in seagrass sediments facilitate many key ecosystem processes, yet current knowledge of microbial facilitation of seagrass community recovery following disturbance or restoration is limited. We studied microbial community responses to restoration of a subtropical seagrass meadow disturbed by vessel groundings in south Florida, USA, and relationships between microbial communities and sediment properties at the study sites using terminal restric- tion fragment length polymorphism. Two restoration methods were evaluated: the installation of bird roosting stakes as a means to provide a nutrient source, and placement of sand fill into exca- vations to prevent erosion. Both disturbed and restoration sites had less complex microbial com- munity structure than undisturbed reference seagrass sediments. Microbial community structure varied little between disturbed and fertilized sites, but was distinct in filled sites. Sediment bulk density, sediment organic matter and total phosphorus content, porewater ammonium, soluble reactive phosphorus, and dissolved sulfide concentrations were important environmental predic- tors of microbial community structure across the restoration treatments. We show that community structure and diversity varied with sediment depth, among restoration treatments, and through time. Our results indicate that microbial communities in seagrass meadows are changed by phys- ical disturbance of the rhizosphere, and that common restoration techniques lead to the formation of distinct microbial communities during the first year of recovery.
Origin of Back‐Arc Basin Magmas: Trace Element and Isotope Perspectives

The compositions of back-arc basin basalts (BABB) can usefully be viewed as products of four factors: (1) the composition of inflowing mantle and its preconditioning during flow to the site of melting; (2) the influx of a subduction component into the arc-basin system; (3) the nature of the interaction between the mantle and subduction components; (4) the melting of water-rich mantle and the assimilation/ crystallization history of the resulting hydrous magma. Geochemical mapping using Nb/Yb as a mantle flow tracer indicates that mantle flow in arc-basin systems varies according to contributions from subduction-driven corner flow, flow around subduction edges, and deflection by barriers to flow. Geochemical mapping using Ba/Nb as a subduction tracer indicates that the magnitude of the subduction input is a function primarily of basin evolution, mantle flow patterns, and arc proximity. The subduction component may reach the back-arc by mixing with ambient mantle, by direct addition of a subduction component, by addition of a hydrous mantle melt, or by incorporation of a component stored in mantle lithosphere. Trace element and water contents of back-arc glasses indicate that decompression melting beneath back-arc basins is augmented by flux melting but suppressed by mixing with depleted mantle. Cl-K systematics indicate that water in back-arc basin magmas may be augmented by assimilation of hydrated ocean crust. The increased water content of primary BABB magmas leads to enhanced olivine and oxide crystallization, and to fluid exsolution at depth, both of which will influence the composition and architecture of the resulting back-arc oceanic crust.
Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors—A retrospective analysis of the Cooperative Weichteilsarkom Studiengruppe

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs) are a rare subgroup of soft tissue tumors. The outcome of patients with IMT has been reported as favorable when the tumor is completely resected. If surgical resection is not possible, systemic therapy has to be considered. However, the best systemic treatment and response rates are currently unclear.
On the value of added surcharge

A hidden surcharge is an added cost, such as shipping and handling. Retailers frequently use hidden surcharges to make it harder to compare prices. Our primary objective is to map the relationship between added surcharge and revenue, as well as its boundaries. We examine hidden surcharges in auctions for identical items but different surcharges, examining bidders’ willingness to pay in auctions with different added surcharges. We find that bidders do not accurately process price plus surcharge when the added surcharge difference is small but they become more attentive when the charge difference is higher. This leads to an inverted U-shape relationship between added surcharge level and price premium – the expected surplus to the seller for the auction with the higher surcharge. Further, the optimal surcharge changes inversely with bidder experience and the expected number of bidders. As bidders gain more experience, they tend to avoid bidding at higher surcharge auctions.
Can Job Control Ameliorate Work-family Conflict and Enhance Job Satisfaction among Chinese Registered Nurses? A Mediation Model

Background: Low job satisfaction is the most common cause of nurses' turnover and influences the quality of nursing service. Moreover, we have no idea regarding whether job control, as an individual factor, can play a role in the relationship. Objective: To explore the relationship between work-family conflict and job satisfaction among Chinese registered nurses and the mediating role of job control in this relationship. Methods: From August 2015 to November 2016, 487 Chinese registered nurses completed a survey. The study used work-family conflict scale, job control scale, job satisfaction scale, as well as general information. Multiple regression analysis was used to explore the independent factors of job satisfaction. Structural equation model was used to explore the mediating role of job control. Results: Work-family conflict was negatively correlated with job satisfaction (r ‑0.432, p<0.01). In addition, job control was positively related to job satisfaction (r 0.567, p<0.01). Work-family conflict and job control had significant predictive effects on job satisfaction. Job control partially mediated the relationship between work-family conflict and job satisfaction. Conclusion: Work-family conflict affected job satisfaction and job control was a mediator in this relationship among Chinese registered nurses. Job control could potentially improve nurses' job satisfaction.
Finite element analysis of impact-perforated reinforced concrete slabs

The safety of the workers and durability of structures against the impact of low-velocity falling weights is of significant importance in construction industry, especially for construction of multistorey buildings. The empirical formulae for the estimation of the impact behavior of reinforced concrete are limited to the domain settings in which they are generated and are originally developed for high-speed velocity impacts less relevant to the construction industry. This study presents a finite element analysis procedure for the impact analysis of reinforced concrete slabs under low-velocity and high-mass impacts using the Abaqus/Explicit solver. A modified Concrete Damage Plasticity material model with strain rate effects and a physically motivated element deletion criterion has been used for modelling concrete and strain-ratedependent elastoplastic damage model is utilized for modelling the reinforcement. A three dimensional Langrangian formulation and eight-node hexahedron elements with reduced integration are used for modelling concrete. The reinforcement is discretized with two-node beam elements. The numerical analysis is compared against three experimental impact tests carried out at Heriot-Watt University. In terms of perforation and the velocity-history of the impactor, the numerical results are found to be accurate. The validated finite element procedure is then used to estimate the minimum velocity of the impactor required to perforate, in the sense of the so-called ballistic limit, a 150 mm thick twolayer reinforced concrete slab for impactor weights 250 kg, 500 kg and 1000 kg. The obtained ballistic limits are compared to the empirical formula of UK Atomic Energy Authority: a very good correlation has been obtained, adding a second layer of validation onto the numerical procedure.