Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Obesity trial: knowledge without systems

Not enough, again In this issue of BMJ USA , Moore et al (p 35) report a practice-based randomized trial that assessed a 4.5 hour training program delivered by dietitians to general practitioners and practice staff to improve their knowledge and management of obesity in adults. The primary outcome was patients' weight change at 12 months, and secondary outcomes included practitioners' knowledge and process measures. While knowledge improved and intervention practices appear to have “tried harder,” there was no weight loss in patients. The authors reported that the intervention strategy was only partially implemented in study practices. Combining this partial implementation with the known limited effects of increased knowledge alone on changing practice, the study's findings are exactly the results one would expect. This intervention focused on clinician knowledge rather than how frontline practice happens. It further supports the view that interventions loaded into primary care practices without consideration of competing demands1 and practice redesign will likely continue to fail until a new model of primary care practice emerges. As in …
Ganglioside and lipid composition of bulk‐isolated rat and bovine oligodendroglia

We have examined the ganglioside composition of 30‐day and 60‐day postnatal rat oligodendroglia, adult bovine oligodendroglia, gray matter, white matter, and myelin and also the total lipid composition of the oligodendroglial preparations. The ganglioside patterns of rat and bovine oligodendroglia, as previously found for human oligodendroglia, were more complex than those of myelin. These data indicate that oligodendroglial perikarya can synthesize many brain type gangliosides, not all of which are incorporated into the compact myelin. Alternatively, the ganglioside composition of myelin may be altered in situ by the myelin‐associated neuraminidase. In these two species, as in human, GM4 appears specific to oligodendroglia and myelin, while GD3 and GM3 are enriched in oligodendroglia but not myelin. In bovine oligodendrocytes GD3 is the major ganglioside. The total lipid concentration, as well as the percentage of cholesterol, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylserine, differ for 30‐ and 60‐day‐old rat oligodendroglia and may be developmentally correlated with changes in myelin composition during myelinogenesis. There are also marked differences in the lipid composition of bovine oligodendroglia compared to rat oligodendroglia, with the former having more galactolipid and less ethanolamine phosphoglycerides.
Contemporary Immigration: Theoretical Perspectives on its Determinants and Modes of Incorporation 1

This article reviews conventional theories about different aspects of labor migration: its origins, stability over time, and patterns of migrant settlement. For each of these aspects, we provide alternative explanatory hypotheses derived from the notions of increasing articulation of the international system and the social embeddedness of its various subprocesses, including labor flows. A typology of sources and outcomes of contemporary immigration is presented as an heuristic device to organize the diversity of such movements as described in the empirical literature.
Feeding rates and energy deficits of juvenile and adult Japanese monkeys in a cool temperate area with snow coverage

Japanese monkeys, Macaca fuscata, living in a cool temperate forest experienced energy crises in winter. We measured feeding times and feeding rates (mass of foods eaten per unit time of feeding) in six different-sized, age–sex classes (1.2–12.6 kg body mass) in autumn and winter. One-, 2- and 3~4-year-olds spent 34–35% and 44–46% of the day feeding in autumn and winter, respectively. Monkeys less than 0 years old spent less time feeding (16–28%) than average in winter and autumn; adult females spent less (41%) in winter; and adult males spent less (25%) in autumn. All age–sex classes ate mainly fruits in autumn and the heavier classes fed more on tree bark than buds in winter. The feeding rate for fruits (2.3–53.5 g min−1) was nine to 12 times faster than those for buds (1.0– 4.8 g min−1) and bark (0.5–4.4 g min−1), and energy content did not differ among fruits (22.1 kJ g−1 dry mass), buds (19.9 kJ g−1 dry mass) and bark (23.2 kJ g−1 dry mass). Energy base feeding rates increased with body mass where the body mass exponent for buds (0.29) was smaller than those for bark (0.64) and fruits (0.63), which might be attributable to the unit size of food items and mass dependency of masticatory apparatus. Our monkeys obtained two to five times more energy in autumn (1567–1150 kJ day−1) than in winter (604–3020 kJ day−1). Adult females obtained 60% of expected energy expenditure and other classes obtained 77–88% of that in winter.
Nitrogen fixation and nitrogenase activities in members of the family Rhodospirillaceae

Strains of all 18 species of the family Rhodospirillaceae (nonsulfur photosynthetic bacteria) were studied for their comparative nitrogen-fixing abilities. All species, with the exception of Rhodocyclus purpureus, were capable of growth with N2 as the sole nitrogen source under photosynthetic (anaerobic) conditions. Most rapid growth on N2 was observed in strains of Rhodopseudomonas capsulata. Within the genus Rhodopseudomonas, the species R. capsulata, R. sphaeroides, R. viridis, R. gelatinosa, and R. blastica consistently showed the highest in vivo nitrogenase rates (with the acetylene reduction technique); nitrogenase rates in other species of Rhodopseudomonas and in most species of Rhodospirillum were notably lower. Chemotrophic (dark microaerobic) nitrogen fixation occurred in all species with the exception of one strain of Rhodospirillum fulvum; oxygen requirements for dark N2 fixation varied considerably among species and even within strains of the same species. We conclude that the capacity to fix molecular nitrogen is virtually universal among members of the Rhodospirillaceae but that the efficacy of the process varies considerably among species.
The LPS receptor generates inflammatory signals from the cell surface

Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) are recognized in mammals by a receptor complex composed of CD14, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and MD-2. The mechanism of TLR4 function remains to be elucidated. We constructed chimeric TLR molecules C-terminally fused to fluorescent proteins and stably expressed these chimeric constructs in cells. Confocal microscopy revealed TLR4 to be expressed on the plasma membrane and the Golgi apparatus. Time-lapse confocal imaging showed rapid recycling of TLR4/CD14/MD-2 complexes between the Golgi and the plasma membrane. Membrane TLR4 engagement by antibody was sufficient to induce signaling and pharmacological disruption of the Golgi did not affect cellular responses to LPS. Thus, LPS signaling commences after LPS recognition by surface-expressed TLR4 independent of LPS trafficking to the Golgi.
A Profile of the Resistance Training Practices of Elite Spanish Club Teams

Reverter-Masía, J, Legaz-Arrese, A, Munguía-Izquierdo, D, Barbany, JR, Serrano-Ostáriz, E. A profile of the resistance training practices of elite Spanish club teams. J Strength Cond Res 23(5): 1537-1547, 2009-This study describes the results of a survey of the resistance training practices of the following Spanish sports teams: soccer and basketball professional leagues, and top-division leagues for handball, volleyball, indoor soccer, and field hockey. The response rate was 81.8% (77 of 94). This survey examines (a) strength and conditioning (S&C) coach profiles, (b) resistance training exercises, (c) resistance training load, (d) repetition velocity, and (e) training leading to muscle failure. The results indicate that 80.5% of coaches held a university degree, with 22% holding a master's degrees, 40% held National Federation certification, and none held Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification. Respondents relied on nonscientific sources of information to develop their conditioning programs. Fifty-eight percent of the S&C coaches were hired full time, with 18% performing the duties of a first trainer. Many S&C coaches did not use weightlifting (54%), full squat (51%), load squat jump (35%), or bench press throw (100%) exercises. Thirty-eight percent of respondents did not control the load intensity or did not use a load of 50-90% of 1 repetition maximum. For these load intensities, 70% did not perform the combination of maximum repetition velocity and nonmuscular failure. More significant deficiencies in the fundamental principles of resistance training were observed in indoor soccer, soccer, field hockey, and among lower performing handball and basketball teams. These results indicate that the profile of the S&C coaches in the Spanish teams is insufficient for an optimal application of resistance training. Spanish S&C coaches should therefore take advantage of advances made through scientific research in the area of strength and conditioning by acquiring master's degrees and specific certificates and consulting peer-reviewer journals.
Tim-3 as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is the most frequent primary bone tumor that affects adolescents and children. However, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for osteosarcoma remain lacking. (Tim-3) T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-3, which negatively regulates T cell helper (Th1) cells and affects cytokine expression, has attracted increasing attention due to its critical role in regulating both adaptive and innate immune cells. In this study, we evaluated serum soluble Tim-3 level in osteosarcoma patients to explore its diagnostic and prognostic value for this particular malignancy. Serum soluble Tim-3 level was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 120 osteosarcoma patients, 120 benign bone tumors patients and 120 healthy controls, followed by analysis of the correlation with clinic pathological characteristics. Receiver operating curves, Kaplan-Meier curves, and log-rank analyses as well as Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic significance. Serum solubleTim-3 level was remarkably elevated in osteosarcoma patients. Osteosarcoma patients with larger tumor size, late stages and distant metastases were accompanied with higher levels of Tim-3. ROC/AUC analysis indicated thatTim-3 served as a reliable marker to distinguish healthy participants from Tim-3 patients. Osteosarcoma patients with higher Tim-3 had relatively lower survival. Multivariate analyses for overall survival revealed that high serum soluble Tim-3 level was an independent prognostic factor for osteosarcoma. Furthermore, Tim-3 levels of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells were elevated in peripheral circulation of osteosarcoma patients. Therefore, It was indicated in our research that elevated serum soluble Tim-3 level might be a novel potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for osteosarcoma patients.
Gender‐related differences in urinary 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin levels in obese pubertal individuals

Abstract: The objective of this study was to measure the urinary excretion of the main melatonin metabolite 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin in obese and normal weight (wt) boys and girls. The study included 94 subjects, aged 4–15.7 yr (50 obese and 44 normal wt; 48 boys) classified as: mid‐childhood (4–7.99 yr), late‐childhood (8–12 yr) and pubertal (10.1–15.7 yr, Tanner II–IV). Normal wt subjects were children with a body mass index (BMI) between the 25th and 75th percentiles, and the group of obese subjects included children whose BMI was above the 97th percentile. A 24‐hr urine sample was collected during two intervals: (i) 18:00–08:00 hr, and (ii) 08:00–18:00 hr. Analysis of urinary 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin levels was performed by radioimmunoassay. Excretion of 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin was expressed as: (i) total amount excreted (μg); (ii) μg excreted per time interval, nocturnal or diurnal; and (iii) the difference between nocturnal and diurnal samples (μg, estimated amplitude). A factorial analysis of variance indicated that nocturnal 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin excretion and amplitude were significantly higher in the obese individuals. A significant interaction ‘BMI × age’ was detected, i.e. the effect of BMI was significant in the pubertal group only. Total, nocturnal and diurnal 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin excretion was significantly higher in girls. The increase in 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin excretion found in obesity occurred only in boys and at the pubertal age. To what extent this increase in melatonin production contributes to a delayed puberty in some pubertal obese males remains to be established.
The Effects of Required Minimum Distribution Rules on Withdrawals from Traditional Individual Retirement Accounts

Traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are a substantial source of retirement savings. In 2013, individuals age 60 or older held $3.8 trillion in wealth in IRAs. Under current law, some fraction of these funds must be withdrawn each year beginning the year one turns 70.5 years of age, with the required fraction increasing in age. We study the effects of these Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) rules on the decumulation behavior of retirees using a 16-year panel of administrative tax data. Our data consist of a 5% random sample of individuals age 60 or older from 1999 to 2014, with approximately 2.6 million individuals per year. This period encompasses a unique policy change that we exploit for identification: a one-year suspension of the RMD rules in 2009. Though the RMD rules are modest – leaving one third of the original balance intact by age 90 even if investments generate zero returns – our empirical analysis shows they have large effects on behavior. We estimate that 52% of individuals subject to the rules would prefer to take an IRA distribution less than their required minimum. However, our estimate for the proportion of constrained individuals who took advantage of the RMD suspension in 2009 is 62%. The remaining 38% did not re-optimize, perhaps due to inattention or other optimization frictions. In addition, we document an extensive margin effect among 70.5-year olds: individuals newly subject to the rules are 28% more likely to close their IRAs relative to other age groups. The findings suggest that there are costs associated with paying attention to the RMD rules and that the rules represent a binding constraint for the majority of retirees with IRAs.
The S Region of the Mouse Major Histocompatibility Complex (H‐2): Genetic Variation and Functional Role in Complement System

Recent years have witnessed an expanding investigation of, and growing insight into, the functional roles of the products of the major histocompatibility complexes (MHC's) of higher vertebrates. The unfolding story of the histocompatibility-linked immune response genes and the recent implications that the classical, serologically detected transplantation antigens function in immune surveillance mechanisms make it clear that the MHC's play a major role in fundamental mechanisms of the immune system. These phenomena appear to involve cell-cell recognition functions. However, one of the most surprising and unexpected immunologic roles of the MHC's that has emerged in the past few years is its control of complement components. The key factor in the recognition of this role was the observations by Demant et al. (Hinzova et al. 1972, Demant et al. 1973) that differences in total hemolytic complement levels among inbred mouse strains are controlled by a gene or genes linked to the mouse MHC, the H-2 (histocompatibility-2) gene complex. Subsequently, it was found that these differences map in the same (S) region of the H-2 complex that controls genetic variation in a specific mouse serum /5-globulin, the Ss or serum serological system, first described in 1963 (Shreffier & Owen). The recognition of this association led to investigations which have shown that the Ss protein is an integral component of the complement system (Hansen et al. 1975), almost certainly the
Phase II study of bevacizumab in combination with cetuximab plus irinotecan in irinotecan-refractory colorectal cancer (CRC) patients who have progressed on a bevacizumab-containing regimen (The BOND 2.5 Study).

4087 Background: We previously showed that adding bevacizumab (bev) to cetuximab (cetux) plus irinotecan (IRI) in bev-naïve, IRI-refractory CRC patients is feasible, and yielded a favorable response rate and time to tumor progression (TTP) compared with historical controls (Saltz: JCO, 2007). Since most CRC patients now receive a bev-containing regimen prior to cetux, we evaluated the addition of bev to cetux plus IRI (CBI) in patients with metastatic CRC who had previously progressed on chemo + bev. METHODS All patients were naïve to cetux. The importance of KRAS mutation was not appreciated when the trial was designed and this has not yet been evaluated. Patients received IRI at the same dose and schedule as last received prior to study, Cetux 400 mg/m2 loading dose, then weekly at 250 mg/m2, plus Bev 5 mg/kg given every two weeks or 7.5 mg/kg given every three weeks. RESULTS 33 received treatment. Median age was 58 (range 29-85). Median number of prior regimens was 2 (range 1-2). Median performance status was ECOG 1 (range 0-1). Patients received a median of 2 cycles (range 1-15). Grade 3/4 Toxicities: Acneiform Rash 18%, hypomagnesemia 6%, hypophosphatemia 6%, Neutropenia 15%, Diarrhea 6%. One patient developed neutropenic fever and one patient had a hypersensitivity reaction to cetux. At a median follow up of 32 months (range 21-32 months) in 33 evaluable patients, we observed 3 (9%) partial responses and 11 (33%) patients with stable disease for > 4 months. Median TTP was 3.9 months (95% CI: 1.3 - 6.8). Median survival was 10.6 months (95% CI: 6.6 - 13.8). CONCLUSIONS The toxicity profile was similar to what would have been expected from the individual agents alone. Recognizing the limitations of cross-study comparisons, the response rates and TTP seen with CBI in patients who have previously progressed on bev do not appear to be as encouraging as the 37% response rate and 7.3 months TTP seen in the BOND 2 trial of bev-naïve CRC patients. Ongoing randomized trials, including SWOG 0600, will be needed to definitively determine the contribution of continued use of bev after progression on a bev-containing regimen. Supported by Genentech. [Table: see text].
Is balloon kyphoplasty safe and effective for cancer‐related vertebral compression fractures with posterior vertebral body wall defects?

Balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) is a percutaneous treatment for cancer‐related vertebral compression fractures (VCF). Posterior vertebral body wall (PVBW) involvement is considered a contraindication for BKP. This study assesses whether BKP is safe and effective for cancer‐related VCFs involving the PVBW.
Mid-Level Feature Representation via Sparse Autoencoder for Remotely Sensed Scene Classification

Feature representation is a classic problem in the machine learning community due to the fact that different representations can entangle and hide more or less the different explanatory factors of variation behind the raw data. Especially for scene classification, its performance generally depends on the discriminative power of feature representation. Recently, unsupervised feature learning attracts tremendous attention because of its ability to learn feature representation automatically. However, reliable performance of feature representations by unsupervised learning always requires a large number of features and complex framework of mid-level feature representation. To alleviate such drawbacks, this paper presents a new framework of mid-level feature representation, which does not need learn many convolutional features during the unsupervised feature learning process, and has few parameter settings. In detail, the unsupervised feature learning method, sparse autoencoder, is employed to learn relatively small number of convolutional features from input dataset, and then extended features are extracted from the learned features by a multiple normalized difference features extraction method to compose a derivative feature set. At mid-level feature representation stage, in order to avoid poor performance of standard pooling technology in solving problems brought by rotation and translation of scene images, global feature descriptors (histogram moments, mean, variance, standard deviation) are utilized to build mid-level feature representations of images. For validation and comparison purposes, the proposed approach is evaluated via experiments with two challenging high-resolution remote sensing datasets. The results demonstrate that the approach is effective, and shows strong performance for remotely sensed scene classification.
Is facility based neonatal care in low resource setting keeping pace? A glance at Uganda's National Referral Hospital.

OBJECTIVES To identify reasons for neonatal admission and death with the aim of determining areas needing improvement. METHOD A retrospective chart review was conducted on records for neonates admitted to Mulago National Referral Hospital Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) from 1(st) November 2013 to 31(st) January 2014. Final diagnosis was generated after analyzing sequence of clinical course by 2 paediatricians. RESULTS A total of 1192 neonates were admitted. Majority 83.3% were in-born. Main reasons for admissions were prematurity (37.7%) and low APGAR (27.9%). Overall mortality was 22.1% (Out-born 33.6%; in born 19.8%). Half (52%) of these deaths occurred in the first 24 hours of admission. Major contributors to mortality were prematurity with hypothermia and respiratory distress (33.7%) followed by birth asphyxia with HIE grade III (24.6%) and presumed sepsis (8.7%). Majority of stable at risk neonates 318/330 (i.e. low APGAR or prematurity without comorbidity) survived. Factors independently associated with death included gestational age <30 weeks (p 0.002), birth weight <1500g (p 0.007) and a 5 minute APGAR score of < 7 (p 0.001). Neither place of birth nor delayed and after hour admissions were independently associated with mortality. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Mortality rate in SCBU is high. Prematurity and its complications were major contributors to mortality. The management of hypothermia and respiratory distress needs scaling up. A step down unit for monitoring stable at risk neonates is needed in order to decongest SCBU.
The Relevance of Human Fetal Subplate Zone for Developmental Neuropathology of Neuronal Migration Disorders and Cortical Dysplasia

The human fetal cerebral cortex develops through a series of partially overlapping histogenetic events which occur in transient cellular compartments, such as the subplate zone. The subplate serves as waiting compartment for cortical afferent fibers, the major site of early synaptogenesis and neuronal differentiation and the hub of the transient fetal cortical circuitry. Thus, the subplate has an important but hitherto neglected role in the human fetal cortical connectome. The subplate is also an important compartment for radial and tangential migration of future cortical neurons. We review the diversity of subplate neuronal phenotypes and their involvement in cortical circuitry and discuss the complexity of late neuronal migration through the subplate as well as its potential relevance for pathogenesis of migration disorders and cortical dysplasia. While migratory neurons may become misplaced within the subplate, they can easily survive by being involved in early subplate circuitry; this can enhance their subsequent survival even if they have immature or abnormal physiological activity and misrouted connections and thus survive into adulthood. Thus, better understanding of subplate developmental history and various subsets of its neurons may help to elucidate certain types of neuronal disorders, including those accompanied by epilepsy.