Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Higher sleep variability is associated with poorer glycaemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes

Sleep disturbances have been linked to insulin resistance and poor glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the data are limited in type 1 diabetes. Recently, varying day‐to‐day sleep schedules, i.e. sleep variability, have been associated with adverse metabolic profile in healthy individuals. This study explored whether sleep variability affects glycaemic control and insulin requirement in type 1 diabetes. Forty‐one adult patients with type 1 diabetes wore an actigraphy for 5 nights. Standard deviation of sleep duration, efficiency and mid‐sleep time were sleep variability parameters. Sleep apnoea risk and self‐reported sleep quality were assessed by the Berlin questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Haemoglobin A1c, diabetes complications and insulin regimen were obtained from medical records. After adjusting for neuropathic symptoms, sleep apnoea risk and poor self‐reported sleep quality, higher sleep variability was significantly associated with poorer glycaemic control (standard deviation of sleep duration, B = 0.100, P = 0.004; and standard deviation of mid‐sleep time, B = 0.068, P = 0.04). In addition, standard deviations of sleep duration and mid‐sleep time were highly correlated, suggesting that participants changed their sleep duration along with sleep timing. After adjusting for covariates, the standard deviation of sleep duration (P = 0.009) and standard deviation of mid‐sleep time (P = 0.012) were associated with higher insulin requirement. In summary, higher sleep variability, which likely reflects sleep deprivation alternating with sleep compensation along with shifts in their circadian timing, was associated with poorer glycaemic control and higher insulin requirement in patients with type 1 diabetes. Increased sleep regularity may improve metabolic control in type 1 diabetes.
Ordinary representations and modular forms.

This paper establishes criteria for a representation ρ : Gal(Q/Q) → GL2(Qp) to be “modular” in the sense that there is a newform f such that ρ ≅ ρf. Fontaine and Mazur have conjectured that ρ is modular provided it is unramified outside of a finite set of primes, irreducible, has odd determinant, and the restriction to a decomposition group Dp at p satisfies certain conditions. The following conjecture is a special case of [FM95, ref. 1, Conjecture 3c].
Using Neural Networks to Predict Emoji Usage from Twitter Data

As emojis have emerged as an increasingly important and standardized part of modern textual inputs, analyzing their usage patterns are becoming of great interest to any modern text system. We frame this investigation as a text classiﬁcation problem, mapping input text to their most likely accompanying emoji, utilizing 1.5 million scraped Twitter tweets for our training set. Both our LSTM-RNN model and our CNN model outperform our baseline, although the CNN model surprisingly achieves much better accuracy and F1 results. We conclude the paper by proposing future works in this area
The epidemiology of HIV and syphilis among male commercial sex workers in northern Thailand

Objective: To examine the prevalence and incidence of HIV and syphilis, and risk behaviors for these infections, among 1172 male commercial sex workers (CSW) followed prospectively from 1989 to 1994 in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. Methods: Twice yearly visits were conducted by the Thai Ministry of Public Health at all cooperating gay bars and clubs (17 sites) in Chiang Mai City as part of a national HIV sentinel surveillance. Men and boys who agreed were followed prospectively. Sentinel visits included an interview, HIV pre‐test counseling, HIV and syphilis serology, condom distribution, and referral for post‐test counseling. Participation was voluntary, confidential, and individual HIV results were available only to participating subjects. A total of 219 CSW were seen at least twice, allowing for incidence estimates based on 100 person‐years (PY). Results: Median age of male CSW was 20 years. Median time of work as a CSW was 4 months. Most men (57.6%) described themselves as heterosexual. Median number of clients was 2.5 per week, and reported condom use with clients was low: 42% reported inconsistent or no condom use, while 58% reported always using condoms. Reactive Venereal Disease Research Laboratory results were 7.6%, overall, but showed a declining trend. HIV prevalence was 1.4% in June 1989, 13.9% in June 1990, and 20.1% in December 1993, and showed a significant increasing trend. There were 27 incident HIV infections in 227.3 PY of observation, for an overall incidence during the 4.5‐year period of 11.9 per 100 PY (95% confidence interval, 7.42‐16.38). Conclusion: Male CSW in northern Thailand are at high risk for HIV despite current prevention efforts. The majority are heterosexual, which may be an important epidemiologic link in the spread of HIV between male CSW users and heterosexual women in Thailand. AIDS 1995, 9:517‐521
Monocyte suppression of Fusobacterium nucleatum-induced human polyclonal B-lymphocyte activation

Previous studies reported that Fusobacterium nucleatum induced polyclonal B-lymphocyte activation (PBA) as determined by immunoglobulin M production in cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. However, the PBA response was greatly enhanced when the cells were depleted of esterase-positive, adherent cells (i.e., monocytes). The purpose of this study was to confirm and further examine the suppression of F. nucleatum-induced PBA (F. nucleatum-PBA) by blood monocytes. For comparison, PBA induced by pokeweed mitogen (PWM-PBA), which is enhanced by monocytes, was assessed in some experiments. We found the removal of monocytes from unfractionated cells by (i) Sephadex G-10, (ii) anti-monocyte specific OM-1 monoclonal antibody plus complement, or (iii) L-leucine methyl ester, a compound which selectively kills lysosome-rich cells, resulted in a population of cells responsive to F. nucleatum-PBA and unresponsive to PWM-PBA. The addition of double adherence-purified monocytes (greater than 85% esterase-positive cells), particularly in concentrations of greater than 10%, to lymphocytes depleted of monocytes by G-10, OM-1, or L-leucine methyl ester treatments, suppressed F. nucleatum-PBA and enhanced PWM-PBA. Monocytes also suppressed a mixture of isolated T and B cells combined in a T/B cell ratio of 3:1, which is an optimal ratio for F. nucleatum-PBA. Allogeneic monocytes suppressed F. nucleatum-PBA, although at low numbers these cells were not as suppressive as autologous monocytes. Heating at 56 degrees C for 15 min, sonicating, or freeze-thawing the monocyte preparations resulted in an abrogation of monocyte-induced suppression of F. nucleatum-PBA. Kinetic studies in which fresh monocytes were added daily to lymphocytes stimulated with F. nucleatum or PWM showed that the monocytes must be added within the first 2 days of culture to suppress F. nucleatum-PBA or enhance PWM-PBA. Monocytes incubated with F. nucleatum for 48 h released into the culture medium a soluble factor that suppressed F. nucleatum-PBA. The results from this study demonstrate a potent mechanism by which the host might prevent exaggerated nonspecific immunoglobulin responses when exposed to PBA-inducing concentrations of F. nucleatum. On the other hand, the induction of suppressive monocytes (or monocyte-mediated suppressive factors) by interaction with F. nucleatum might result in the inhibition of host protective immune reactions.
Evidence That Bicarbonate Is Not the Substrate in Photosynthetic Oxygen Evolution1

It is widely accepted that the oxygen produced by photosystem II of cyanobacteria, algae, and plants is derived from water. Earlier proposals that bicarbonate may serve as substrate or catalytic intermediate are almost forgotten, though not rigorously disproved. These latter proposals imply that CO2 is an intermediate product of oxygen production in addition to O2. In this work, we investigated this possible role of exchangeable HCO3− in oxygen evolution in two independent ways. (1) We studied a possible product inhibition of the electron transfer into the catalytic Mn4Ca complex during the oxygen-evolving reaction by greatly increasing the pressure of CO2. This was monitored by absorption transients in the near UV. We found that a 3,000-fold increase of the CO2 pressure over ambient conditions did not affect the UV transient, whereas the S3 → S4 → S0 transition was half-inhibited by raising the O2 pressure only 10-fold over ambient, as previously established. (2) The flash-induced O2 and CO2 production by photosystem II was followed simultaneously with membrane inlet mass spectrometry under approximately 15% H218O enrichment. Light flashes that revealed the known oscillatory O2 release failed to produce any oscillatory CO2 signal. Both types of results exclude that exchangeable bicarbonate is the substrate for (and CO2 an intermediate product of) oxygen evolution by photosynthesis. The possibility that a tightly bound carbonate or bicarbonate is a cofactor of photosynthetic water oxidation has remained.
CaMKII represses transcriptionally active β‐catenin to mediate acute ethanol neurodegeneration and can phosphorylate β‐catenin

Prenatal ethanol exposure causes persistent neurodevelopmental deficits by inducing apoptosis within neuronal progenitors including the neural crest. The cellular signaling events underlying this apoptosis are unclear. Using an established chick embryo model, we previously identified ethanol's activation of calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) as a crucial early step in this pathway. Here, we report that CaMKII is pro‐apoptotic because it mediates the loss of transcriptionally active β‐catenin, which normally provides trophic support to these cells. β‐catenin over‐expression normalized cell survival in ethanol's presence. CaMKII inhibition similarly restored β‐catenin content and transcriptional activity within ethanol‐treated cells and prevented their cell death. In contrast, inhibition of alternative effectors known to destabilize β‐catenin, including glycogen synthase kinase‐3β, Protein Kinase C, JNK, and calpain, failed to normalize cell survival and β‐catenin activity in ethanol's presence. Importantly, we found that purified CaMKII can directly phosphorylate β‐catenin. Using targeted mutagenesis we identified CaMKII phosphorylation sites within human β‐catenin at T332, T472, and S552. This is the first demonstration that β‐catenin is a phosphorylation target of CaMKII and represents a novel mechanism by which calcium signals could regulate β‐catenin‐dependent transcription. These results inform ethanol's neurotoxicity and offer unexpected insights into other neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders having dysregulated calcium or β‐catenin signaling.
Determination of the Minimal Important Difference for the Acute Otitis Media Severity of Symptom Scale

Background: We previously developed and validated the acute otitis media severity of symptom (AOM-SOS) scale for rating symptoms of AOM in young children. In this report, we sought to estimate the minimal important difference (MID) for change in AOM-SOS scores. Methods: In a group of children 6–24 months of age with AOM enrolled in a recently reported placebo-controlled clinical trial of antibiotic efficacy, we compared changes in AOM-SOS scores with parental assessments of change over a 24-hour period. Mean absolute and mean relative change in scores in children reportedly exhibiting only a small degree of improvement were considered in arriving at an estimated MID. We then compared the proportions of children in the antibiotic and placebo groups, respectively, whose AOM-SOS scores changed more than the estimated MID at various time points after enrollment. Results: Data were available for 277 children. Children whose parents reported only a small degree of improvement 24 hours after enrollment had a mean decrease in AOM-SOS score of 3.8, or 55%, from baseline. We found the relative decrease more telling than the absolute decrease. The proportions of children in the antibiotic and placebo groups, respectively, whose AOM-SOS scores had decreased <55% on Day 7 were 12.3 and 23.8% (P = 0.02), and during Days 4–7 were 28 and 40% (P = 0.046). Conclusions: We estimated the MID for change in AOM-SOS scores in young children and described use of the MID as an added metric in interpreting results from a clinical trial of antibiotic efficacy.
A new Definition of Fractional Derivative without Singular Kernel

In the paper, we present a new definition of fractional deriva tive with a smooth kernel which takes on two different representations for the temporal and spatial variable. The first works on the time variables; thus it is suitable to use th e Laplace transform. The second definition is related to the spatial va riables, by a non-local fractional derivative, for which it is more convenient to work with the Fourier transform. The interest for this new approach with a regular kernel was born from the prospect that there is a class of non-local systems, which have the ability to descri be the material heterogeneities and the fluctuations of diff erent scales, which cannot be well described by classical local theories or by fractional models with singular kernel.
Systemic Signaling of the Plant Nitrogen Status Triggers Specific Transcriptome Responses Depending on the Nitrogen Source in Medicago truncatula1[W]

Legumes can acquire nitrogen (N) from NO3−, NH4+, and N2 (through symbiosis with Rhizobium bacteria); however, the mechanisms by which uptake and assimilation of these N forms are coordinately regulated to match the N demand of the plant are currently unknown. Here, we find by use of the split-root approach in Medicago truncatula plants that NO3− uptake, NH4+ uptake, and N2 fixation are under general control by systemic signaling of plant N status. Indeed, irrespective of the nature of the N source, N acquisition by one side of the root system is repressed by high N supply to the other side. Transcriptome analysis facilitated the identification of over 3,000 genes that were regulated by systemic signaling of the plant N status. However, detailed scrutiny of the data revealed that the observation of differential gene expression was highly dependent on the N source. Localized N starvation results, in the unstarved roots of the same plant, in a strong compensatory up-regulation of NO3− uptake but not of either NH4+ uptake or N2 fixation. This indicates that the three N acquisition pathways do not always respond similarly to a change in plant N status. When taken together, these data indicate that although systemic signals of N status control root N acquisition, the regulatory gene networks targeted by these signals, as well as the functional response of the N acquisition systems, are predominantly determined by the nature of the N source.
The Impact of Gamification on Word-of-Mouth Effectiveness: Evidence from Foursquare

Companies are encouraging and incentivizing contributors of online word-of-mouth (WOM) through gamification elements such as badges, mayorships, points, and such. We study how gamification elements, which capture and signal contributors’ accumulated expertise, affect consumers’ perception of contributors’ knowledge, and therefore the perceived effectiveness of their contributed WOM. We focus on two specific gamification elements on Foursquare: badges, which signal breadth of knowledge, and mayorships, which signal depth of knowledge. Using experiments conducted on Amazon Mechanical Turk, we find: (1) badges and mayorships that appear alongside contributors’ online WOM, provide a unique way to signal WOM contributors’ knowledge and therefore have an impact on the perceived effectiveness of such WOM; (2) the impact of badges on perceived WOM effectiveness is higher than that of mayorships. Our findings have important implications for the ongoing research on the impact of gamification and also suggest ways for firms to benefit from gamification.
Assessing the effect of corporate social responsibility on financial performance of a company

Purpose – to research the effect of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the corporate financial performance (CFP) of quoted banks in Nigeria. Design/Method/Research approach. Using data of corporate social responsibility expenditure as a proxy for CSR and the trio of return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and bank earnings per share (EPS) as a proxy for CFP, regression analysis was conducted. ROA, ROE, and EPS data were collected from the banks’ financial statements for the period 2012 – 2016. Findings. In particular, our analysis and findings suggest that CSR expenditure had no significant effect on all the three proxies of CFP of quoted banks in Nigeria. It supports the arguments in the literature that financial performance alone does not justify expenditure on CSR activities by the quoted Nigerian banks. Practical implications. Our results show that there is a need for banks to consider other factors to see if the case for CSR activities exists. If they do not, the banks should stop engaging in these activities to increase the banks’ profitability. Paper type – empirical.
Is E-Learning the Solution and Substitute for Conventional Learning?

This study was conducted to assess whether substitution of conventional learning with e-learning can improve the education standard and knowledge of people especially in this information world. This paper was conducted mainly among students and lecturers in educational learning. It starts with a definition on e-learning and conventional learning to provide a basic knowledge about e-learning and conventional learning. It continues with the introduction, the objectives, limitations and the scope of the topic as the guidelines to guide the research to be conducted thoroughly and precisely. This is followed by explanation of opinions and comments about the topic based on some additional sources or articles. A combination of procedures such as questionnaire and interview are used as instrument tool for this survey. The data gathered from the survey were analyzed to determine that e-learning provide more benefits than conventional learning.
Presence of Diabetic Ketoacidosis at Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus in Youth: The Search for Diabetes in Youth Study

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to determine the prevalence and predictors of diabetic ketoacidosis at the diagnosis of diabetes in a large sample of youth from the US population. PATIENTS AND METHODS. The Search for Diabetes in Youth Study, a multicenter, population-based registry of diabetes with diagnosis before 20 years of age, identified 3666 patients with new onset of diabetes in the study areas in 2002–2004. Medical charts were reviewed in 2824 (77%) of the patients in a standard manner to abstract the results of laboratory tests and to ascertain diabetic ketoacidosis at the time of diagnosis. Diabetic ketoacidosis was defined by blood bicarbonate <15 mmol/L and/or venous pH < 7.25 (arterial/capillary pH < 7.30), International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, code 250.1, or listing of diabetic ketoacidosis in the medical chart. RESULTS. More than half (54%) of the patients were hospitalized at diagnosis, including 93% of those with diabetic ketoacidosis and 41% without diabetic ketoacidosis. The prevalence of diabetic ketoacidosis at the diagnosis was 25.5%. The prevalence decreased with age from 37.3% in children aged 0 to 4 years to 14.7% in those aged 15 to 19 years. Diabetic ketoacidosis prevalence was significantly higher in patients with type 1 (29.4%) rather than in those with type 2 diabetes (9.7%). After adjusting for the effects of center, age, gender, race or ethnicity, diabetes type, and family history of diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis was associated with lower family income, less desirable health insurance coverage, and lower parental education. CONCLUSION. At the time of diagnosis, 1 in 4 youth presents with diabetic ketoacidosis. Those with diabetic ketoacidosis were more likely to be hospitalized. Diabetic ketoacidosis was a presenting feature of <10% of youth with type 2. Young and poor children are disproportionately affected.
Concurrent analysis: towards generalisable qualitative research.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study develops an original method of qualitative analysis coherent with its interpretivist principles. The objective is to increase the likelihood of achieving generalisability and so improve the chance of the findings being translated into practice. BACKGROUND Good qualitative research depends on coherent analysis of different types of data. The limitations of existing methodologies are first discussed to justify the need for a novel approach. To illustrate this approach, primary evidence is presented using the new methodology. The primary evidence consists of a constructivist grounded theory of how mental health nurses with prescribing authority integrate prescribing into practice. This theory is built concurrently from interviews, reflective accounts and case study data from the literature. DESIGN Concurrent analysis. METHOD Ten research articles and 13 semi-structured interviews were sampled purposively and then theoretically and analysed concurrently using constructivist grounded theory. RESULTS A theory of the process of becoming competent in mental health nurse prescribing was generated through this process. This theory was validated by 32 practising mental health nurse prescribers as an accurate representation of their experience. CONCLUSIONS The methodology generated a coherent and generalisable theory. It is therefore claimed that concurrent analysis engenders consistent and iterative treatment of different sources of qualitative data in a manageable manner. This process supports facilitation of the highest standard of qualitative research. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Concurrent analysis removes the artificial delineation of relevant literature from other forms of constructed data. This gives researchers clear direction to treat qualitative data consistently raising the chances of generalisability of the findings. Raising the generalisability of qualitative research will increase its chances of informing clinical practice.