Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Total homocysteine in patients with type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Our aim was to study the presence of moderate hyperhomocysteinemia, a risk factor for premature cardiovascular disease, its modifying vitamin factors (folates, vitamins B12 and B6), and lipid risk factors in juvenile type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 91 patients with type 1 diabetes (46 girls and 45 boys) were studied, with ages ranging from 11 to 18 years, a duration of diabetes from 1 to 15 years, and in pubertal development (stages III, IV, V). In all patients, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), folates, cobalamin, vitamin B6, and total homocysteine were determined by specific assays. Microalbuminuria, defined as a ratio of albumin/creatinine >3 mg/mmol creatinine, was analyzed in the first morning specimen. RESULTS Plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations were not different in the 91 diabetic children (median [range]) (11-15 years, 6.1 micromol/l [3.2-9.6]; 16-18 years, 7.3 micromol/l [3.9-12]) compared with the control group (11-15 years, 6.6 micromol/l [4.4-10.8]; 16-18 years, 8.1 micromol/l [4.6-11.3]). No significant differences were found in tHcy values in relation to the metabolic control of the disease as assessed by glycohemoglobin values, the duration of disease, alterations in fundus oculi, or presence of lymphocytic thyroiditis. A positive correlation was found between tHcy and plasma creatinine in type 1 diabetic patients that might be related with the increase in muscle mass. There was a negative correlation between tHcy and serum folate (P<0.001) and vitamin B12 (P<0.05), but not with vitamin B6 levels. No significant correlations were found between tHcy and the lipid parameters. CONCLUSIONS Hyperhomocysteinemia was not detected in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.
Optical Transformation during Movement: Review of the Optical Concomitants of Egomotion

Abstract : The primary goals of this report are to make the formal mathematical descriptions of the optical concomitants of rectilinear self-motion through the environment more useful by consolidating, clarifying, and extending them. The report includes: (1) a critical review of the literature on the optical bases for the perception of rectilinear self-motion, (2) an outline of a comprehensive framework for the study of self-motion perception based on J. J. Gibson's ecological approach, and (3) an introduction to a unified mathematical treatment of the global optical effects of rectilinear self-motion. A careful distinction is maintained between geometrical facts and perceptual or psychological aspects of self-motion. The report is written in a tutorial style.
Health systems in transition: template for analysis

The Health Systems in Transition (HiT) profiles are country-based reports that provide a detailed description of a health system and of policy initiatives in progress or under development. HiTs examine different approaches to the organization, financing and delivery of health services and the role of the main actors in health systems; describe the institutional framework, process, content and implementation of health and health care policies; and highlight challenges and areas that require more in-depth analysis. Denmark is a small country with 5.4 million inhabitants; however, it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. It is a monarchy with fairly autonomous local governments, consisting of 5 regions and 98 municipalities. Population health, as measured by life expectancy, is relatively low in comparison to other European countries, but it has recently increased. The Danish health care sector is dominated by the public sector and is financed by local and state taxes. Somatic and psychiatric health care, carried out at public hospitals, and primary health services, which are delivered by general practitioners (GPs) and other practising health professionals, are administered by the regions. The regions are financed by the State and to a certain extent by the municipalities. The regions own and run most hospitals, and practising health professionals are self-employed and reimbursed by the regions, mainly using a fee-forservice mechanism. The municipalities are responsible for elderly care, social psychiatry, prevention and health promotion, rehabilitation and other types of care that are not directly related to hospital inpatient care. Access to health care is fairly equal when health status is taken into account. For all citizens with residence permits, access to health care is free of charge at hospitals and from GPs, whereas access to pharmaceuticals, dentists and some other services require co-payment. During recent years, the focus of health care reforms has been on
H-Bond Acceptor Parameters for Anions.

UV/vis absorption titrations have been used to investigate the formation of H-bonded complexes between anionic H-bond acceptors (HBAs) and neutral H-bond donors (HBDs) in organic solvents. Complexes formed by three different HBDs with 15 different anions were studied in chloroform and in acetonitrile. The data were used to determine self-consistent HBA parameters (β) for chloride, bromide, iodide, phosphate diester, acetate, benzoate, perrhenate, nitrate, triflimide, perchlorate, hexafluorophosphate, hydrogen sulfate, methyl sulfonate, triflate, and perfluorobutyl sulfonate. The results demonstrate the transferability of H-bond parameters for anions between different solvents and different HBD partners, allowing reliable prediction of anion recognition properties in other scenarios. Carboxylates are the strongest HBAs studied, with β parameters (≈ 15) that are significantly higher than those of neutral organic HBAs, and the non-coordinating anion hexafluorophosphate is the weakest acceptor, with a β parameter comparable to that of pyridine. The effects of ion pairing with the counter-cation were found to be negligible, provided small polar cations were avoided in the less polar solvent (chloroform). There is no correlation between the H-bonding properties of the anions and the pKa values of the conjugate acids.
COH-SR4 Reduces Body Weight, Improves Glycemic Control and Prevents Hepatic Steatosis in High Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disorder caused by imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, and is one of the principal causative factors in the development of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cancer. COH-SR4 (“SR4”) is a novel investigational compound that has anti-cancer and anti-adipogenic properties. In this study, the effects of SR4 on metabolic alterations in high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese C57BL/J6 mice were investigated. Oral feeding of SR4 (5 mg/kg body weight.) in HFD mice for 6 weeks significantly reduced body weight, prevented hyperlipidemia and improved glycemic control without affecting food intake. These changes were associated with marked decreases in epididymal fat mass, adipocyte hypertrophy, increased plasma adiponectin and reduced leptin levels. SR4 treatment also decreased liver triglycerides, prevented hepatic steatosis, and normalized liver enzymes. Western blots demonstrated increased AMPK activation in liver and adipose tissues of SR4-treated HFD obese mice, while gene analyses by real time PCR showed COH-SR4 significantly suppressed the mRNA expression of lipogenic genes such as sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (Srebf1), acetyl-Coenzyme A carboxylase (Acaca), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Pparg), fatty acid synthase (Fasn), stearoyl-Coenzyme A desaturase 1 (Scd1), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (Cpt1a) and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase (Hmgcr), as well as gluconeogenic genes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (Pck1) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6pc) in the liver of obese mice. In vitro, SR4 activates AMPK independent of upstream kinases liver kinase B1 (LKB1) and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ). Together, these data suggest that SR4, a novel AMPK activator, may be a promising therapeutic compound for treatment of obesity, fatty liver disease, and related metabolic disorders.
Avalanche Gain and Energy Resolution of Semiconductor X-ray Detectors

Realistic Monte Carlo simulations for the avalanche gain of absorbed X-ray photons were carried out in a study of the relationship between avalanche gain and energy resolution for semiconductor X-ray avalanche photodiodes (APDs). The work explored how the distribution of gains, which directly affects the energy resolution, depends on the number of injected electron-hole pairs (and, hence, the photon energy), the relationship between ionization coefficients, and the mean gain itself. We showed that the conventional notion of APD gains significantly degrading energy resolution is incomplete. If the X-ray photons are absorbed outside the avalanche region, then high avalanche gains with little energy resolution penalty can be achieved using dissimilar ionization coefficients. However, absorption of X-ray photons within the avalanche region will always result in broad gain distribution (degrading energy resolution), unless electrons and holes have similar ionization coefficients.
A Theory of Immediate Awareness: Self-Organization and Adaptation in Natural Intelligence

Dedication. Contents. List Of Figures. Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1: The Problem of Immediate Awareness. 1.1. The Influence of Nominalism, Idealism, and Behaviorism. 1.2. A Place for Ontological Questions. 1.3. Historical Background of the Problem: The Dualist Legacy of Descartes' Crooked Question. 1.4. From The Linguistic Turn to the Cognitive Naturalistic Turn. 1.5. The Knowing That and Knowing How Distinction: Manner of a Performance and Multiple Intelligences. 1.6. The Limits of Representation (Classification): The Role of Indexicals and Unique Objects Present. 1.7. Analyze This. 1.8. The Indexical Operator, Unlike Any Other: Sui Generis Objects. 1.9. The Basic Computational Idea and Argument. 2: The Primitive Relations of Knowledge by Acquaintance. 2.1. A Realist Theory of Immediate Awareness. 2.2. Analysis of Experience: Russell's Knowledge by Acquaintance. 2.3. Acquaintance with Mathematical Objects: Problems with Unnameables, Nameability and the Berry Paradox. 2.4. The Primitive Relations. 2.5. The Concept of Image. 2.6. Imagination and Sensation Defined. 2.7. Primitive Acquaintance with Relations Themselves. 2.8. Summary. 3: Arguments Against Immediate Awareness: The Case of Naturalism. 3.1. Definitions of Certain Terms. 3.2. Non-Inferential Beliefs: Self-Evident Beliefs and a Vox Populi Theory of Knowledge. 3.3. Indeterminacy of Translation and Other Problems. 3.4. Are There Immaculate Sensations? 3.5. Matching Up Stimulations. 3.6. Are Meaning Structures Equivalent to Neural Structures? 3.7. Critique of Naturalist Theory of Knowledge. 3.8. Summary. 4: What Does the Evidence Show. 4.1. Problems with Subjective Definitions of Awareness. 4.2. Neurophysical Experiments. 4.3. Cortical Information, the Preattentive and Attentive Phases. 4.4. The Primitives of the Preattentive Phase. 4.5. Evidence for Cognitive Immediate Awareness. 4.6. Where Do We Enter the Circle of Cognition? 4.7. Learning All Over the Nervous System: Multiple Intelligences. 4.8. Bodily Kinaesthetic Intelligence. 4.9. Classification of Performances. 4.10. The Hierarchy of Primitive Relations of Immediate Awareness. 4.11. Primitive Relations of Preattending, Attending and the Problem with Paying Attention. 4.12. Multiple Spaces of Primitive Immediate Awareness. 4.13. The Primitive Relation of Imagining Hierarchy of the Senses, Touching, Moving, Probing and Their Spaces. 4.14. Summary. 5: Boundary Set S: At the Core of Multiple Intelligences. 5.1. Kinds of Knowing in Boundary Set S. 5.2. A Framework for Thinking About Boundary Set S: Dynamical Systems Theory and Kauffman's Random Boolean Nets for a Geometry of Knowing. 5.3. The Formal and Geometric Structure of the Knowing Universe. 5.4. Digraph Theory of Knowing Relations. 5.5. Properties of Relations: Natural and Artificial Intelligence Systems. 5.6. Information-Theoretic (H) Measures of the Universal Epistemic Set. 5.7. Mechanism or Organicism. 5.8. Poincare Map and Random Graphs of Primitive Knowing Relations: From a Symbol-Based View to a Geometric View. 5.9. A Toy Model of a Random
Unifying Message Passing Algorithms Under the Framework of Constrained Bethe Free Energy Minimization

Variational message passing (VMP), belief propagation (BP) and expectation propagation (EP) have found their wide applications in complex statistical signal processing problems. In addition to viewing them as a class of algorithms operating on graphical models, this article unifies them under an optimization framework, namely, Bethe free energy minimization with differently and appropriately imposed constraints. This new perspective in terms of constraint manipulation can offer additional insights on the connection between different message passing algorithms and is valid for a generic statistical model. It also founds a theoretical framework to systematically derive message passing variants. Taking the sparse signal recovery (SSR) problem as an example, a low-complexity EP variant can be obtained by simple constraint reformulation, delivering better estimation performance with lower complexity than the standard EP algorithm. Furthermore, we can resort to the framework for the systematic derivation of hybrid message passing for complex inference tasks. Notably, a hybrid message passing algorithm is exemplarily derived for joint SSR and statistical model learning with near-optimal inference performance and scalable complexity.
A Case Study of Chemical Characteristics of Daytime and Nighttime Ambient Particles in Shanghai, China

Ambient daytime and nighttime PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm) and TSP (the total suspended particulates) samples were collected at two sites (named Pudong and Jinshan) in Shanghai. The concentrations of PM2.5 and TSP were lower at Pudong than at Jinshan. Higher PM2.5 and TSP concentrations were observed during daytime than nighttime for both sites. Carbonaceous aerosol and secondary sulfate were the most abundant components. Larger enrichment factor (EFs) of Zn, Pb, Cl, and S for Jinshan nighttime were observed than for other sampling periods. PM2.5 showed higher relative spatial uniformity (the coefficients of divergence, COD = 0.18) than TSP (COD = 0.23) during the sampling period. The variations of chemical components and the species ratios showed that the contributions of primary particulate emissions in Jinshan (industrial zone) were more significant than in Pudong (residential zone).
Diagnostic work-up of 449 consecutive girls who were referred to be evaluated for precocious puberty.

OBJECTIVE A decrease in age at pubertal onset has been observed internationally. The aim of this study was to describe a large cohort of Caucasian girls referred with signs of early puberty according to etiology and compare biochemical characteristics. METHODS In this single-center study, we included 449 consecutive Caucasian girls who were referred with signs of early puberty during the years 1993-2009. We evaluated pubertal stage, height, weight, and bone age. FSH, LH, estradiol, and inhibin B were determined, and a standard GnRH test was performed. Brain magnetic resonance imaging was performed to rule out pathologies. RESULTS During the period from 1993-2008, we found an increase in the number of girls in most diagnostic groups. Of 449 girls, 88 had central precocious puberty (CPP), and 12 of these had an organic origin. A total of 129 had early-normal variant (8-9 yr), 69 had premature thelarche, and 49 premature adrenarche. Receiver operating characteristic analyses revealed that basal LH was superior in predicting the maximal LH level during GnRH testing in comparison with FSH, estradiol, and inhibin B levels. Basal LH levels were above the age-related 2 sd in 26.2, 19.6, 65.1, and 75.0% of girls with, respectively, early-normal variant, premature thelarche, idiopathic CPP, and organic CPP, but LH levels below the detection limit were also seen among girls with a pubertal GnRH test. CONCLUSION We observed an increasing number of girls referred because of early pubertal signs. An elevated basal LH was highly predictive of a pubertal GnRH test result, whereas a low LH did not exclude central pubertal activation.
When working is not enough: food insecurity in the Canadian labour force

Abstract Objective Food insecurity, lack of access to food due to financial constraints, is highly associated with poor health outcomes. Households dependent on social assistance are at increased risk of experiencing food insecurity, but food insecurity has also been reported in households reporting their main source of income from employment/wages (working households). The objective of the present study was to examine the correlates of food insecurity among households reliant on employment income. Design Working households reporting food insecurity were studied through analysis of the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2007–2008, employing descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Food insecurity was measured using the Household Food Security Survey Module; all provinces participated. Setting Canada. Subjects Canadian households where main income was derived through labour force participation. Social assistance recipients were excluded. Results For the period 2007–2008, 4 % of working households reported food insecurity. Canadian households reliant on primary earners with less education and lower incomes were significantly more likely to experience food insecurity; these differences were accentuated across some industry sectors. Residence in Quebec was protective. Working households experiencing food insecurity were more likely to include earners reporting multiples jobs and higher job stress. Visible minority workers with comparable education levels experienced higher rates of food insecurity than European-origin workers. Conclusions Reliance on employment income does not eliminate food insecurity for a significant proportion of households, and disproportionately so for households with racialized minority workers. Increases in work stress may increase the susceptibility to poor health outcomes of workers residing in households reporting food insecurity.
A predictive control scheme for systems with variable time-delay

This article deals with the robust control design problem for linear time invariant systems affected by variable feedback delay. Constraints on the system state are considered in the system description. The starting point is the construction of a predictive control law which guarantees the existence of a nonempty robust positive invariant (RPI) set with respect to the closed-loop dynamics. Subsequently, an iterative algorithm is proposed in order to obtain an approximation of the maximal RPI set. The problem can be treated in the framework of piecewise affine systems due to the explicit formulations of the control law obtained via multiparametric programming.
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profiling Analysis of ZmPIN, ZmPILS, ZmLAX and ZmABCB Auxin Transporter Gene Families in Maize (Zea mays L.) under Various Abiotic Stresses

The auxin influx carriers auxin resistant 1/like aux 1 (AUX/LAX), efflux carriers pin-formed (PIN) (together with PIN-like proteins) and efflux/conditional P-glycoprotein (ABCB) are major protein families involved in auxin polar transport. However, how they function in responses to exogenous auxin and abiotic stresses in maize is largely unknown. In this work, the latest updated maize (Zea mays L.) reference genome sequence was used to characterize and analyze the ZmLAX, ZmPIN, ZmPILS and ZmABCB family genes from maize. The results showed that five ZmLAXs, fifteen ZmPINs, nine ZmPILSs and thirty-five ZmABCBs were mapped on all ten maize chromosomes. Highly diversified gene structures, nonconservative transmembrane helices and tissue-specific expression patterns suggested the possibility of function diversification for these genes. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to analyze the expression patterns of ZmLAX, ZmPIN, ZmPILS and ZmABCB genes under exogenous auxin and different environmental stresses. The expression levels of most ZmPIN, ZmPILS, ZmLAX and ZmABCB genes were induced in shoots and were reduced in roots by various abiotic stresses (drought, salt and cold stresses). The opposite expression response patterns indicated the dynamic auxin transport between shoots and roots under abiotic stresses. Analysis of the expression patterns of ZmPIN, ZmPILS, ZmLAX and ZmABCB genes under drought, salt and cold treatment may help us to understand the possible roles of maize auxin transporter genes in responses and tolerance to environmental stresses.
LARGE ANIMAL MODELS: BABOONS FOR TRAUMA, SHOCK, AND SEPSIS STUDIES

A few limited examples of large animal models are outlined, with the main emphasis on baboon models. The baboon offers all the advantages of a large animal and is comparable with humans in nearly all physiological and immunological aspects. In addition, cross-reactivity with human therapeutic and diagnostic reagents allows testing of new species-specific therapies such as antihuman antibodies, on the one hand, and monitoring with available human analytical procedures, on the other.
A Novel Mouse Model of Atherosclerotic Plaque Instability for Drug Testing and Mechanistic/Therapeutic Discoveries Using Gene and MicroRNA Expression Profiling

Rationale: The high morbidity/mortality of atherosclerosis is typically precipitated by plaque rupture and consequent thrombosis. However, research on underlying mechanisms and therapeutic approaches is limited by the lack of animal models that reproduce plaque instability observed in humans. Objective: Development and use of a mouse model of plaque rupture that reflects the end stage of human atherosclerosis. Methods and Results: On the basis of flow measurements and computational fluid dynamics, we applied a tandem stenosis to the carotid artery of apolipoprotein E–deficient mice on high-fat diet. At 7 weeks postoperatively, we observed intraplaque hemorrhage in ≈50% of mice, as well as disruption of fibrous caps, intraluminal thrombosis, neovascularization, and further characteristics typically seen in human unstable plaques. Administration of atorvastatin was associated with plaque stabilization and downregulation of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and ubiquitin. Microarray profiling of mRNA and microRNA (miR) and, in particular, its combined analysis demonstrated major differences in the hierarchical clustering of genes and miRs among nonatherosclerotic arteries, stable, and unstable plaques and allows the identification of distinct genes/miRs, potentially representing novel therapeutic targets for plaque stabilization. The feasibility of the described animal model as a discovery tool was established in a pilot approach, identifying a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin motifs 4 (ADAMTS4) and miR-322 as potential pathogenic factors of plaque instability in mice and validated in human plaques. Conclusions: The newly described mouse model reflects human atherosclerotic plaque instability and represents a discovery tool toward the development and testing of therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing plaque rupture. Distinctly expressed genes and miRs can be linked to plaque instability.