Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of whey protein supplementation on body composition changes in women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Context A preponderance of evidence supports the beneficial effects of whey protein (WP) supplementation on body composition in men; however, there is currently insufficient evidence to make an equivalent claim in women. Objective This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effects of WP supplementation with or without energy restriction (ER) and resistance training (RT) on changes in body mass, lean mass, and fat mass in women. Data Sources Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane, and CINAHL were searched using the keywords "whey protein," "body composition," and "lean mass. " Data Extraction Two researchers independently screened 1845 abstracts and extracted 276 articles. Thirteen randomized controlled trials with 28 groups met the inclusion criteria. Results Globally, WP supplementation increased lean mass (WMD, 0.37 kg; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06 to 0.67) while not influencing changes in fat mass (-0.20 kg; 95%CI, -0.67 to 0.27) relative to non-WP control. The beneficial effect of WP on lean mass was lost when only studies with RT were included in the analysis (n = 7 comparisons; 0.23 kg; 95%CI, -0.17 to 0.63). The beneficial effect of WP on lean mass was more robust when only studies with an ER component were included (n = 6 comparisons; 0.90 kg; 95%CI, 0.31 to 1.49). There was no effect of WP on lean mass in studies without ER (n = 9 comparisons; 0.22 kg; 95%CI, -0.12 to 0.57). Conclusion Whey protein supplementation improves body composition by modestly increasing lean mass without influencing changes in fat mass. Body composition improvements from WP are more robust when combined with ER .
Early Prediction of Intensive Care Unit–Acquired Weakness: A Multicenter External Validation Study

Objectives: An early diagnosis of intensive care unit–acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is often not possible due to impaired consciousness. To avoid a diagnostic delay, we previously developed a prediction model, based on single-center data from 212 patients (development cohort), to predict ICU-AW at 2 days after ICU admission. The objective of this study was to investigate the external validity of the original prediction model in a new, multicenter cohort and, if necessary, to update the model. Methods: Newly admitted ICU patients who were mechanically ventilated at 48 hours after ICU admission were included. Predictors were prospectively recorded, and the outcome ICU-AW was defined by an average Medical Research Council score <4. In the validation cohort, consisting of 349 patients, we analyzed performance of the original prediction model by assessment of calibration and discrimination. Additionally, we updated the model in this validation cohort. Finally, we evaluated a new prediction model based on all patients of the development and validation cohort. Results: Of 349 analyzed patients in the validation cohort, 190 (54%) developed ICU-AW. Both model calibration and discrimination of the original model were poor in the validation cohort. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC-ROC) was 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.54-0.66). Model updating methods improved calibration but not discrimination. The new prediction model, based on all patients of the development and validation cohort (total of 536 patients) had a fair discrimination, AUC-ROC: 0.70 (95% CI: 0.66-0.75). Conclusions: The previously developed prediction model for ICU-AW showed poor performance in a new independent multicenter validation cohort. Model updating methods improved calibration but not discrimination. The newly derived prediction model showed fair discrimination. This indicates that early prediction of ICU-AW is still challenging and needs further attention.
FPGA realization of speech encryption based on modified chaotic logistic map

This paper presents an FPGA design and implementation of a chaotic speech encryption and decryption system based on bit permutations. Different encryption schemes are realized and compared. In addition, various testing methods including entropy, mean squared error, and correlation coefficients are used to analyze the efficiency of the system. The techniques for area and delay minimization are used. Carry look-ahead adder, multi-operand adder and booth multiplier are used to improve the performance of the encryption schemes design. A comparison between the different encryption architectures and the state of the art is introduced. The results demonstrate the good security of the proposed systems, which enables their utilization in speech telecommunication. The designs have been simulated using Xilinx ISE 14.7 and realized on FPGA Xilinx virtex-5 xc5lx50T. A throughput of 7.9 Gbit/sec for bit permutation design, 2.6 Gbit/sec for bit permutation and chaotic modified logistic map is achieved compared with 1.1 Gbit/sec and 1.49 Gbit/sec for previous work.
To Serve and to Tweet: An Examination of Police-Related Twitter Activity in Toronto

Police departments across North America and Europe are using Twitter for many different reasons, one of the most important being public relations (i.e., image work). This article examines the relationship between Twitter use, police image work, and public engagement in the Canadian context. On the basis of 8,174 police-related tweets sent by the Toronto Police Service (TPS) and citizens, we advance the argument that despite its dialogical potential, the TPS use Twitter first and foremost as a means to legitimize the organization and that the organizational precepts of police image appear to preclude meaningful forms of engagement with citizens via Twitter.
Vitamin D status and calcium metabolism in adolescent black and white girls on a range of controlled calcium intakes.

BACKGROUND There are limited data in adolescents on racial differences in relationships between dietary calcium intake, absorption, and retention and serum levels of calcium-regulating hormones. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate these relationships cross-sectionally in American White and Black adolescent girls. METHODS Calcium balance studies were conducted in 105 girls, aged 11-15 yr, on daily calcium intakes ranging from 760-2195 mg for 3-wk controlled feeding periods; 158 observations from 52 Black and 53 White girls were analyzed. RESULTS Black girls had lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], higher serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and higher calcium absorption and retention than White girls. Calcium intake and race, but not serum 25(OH)D, predicted net calcium absorption and retention with Black girls absorbing calcium more efficiently at low calcium intakes than White girls. The relationship between serum 25(OH)D and serum PTH was negative only in White girls. Calcium intake, race, and postmenarcheal age explained 21% of the variation in calcium retention, and serum 25(OH)D did not contribute further to the variance. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that serum 25(OH)D does not contribute to the racial differences in calcium absorption and retention during puberty.
Effect of Silver Nitrate and Sodium Fluoride with Tri-Calcium Phosphate on Streptococcus mutans and Demineralised Dentine

This study investigated the effect of 25% silver nitrate (AgNO3) and 5% sodium fluoride (NaF) varnish with functionalized tri-calcium phosphate (fTCP) on a Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) biofilm and dentine caries lesion. Demineralised dentine specimens were treated with 25% AgNO3 and 5% NaF + fTCP (Group 1), 25% AgNO3 and 5% NaF (Group 2), 25% AgNO3 (Group 3), or water (Group 4). The specimens were subjected to a S. mutans biofilm challenge after treatment. The biofilm was then studied via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and colony forming units (CFU). The specimens were assessed by micro-computed tomography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). SEM and CLSM revealed less biofilm in Groups 1 to 3. The log10 CFU of Groups 1 to 4 were 4.5 ± 0.7, 4.4 ± 0.9, 4.4 ± 0.9, and 6.7 ± 1.0, respectively (Groups 1, 2, 3 < 4, p < 0.001). The lesion depths of Groups 1 to 4 were 212.6 ± 20.1 µm, 280.8 ± 51.6 µm, 402.5 ± 61.7 µm, and 497.4 ± 67.2 µm, respectively (Groups 1 < 2 < 3 < 4, p < 0.001). XRD demonstrated silver chloride formation in Groups 1, 2, and 3. FTIR found the amide I: HPO42− values of the four groups were 0.22 ± 0.05, 0.25 ± 0.05, 0.41 ± 0.12, and 0.64 ± 0.14, respectively (Groups 1, 2 < 3 < 4; p < 0.001). In conclusion, this study revealed that AgNO3 and NaF + fTCP reduced the damage of dentine caries by cariogenic biofilm.
A new generalized cycle ergometry equation for predicting maximal oxygen uptake: The Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND)

Background To develop a clinically applicable equation derived from direct assessment of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) to predict VO2max assessed indirectly during cycle ergometry. Design VO2max was assessed by open-circuit spirometry during a graded maximal exercise test using cycle ergometry. Multivariable linear regression analysis was applied to identify the most relevant variables and construct the best prediction model for VO2max using a random sample of 70% from each of the following age categories: <40, 40–50, 50–70 and >70 years; the remaining 30% was used for validation. Work rate (Watts*6.12/kg of body weight) and gender were considered in the final regression model as predictors of measured VO2max and the resulting equation was compared to the traditional American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) equation. Methods Participants were part of the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND), a multi-institutional initiative with the primary objective of establishing normative VO2max values across the adult lifespan. The final cohort consisted of 5100 (3378 men; mean age 35.9 ± 12.1 years and 1722 women; mean age 47.5 ± 14.0 years). Results The following equation was generated: VO2max in ml O2·kg–1·min–1 = 1.74* (Watts*6.12/kg of body weight) + 3.5. The derived FRIEND-ergometry equation predicted VO2max with an overall relative bias of 0.51% ± 0.11 compared to a 15.46% ± 0.13 associated with the traditional ACSM equations (P < 0.001). This predictive value was independent of gender, race, cardiac risk factors and cardiac, antihypertensive, metabolic and/or lipid-lowering medication. Conclusion The FRIEND-ergometry equation is considerably more precise than the traditional ACSM equation with an overall error over 30 times lower than that associated with the ACSM equation.
PENGARUH BELANJA MODAL, PERTUMBUHAN EKONOMI DAN JUMLAH PENDUDUK MISKIN TERHADAP INDEKS PEMBANGUNAN MANUSIA DI KABUPATEN/KOTA PROVINSI JAMBI

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh belanja modal, pertumbuhan ekonomi dan jumlah penduduk miskin terhadap indeks pembangunan manusia (IPM) kabupaten/kota di Provinsi Jambi. Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah data panel dengan jenis data sekunder yang meliputi data time series tahun 2009-2013 dan data cross section untuk sembilan kabupaten dan satu kota di Provinsi Jambi. Hasil regresi data panel menunjukkan bahwa belanja modal berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap IPM. Kemiskinan berpengaruh negatif dan signifikan terhadap IPM. Pertumbuhan ekonomi tidak berpengaruh signifikan terhadap IPM Dari uji Chow dan Uji Hausman maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa metode estimasi parameter yang tepat dalam data penelitian ini adalah dengan menggunakan Fixed Effect Model.
Tutorial Schools in Thailand: Perceptions and Motivations of Thai High School Students

The article explores the motivation of Thai secondary school students who chose to enroll in private tutorial institutes. The research draws on primary qualitative data compiled from structured interviews utilizing a comparative perspective to provide insight into perceptions of tutorial versus formal secondary education. The evidence presented here suggests that Thai secondary students have two clear motivations for consuming and engaging in private tutorial education: (1) the belief that tutorial classes will provide them with better educational performance as measured by their grade point average and performance on standardized tests, and (2) a service-driven motivation where tutorial educators provide student-centered learning and personalized education. The full text of the article can be found at 10.18275/fire201704021137
Genotoxicity Assessment of Nanomaterials: Recommendations on Best Practices, Assays, and Methods

Nanomaterials (NMs) present unique challenges in safety evaluation. An international working group, the Genetic Toxicology Technical Committee of the International Life Sciences Institute's Health and Environmental Sciences Institute, has addressed issues related to the genotoxicity assessment of NMs. A critical review of published data has been followed by recommendations on methods alterations and best practices for the standard genotoxicity assays: bacterial reverse mutation (Ames); in vitro mammalian assays for mutations, chromosomal aberrations, micronucleus induction, or DNA strand breaks (comet); and in vivo assays for genetic damage (micronucleus, comet and transgenic mutation assays). The analysis found a great diversity of tests and systems used for in vitro assays; many did not meet criteria for a valid test, and/or did not use validated cells and methods in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Test Guidelines, and so these results could not be interpreted. In vivo assays were less common but better performed. It was not possible to develop conclusions on test system agreement, NM activity, or mechanism of action. However, the limited responses observed for most NMs were consistent with indirect genotoxic effects, rather than direct interaction of NMs with DNA. We propose a revised genotoxicity test battery for NMs that includes in vitro mammalian cell mutagenicity and clastogenicity assessments; in vivo assessments would be added only if warranted by information on specific organ exposure or sequestration of NMs. The bacterial assays are generally uninformative for NMs due to limited particle uptake and possible lack of mechanistic relevance, and are thus omitted in our recommended test battery for NM assessment. Recommendations include NM characterization in the test medium, verification of uptake into target cells, and limited assay-specific methods alterations to avoid interference with uptake or endpoint analysis. These recommendations are summarized in a Roadmap guideline for testing.
Mean platelet volume/platelet count ratio and mortality in patients on peritoneal dialysis .

OBJECTIVES The association between mean platelet volume/platelet count ratio (MPV/PC) and mortality has been demonstrated in various populations but not in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. This study investigated the association between MPV/PC and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in PD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this single-center retrospective cohort study, 338 patients who underwent incident PD from January 2006 to June 2014 and had baseline MPV/PC were enrolled and followed until June 30, 2015. RESULTS The mean patient age was 50.5 ± 14.9 years (58.2% men, 22.8% diabetic). During a median follow-up of 25 (IQR 17 - 39) months, 58 patients died; 30 deaths were due to cardiovascular disease. The patients were stratified into two groups according to the PC, MPV, and MPV/PC quartiles. The all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were compared between both groups. MPV and MPV/PC and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were significantly associated, even after adjusting for age, gender, Davies score, hemoglobin, albumin, and usage of platelet inhibitors. Only the association between baseline MPV/PC and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was similar when we examined PC, MPV, and MPV/PC without stratification. In the multivariable adjusted model, each 0.01 increase in MPV/PC was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) of 0.67 (95% CI, 0.51 - 0.89) for all-cause mortality and an AHR of 0.63 (95% CI, 0.42 - 0.96) for cardiovascular mortality. CONCLUSION MPV/PC may be a more reliable and accurate risk factor compared to MPV or PC alone.
SciTaiL: A Textual Entailment Dataset from Science Question Answering

We present a new dataset and model for textual entailment, derived from treating multiple-choice question-answering as an entailment problem. SciTail is the first entailment set that is created solely from natural sentences that already exist independently ``in the wild'' rather than sentences authored specifically for the entailment task. Different from existing entailment datasets, we create hypotheses from science questions and the corresponding answer candidates, and premises from relevant web sentences retrieved from a large corpus. These sentences are often linguistically challenging. This, combined with the high lexical similarity of premise and hypothesis for both entailed and non-entailed pairs, makes this new entailment task particularly difficult. The resulting challenge is evidenced by state-of-the-art textual entailment systems achieving mediocre performance on SciTail, especially in comparison to a simple majority class baseline. As a step forward, we demonstrate that one can improve accuracy on SciTail by 5% using a new neural model that exploits linguistic structure.
Protecting Life on Land and Below Water: Using Storytelling to Promote Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes toward Animals

The framework of Global Education 2030 Agenda suggests 17 learning objectives for sustainability education. Restoring the human–animal relationship is a core task emphasized by Goals 14 (Life below water) and 15 (Life on land). This study investigated the effect of using storytelling, focusing on the thematic topic of wild animals, as an integrated part of learning about attitude toward wild animals. It addressed the major question: how could the students’ perceptions concerning the human–animal relationship be changed? The participants were 31 university students majoring in a variety of subjects. Qualitative inquiry using a personal meaning map (PMM) and online in-depth focus group interview explored the students’ perceptions of wild animals and their learning experience. The results showed the students’ changing attitudes toward wild animals at the end of the storytelling session. In the focus group interview students reported the process of their storytelling regarding the invention the stories. In conclusion, storytelling, featuring the adoption of multiperspectives, addressed imagination and empathy and promoted an understanding of the ethical relationship between wild animals and human beings. The educational implication of storytelling appealed to a holistic approach, engaging an interdisciplinary classroom practice in defining humanity in relation to the nonhuman world.
Thiamine and Cyanocobalamin Relieve Neuropathic Pain in Rats: Synergy with Dexamethasone

Treatment of neuropathic pain is an area of largely unmet medical need. Therefore, this pain may require the development of novel drug entities. In the search for alternatives, B vitamins have been found to be a clinically useful pharmacological tool for patients with neuropathic pain. However, preclinical studies supporting this use are lacking. In this study, we assessed the possible antiallodynic effects of thiamine, pyridoxine, and cyanocobalamin as well as dexamethasone and their combination on spinal nerve ligation induced allodynia. Sub cutaneous administration of thiamine (75–600 mg/kg), pyridoxine (75–600 mg/kg), cyanocobalamin(0.75–6 mg/kg), and dexamethasone (4–32 mg/kg) significantly reduced tactile allodynia in rats. Maximal antiallodynic effects were reached with 600 mg/kg of thiamine (∼58%), 600 mg/kg of pyridoxine (∼22%), 6 mg/kg of cyanocobalamin (∼73%), and 32 mg/kg of dexamethasone (∼68%). Since a small antiallodynic effect was observed with pyridoxine, this drug was not further analyzed in the combinations. Coadministration of thiamine or cyanocobalamin and dexamethasone remarkably reduced spinal nerve ligation induced allodynia (∼90%), showing a synergistic interaction between either thiamine or cyanocobalamin and dexamethasone. Our data indicate that thiamine and pyridoxine as well as the combination of B vitamins and dexamethasone are able to reduce tactile allodynia in rats and suggest the possible clinical use of these drugs in the treatment of neuropathic pain in human beings.
MicroRNA‐26 Family Is Required for Human Adipogenesis and Drives Characteristics of Brown Adipocytes

Adipose tissue contains thermogenic adipocytes (i.e., brown and brite/beige) that oxidize nutrients at exceptionally high rates via nonshivering thermogenesis. Its recent discovery in adult humans has opened up new avenues to fight obesity and related disorders such as diabetes. Here, we identified miR‐26a and ‐26b as key regulators of human white and brite adipocyte differentiation. Both microRNAs are upregulated in early adipogenesis, and their inhibition prevented lipid accumulation while their overexpression accelerated it. Intriguingly, miR‐26a significantly induced pathways related to energy dissipation, shifted mitochondrial morphology toward that seen in brown adipocytes, and promoted uncoupled respiration by markedly increasing the hallmark protein of brown fat, uncoupling protein 1. By combining in silico target prediction, transcriptomics, and an RNA interference screen, we identified the sheddase ADAM metallopeptidase domain 17 (ADAM17) as a direct target of miR‐26 that mediated the observed effects on white and brite adipogenesis. These results point to a novel, critical role for the miR‐26 family and its downstream effector ADAM17 in human adipocyte differentiation by promoting characteristics of energy‐dissipating thermogenic adipocytes. Stem Cells 2014;32:1578–1590