Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Associations between FTO genotype and total energy and macronutrient intake in adults: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Risk variants of fat mass and obesity‐associated (FTO) gene have been associated with increased obesity. However, the evidence for associations between FTO genotype and macronutrient intake has not been reviewed systematically. Our aim was to evaluate the potential associations between FTO genotype and intakes of total energy, fat, carbohydrate and protein. We undertook a systematic literature search in OVID MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE and Cochrane of associations between macronutrient intake and FTO genotype in adults. Beta coefficients and confidence intervals (CIs) were used for per allele comparisons. Random‐effect models assessed the pooled effect sizes. We identified 56 eligible studies reporting on 213,173 adults. For each copy of the FTO risk allele, individuals reported 6.46 kcal day−1 (95% CI: 10.76, 2.16) lower total energy intake (P = 0.003). Total fat (P = 0.028) and protein (P = 0.006), but not carbohydrate intakes, were higher in those carrying the FTO risk allele. After adjustment for body weight, total energy intakes remained significantly lower in individuals with the FTO risk genotype (P = 0.028). The FTO risk allele is associated with a lower reported total energy intake and with altered patterns of macronutrient intake. Although significant, these differences are small and further research is needed to determine whether the associations are independent of dietary misreporting.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK o f ATLANTA WORKING PAPER SERIES Accounting for the Cyclical Dynamics of Income Shares Enchuan Shao and Pedro Silos Working Paper 2011-9 March 2011

Over the business cycle, labor’s share of output is negatively but weakly correlated with output, and it lags output by about four quarters. Profit’s share is strongly procyclical. It neither leads nor lags output, and its volatility is about four times that of output. Despite the importance of understanding the dynamics of income shares for understanding aggregate technology and the degree of competition in factor markets, macroeconomics lacks models that can account for these dynamics. This paper constructs a model that can replicate those facts. We introduce costly entry of firms in a model with frictional labor markets and find a link between the ability of the model to replicate income shares’ dynamics and the ability of the model to amplify and propagate shocks. That link is a countercyclical real interest rate, a well-known fact in U.S. data but a feature that models of aggregate fluctuations have had difficulty achieving. JEL classification: E3, E25, J3, E24
Exploring the integration of the biomedical research component in undergraduate medical education

Background: A task force of MEDINE (Thematic Network on Medical Education in Europe) organized a survey of European Medical Schools. Aim: To investigate the link between education and biomedical research in the medical curriculum questioning university staff responsible for the curriculum. Method: The survey was online between 10/2006 and 3/2007. Answers pertained to the situation in the academic year 2005/06. Results: Ninety-one medical schools/faculties in 26 countries participated, but response rates to some questions were lower due to incomplete responses. In undergraduate programs, 3/4 of the schools offer research courses and in 2/3 students can do research themselves. However, in most schools, fewer than 10% students choose this option. In about half the medical schools writing a thesis is a requirement for graduation, although the term “thesis” is interpreted broadly. Color map analysis revealed the link between medical education and biomedical research: about 25% of the medical schools had little emphasis on research in their undergraduate curriculum. Conclusions: We identified the curriculum elements most suitable to improve the link between medical education and research for the initial stage (years 1–3) as literature search techniques, statistics and epidemiology, while for the advanced stage (years 4–6), writing a thesis was most relevant.
A power and area efficient 65 nm CMOS delay line ADC for on-chip voltage sensing

This paper presents a 4-bit windowed delay line ADC implemented in 65 nm CMOS technology for VLSI dynamic voltage scaling power management applications. Good linearity is achieved in the proposed power and area efficient ADC without the use of resistors for compensation. The circuit performance was analyzed theoretically and verified experimentally. The measured DNL is within ±0.25 LSB and INL ±0.15 LSB. It occupies an area of 0.009 mm2. With a sampling rate of 4 MHz, the ADC is measured to consume a power of 14 μW with ENOB of 4.1 and voltage sensing range from 0.87 V to 1.32 V.
Compact and Broadband Antenna for LTE and Public Safety Applications

The antenna presented in this letter employs a stepped T-shape structure in combination with patch tapering and a capacitive feeding mechanism to obtain broad bandwidth (BW). This antenna is specifically designed to operate for US Public Safety (PS) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication bands covering 426-861 MHz (68% BW). The radiation pattern over this broad bandwidth remains almost unchanged with good gain flatness. The antenna has a compact three-dimensional structure with lateral dimensions being ~ 0.25 λ in length and height being ~ 0.01 λ at the lowest frequency of operation. The measured and simulated impedance and radiation characteristics results agree well, demonstrating the good performance of the broadband and compact antenna presented in this letter.
Purification and Properties of HuD, a Neuronal RNA-binding Protein (*)

HuD is a human neuronal specific RNA-binding protein. In this study we have purified HuD and examined its RNA binding properties in detail. HuD binds to mRNAs that contain an AU-rich element with high affinity. In the case of the c-fos AU-rich element, HuD binds to a 27-nucleotide core element comprising AUUUA, AUUUUA, and AUUUUUA motifs. Mutation in any two of these motifs abrogates binding. HuD contains two tandem RNA recognition motifs (RRM), a basic domain, and a third RRM. Deletion analysis has shown that only the first and second RRMs are essential for RNA binding. Thus, these specific RNA binding properties support the idea that the HuD regulates gene expression at the post-transcriptional level.
Variation in the tendency of primary care physicians to intervene.

BACKGROUND Research has documented dramatic variation in health care spending across the United States that has little relationship to health outcomes. Although high-spending areas have more physicians per capita, it is not known whether this disparity fully explains the differences in spending or whether individual physicians in high-spending regions have a greater tendency to intervene for their patients. We sought to measure the tendency of primary care physicians to intervene across regions that differ in their levels of local health care spending. METHODS We used data from the Community Tracking Study Physician Survey, a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 5490 primary care physicians who provided care to adults in 1998-1999 (response rate 59%). Local health care spending in physicians' communities was determined by assigning each participating physician to 1 of 306 US hospital referral regions. The tendency of physicians to intervene was measured by evaluating their responses to 6 clinical vignettes in which they were asked how often they would order a test, referral, or treatment for the patient described. RESULTS In 5 of the 6 vignettes, physicians in high-spending regions were more likely to recommend interventions than those practicing in low-spending regions. For example, for a 35-year-old man with back pain and foot drop, physicians in high-spending regions would recommend magnetic resonance imaging 82% of the time, compared with 69% for physicians in low-spending regions (P<.001). For a 60-year-old man somewhat bothered by symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy, physicians in high-spending regions would make a urology referral 32% of the time, while those in low-spending regions would do so only 23% of the time (P<.001). Our findings that physicians in high-spending regions have a greater tendency to intervene persisted in analyses stratified by physician specialty (family/general practice vs internal medicine). CONCLUSION Varying rates of health care spending across the United States reflect the underlying tendency of local physicians to recommend interventions for their patients.
Energy aware and reliable STT-RAM based cache design for 3D embedded chip-multiprocessors

In Nano-scale technologies, static power consumption due to leakage current has become a serious issue in the design of SRAM based on-chip cache memories. To address this issue, non-volatile memory technologies such as STT-RAM (Spin Transfer Torque-RAM) have been proposed as a replacement for SRAM cells due to their near zero static power consumption and high memory density. Nonetheless, STT-RAMs suffer from some failures such as read disturb and limited endurance as well as high switching energy. One effective way to decrease the STT-RAMs' switching energy is to reduce their retention time, however, reducing the retention time has a negative impact on the reliability of STT-RAM cells. In this paper, we propose a hybrid cache layer for an embedded 3D-Chip Multiprocessor which employs two types of STT-RAM memory banks with retention time of 1s and 10ms to provide a beneficial tradeoff between reliability, energy consumption, and performance. To this end, we also propose an optimization model to find the optimal configurations for these two kinds of memory banks. Simulation results using the Gem5 simulator through comparisons with fully SRAM and fully STT-RAM based cache show that the proposed hybrid cache consumes significantly less power while offering higher throughput (instructions per cycle) compared to a fully STT-RAM based cache.
Docetaxel versus paclitaxel combined with 5-FU and leucovorin in advanced gastric cancer: combined analysis of two phase II trials.

PURPOSE This is an ad hoc analysis of two phase II studies which compared the efficacy and safety of two taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel) combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV) in advanced gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma who were untreated or had only received first-line chemotherapy, were treated with either paclitaxel (PFL; 175 mg/m(2)) or docetaxel (DFL; 75 mg/m(2)) on day 1, followed by a bolus of LV (20 mg/m(2) days 1~3) and a 24-hour infusion of 5-FU (1,000 mg/m(2) days 1~3) every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) and the secondary endpoint included survival and toxicity. RESULTS Sixty-six patients received DFL (first-line [n=38]; and second-line [n=28]) and 60 patients received PFL (first-line [n=37]; and second-line [n=23]). The ORRs were not significantly different between the 2 groups (DFL, 26%; PFL, 38%). With a median follow-up of 9.5 months, the progression free survival was 5.2 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.2~6.5 months) for DFL and 3.3 months (95% CI, 1.3~5.5 months) for PFL (p=0.17). The overall survival was also comparable between the patients who received DFL and PFL (10.0 months [95% CI, 7.2~12.5 months] and 13.9 months [95% CI, 10.9~19.2 months], respectively; p=0.37). The most frequent grade 3~4 adverse event was neutropenia (DFL, 71%; PFL, 62%). DFL and PFL had different non-hematologic toxicities; specifically, grade >or=3 mucositis (5%) and diarrhea (3%) were common in DFL, while nausea/vomiting (15%) and peripheral neuropathy (5%) were common in PFL. CONCLUSION Thus, the two taxanes had similar efficacy in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer, but different toxicity profiles. Prospective comparative studies are required to further clarify the role of taxanes in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer.
Early Outcomes of Coronary Endarterectomy in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

BACKGROUND Coronary endarterectomy (CE) is performed as an adjunct to coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG); however, the efficacy of this technique is still controversial. We aimed to evaluate the impact of CE combined with CABG when compared with isolated CABG. METHODS Patients who underwent CABG between July 2007 and June 2014 were included. 70 of 2452 patients (2.8%) underwent CE in addition to CABG. Early results were compared with isolated CABG and predictors of adverse outcome were measured in stepwise multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS The incidence of comorbidities including prior myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus, and three-vessel coronary disease in CE patients was higher; however, mortality (4.3% versus control 3.6%; P = .762) and postoperative complications were not significantly increased in this group of patients (except supraventricular arrhythmia). Although age greater than 70 years, impaired ejection fraction, intraoperative intraaortic balloon pump, and prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time were important predictors of adverse outcomes, CE was not associated with increased mortality or postoperative morbidities. CONCLUSION Despite the higher risk profile of patients who underwent CE, this technique was not identified as an independent risk factor for adverse postoperative outcomes.
VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE AND THE OUTCOME OF SECURITIES LITIGATION

We examine the impact of voluntary disclosure by defendant firms on the outcome of securities fraud class actions. We hypothesize that firms with more disclosure will experience more adverse litigation outcomes, given the strict pleading standards of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. We expect this effect to be driven by non-forward-looking disclosures since forward-looking statements enjoy safe harbor protection. Using a measure of disclosure collected directly from lawsuit complaints and a broader measure of disclosure from press releases, we find that more disclosure by the defendant firm does indeed lead to a higher likelihood of significant settlements. However, more forward-looking statements are less likely to result in a significant settlement. When we examine the nature of the forward-looking statements, we find that lawsuits against firms issuing more negative forecasts are generally more likely to be dismissed.
A study of the epidemiology of cancer of the breast

All the factors thought to play a role in development of breast cancer were studied via clinical and interviewing techniques in white American women (632) Negro American women (52) British women (174) Indian women (151) and Japanese women (116). Incidence patterns of breast cancer are summarized; in descending order they are: English women white American women Negro American women and Japanese women. Data suggest lack of nursing has some influence on breast cancer development. There seems to be a significantly higher incidence of breast cancer in mothers sisters and aunts of breast cancer victims. Chronic cystic mastitis may predispose women to breast cancer. Breast cancer patients tend to marry later and thus have fewer children. Control Japanese women begin menstruating 2 years later than American women. The complexity of the factors involved in the etiology of breast cancer make statistical analysis difficult. 8 general conclusions are drawn in determining the epidemiological pattern of breast cancer.
Prediction of fracture load at different skeletal sites by geometric properties of the cortical shell

Quantitative bone assessment today is primarily based on the analysis of bone mineral density (BMD). The geometric properties of bone, which are an important parameter for skeletal strength, are generally not considered in the routine clinical assessment of osteoporosis. This study combined the geometric properties and the BMD values determined by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) at the distal radius and at the femoral neck to predict fracture loads of the radius, femur, and lumbar vertebrae of 20 cadavers. Generalized osteopenia reduced the fracture loads at all three sites (p < 0.001). The strength of the radius and the femoral neck could best be predicted by considering either the second moment of inertia and trabecular BMD (R = 0.93) or the moment of inertia and the cortical BMD (R = 0.91). The geometric properties at the distal radius were highly correlated with the fracture load at the same skeletal site (R = 0.89) and were also used to estimate the fracture risk at the lumbar vertebrae (R = 0.75) and at the femoral neck (R = 0.87). We conclude that both geometry and density contribute substantially to the strength of the skeleton. The screening for osteoporosis and the prediction of fracture risk can be improved, therefore, by an additional consideration of the geometric properties of the cortex.
Commentary on: an (un)paralleled process?

As highlighted in the Viewpoint article by Rossiter (2013), studying the adjustment of the energy pathway to cope with ATP demand at the onset of both acute exercise and following exercise training provides a unique window to understand muscle function. Traditionally, it has been thought that the increase in mitochondrial respiration capacity associated with exercise training leads to faster O2 uptake kinetics and smaller relative changes in the cytosolic modulators of oxidative phosphorylation, implying an increased respiration sensitivity of the mitochondria. In this regard, the study by Zoladz et al. (2013) is particularly intriguing and supports previous suggestions that in the early stage of exercise training the sensitivity of mitochondrial respiration can be increased before a change in mitochondrial capacity or mitochondrial density (Green et al. 1991). A potential mechanism contributing to this improved kinetic control may be related to the compartmentalization of energy exchange and the existence of intracellular energetic units. Indeed, it has been suggested that mitochondria, sarcoplasmic reticulum and myofibrils may all be associated functionally in skeletal muscle, such that the ADP produced during intracellular ATPase reactions (myosinand calcium-ATPases) can be directly channelled to the mitochondria. Considering the substantial, although not significant, reduction in muscle fibre crosssectional area reported by Zoladz et al. (2013) and the recent documentation of increased ADP sensitivity with short-term training (Layec et al. 2013), one can speculate that the structural arrangement of mitochondria around myofibrils might occur rapidly, after only a few days of exercise training, improving the channelling and regulation of energy within these functional units and metabolic stability.
Psychometric Properties of the Support for Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Scale

The authors examined the psychometric properties of the Support for Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Scale (SLGHRS; S. J. Ellis, C. Kitzinger, & S. Wilkinson, 2002) by distributing copies of that instrument and several validation measures (e.g., religious fundamentalism) to 267 female students attending modules in psychology at a large Irish university. Output from an exploratory factor analysis did not support the tripartite structure that Ellis et al. noted. Instead, a 2-factor solution appeared to be most reasonable, with the 1st factor assessing global support for the human rights of sexual minorities (Global, 14 items) and the 2nd factor focusing more narrowly on the legality of homosexuality (Legal, 4 items). Scale score reliability coefficients for the 2 factors were . 86 and . 61, respectively. Scores on the Global subscale correlated significantly with all validation measures; however, the present authors obtained mixed results for the Legal subscale. The authors outline potential uses of the modified SLGHRS.
Biofilm Formation and Acyl Homoserine Lactone Production in the Burkholderia cepacia Complex

ABSTRACT Acyl homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL)-mediated gene regulation has been shown to influence biofilm formation in one Burkholderia cepacia cystic fibrosis isolate, but it is not known whether this relationship is a consistent feature of the several genomic species that make up the B. cepacia complex (BCC). We screened strains belonging to genomovars I to V of the BCC for biofilm formation on an abiotic surface and for acyl-HSL synthesis. We determined that organisms from each of these genomovars were capable of biofilm formation. Similarly, acyl-HSL was synthesized by organisms from each of genomovars I to V, with most isolates producing octanoyl-HSL in greatest abundance. When biofilms were grown in Luria broth, acyl-HSL synthesis and biofilm formation appeared to be associated, but these phenotypes were independent when the biofilms were grown in basal salts containing citrate. Genomovar V strains synthesized the greatest quantities of acyl-HSL, and genomovar II and III-A strains elaborated the most abundant biofilms. Quorum sensing may play a role in BCC pathogenesis, but it may not regulate biofilm formation under all growth conditions.
AT-1 receptor blockade prevents proteinuria, renal failure, hyperlipidemia, and glomerulosclerosis in the Imai rat.

BACKGROUND The Imai rat is a model of spontaneous focal glomerulosclerosis which leads to nephrotic syndrome, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and progressive renal failure. We evaluated the effects of angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT-1)blockade, and compared the results with the effects of the administration of hypolipidemic treatment with a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor. All treatments were started at 10 weeks of age when the rats were already proteinuric and continued for 6 months when rats were sacrificed. METHODS The following groups (N= 6 each) were studied: (1) control Sprague-Dawley rats, 34 weeks old; (2) Imai group that received vehicle; (3) Imai + angiotensin II receptor blockade (ARB) group that received olmesartan (10 mg/kg/day by gastric gavage); (4) Imai + prava group, that received pravastatin (20 mg/kg/day by gastric gavage); and (5) Imai + ARB + prava group that received both ARB and pravastatin. Lipid profile, renal function, and structure were assessed at 6 months. RESULTS As expected, the untreated Imai rats exhibited heavy proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, hypertension, renal insufficiency, marked glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial inflammation, and profound hyperlipidemia. Pravastatin treatment alone led to a significant, but partial improvement of hyperlipidemia and renal disease. The ARB treatment alone or in combination with pravastatin resulted in normalization of the blood pressure, urinary protein excretion, plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), very low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs), and albumin concentrations and renal function. Significant glomerulosclerosis was prevented and tubulointerstitial injury and immune cell infiltration were reduced by long-term AT-1 blockade. CONCLUSION The study revealed that long-term AT-1 blockade corrects proteinuria, hyperlipidemia, and nephropathy in this model of spontaneous glomerulosclerosis.