Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pro- and mature IGF-II during diet-induced weight loss in obese subjects.

BACKGROUND In normal subjects up to 10% of circulating insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) consists of pro-IGF-II. However, its regulation and biological impact remains unknown. In obese subjects, serum free and total IGF-II are increased, and we therefore investigated the impact of obesity and diet on serum pro-IGF-II. DESIGN Non-diabetic, obese subjects (n = 34) with a body mass index (BMI) of 38.9 +/- 0.5 kg/m2 were subjected to 8 weeks with very low calorie diet (800 kcal/day) followed by 12 weeks with a weight-stabilizing diet. Fasting serum was collected before the study, and after 8 and 20 weeks. Pro-IGF-II was determined after acid-gel chromatography using a novel, highly specific in-house assay, free and total IGFs were measured after ultrafiltration and acid-ethanol extraction, respectively, and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) were measured with specific immunoassays. RESULTS Diet reduced BMI and fasting levels of insulin and glucose (P < 0.001). Serum pro-IGF-II was markedly reduced in obese subjects as compared with matched normal-weight controls (means and 95% confidence intervals: 93 microg/l (82-104 microg/l) versus 171 microg/l (152-192 microg/l), respectively; P < 0.001), and levels remained unchanged after the weight loss. In contrast, during the study period total and free IGF-II decreased (P < 0.05), whereas total IGF-I, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 increased (P < 0.001). Serum free IGF-I remained unaltered. Cross-sectional and longitudinal correlation analyses showed that pro-IGF-II was closer and more consistently associated with IGF-I than IGF-II. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that pro-IGF-II is reduced in obesity, in contrast to mature IGF-II. This indicates a hitherto unrecognized link between nutrition and pro-IGF-II. In addition, our data indicate that pro-IGF-II is regulated independently of mature IGF-II.
Sequential Estimator: Toward Efficient InSAR Time Series Analysis

Wide-swath synthetic aperture radar (SAR) missions with short revisit times, such as Sentinel-1 and the planned NISAR and Tandem-L, provide an unprecedented wealth of interferometric SAR (InSAR) time series. However, the processing of the emerging Big Data is challenging for state-of-the-art InSAR analysis techniques. This contribution introduces a novel approach, named Sequential Estimator, for efficient estimation of the interferometric phase from long InSAR time series. The algorithm uses recursive estimation and analysis of the data covariance matrix via division of the data into small batches, followed by the compression of the data batches. From each compressed data batch artificial interferograms are formed, resulting in a strong data reduction. Such interferograms are used to link the “older” data batches with the most recent acquisitions and thus to reconstruct the phase time series. This scheme avoids the necessity of reprocessing the entire data stack at the face of each new acquisition. The proposed estimator introduces negligible degradation compared to the Cramér–Rao lower bound under realistic coherence scenarios. The estimator may therefore be adapted for high-precision near-real-time processing of InSAR and accommodate the conversion of InSAR from an offline to a monitoring geodetic tool. The performance of the Sequential Estimator is compared to state-of-the-art techniques via simulations and application to Sentinel-1 data.
Endogenous type C retroviral sequences of mice are organized in a small number of virus-like classes and have been acquired recently

We studied endogenous type C virus-related sequences of mice by annealing Moloney murine leukemia virus DNA to agarose gel blot transfers of uninfected mouse cell DNA which had been cleaved with restriction enzymes. We found that many of the endogenous murine leukemia virus-related sequences in mice consist of two organizational classes that are integrated into many different loci. Both of these classes resemble standard murine leukemia virus proviral DNA in both size and sequence organization. All lines of inbred mice examined contained both organizational classes, as did feral isolates of Mus musculus domesticus. However, a related Asian subspecies, Mus musculus molossinus, contained different organizational classes of endogenous murine leukemia virus-related sequences. Among inbred strains and feral isolates of M. musculus domesticus, the murine leukemia virus-related sequences were present at different loci. This suggested that most of these sequences were acquired relatively recently during subspeciation and inbreeding.
Antibody recognition and isoelectrofocusing of antigens of the malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii

Inbred BALB/c mice were either immunized with Triton X-100-extracted antigens of blood-stage Plasmodium yoelii or infected with P. yoelii and cured in three successive schedules. Whereas the immunized BALB/c became only partially protected from subsequent challenge infection with blood-stage P. yoelii, the convalescent mice acquired total immunity. When total P. yoelii antigen extract was resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, transferred to nitrocellulose, and immunoblotted with anti-P. yoelii serum, five major protein bands of 150, 84, 40, 19, and 16 kDa were recognized by the sera of fully protected convalescent mice but not by the sera of partially protected mice. The utility of comparing reactivities of sera from fully protected and partially protected malaria hosts and the possibility that antigens uniquely recognized by the convalescent mouse sera may contribute to immunity against P. yoelii infection are discussed. Although previously reported to be an effective adjuvant for immunization against P. yoelii infection in (BALB/c x C57BL)F1 hybrid mice, saponin did not promote protection any better than did Freund adjuvant in BALB/c mice immunized with detergent-extracted P. yoelii antigen. Most of the P. yoelii proteins (14 to 250 kDa) found in Triton X-100 extracts of P. yoelii-parasitized erythrocytes isoelectrofocused as a single peak in the pH region 4.4 to 4.6, suggesting a rationale for previous findings that the most anti-P. yoelii protective and T-helper activities are induced by antigens isoelectrically focused in a fraction of similar pH.
Unleashing Innovation beyond Organizational Boundaries: Exploring Citizensourcing Projects

ABSTRACT By using information and communications technologies, public administration encourages external actors to get involved in governmental activities once performed by civil servants. This article seeks to investigate the open innovation phenomenon beyond the entrepreneurial domain in the context of open government. For this purpose, a multiple case study was conducted to explore the current state of open government in Austria. The study first reveals the role of citizens as an active part of the system, then discusses the impact of citizensourcing projects, and finally concludes with giving implications for research and practice.
Field-induced superconducting phase of FeSe in the BCS-BEC cross-over

Significance The BCS-BEC (Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer––Bose–Einstein-condensate) cross-over bridges the two important theories of bound particles in a unified picture with the ratio of the attractive interaction to the Fermi energy as a tuning parameter. A key issue is to understand the intermediate regime, where new states of matter may emerge. Here, we show that the Fermi energy of FeSe is extremely small, resulting in that this system can be regarded as an extraordinary “high-temperature” superconductor located at the verge of a BCS-BEC cross-over. Most importantly, we discover the emergence of an unexpected superconducting phase in strong magnetic fields, demonstrating that the Zeeman splitting comparable to the Fermi energy leads to a strong modification of the properties of fermionic systems in such a regime. Fermi systems in the cross-over regime between weakly coupled Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) and strongly coupled Bose–Einstein-condensate (BEC) limits are among the most fascinating objects to study the behavior of an assembly of strongly interacting particles. The physics of this cross-over has been of considerable interest both in the fields of condensed matter and ultracold atoms. One of the most challenging issues in this regime is the effect of large spin imbalance on a Fermi system under magnetic fields. Although several exotic physical properties have been predicted theoretically, the experimental realization of such an unusual superconducting state has not been achieved so far. Here we show that pure single crystals of superconducting FeSe offer the possibility to enter the previously unexplored realm where the three energies, Fermi energy εF, superconducting gap Δ, and Zeeman energy, become comparable. Through the superfluid response, transport, thermoelectric response, and spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy, we demonstrate that εF of FeSe is extremely small, with the ratio Δ/εF∼1(∼0.3) in the electron (hole) band. Moreover, thermal-conductivity measurements give evidence of a distinct phase line below the upper critical field, where the Zeeman energy becomes comparable to εF and Δ. The observation of this field-induced phase provides insights into previously poorly understood aspects of the highly spin-polarized Fermi liquid in the BCS-BEC cross-over regime.
ANTITHROMBIN III SUPPLEMENTATION IN SEVERE SEPSIS: BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON ORGAN DYSFUNCTION

Activation of thrombin and of the coagulation system plays an important role in the pathophysiology of sepsis-associated organ dysfunction. Antithrombin III (AT III) is a natural inhibitor of thrombin, a central procoagulatory factor with pleiotropic activities. Experimental supplementation of AT III improved coagulation parameters and ameliorated organ dysfunction. To determine whether long-term AT III supplementation has beneficial effects on organ function, we conducted a randomized, prospective study in surgical patients with severe sepsis. The study evaluated the long-term effect of AT III supplementation (duration of treatment: 14 days). After randomization (AT III vs. control group), AT III was infused continuously over 14 days to obtain plasma AT III activities > 120%. Forty consecutive patients were recruited (20 AT III/20 control group). Eleven patients had a rapid fatal course and did not met the criterion of a 14 day treatment period. From these 11 patients, 8 patients (5 AT III/3 control group) died within 72 h due to septic shock. The remaining 14 AT III patients and 15 controls survived 14 days and showed no differences in baseline parameters of organ function. AT III caused a disappearance of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in all patients with DIC, whereas in control patients, the frequency of DIC remained constant (p < .05). In AT III patients a progressive increase in oxygenation index (Pao2/Fio2 ratio) and a continuous decrease in pulmonary hypertension index (mean pulmonary artery pressure/mean arterial pressure (PAP/MAP) ratio) indicated an improvement of lung function (p < .05 vs. control). AT III prevented the continuous rise in total serum bilirubin concentration observed in control patients and diminished the frequency of artificial renal support therapy (p < .05). Long-term supplementation with AT III may improve lung function and prevent the development of septic liver and kidney failure in patients with severe sepsis.
Human Serum from Patients with Septic Shock Activates Transcription Factors STAT1, IRF1, and NF-κB and Induces Apoptosis in Human Cardiac Myocytes*

Proinflammatory cytokines have been linked to depression of myocardial contractility in vivo in patients with acute septic shock and in vitro models employing isolated myocytes exposed to serum from such patients. The key pathways involved in mediating this septic organ dysfunction (cell adhesion molecule expression, inducible nitric-oxide synthase induction, and apoptosis) are known to be regulated by transcription factors STAT1, IRF1, and NF-κB. Utilizing a model that mimics human disease, we have demonstrated activation of the transcription factors STAT1, IRF1, and NF-κB in human fetal myocytes exposed to human septic serum. Both reporter and electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated a 5–19-fold increase in activation of transcription factors STAT1, IRF1, and NF-κB in response to incubation with human septic serum. The addition of human septic serum to human fetal myocytes induced apoptosis in human fetal myocytes and activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase c-Jun NH -terminal kinase and caspase 1 as measured by Western blot. These data suggest that transcription factor activation and early myocyte apoptosis play a mechanistic role in septic myocardial depression and sepsis-induced organ dysfunction.
Glucose variability is associated with intensive care unit mortality*

Objective:Mounting evidence suggests a role for glucose variability in predicting intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. We investigated the association between glucose variability and intensive care unit and in-hospital deaths across several ranges of mean glucose. Design:Retrospective cohort study. Setting:An 18-bed medical/surgical ICU in a teaching hospital. Patients:All patients admitted to the ICU from January 2004 through December 2007. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Two measures of variability, mean absolute glucose change per hour and sd, were calculated as measures of glucose variability from 5728 patients and were related to ICU and in-hospital death using logistic regression analysis. Mortality rates and adjusted odds ratios for ICU death per mean absolute glucose change per hour quartile across quartiles of mean glucose were calculated. Patients were treated with a computerized insulin algorithm (target glucose 72–126 mg/dL). Mean age was 65 ± 13 yrs, 34% were female, and 6.3% of patients died in the ICU. The odds ratios for ICU death were higher for quartiles of mean absolute glucose change per hour compared with quartiles of mean glucose or sd. The highest odds ratio for ICU death was found in patients with the highest mean absolute glucose change per hour in the upper glucose quartile: odds ratio 12.4 (95% confidence interval, 3.2–47.9; p < .001). Mortality rates were lowest in the lowest mean absolute glucose change per hour quartiles. Conclusions:High glucose variability is firmly associated with ICU and in-hospital death. High glucose variability combined with high mean glucose values is associated with highest ICU mortality. In patients treated with strict glycemic control, low glucose variability seemed protective, even when mean glucose levels remained elevated.
Neglected Dislocation of the Elbow

We retrospectively review the intermediate-term to long-term results of 24 patients treated after late open reduction of neglected posterior elbow dislocation in terms of the elbow, particularly noting joint mobility. The mean interval from injury to operation was 7.9 months (range, 1–60 months). The posterior approach with V-Y muscleplasty was used in most patients with 2 to 3 weeks postoperative immobilization. The average preoperative arc of elbow flexion was from 17° with an average maximum flexion of 27° (range, 5–60°) and an average flexion contracture of 10° (range, 0–30°). The mean followup was 48.3 months (range, 12–132 months). At the time of final followup, the average arc of elbow flexion was 82° with an average of maximum flexion of 122° (range, 90–150°) and an average flexion contracture of 40° (range, 0–75°). There was no correlation between the postoperative arc of elbow motion and preoperative parameters including patient age, preoperative arc of elbow motion, or duration of untreated dislocation.
Effects of different intensities of cold stress on certain physiological phenomena related to skeletal health in a hypogonadal rat model.

Intestinal transference pattern of calcium and associated changes in the activities of intestinal mucosal enzymes, rate of bone turnover and bone metabolism were evaluated in ovariectomized rats exposed to cold stress of various intensities i.e., mild (15 degrees C) or stronger (8 degrees C and 4 degrees C) for 5 min everyday for 7 consecutive days. Except mild cold stress-induced group (15 degrees C), rats of other two groups (8 degrees C and 4 degrees C) showed considerable decrease in the rate of in situ intestinal transference of calcium. Likewise, in these groups, the activities of intestinal mucosal enzymes, alkaline phosphatase (AP) and calcium ATPase (Ca2+-ATPase) were decreased significantly in all the segments of small intestine in a descending gradient. Also significant changes in bone turnover and bone resorption were confirmed in these animals by marked alterations in plasma AP activity, urinary calcium and phosphate excretion and urinary calcium to creatinine ratio (Ca: Cr). The skeletal changes were further ascertained by examining other physical and biochemical parameters of bone metabolism viz., body mass, bone density, ratio of mineral to matrix and mineral content of bone ash (calcium and phosphate) in the ovariectomized rat model. All these results suggest that stronger cold stress (8 degrees C and 4 degrees C) may be an important ecological factor in the development of earlier bone loss in hypogonadal rats.
Transient Responses of Glucose-Limited Cultures of Cytophaga johnsonae to Nutrient Excess and Starvation

Cells from glucose-limited chemostat cultures of Cytophaga johnsonae were subjected to a sudden relaxation of substrate limitation by injecting the cells into fresh batch cultures. Starvation experiments were carried out by injecting glucose-limited cells into batch cultures lacking glucose. Transient responses of biomass, glucose uptake and mineralization, ATP content, and viability on different agar media were monitored during these nutrient-shift experiments. Cells reacted differently depending on growth rate and time spent in the chemostat. Fast-growing cells showed an immediate adaptation to the new growth conditions, despite some initial overshoot reactions in ATP and uptake potential. In contrast, slowly growing cells and long-term-adapted cells showed extensive transient growth responses. Glucose uptake and mineralization potentials changed considerably during the transient growth phase before reaching new levels. During the starvation experiments, all cell types displayed a fast decrease in ATP, but the responses of the substrate uptake and mineralization potentials were strongly dependent upon the previous growth rate. Both potentials decreased rapidly in cells with high growth rates. On the other hand, cells with low growth rates maintained 80% of their uptake and mineralization potentials after 8 h of starvation. Thus, slowly growing cells are much better adapted for starvation than are fast-growing cells.
Comparisons of different insulin infusion protocols: a review of recent literature

Purpose of reviewTo provide an update on the currently available insulin infusion protocols for treatment of hyperglycemia in critically ill patients and to discuss the major differences and similarities among them. Recent findingsWe identified a total of 26 protocols, 20 of which used manual blood-glucose calculations, and six that used computerized algorithms. The major differences and similarities among the insulin infusion protocols were in the following areas: patient characteristics, target glucose level, time to achieve target glucose level, incidence of hypoglycemia, rationale for adjusting the rates of insulin infusion, and methods of blood-glucose measurements. Several computerized protocols hold promise for safer achievement of glycemic targets. SummaryInsulin infusion is the most effective method for controlling hyperglycemia in critically ill patients. Clinicians should utilize a validated insulin infusion protocol that is well tolerated, and is most appropriate and practical for their institution based on the resources that are available.
Pose partitioning for multi‐resolution segmentation of arbitrary mesh animations

We present a complete approach to efficiently deriving a varying level‐of‐detail segmentation of arbitrary animated objects. An over‐segmentation is built by combining sets of initial segments computed for each input pose, followed by a fast progressive simplification which aims at preserving rigid segments. The final segmentation result can be efficiently adjusted for cases where pose editing is performed or new poses are added at arbitrary positions in the mesh animation sequence. A smooth view of pose‐to‐pose segmentation transitions is offered by merging the partitioning of the current pose with that of the next pose. A perceptually friendly visualization scheme is also introduced for propagating segment colors between consecutive poses. We report on the efficiency and quality of our framework as compared to previous methods under a variety of skeletal and highly deformable mesh animations.
Longer survival in female than male with hepatocellular carcinoma

Aim: There is a limited amount of data regarding the gender difference in the survival in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the present study was to investigate the difference in the survival between males and females with HCC and the possible factors affecting the gender difference of survival in HCC.
Cognitive Development in Infantile-Onset Pompe Disease Under Very Early Enzyme Replacement Therapy

Most patients with infantile-onset Pompe disease die in early infancy before beginning enzyme replacement therapy, which has made it difficult to evaluate the impact of Pompe disease on cognitive development. Patients with infantile-onset Pompe disease can survive with enzyme replacement therapy, and physicians can evaluate cognitive development in these patients. We established an effective newborn screening program with quick clinical diagnostic criteria. Cognitive and motor development were evaluated using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development–Third Edition at 6, 12, and 24 months of age. The patients who were treated very early demonstrate normal cognitive development with no significant change in cognition during this period (P = .18 > .05). The cognitive development was positively correlated with motor development (r = 0.533, P = .011). The results indicated that very early enzyme replacement therapy could protect cognitive development in patients with infantile-onset Pompe disease up to 24 months of age.