Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolism of uniformly labeled 13C-eicosapentaenoic acid and 13C-arachidonic acid in young and old men.

Background: Plasma eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and arachidonic acid (AA) concentrations increase with age.Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate EPA and AA metabolism in young and old men by using uniformly labeled carbon-13 (13C) fatty acids.Design: Six young (∼25 y old) and 6 old (∼75 y old) healthy men were recruited. Each participant consumed a single oral dose of 35 mg 13C-EPA and its metabolism was followed in the course of 14 d in the plasma and 28 d in the breath. After the washout period of ≥28 d, the same participants consumed a single oral dose of 50 mg 13C-AA and its metabolism was followed for 28 d in plasma and breath.Results: There was a time × age interaction for 13C-EPA (Ptime × age = 0.008), and the shape of the postprandial curves was different between young and old men. The 13C-EPA plasma half-life was ∼2 d for both young and old men (P = 0.485). The percentage dose recovered of 13C-EPA per hour as 13CO2 and the cumulative β-oxidation of 13C-EPA did not differ between young and old men. At 7 d, however, old men had a >2.2-fold higher plasma 13C-DHA concentration synthesized from 13C-EPA compared with young men (Page = 0.03). 13C-AA metabolism was not different between young and old men. The 13C-AA plasma half-life was ∼4.4 d in both young and old participants (P = 0.589). Conclusions: The metabolism of 13C-AA was not modified by age, whereas 13C-EPA metabolism was slightly but significantly different in old compared with young men. The higher plasma 13C-DHA seen in old men may be a result of slower plasma DHA clearance with age. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02957188.
CD4+ and CD8+ T Cell Survival Is Regulated Differentially by Protein Kinase Cθ, c-Rel, and Protein Kinase B1

An effective immune response requires the expansion and survival of a large number of activated T cells. This study compared the role of protein kinase C (PKC)θ and associated signaling molecules in the survival of activated primary CD4+ vs CD8+ murine T cells. We demonstrate that the absence of PKCθ resulted in a moderate survival defect in CD4+ T cells and a striking survival defect of CD8+ T lymphocytes. CD8+ T cells lacking the c-Rel, but not the NF-κB1/p50, member of the NF-κB family of transcription factors displayed a similar impairment in cell survival as PKCθ−/− CD8+ T lymphocytes. This implicates c-Rel as a key target of PKCθ-mediated survival signals in CD8+ T cells. In addition, both c-Rel−/− and PKCθ−/− T cells also displayed impaired expression of the antiapoptotic Bcl-xL protein upon activation. Changes in Bcl-xL expression, however, did not correlate with the survival of CD4+ or CD8+ lymphocytes. The addition of protein kinase B-mediated survival signals could restore partially CD4+ T cell viability, but did not dramatically influence CD8+ survival. Active protein kinase B was also unable to restore proliferative responses in CD8+ PKCθ−/− T cells. The survival of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells deficient in either PKCθ or c-Rel, however, was promoted by the addition of IL-2. Collectively, these data demonstrate that CD4+ and CD8+ T cell survival signals are differentially programmed.
Hot Spot Temperature in an HTS Coil: Simulations With MIITs and Finite Element Method

MIITs, a zero-dimensional concept to study hot spot temperature, has been previously used to estimate hot spot temperatures and quench heater delays in NbTi and Nb3Sn magnets. However, quench behavior is completely different in high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets due to the slow normal zone propagation velocity and the high temperature margin. Because the MIITs concept does not take into account thermal diffusion in the magnet, opposite to the finite-element method (FEM) analysis, the difference of these concepts is studied in this paper. Here, we have taken the approach to compute the hot spot temperatures for a future HTS magnet, designed to be built from REBCO Roebel cable, with MIITs and FEM simulations. The magnet protection is accomplished with a dump resistor, and the effect of quench detection threshold voltage on the hot spot temperature has been studied. Furthermore, the inductance of the magnet increases with the magnet length. Thus, there exists a maximum inductance of the magnet, which should not be exceeded to be able to protect the magnet only with a dump resistor. The hot spot temperatures with different values of inductance are also studied in this paper. Our simulations show that the hot spot temperatures computed with MIITs are from 60 to 150 K higher than those of FEM analysis. Thus, the MIITs concept seems unreliable when considering hot spot temperatures in HTS magnets protected with only dump resistors. However, the MIITs concept might be a usable tool when comparing different magnet designs. If 400 K is the upper limit for the hot spot temperature and the protection scheme includes only a dump resistor, the length of the investigated magnet can be increased to only such value that the magnet inductance is at most 50 mH.
Down syndrome and sport participation

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) derive measurable physiologic and psychologic benefits from participation in physical activities and sports. Physicians in the position of evaluating these individuals and providing guidance in regard to their competitive or recreational physical activities need to be aware of the physiologic and anatomic concerns specific to this population. Effective screening and evaluation by a physician, accompanied with clearly communicated guidelines for specific activities, can provide an individual with DS the opportunity to safely participate in sports and recreational physical activity.
Effect of an Alternate Weed Host, Hairy Nightshade, Solanum sarrachoides, on the Biology of the Two Most Important Potato Leafroll Virus (Luteoviridae: Polerovirus) Vectors, Myzus persicae and Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Aphididae: Homoptera)

Abstract Hairy nightshade, Solanum sarrachoides (Sendtner), is a ubiquitous weed in potato agro-ecosystems and nonagricultural lands of southeastern Idaho and the Pacific Northwest. This weed increases the complexity of the Potato leafroll virus (PLRV) (Luteoviridae: Polervirus)-potato pathosystem by serving as aphid and virus reservoir. Previous field studies showed higher densities of green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), and potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), the two most important vectors of PLRV, on S. sarrachoides compared with potato plants in the same fields. Some of the S. sarrachoides plants sampled in these surveys tested positive for PLRV. Viral infections can alter the physiology of plant hosts and aphid performance on such plants. To understand better the potential effects of S. sarrachoides on the PLRV-potato-aphid pathosystem, the life histories of M. persicae and M. euphorbiae were compared on virus-free and PLRV-infected S. sarrachoides and potato. Individual nymphs of each aphid species were held in clip cages on plants from each treatment to monitor their development, survival, and reproductive output. Nymphal survival for both aphids across plant species was higher on S. sarrachoides than on potato, and, within plant species, it was higher on PLRV-infected plants than on noninfected plants. With a few exceptions, similar patterns occurred for fecundity, reproductive periods, adult longevity, and intrinsic rate of increase. The enhanced performance of aphids on S. sarrachoides and on PLRV-infected plants could alter the vector population dynamics and thus the PLRV-disease epidemiology in fields infested with this weed.
Neurological and epidemiological aspects of a BoHV-5 meningoencephalitis outbreak

Bovine herpesvirus 5 is a DNA virus that has been associated with meningoencephalitis in young cattle. While its clinical diagnosis is obscured by other major diseases that also produce similar neurological disease in cattle, the use of conventional virological techniques is hampered by the establishment of a lifelong latent infection in the host and the difficulty in differentiating BoHV-1 and BoHV-5. The aim of the current report is to describe the clinical and epidemiological aspects observed in a natural outbreak of BoHV-5 meningoencephalitis in a dairy cattle herd from Brazil. In the outbreak, the affected animals consisted of nine calves, which presented three possible forms of the neurological disease, subjectively classified as peracute, acute, and subacute/chronic. In contrast to conventional herpetic meningoencephalitis, characterized mainly by progressive multifocal brain dysfunctions, BoHV-5 infection resulted in focal non-progressive caudal brainstem dysfunction (pontomedullary syndrome) in an animal presented with subacute/chronic BoHV-5 meningoencephalitis. The evaluation of CNS tissue of affected calves through both histological examination and multiplex-PCR was able to confirm BoHV-5 infection. Additionally, the analysis of CSF samples through PCR allowed ante-mortem BoHV-5 diagnosis during the outbreak, which enabled the implementation of several measures of control for the disease.
Flavor processing: more than the sum of its parts

WE used positron emission tomography to evaluate differential processing of olfactory, gustatory and combined olfactory and gustatory (flavor) stimuli as indicated by comparison of evoked cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes during these conditions. We found significant CBF decreases in primary gustatory and secondary gustatory and olfactory cortices during simultaneous presentation compared with independent presentations of identical stimuli, suggesting that flavor processing is not represented by a simple convergence of its component senses. Additionally, CBF increases in the amygdala and basal forebrain were observed in a mismatched flavor condition versus a matched flavor condition, suggesting a role for these structures in processing novel or unpleasant stimuli.
Electromyographic Predictors of Residual Quadriceps Muscle Weakness after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction *

Background Despite the high prevalence of residual quadriceps muscle weakness after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, specific predictive factors have not been identified. Hypothesis Electromyographic analysis is a better predictor of residual muscle weakness than is preoperative strength. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Methods The quadriceps muscle strength of 37 patients (25 men, 12 women) was measured before reconstruction and 5 weeks and 6 months after surgery. Quadriceps surface electromyographic signals were recorded during all of the strength tests. Integrated electromyographic analysis and median frequency measurements were computed as deficits on the involved side. Patients also performed a single-legged hop test at the 6-month follow-up examination. Results The patients had significantly lower strength, integrated electromyographic analysis, and median frequency measurements on the involved side at all three time intervals. The best predictor of the quadriceps muscle strength deficit at 6 months was the combination of the preoperative median frequency deficit and the 5-week postoperative strength deficit. The best predictor of the hop test deficit at 6 months was the combination of preoperative deficits in integrated electromyographic analysis and median frequency. Conclusion Preoperative electromyographic indices of quadriceps muscle function and early postoperative strength were predictive of residual weakness and impaired function 6 months after reconstruction.
CTX-M-15–producing Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli as Cause of Travelers’ Diarrhea

Travelers’ diarrhea is a major public health problem. From patients in whom diarrhea developed after travel to India, 5 enteroaggregative Escherichia coli strains carrying β-lactamase CTX-M-15 were identified; 3 belonged to clonal complex sequence type 38. This β-lactamase contributes to the multidrug resistance of enteroaggregative E. coli, thereby limiting therapeutic alternatives.
Anger Expression and Risk of Stroke and Coronary Heart Disease Among Male Health Professionals

Objective Anger expression is a dimension of anger that may be strongly related to coronary heart disease and stroke. To date few cohort studies have evaluated the role of anger coping style in the development of cardiovascular disease. This study prospectively examined the effects of anger expression on incidence of cardiovascular disease. Methods Participants were male health professionals (N = 23,522), aged 50 to 85 years old and without previous cardiovascular disease, who responded to a mailed questionnaire incorporating the Spielberger Anger-Out Expression Scale in 1996. The cohort was followed for 2 years (1996–1998). Results Men with moderate levels of anger expression had a reduced risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction compared with those with lower levels of expression (relative risk: 0.56; 95% confidence interval: 0.32–0.97), controlling for coronary risk factors, health behaviors, use of psychotropic medication, employment status, and social integration. Anger expression was also inversely associated with risk of stroke. The multivariate relative risk of stroke was 0.42 (95% confidence interval: 0.20–0.88), comparing men with higher anger-out scores to men with lower scores. A protective dose-response relationship was observed between anger-out score and risk of stroke (p for multivariate trend test: 0.04). Conclusions Among this cohort of older men with high socioeconomic status and relatively low level of anger expression on average, moderate anger expression seemed to be protective against cardiovascular disease over a limited follow-up period.
Diversity of Sulfur Isotope Fractionations by Sulfate-Reducing Prokaryotes

ABSTRACT Batch culture experiments were performed with 32 different sulfate-reducing prokaryotes to explore the diversity in sulfur isotope fractionation during dissimilatory sulfate reduction by pure cultures. The selected strains reflect the phylogenetic and physiologic diversity of presently known sulfate reducers and cover a broad range of natural marine and freshwater habitats. Experimental conditions were designed to achieve optimum growth conditions with respect to electron donors, salinity, temperature, and pH. Under these optimized conditions, experimental fractionation factors ranged from 2.0 to 42.0‰. Salinity, incubation temperature, pH, and phylogeny had no systematic effect on the sulfur isotope fractionation. There was no correlation between isotope fractionation and sulfate reduction rate. The type of dissimilatory bisulfite reductase also had no effect on fractionation. Sulfate reducers that oxidized the carbon source completely to CO2 showed greater fractionations than sulfate reducers that released acetate as the final product of carbon oxidation. Different metabolic pathways and variable regulation of sulfate transport across the cell membrane all potentially affect isotope fractionation. Previous models that explained fractionation only in terms of sulfate reduction rates appear to be oversimplified. The species-specific physiology of each sulfate reducer thus needs to be taken into account to understand the regulation of sulfur isotope fractionation during dissimilatory sulfate reduction.
Uso de contraceptivos por puérperas adolescentes

Objetivo: Averiguar a utilizacao dos metodos contraceptivos pelas puerperas adolescentes a fim de relacionar o seu (des)uso com a gravidez na adolescencia. Metodo: Estudo transversal, descritivo, realizado por meio de instrumento estruturado com 181 puerperas adolescentes que tiveram seus partos no hospital participante da pesquisa. Os dados foram coletados no periodo de dezembro de 2008 a dezembro de 2009. Resultados: 64,1% das puerperas faziam uso de algum metodo contraceptivo antes de ficarem gravidas e os metodos mais utilizados foram anticoncepcional oral 51% e o preservativo masculino 29%. Para 75% das adolescentes a gravidez foi planejada e justificada pelo desejo e a vontade propria de vivenciar a maternidade. Conclusao: Considerando que quase metade das adolescentes entrevistadas desejavam a gestacao, aponta-se que pesquisar e discutir apenas o uso ou nao dos metodos contraceptivos nao e adequado. E necessario aprofundar as investigacoes acerca dos significados de ser mae na adolescencia.
Obesity: A Risk Factor for Severe Acute Biliary and Alcoholic Pancreatitis

Objective:In this study we evaluate the association between obesity and complication development in patients with a first-attack acute pancreatitis (AP), and investigate the influence of comorbid factors on this association.Methods:Medical records of 150 patients with AP were reviewed. General data, AP etiology, admission AP prognostic criteria, and occurrence of complications were recorded. Patients were classified according to body mass index (BMI) as obese (BMI > 25 kg/m2) and nonobese (BMI ≤ 25 kg/m2). Results:Prevalence of obesity was 57%. Thirty-eight percent of the obese patients developed complications as compared with 21% of the nonobese (RR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1–2.9). The risk for severe AP increased according to the degree of obesity. Pancreatic and peripancreatic necrosis was more common in obese patients (17.6%vs 6%), as was the incidence of infectious complications. The risk for severe AP was highest in obese patients with either alcoholic (RR = 5.3; 95% CI, 1.2–23) or biliary etiology (RR = 5.2, 95% CI, 1–26). Conclusion:Obesity may predispose to a complicated course of AP, especially if it is secondary to alcohol or gallstones. Further studies are needed to establish the precise prognostic value of obesity in AP, as well as the pathogenic mechanisms involved in the process.
Composing Meta-Policies for Autonomous Driving Using Hierarchical Deep Reinforcement Learning

Rather than learning new control policies for each new task, it is possible, when tasks share some structure, to compose a "meta-policy" from previously learned policies. This paper reports results from experiments using Deep Reinforcement Learning on a continuous-state, discrete-action autonomous driving simulator. We explore how Deep Neural Networks can represent meta-policies that switch among a set of previously learned policies, specifically in settings where the dynamics of a new scenario are composed of a mixture of previously learned dynamics and where the state observation is possibly corrupted by sensing noise. We also report the results of experiments varying dynamics mixes, distractor policies, magnitudes/distributions of sensing noise, and obstacles. In a fully observed experiment, the meta-policy learning algorithm achieves 2.6x the reward achieved by the next best policy composition technique with 80% less exploration. In a partially observed experiment, the meta-policy learning algorithm converges after 50 iterations while a direct application of RL fails to converge even after 200 iterations.
MM. Borel, Tits, Zil′ber et le Général Nonsense

Le rêve secret de tout logicien, c’est de prouver un résultat mathématique significatif avec des moyens de fortune; ce rêve se réalise parfois de manière quelque peu biaisée, le théorème obtenu n’étant qu’une version trop simplifiée, ou bien trop adaptée aux besoins de la logique, pour convaincre un mathématicien normal. C’est pour cela que j’annonce d’emblée la couleur, et que je précise les règles du jeu: la version du théorème de Borel-Tits que je vais montrer, concernant les groupes algébriques simples sur un corps de base algébriquement clos, sera considérée comme pratiquement évidente par un géomètre; mais c’est, à mon avis, la seule qui ait un intérêt pour un théoricien des modèles. Quand on entreprend ainsi de redémontrer une version simple d’un résultat par ailleurs bien connu, le seul intérêt est dans la méthode: ce que je veux, ici, c’est présenter une preuve qui n’utilise aucune information, ou presque, sur la structure algébrique de ces groupes; il est même souhaitable d’oublier qu’il s’agit de groupes linéaires! Elle repose sur des résultats généraux concernant les groupes de rang de Morley fini, dus à divers auteurs, dont le principal, Boris Iosifovič Zil′ber, a déjà fait une tentative similaire [Zil′ber 1984]; je poursuis ici cette tentative, mais en me limitant à des arguments encore moins spécifiques au contexte de la géométrie. Si je fais ainsi, ce n’est pas pour donner l’impression que l’unique ambition de la théorie des modèles est de montrer des résultats triviaux par des méthodes triviales.
Usefulness of DC power flow for active power flow analysis

In recent days almost every study concerning the analyses of power systems for market related purposes uses DC power flow. DC power flow is a simplification of a full power flow looking only at active power flows. Aspects as voltage support and reactive power management are not considered. However, such simplifications cannot always be justified and might sometimes be unrealistic. In this paper authors analyze the assumptions of DC power flow, and make an attempt at quantifying these using indexes. Among other, the paper answers the question of how low the X/R ratio of line parameters can be, and what is the maximal deviation from the perfect flat voltage which still allows DC power flow to be acceptably accurate.
Coulomb and exchange interactions in C60n-

Semiempirical modified-neglect-of-differential-overlap (MNDO) quantum chemistry calculations are performed for the negative ions of an isolated C 60 . The value computed for the first electron affinity is in excellent agreement with experiment. MNDO predictions of the energies of the low-lying states of C 60 2- and C 60 3- allow us to extract an effective on-site repulsion U 0 ∼3 eV, and a direct exchange interaction K∼50 meV for C 60 . These values are used to estimate the effective on-site repulsion and dielectric constant of solid C 60 , with results in good agreement with experiment
Assessment of Intracranial Arterial Stenosis with Multidetector Row CT Angiography: A Postprocessing Techniques Comparison

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It was demonstrated the some patients with stroke have intracranial stenosis of 50% or greater and the identification of intracranial arterial stenosis is extremely important in order to plan a correct therapeutical approach. The aim of this study was to assess the image quality and intertechnique agreement of various postprocessing methods in the detection of intracranial arterial stenosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty-five patients who were studied by using a multidetector row CT scanner were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 2040 segments were examined in the 85 subjects. Intracranial vasculature was assessed by using MPR, CPR, MIP, and VR techniques. Two radiologists reviewed the CT images independently. Cohen weighted κ statistic was applied to calculate interobserver agreement and for image accuracy for each reconstruction method. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were also calculated by using the consensus read as the reference. RESULTS: Two hundred fifteen (10.5%) stenosed artery segments were identified by the observers in consensus. The best intermethod κ values between observers 1 and 2 were obtained by VR and MIP (κ values of 0.878 and 0.861, respectively), whereas MPR provided the lowest value (κ value of 0.282). VR showed a sensitivity for detecting stenosed segments of 88.8% and 91.6% for observers 1 and 2, respectively. The highest positive predictive value was also obtained by VR at 95% and 99% for observers 1 and 2, respectively. Image accuracy obtained by using VR was the highest among all reconstruction methods in both observers (185/255 and 177/255 for observers 1 and 2, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest that VR and MIP techniques provide the best interobserver and intertechnique concordance in the analysis of intravascular cranial stenosis.