Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visfatin in overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases: a meta‐analysis and systemic review

There are controversies regarding the association of visfatin with overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance (IR), metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease in published articles. A meta‐analysis was performed to identify the significance of visfatin in these diseases. We searched for relevant articles in Pubmed, Scopus and SCIE. A total of 1035 articles were surveyed and 46 articles were identified, with 14 reports reporting more than one of our investigated diseases. A total of 13 (n = 644), 19 (n = 2405), 20 (n = 2249), 5 (n = 527) and 5 (n = 851) articles/(participants) were included in each meta‐analysis regarding the association of visfatin and overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases, respectively. Plasma visfatin concentrations were increased in participants diagnosed with overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases, with pooled log odds ratios of 1.164 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.348 to 1.981, p = 0.005], 1.981 (95% CI: 1.377 to 2.584, p < 0.001), 1.094 (95% CI: 0.678 to 1.511, p < 0.001), and 2.902 (95% CI: 0.924 to 4.879, p < 0.005), respectively. The circulating visfatin level was positively associated with insulin resistance, with a Fisher's z of 0.089 (95% CI: 0.013 to 0.165, p = 0.022). No single study was found to affect the overall result of each analysis by sensitivity testing. No publication bias was found by the Egger test. Our study suggests that the use of visfatin may be promising for predicting obesity, diabetes status, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Description of the Professional Identities of Arkansas Agriculture Teachers

After decades of research in agricultural education on teacher knowledge, needs, behaviors, satisfaction, and attrition, calls for additional research and reform have remained fairly consistent. One potential factor influencing the rate at which these challenges are overcome is teacher professional identity, which shapes how teachers interpret and respond to knowledge delivered through professional development. Shoulders and Myers (2011) suggested the unique circumstances of agricultural education lead teachers to maintain a professional identity different than that of other educators, but little research has been conducted with regard to the professional identities of agriculture teachers. Using the theories of constructivism and planned behavior, this study utilized a researcher-adapted survey to describe the professional identities of Arkansas agriculture teachers. Findings indicated teachers identified as agriculture teachers more so than agriculturalists or educators, the professional identity of the agricultural educator was significantly different than that of the educator or the agriculturalist, and length of teaching experience was not related to professional identity score. We recommend teacher educators include the development of professional identity as a component of all professional development experiences. Recommendations for further research include qualitative investigation into the ways in which agriculture teachers’ professional identities manifest in the agriculture program.
Intention of future donations: a study of donors versus non‐donors

Recent years have seen the level of blood donation at a world level come to a standstill or even decline. This situation requires blood donation services to make efforts to increase donor recruitment and retention, as well as to increase the frequency of donations among current donors. In order to obtain good results, it is essential to understand the factors that affect intention to donate.
Using dry ports for port co-opetition: the case of Adriatic ports

This paper explores the use of dry ports as a tool of both inter-port competition and potential co-opetition. The case examined is of hinterland access to central Europe by Adriatic ports, an area that is mostly served by North European ports despite a much shorter sailing distance from Asian to Adriatic ports. A port choice model based on preference rates is presented to determine the trade-off between subjective port choice preference and transport distance using linear programming and analytic hierarchy process. The model investigates the gap between truly captive and competitive hinterland. Results suggest that individual dry ports established by individual Adriatic ports make only a small difference but a combined dry port could enable them to capture some of the hinterland from Northern ports, not only by reducing transport costs but also by improving the PR due to the provision of better access and facilities.
Outcomes of liver transplant recipients with hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus coinfection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a controversial indication for liver transplantation (LT) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected patients because of reportedly poor outcomes. This prospective, multicenter US cohort study compared patient and graft survival for 89 HCV/HIV‐coinfected patients and 2 control groups: 235 HCV‐monoinfected LT controls and all US transplant recipients who were 65 years old or older. The 3‐year patient and graft survival rates were 60% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 47%‐71%] and 53% (95% CI = 40%‐64%) for the HCV/HIV patients and 79% (95% CI = 72%‐84%) and 74% (95% CI = 66%‐79%) for the HCV‐infected recipients (P < 0.001 for both), and HIV infection was the only factor significantly associated with reduced patient and graft survival. Among the HCV/HIV patients, older donor age [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.3 per decade], combined kidney‐liver transplantation (HR = 3.8), an anti‐HCV–positive donor (HR = 2.5), and a body mass index < 21 kg/m2 (HR = 3.2) were independent predictors of graft loss. For the patients without the last 3 factors, the patient and graft survival rates were similar to those for US LT recipients. The 3‐year incidence of treated acute rejection was 1.6‐fold higher for the HCV/HIV patients versus the HCV patients (39% versus 24%, log rank P = 0.02), but the cumulative rates of severe HCV disease at 3 years were not significantly different (29% versus 23%, P = 0.21). In conclusion, patient and graft survival rates are lower for HCV/HIV‐coinfected LT patients versus HCV‐monoinfected LT patients. Importantly, the rates of treated acute rejection (but not the rates of HCV disease severity) are significantly higher for HCV/HIV‐coinfected recipients versus HCV‐infected recipients. Our results indicate that HCV per se is not a contraindication to LT in HIV patients, but recipient and donor selection and the management of acute rejection strongly influence outcomes. Liver Transpl 18:716–726, 2012. © 2012 AASLD.
Iodine status and fish intake of Sudanese schoolchildren living in the Red Sea and White Nile regions

Abstract Objective To investigate iodine status and fish consumption of schoolchildren living in the Red Sea and White Nile regions of Sudan. Design Cross-sectional study to determine urinary iodine concentration, visible goitre rate, iodine content of salt and fish consumption. Setting Port Sudan (Red Sea) and Jabal Awliya (White Nile), Sudan. Subjects Two hundred eighty (n 280) children aged 6–12 years (142 boys, 138 girls). Results The median urinary iodine concentration in children from Port Sudan and Jabal Awliya was 553 and 160 μg/l, respectively. Goitre was detected in 17·1 % of children from Port Sudan but only in 1·4 % from Jabal Awliya, The salt samples from Port Sudan contained 150–360 mg iodine (KOI3)/kg salt, whereas those from Jabal Awliya had levels below the detection limit. Despite consuming salt devoid of iodine, children from Jabal Awliya had optimal iodine status. It is plausible that consumption of Nile fish from Jabal Awliya Reservoir, which is a good source of iodine and favoured by the locals, might have provided sufficient iodine. In contrast, children from Port Sudan were at higher risk of iodine-induced hyperthyroidism resulting from consumption of excessively iodised salt. Conclusions The findings of the study clearly demonstrated that (i) Sudan still has a problem with iodine nutrition and quality control and monitoring of salt iodisation and (ii) including fish in the diet could provide a sufficient amount of iodine for schoolchildren.
Hot-Switching Test of Non-Contact Type MEMS Switch

This paper presents the performance and power handling properties of a capacitive MEMS switch. The switch is a completely non-contact-type switch built with several capacitors that contain air gaps, and free from contact failures that frequently occur in contact-type switches. The switch was designed for 24 GHz automotive radar applications, and the average RF performance of the fabricated switches includes insertion loss of 0.5 dB and isolation of 20 dB at 24 GHz. The lifetime, power-handling properties, and linearity are examined in a hot-switching mode. After 109 continuous cycles in a hot-switching mode with 18 mW RF input power, mechanical failures or RF performance degradation were not detected. Power handling capacity of 0.9 W under hot-switching condition was achieved.
Who benefits from GRW? Heterogeneous employment effects of investment subsidies in Saxony Anhalt

The paper estimates the plant level employment effects of investment subsidies in one of the most strongly subsidized German Federal States. We analyze the treated plants as a whole, as well as the influence of heterogeneity in plant characteristics and the economic environment. Modifying the standard matching and difference-in-difference approach, we develop a new procedure that is particularly useful for the evaluation of funding programs with individual treatment phases within the funding period. Our data base combines treatment, employment and regional information from different sources. So, we can relate the absolute effects to the amount of the subsidy paid. The results suggest that investment subsidies have a positive influence on the employment development in absolute and standardized figures - with considerable effect heterogeneity.
Temperature and humidity based projections of a rapid rise in global heat stress exposure during the 21st century

As a result of global increases in both temperature and specific humidity, heat stress is projected to intensify throughout the 21st century. Some of the regions most susceptible to dangerous heat and humidity combinations are also among the most densely populated. Consequently, there is the potential for widespread exposure to wet bulb temperatures that approach and in some cases exceed postulated theoretical limits of human tolerance by mid- to late-century. We project that by 2080 the relative frequency of present-day extreme wet bulb temperature events could rise by a factor of 100–250 (approximately double the frequency change projected for temperature alone) in the tropics and parts of the mid-latitudes, areas which are projected to contain approximately half the world’s population. In addition, population exposure to wet bulb temperatures that exceed recent deadly heat waves may increase by a factor of five to ten, with 150–750 million person-days of exposure to wet bulb temperatures above those seen in today’s most severe heat waves by 2070–2080. Under RCP 8.5, exposure to wet bulb temperatures above 35 °C—the theoretical limit for human tolerance—could exceed a million person-days per year by 2080. Limiting emissions to follow RCP 4.5 entirely eliminates exposure to that extreme threshold. Some of the most affected regions, especially Northeast India and coastal West Africa, currently have scarce cooling infrastructure, relatively low adaptive capacity, and rapidly growing populations. In the coming decades heat stress may prove to be one of the most widely experienced and directly dangerous aspects of climate change, posing a severe threat to human health, energy infrastructure, and outdoor activities ranging from agricultural production to military training.
Porins of Vibrio cholerae: purification and characterization of OmpU

Three outer membrane proteins with molecular masses of 40, 38, and 27 kDa of the hypertoxinogenic strain 569B of Vibrio cholerae have been purified to homogeneity. The synthesis of all the three proteins is regulated by the osmolarity of the growth medium. The pore-forming ability of the 40-kDa protein, OmpT, and the 38-kDa protein, OmpU, has been demonstrated by using liposomes, in which these proteins were embedded. The 27-kDa protein, OmpX, though osmoregulated, is not a porin. OmpU constitutes 30% of the total outer membrane protein when grown in the presence of 1.0% NaCl in the growth medium and 60% in the absence of NaCl. OmpU is an acidic protein and is a homotrimer of 38-kDa monomeric units. Its secondary structure contains predominantly a beta-sheet, and three to four Ca2+ ions are associated with each monomeric unit. Removal of Ca2+ irreversibly disrupts the structure and pore-forming ability of the protein. The pore size of OmpU is 1.6 nm, and the specific activity of the OmpU channel is two- to threefold higher than that of Escherichia coli porin OmpF, synthesis of which resembles that of OmpU with respect to the osmolarity of the growth medium. The pore size of OmpT, which is analogous to OmpC of E. coli, is smaller than that of OmpU. Southern blot hybridization of V. cholerae genomic DNA digested with several restriction endonucleases with nick-translated E. coli ompF as the probe revealed no nucleotide sequence homology between the ompU and ompF genes. OmpU is also not antigenically related to OmpF. Anti-OmpF antiserum, however, cross-reacted with the 45-kDa V. cholerae outer membrane protein, OmpS, the synthesis of which is regulated by the presence of maltose in the growth medium. OmpU hemagglutinated with rabbit and human blood. This toxR-regulated protein is one of the possible virulence determinants in V. cholerae (V. L. Miller and J. J. Mekalanos, J. Bacteriol. 170:2575-2583, 1988).
A disaster multiagent coordination simulation system to evaluate the design of a first‐response team

Identifying the best design configuration for a first‐response team is important for minimizing total operation time and reducing the human cost of natural and manmade disasters. This paper presents ongoing research that focuses on a disaster multiagent coordination simulation (DMCsim) system that is able to optimally design the first‐response team and evaluate the team design configuration before initiation of a search and rescue operation. We developed an agent‐based simulation system that uses machine learning techniques and design of experiments methods to test different configuration setups and determine the effects of various factors on operation completion time. The evaluation of a team design for a disaster‐response operation revealed that some design factors have a significant effect on operation outcome. Removing the effects of uncontrollable factors, such as damage level and robot reliability, yielded a robust team design that could function in a particular disaster environment regardless of the effects of such factors. The DMCsim assists decision makers to evaluate an emergency‐response operation, revise the current strategy based on resources on hand, redesign the available team, and visually track operation performance before launching the actual team in the disaster field. This research extends previous disaster response coordination systems by proposing a new simulation model and evaluating a first‐response team design.
Advanced Glycosylation End-Products in Diabetic Rats on Peritoneal Dialysis Using Various Solutions

Objective To evaluate and compare the effects of glucose-based solutions to those of icodextrin with respect to peritoneal transport characteristics and advanced glycosylation end-product (AGE) formation in the peritoneal membrane in a diabetic rat model of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Design Thirty-three male Sprague–Dawley rats weighing between 275 – 300 g were divided into five groups: group C (n = 6), control rats implanted with a catheter but not dialyzed; group D (n = 5), diabetic rats implanted with a catheter but not dialyzed; group G (n = 7), diabetic rats implanted with a catheter and dialyzed with standard 2.5% glucose solution for daytime exchanges and 4.25% glucose solution for overnight exchanges; group H (n = 8), diabetic rats implanted with a catheter and dialyzed with standard 2.5% glucose solution for daytime exchanges and 7.5% icodextrin solution for overnight exchanges; group I (n = 7), diabetic rats implanted with a catheter and dialyzed with 7.5% icodextrin solution for all exchanges. Dialysis exchanges (25 mL per exchange) were performed three times daily for a period of 12 weeks. Tissue sections were stained using a monoclonal anti-AGE antibody. One-hour peritoneal equilibration tests (PET) were performed every 4 weeks for comparison of transport characteristics. Results The level of immunostaining was lowest in group C and highest in group G. Significant differences in immunostaining were seen between group C and group G (p < 0.001), group C and group H (p = 0.001), and group C and group I (p < 0.05). Significant differences were also found between group G and group D (p < 0.05), and between group G and group I (p < 0.05). Over time, the ratio of glucose concentration after 1 hour to glucose concentration at instillation (D/D0) decreased and the dialysate-to-plasma ratio (D/P) of urea increased. Significant differences in D/D0 glucose and D/P urea were found between group C and group H (D/D0: 0.40 ± 0.01 vs 0.35 ± 0.01, p < 0.05; D/P urea: 0.87 ± 0.03 vs 0.97 ± 0.02, p < 0.05). Conclusions These results suggest that AGE formation is lower with the use of peritoneal dialysis solution containing icodextrin than with glucose-based solution. We conclude that use of icodextrin may help to slow the deterioration of the peritoneal membrane, prolonging its use for dialysis.
Growth hormone treatment for short stature.

Fifteen short but otherwise normal children, 4.3 to 15.5 years old, with heights greater than 3 S.D. below the mean value for age, growth rates less than or equal to 5.0 cm per year, and normal serum levels of immunoreactive growth hormone in response to provocative stimuli (peak greater than or equal to 10 ng per milliliter) were treated with intramuscular injections of pituitary growth hormone (0.1 U per kilogram) three times weekly for six months, as were 14 children with documented growth hormone deficiency. In all the latter children growth rate increased by more tan 2.0 cm per year during treatment. In 6 of the 14 short normal children who remained prepubertal, growth rate also increased, by 2.2 to 4.2 cm per year during treatment; four of these children had normal base-line serum somatomedin C concentrations. In both short normal children and children with growth hormone deficiency, the increment in serum somatomedin C concentrations after 4 or 10 daily injections of growth hormone correlated with bone age but not with later growth or growth hormone levels. Among the short normal children, those who responded to growth hormone were younger and had a greater delay in bone age and a slower pretreatment growth rate than the nonresponders. These observations suggest that a dose of growth hormone comparable to that used for the treatment of hypopituitarism increases growth rate in some short normal children.
Color stability of carious incipient lesions located in enamel and treated with resin infiltration or remineralization.

OBJECTIVE In this in vitro study, the color change of artificial caries lesions in enamel was evaluated after resin infiltration (Icon(®), DMG, Hamburg, Germany) or remineralization. METHODS Bovine enamel specimens (n = 72) were randomly divided into four groups: G1 - exposure to demineralizing solution (32 h) and resin infiltration; G2 - immersion in demineralizing solution and remineralization cycles (8 days); G3 - demineralizing solution (negative control); G4 - healthy/non-treated enamel (positive control). The groups were subdivided and immersed in: A (saliva), B (coffee), and C (wine). The baseline color was evaluated by spectrophotometer and repeated after 4 and 8 weeks, and after polishing, at the end of 8 weeks. The variation in color (∆E) and lightness (∆L) was analyzed by anova (two-way) and Tukey tests, and Friedman and Kruskal-Wallis tests, respectively. RESULTS All specimens underwent color and lightness change, irrespective of immersion medium. In coffee, G2 presented the lowest mean ∆E (P < 0.05), compared with the other groups. In saliva, G3 presented the highest mean ∆E, and G2 and G4 lower ∆E means. CONCLUSION Lesions infiltrated with Icon(®) underwent greater color change when compared with remineralized lesions, which may represent an esthetic disadvantage for the first-mentioned treatment.
The influence of climate on the distribution of monogeneans of anurans in Nigeria

Abstract Investigations undertaken on the monogeneans of amphibians in Nigeria have shown that host ecology has an influence on the distribution of these monogeneans. Amphibians from humid environments of the rainforest, a freshwater swamp and mangrove harboured no monogeneans, whereas those occurring in drier conditions in the savannah-mosaic and guinea savannah yielded five species of polystomatid parasites: Polystoma prudhoei from Bufo regularis, Polystoma galamensis from Rana galamensis, Eupolystoma alluaudi from Bufo regularis and Bufo maculatus, and two unidentified Polystoma species from Bufo regularis and Ptychadena oxyrynchus, respectively. Some of these monogeneans appear to have reproduction cycles which are synchronized with those of the hosts. The prevalence of E. alluaudi in Bufo spp. caught in New Bussa (68.4% in B. regularis and 82.3% in B. maculatus) were higher than those reported for this parasite in other locations in West Africa and for Eupolystoma anterorchis in Bufo pardalis from the Cape Flats of South Africa.
Advanced Fixed Relaying in Multihop Based Cellular Networks

Relaying has been proven to improve coverage and capacity in wireless cellular networks. In this work, we study the effect of three enhancement techniques on the performance of fixed relays in multihop based cellular networks. First, multiuser detection is used to cancel part of the interference at the relays coming from neighboring nodes. Second, multihop diversity is achieved at the base stations as a result of a cooperation scheme between the relay stations. Finally, multiple relaying is employed whereby a relay station is able to relay multiple users simultaneously. Results show that gains up to 78% could be achieved with respect to conventional cellular networks when such techniques are employed with fixed relaying in comparison to gains of 34% in the case of mobile relaying and 7% in the case of simple fixed relaying.