Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diabetes and Technology for Increased Activity (DaTA) Study: Results of a Remote Monitoring Intervention for Prevention of Metabolic Syndrome

Objective: An increasingly aged, overweight, and sedentary population has resulted in elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The escalating incidence of diabetes and other chronic illnesses, deficits in health care budgets, and physician shortages, especially in rural communities, have prompted investigations of feasible solutions. The Diabetes and Technology for Increased Activity (DaTA) study was designed to test the effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention driven by self-monitoring of blood glucose (BG), blood pressure (BP), physical activity (PA), and weight to positively impact CVD risk factors in a medically underserviced rural population with a high incidence of metabolic syndrome (MS). Research Design and Methods: Conducted in a community-based research setting, this single-center open feasibility study used smart phones to transmit BP, BG, pedometer, weight, heart rate, and activity measurements to a database. Technology allowed participants to interface with the clinical team and self-monitor their personal health indicators. Results: Twenty-four participants aged 30 to 71 years completed the 8-week intervention. Participants had significant improvement in clinic (p = .046) and self-monitored diastolic BP (p = .001), body mass index (p = .002), and total cholesterol (p = .009), and steps per day. Daily PA increased as well as participants' interest in and willingness to make lifestyle changes that impact health outcomes. Conclusions: The DaTA study demonstrated that self-monitoring of the risk factors for MS and increased PA improved the participant's CVD risk profile. Considering the 8-week time period of this intervention, results are encouraging. This lifestyle intervention, which uses education and technology as tools, confirms the utility of remote health monitoring.
Best practices in the evaluation and treatment of foramen magnum stenosis in achondroplasia during infancy

Achondroplasia is the most common inherited disorder of bone growth (skeletal dysplasia). Despite this fact, consistent and evidence‐based management approaches to recognized, life‐threatening complications, such as foramen magnum stenosis, are lacking. This study aims to outline best practice, based on evidence and expert consensus, regarding the diagnosis, assessment, and management of foramen magnum stenosis in achondroplasia during infancy. A panel of 11 multidisciplinary international experts on skeletal dysplasia was invited to participate in a Delphi process. They were: 1) presented with a list of 26 indications and a thorough literature review, 2) given the opportunity to anonymously rate the indications and discuss in face to face discussion; 3) edit the list and rate it in a second round. Those indications with more than 80% agreement were considered as consensual. After two rounds of rating and a face‐to‐face meeting, consensus was reached to support 22 recommendations for the evaluation and treatment of foramen magnum stenosis in infants with achondroplasia. These recommendations include indications for surgical decompression, ventriculomegaly, and hydrocephalus, sleep‐disordered breathing, physical exams and the use of polysomnography and imaging in this condition. We present a consensus‐based best practice guidelines consisting of 22 recommendations. It is hoped that these guidelines will lead to more uniform and structured evaluation, standardizing care pathways, and improving mortality and morbidity outcomes for this cohort. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
What do young adults on the edges of homeownership look like in big cities in an emerging economy: Evidence from Shanghai

The characteristics of young households positioned on the edges of homeownership in a rapidly growing economy are investigated. This empirical work is based on a unique survey conducted in 2011 in Shanghai, which enables us to determine how young renters assess their major financial obstacles to becoming homeowners. We distinguish whether young renters attempting to access homeownership are constrained by a lack of sufficient funds for a down-payment, or by inadequate income, or by both. By connecting young renters’ individual characteristics to the various financial constraints they face, we are able to characterise the renters who are situated on the edges of homeownership. Based on these findings, we make policy recommendations on how the government could improve the homeownership prospects of young households close to the boundary between renting and owning in urban China, as opposed to those with minimal chances of attaining homeownership.
MR angiography of the hand with subsystolic cuff-compression optimization of injection parameters.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to assess the impact of various injection rates on contrast-enhanced high-resolution 3D MR angiography of the hand. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten healthy individuals (mean age, 24.4 years; range, 20-27 years) underwent 3D contrast-enhanced MR angiography of both hands. Starting 3 minutes before data acquisition, subsystolic upper arm cuff compression was applied unilaterally. A 1.5-T whole-body scanner with 3D gradient-echo sequence was used. Seven data sets (20 seconds) were obtained consecutively. I.v. contrast material of 0.1 mg/kg of body weight of gadobutrol was injected at rates of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mL/s. For both hands, quantitative data evaluation was performed with contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the radial, ulnar, palmar, and digital arteries and veins. Qualitative assessment of the arterial visualization score and venous contamination score was rated by two experienced radiologists using a 4-point scale. RESULTS The lowest venous contamination score (CNR and reviewers' assessment) was observed with an injection rate of 0.5 mL/s (p < 0.05). For the arterial signal, the reviewers' assessment was that an injection rate of 0.5 mL/s was best (p = 0.08). Compression yielded a significantly lower venous contamination score for the compressed side than for the noncompressed side for flow rates of 0.5 mL/s and 1.0 mL/s (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Image quality of hand MR angiography was better with cuff compression. A flow rate of 0.5 mL/s yielded a good CNR and a significantly lower venous contamination score than the other flow rates.
Postnatal Blocking of Interferon-γ Function Prevented Atherosclerotic Plaque Formation in Apolipoprotein E–Knockout Mice

It is unknown whether interferon-γ has a positive or negative impact on atherosclerotic plaque formation. Thus, we examined the effects of postnatal interferon-γ function blocking on plaque formation in apolipoprotein E–knockout (apoEKO) mice by overexpressing a soluble mutant of interferon-γ receptor (sIFNγR), an interferon-γ inhibitory protein. Mice were fed a Western-type diet from 8 weeks of age. sIFNγR or mock plasmid (control) was injected into the thigh muscle at 8 and 10 weeks' age, because serum sIFNγR protein was transiently increased with a peak at 2 days after a single sIFNγR gene transfer and remained elevated for 2 weeks. At 12 weeks' age, control apoEKO mice showed marked atherosclerotic plaques from the ascending aorta to the aortic arch. The plaques in the aortic root had massive lipid cores and macrophage infiltration with thin fibrous cap and few smooth muscle cells, demonstrating low plaque stability. In contrast, the luminal plaque area was remarkably reduced in sIFNγR-treated apoEKO mice. sIFNγR treatment not only reduced lipid core areas and macrophage infiltration but also increased smooth muscle cell count and fibrotic area, suggesting improved plaque stability. In controls, interleukin-1β, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecules-1 were remarkably upregulated in the aortic wall. These changes were significantly reversed by sIFNγR. sIFNγR treatment had no effects on serum cholesterol levels. In conclusion, sIFNγR treatment prevented plaque formation in apoEKO mice by inhibiting inflammatory changes in the arterial wall. The present study provides insight into a new strategy for preventing atherosclerosis.
Effect of Abrogation of Natural Killer Cell Activity on the Course of Candidiasis Induced by Intraperitoneal Administration and Gastrointestinal Candidiasis in Mice with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency

Candida albicans CFU per gram of tissue recovered from livers, spleens, and kidneys of 12 severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) and 12 BALB/c mice 5 days after intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of 10(7) C. albicans cells were not significantly different. Nine scid mice given normal rabbit serum (NRS) as a control and eight scid mice given anti-asialo-GM1 (alpha-ASGM1) had C. albicans CFU per gram recovered from livers and spleens 1 week after i.p. administration of C. albicans that were not significantly different, despite virtual elimination of natural killer (NK) cell activity in mice treated with alpha-ASGM1. At 2 weeks after i.p. administration, despite significantly increased NK cell activity in eight infected NRS-treated scid mice and virtual elimination of NK cell activity by alpha-ASGM1 treatment of eight scid mice, C. albicans CFU per gram recovered from livers and kidneys were not significantly different. At 2 weeks after intragastric administration of 2 x 10(6) C. albicans cells, eight NRS- and eight alpha-ASGM1-treated scid mice had identical proportions colonized with C. albicans and similar C. albicans CFU per gram recovered from feces. There was no evidence of hematogenous dissemination in either group. Similar results were seen 1 week after intragastric administration of 10(7) C. albicans cells. We conclude that NK cell activity is increased by i.p. administration of C. albicans in scid mice, but nontheless, abrogation of NK cell activity is not associated with enhanced susceptibility to candidiasis induced by i.p. administration and also is not associated with enhanced susceptibility to gastrointestinal colonization or hematogenous dissemination after intragastric administration of C. albicans.
Thermal stability of hydrophobic heme pocket variants of oxidized cytochrome c

Microcalorimetry has been used to measure the stabilities of mutational variants of yeast iso‐1 cytochrome c in which F82 and L85 have been replaced by other hydrophobic amino acids. Specifically, F82 has been replaced by Y and L85 by A. The double mutant F82Y, L85A iso‐1 has also been studied, and the mutational perturbations are compared to those for the two single mutants, F82Y iso‐1 and L85A iso‐1. Results are interpreted in terms of known crystallographic structures. The data show that (1) the destabilization of the mutant proteins is similar in magnitude to that which is theoretically predicted by the more obvious mutation‐induced structural effects; (2) the free energy of destabilization of the double mutant, F82Y, L85A iso‐1, is less than the sum of those of the two single mutants, almost certainly because, in the double mutant, the ‐OH group of Y82 is able to protrude into the cavity formed by the L85A substitution. The more favorable structural accommodation of the new ‐OH group in the double mutant leads to additional stability through (1) further decreases in the volumes of internal cavities and (2) formation of an extra protein‐protein hydrogen bond.
Secure Vehicular Communications Based on Group Signature and ID-Based Signature Scheme

Vehicular communication networking is a promising approach of facilitating road safety, traffic management, and infotainment dissemination for drivers and passengers. However, it is subject to various malicious abuses and security attacks which hinder it from practical implementation. In this paper, we propose a novel security protocol based on group signature and identity-based signature scheme to meet the unique requirements of vehicular communication networks. The proposed protocol not only guarantees security and anonymity, but also provides easy traceability property when the identity of the sender of a message has to be revealed by the authority. To further enable Internet access, the network architecture incorporating with the proposed security protocol is introduced. Simulation is conducted to analyze the system performance which proves the feasibility of the proposed scheme.
Genetic toxicity of dillapiol and spinosad larvicides in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster.

BACKGROUND Higher rates of diseases transmitted from insects to humans led to the increased use of organophosphate insecticides, proven to be harmful to human health and the environment. New, more effective chemical formulations with minimum genetic toxicity effects have become the object of intense research. These formulations include larvicides derived from plant extracts such as dillapiol, a phenylpropanoid extracted from Piper aduncum, and from microorganisms such as spinosad, formed by spinosyns A and D derived from the Saccharopolyspora spinosa fermentation process. This study investigated the genotoxicity of dillapiol and spinosad, characterising and quantifying mutation events and chromosomal and/or mitotic recombination using the somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) in wings of Drosophila melanogaster. RESULTS Standard cross larvae (72 days old) were treated with different dillapiol and spinosad concentrations. Both compounds presented positive genetic toxicity, mainly as mitotic recombination events. Distilled water and doxorubicin were used as negative and positive controls respectively. CONCLUSION Spinosad was 14 times more genotoxic than dillapiol, and the effect was found to be purely recombinogenic. However, more studies on the potential risks of insecticides such as spinosad and dillapiol are necessary, based on other experimental models and methodologies, to ensure safe use.
Phase 1/2a Trial of Plasmodium vivax Malaria Vaccine Candidate VMP001/AS01B in Malaria-Naive Adults: Safety, Immunogenicity, and Efficacy

Background A vaccine to prevent infection and disease caused by Plasmodium vivax is needed both to reduce the morbidity caused by this parasite and as a key component in efforts to eradicate malaria worldwide. Vivax malaria protein 1 (VMP001), a novel chimeric protein that incorporates the amino- and carboxy- terminal regions of the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) and a truncated repeat region that contains repeat sequences from both the VK210 (type 1) and the VK247 (type 2) parasites, was developed as a vaccine candidate for global use. Methods We conducted a first-in-human Phase 1 dose escalation vaccine study with controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) of VMP001 formulated in the GSK Adjuvant System AS01B. A total of 30 volunteers divided into 3 groups (10 per group) were given 3 intramuscular injections of 15μg, 30μg, or 60μg respectively of VMP001, all formulated in 500μL of AS01B at each immunization. All vaccinated volunteers participated in a P. vivax CHMI 14 days following the third immunization. Six non-vaccinated subjects served as infectivity controls. Results The vaccine was shown to be well tolerated and immunogenic. All volunteers generated robust humoral and cellular immune responses to the vaccine antigen. Vaccination did not induce sterile protection; however, a small but significant delay in time to parasitemia was seen in 59% of vaccinated subjects compared to the control group. An association was identified between levels of anti-type 1 repeat antibodies and prepatent period. Significance This trial was the first to assess the efficacy of a P. vivax CSP vaccine candidate by CHMI. The association of type 1 repeat-specific antibody responses with delay in the prepatency period suggests that augmenting the immune responses to this domain may improve strain-specific vaccine efficacy. The availability of a P. vivax CHMI model will accelerate the process of P. vivax vaccine development, allowing better selection of candidate vaccines for advancement to field trials.
Patch sampling behaviour and future foraging expectations in Argentine ants,
 Linepithema humile
 


Nests of Argentine ants, L. humile, were exposed to pairs of foraging patches of varying quality. These patches varied from never having food to having food for 4 h every day. After 15 days, colonies were allowed an added access to a new patch. The new patch, however, never contained food. The sampling behaviour of nests towards the initial patches and the new patch suggested that the nests were using a sampling rule based on maximizing net benefits of finding food minus the cost of sampling. The behaviour of the nests towards the new patch was also significantly affected by what the foraging workers had previouisly encountered in the foraging patches. The behaviour of the L. humile colonies is similar in pattern to what would result by Bayesian updating of expectations for success in novel foraging opportunities. These data are the first suggestions of such an ability in an insect. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
The functional extinction of Andean megafauna.

Controversy exists over the cause and timing of the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna. In the tropical Andes, deglaciation and associated rapid climate change began ~8,000 years before human arrival, providing an opportunity to separate the effects of climate change from human hunting on megafaunal extinction. We present a paleoecological record spanning the last 25,000 years from Lake Pacucha, Peru (3,100 m elevation). Fossil pollen, charcoal, diatoms, and the dung fungus Sporormiella, chronicle a two-stage megaherbivore population collapse. Sporormiella abundance, the proxy for megafaunal presence, fell sharply at ~21,000 years ago, but rebounded prior to a permanent decline between ~16,800 and 15,800 years ago. This two-stage decline in megaherbivores resulted in a functional extinction by ~15,800 years ago, 3,000 years earlier than known human occupation of the high Andes. Declining megaherbivore populations coincided with warm, wet intervals. Climatic instability and megafaunal population collapse triggered an ecological cascade that resulted in novel floral assemblages, and increases in woody species, fire frequency, and plant species that were sensitive to trampling. Our data revealed that Andean megafaunal populations collapsed due to positive feedbacks between habitat quality and climate change rather than human activity.
Day-To-Day Affect is Surprisingly Stable

Previous research suggests global assessments of cognitive well-being—life satisfaction—are relatively stable over time. Far fewer studies have examined the extent to which experiential measures of affective well-being—the moods/emotions people regularly experience—are stable, especially over extended periods of time. The present study used longitudinal data from a representative sample of Germans to investigate the long-term stability of different components of well-being. Participants provided global ratings of life satisfaction and affect, along with experiential measures of well-being up to 3 times over 2 years. Results indicated between one-third and one half of the variance in people’s daily affect was attributable to trait-like latent variables. Replicating meta-analytic findings, 50% of the variance in global measures of well-being was attributable to trait-like latent variables.
Vitamin D levels in Swiss multiple sclerosis patients.

BACKGROUND Vitamin D levels have not been previously published for Swiss multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. An association between vitamin D status and disease activity in MS has been suggested. AIM To define 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels in Swiss multiple sclerosis patients. METHOD Cross sectional case control study. RESULTS 25(OH)D levels of 80 patients (76.3% female, mean age 37.9 ± 10.6 years, mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 2.6 ± 1.2) were collected. Mean levels of 25(OH)D were 57.0 ± 29.7 nmol/l (range 18-175 nmol/l) in all patients. A total of 21.3% of patients had levels ≤37 nmol/l and 75% had levels ≤70 nmol/l. 25(OH)D levels in patients with previous high disease activity were 52.8 ± 23.1 nmol/l versus 58.9 ± 32.3 nmol/l in the low disease activity group (p = 0.4). CONCLUSION The prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency was high in Swiss MS patients.
Production code generation for server power supply controller

This paper reports an attempt to generate production-ready embedded software for a digital controller of two phase double-ended forward converter designed as a part of server power supply. We developed an automatic code generation environment based on MATLAB/Simulink, and made a controller model which realizes an appropriate execution management. Newly developed custom block enabled it. Furthermore, we developed several methods to improve execution time of the generated software. The developed methods enable the use of assembly language libraries, execution of functions from RAM, and efficient write to the resisters by automatically generated software. The software generated with the developed methods achieved 1.6 times faster calculation than the software generated without the methods. As a result, execution time less than 10 microseconds was achieved with a low cost embedded processor. The effectiveness of the generated software was also confirmed by converter control experiments and communication experiments.
Pathological gambling in Parkinson's disease—a review of the literature

The prevalence of pathological gambling is 3.4% to 6% in treated Parkinson's disease, which is higher than the background population rate. In this review we discuss current evidence to indicate that dopamine agonists are much more likely to trigger this behavior than either L‐dopa or selective monoamine oxidase B inhibitor monotherapy. New insights from recent behavioral and functional imaging studies and possible treatment approaches are also covered. A PubMed literature search using the terms “gambling” and “Parkinson's disease,” “impulse control disorder,” “impulsive compulsive behaviour,” “dopamine agonist,” of individual dopamine agonists, and of ongoing drug trials, using http://www.clinicaltrials. gov, was carried out for the period up to January 2011. © 2011 Movement Disorder Society
Hippocampal sulcal cavities on MRI: Relationship to age and apolipoprotein E genotype

Article abstract Hippocampal sulcal cavities are usually considered incidental findings on brain MRI. In a group of 92 elderly volunteers, the authors graded the number and size of hippocampal sulcal cavities with brain MRI to obtain a cavity score. Cavity scores increased with age, and were higher in subjects carrying the APOE ε4 or ε2 alleles than in subjects with the ε3/3 genotype. Age-related morphologic changes in the hippocampus may be mediated by the APOE genotype.