Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acidification and Starch Behaviour during Co-Fermentation of Cassava and Soybean into Gari.

Changes in acidification and starch behaviour were investigated during co-fermentation of cassava and soybean into gari, an African fermented product. Non-volatile acidity, pH and starch content were evaluated using standard analytical methods. Starch breakdown and pasting characteristics were also analysed using a Brabender viscoamylograph. Fermentation caused significant variations in the pH, non-volatile acidity and starch concentration. The pH decreased with concomitant increases in non-volatile acidity during co-fermentation of the cassava dough. Soy fortification up to 20% caused only minimal effects on the pH, titratable acidity and starch content during the fermentation period. Starch content decreased from 69.8% to 60.4% within the 48 h fermentation time in the unfortified sample, with similar trends noted at all levels of fortification. Starch pasting characteristics showed varied trends in pasting temperature, peak viscosity, viscosity at 95 C and at 50 C-hold with increasing fermentation time and soybean concentration. Cassava could be co-fermented with soybean up to 20% concentration during gari processing without significant effect on its process and product quality characteristics.
The spectrum of suicidal ideation in Great Britain: comparisons across a 16–74 years age range

Background. Previous studies have examined suicidal ideation in older populations and emphasized the strong association with the presence of psychiatric disorder. However, associations with the presence of psychiatric disorder across the age range are unclear. Representative epidemiological estimates are needed. Method. In a national survey of psychiatric morbidity in Great Britain, 8580 randomly selected adults were interviewed. Three questions were asked to assess suicidal ideation, and psychiatric disorder was identified using the revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Results. Suicidal ideation was up to three times commoner in younger adults than in those aged 55–74 years but the odds of depression in those with suicidal thoughts was significantly greater in the older age group (p<0·01). Tiredness with life (p<0·01) and thoughts of death (p<0·01) were also more strongly associated with depression in the older age group. Other major associations of suicidal ideation for all ages were: smaller social support group, being divorced or separated, poor self-rated general health, and limitations in activities of daily living (ADL). Being single was an important factor for younger age groups, and widowhood for older people. Life events were also important in younger people, but not in those aged 55–74 years. Conclusions. Suicidal thoughts and death wishes are comparatively more unusual in older people; however, they are more likely to be associated with clinical depression. In terms of suicide prevention this study emphasizes the importance of improving rates of recognition and treatment of depression in older people.
Social physique anxiety and physical self-esteem: Gender and age effects

The aim of this study was to test the generalisability of the factor pattern, structural parameters, factor correlations and latent mean structure of social physique anxiety and physical self-esteem across gender, age and gender × age. The social physique anxiety scale and general physical self-esteem scale from the physical self-perception profile was administered to high school and university students aged 11–24 years (N = 2334). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the adequacy of a two-factor correlated model in the full sample, and separately by gender, age and gender × age sub-samples. The CFA model satisfied criteria for goodness-of-fit with the data in all sub-samples, the only exception was for females aged 21 and over. Tests of invariance of the factor pattern, structural parameters and correlations across age, gender and age × gender revealed few decrements in goodness-of-fit. Latent means analysis revealed that females had consistently higher levels of social physique anxiety and lower levels of physical self-esteem than males, with the exception of the 11–12 age group. Results extend previous findings that females tend to report higher levels of social physique anxiety and lower levels of physical self-esteem than males by demonstrating that these differences are consistent across age group.
Comparing neural networks in the discrimination of benign from malignant lower urinary tract lesions.

OBJECTIVE To compare the performance of two different neural networks (NNs) in the discrimination of benign and malignant lower urinary tract lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS A group of patients was evaluated, comprising 50 cases of lithiasis, 61 of inflammation, 99 of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), five of in situ carcinoma, 71 of grade I transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (TCCB), and 184 of grade II and grade III TCCB. Images of routinely processed voided urine smears were stained using the Giemsa technique and analysed using an image-analysis system, providing a dataset of 45452 cells. Two NN models of the back propagation (BP) and learning vector quantizer (LVQ) type were used to discriminate benign from malignant cells and lesions, based on morphometric and textural features. The data from 13636 randomly selected cells (30% of the total data) were used as a training set and data from the remaining 31816 cells comprised the test set. Similarly, in an attempt to discriminate patients, 30% of the cases, selected randomly, were used to train a BP and an LVQ NN, with the remaining 329 cases used for the test set. The data used for training and testing were the same for the two kinds of classifiers. RESULTS The two NNs gave similar results, with an overall accuracy of discrimination of approximately 90.5% at the cellular level and of approximately 97% for individual patients. There were no statistically significant differences between the two NNs at the cellular or patient level. CONCLUSIONS The use of NNs and image morphometry could increase the diagnostic accuracy of voided urine cytology; despite the different nature of the two classifiers, the results obtained were very similar.
Some Historical Aspects of Error Calculus by Dirichlet Forms

We discuss the main stages of development of the error calculation since the beginning of XIX-th century by insisting on what prefigures the use of Dirichlet forms and emphasizing the mathematical properties that make the use of Dirichlet forms more relevant and efficient. The purpose of the paper is mainly to clarify the concepts. We also indicate some possible future research.
Rate of Nicotine Metabolism and Withdrawal Symptoms in Adolescent Light Smokers

OBJECTIVES. The rate of nicotine metabolism may contribute to vulnerability in adolescents’ transition from smoking initiation to addiction. The objectives of this study were to examine the associations between the rate of nicotine metabolism and cigarette consumption, addiction, and withdrawal symptoms in a sample of adolescent light smokers. PARTICIPANTS. Twenty adolescent smokers between 13 and 17 years old, who smoked between 1 and 6 cigarettes daily for ≥6 months, were recruited from several San Francisco Bay area schools and pediatric clinics from 2006 to 2007. METHODS. Participants underwent 24 hours of supervised tobacco abstinence. Serum was collected at baseline and at 24 hours for measurement of the nicotine metabolites cotinine and 3′-hydroxycotinine. Participants also completed self-report measures, which included smoking behavior, nicotine dependence, and withdrawal scales at baseline and 24 hours after baseline. The ratio of serum 3′-hydroxycotinine/cotinine (the nicotine metabolite ratio), a measure of the rate of nicotine metabolism, was computed by using measurements from the 24-hour serum samples. RESULTS. Participants were divided into 2 groups: faster metabolizers (3′-hydroxycotinine/cotinine ratio ≥ 0.5; n = 5) and slower metabolizers (3′-hydroxycotinine/cotinine ratio < 0.5; n = 15). Faster metabolizers reported greater withdrawal symptoms after 24 hours of abstinence compared with slower metabolizers even after adjusting for the number of cigarettes smoked per day. The metabolite ratio was significantly correlated with self-described level of addiction. CONCLUSIONS. This is the first study to report a significant relationship between the rate of nicotine metabolism and withdrawal symptoms and self-reported addiction in adolescent light smokers. Given the association between withdrawal symptoms and nicotine addiction, adolescent smokers who are faster metabolizers of nicotine may be at greater risk for becoming addicted to nicotine compared with slower metabolizers.
Mid‐Spring Burning Reduces Spotted Knapweed and Increases Native Grasses during a Michigan Experimental Grassland Establishment

Infestations of the exotic perennial Spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa Lam.) hinder the restoration and management of native ecosystems on droughty, infertile sites throughout the Midwestern United States. We studied the effects of annual burning on knapweed persistence on degraded, knapweed‐infested gravel mine spoils in western Michigan. Our experiment included 48, 4‐m2 plots seeded to native warm‐season grasses in 1999 using a factorial arrangement of initial herbicide and fertility treatments. Beginning in 2003, we incorporated fire as an additional factor and burned half of the plots in late April or May for 3 years (2003–2005). Burning increased the dominance of warm‐season grasses and decreased both biomass and dominance of knapweed in most years. Burning reduced adult knapweed densities in all 3 years of the study, reduced seedling densities in the first 2 years, and reduced juvenile densities in the last 2 years. Knapweed density and biomass also declined on the unburned plots through time, suggesting that warm‐season grasses may effectively compete with knapweed even in the absence of fire. By the end of the study, mean adult knapweed densities on both burned (0.4‐m2) and unburned (1.3‐m2) plots were reduced to levels where the seeded grasses should persist with normal management, including the use of prescribed fire. These results support the use of carefully timed burning to help establish and maintain fire‐adapted native plant communities on knapweed‐infested sites in the Midwest by substantially reducing knapweed density, biomass, and seedling recruitment and by further shifting the competitive balance toward native warm‐season grasses.
Use of Postoperative Peak Arterial Lactate Level to Predict Outcome After Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVES In the present study, the authors investigated the predictive value of postoperative peak arterial lactate levels for early and late mortality after cardiac surgery. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. SETTING Single-center study in an academic hospital. PARTICIPANTS Adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery between 2004 and 2014 (n = 16,376). INTERVENTIONS Different cardiac surgical procedures. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Patients were classified according to the peak arterial lactate level (PALL) within 3 days postoperatively. Logistic regression analysis and Cox regression analysis were performed to identify postoperative peak arterial lactate level as a predictor for early and late mortality respectively. In 8460 patients (51.7%), lactate was not measured postoperatively because these patients were managed according to the fast-track protocol. These patients constituted group 1 in our population but were excluded from the regression analysis. The remaining patients (n = 7,916; 48.3%) were divided according to the postoperative peak arterial lactate level (PALL): PALL<5 mmol/L (group 2), PALL 5 to 10 mmol/L (group 3), and PALL of>10 mmol/L (group 4). Early mortality was 3.7%, 20.4%, and 62.9% in groups 2, 3, and 4 respectively (p<0.0001). This mortality rate was significantly higher than that of group 1 (1.6%); p<0.0001. Multivariate regression analyses revealed postoperative peak arterial lactate as a significant predictor of 30-day mortality (odds ratio = 1.44 [1.39-1.48], p<0.001) as well as for late mortality (hazard ratio = 1.05 [1.01-1.10], p<0.025). CONCLUSIONS Postoperative peak arterial lactate level in patients undergoing cardiac surgery is an independent predictor for both early and late mortality.
High 99mTc-DPD myocardial uptake in a patient with apolipoprotein AI-related amyloidotic cardiomyopathy

Abstract Amyloidotic cardiomyopathy is still a widely underdiagnosed condition that usually requires endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) for a definite diagnosis. 99mTc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid (99mTc-DPD) has proven highly sensitive for detecting amyloidotic cardiomyopathy due to transthyretin-related amyloid deposition. Herein we report the first description of the 99mTc-DPD scintigraphy profile in a patient with suspected amyloidotic cardiomyopathy and a final EMB- and genetically-proven diagnosis of familial apolipoprotein AI amyloidosis due to Leu174Ser variant. Abbreviations: AL: light-chain associated amyloidosis; ApoAI: apolipoprotein AI; ATTR: hereditary transthyretin-related amyloidosis; EMB: endomyocardial biopsy; HCM: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; HR: heart retention; H/WB: heart/whole-body retention ratio; LV: left ventricular; SPECT: single-photon emission computed tomography; SSA: senile systemic amyloidosis; 99mTc-DPD: 99mTc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid; TDI: tissue Doppler imaging; TTR: transthyretin.
Evidence for a Protein Mutator in Yeast: Role of the Hsp70-Related Chaperone Ssb in Formation, Stability, and Toxicity of the [PSI] Prion

ABSTRACT Propagation of the yeast protein-based non-Mendelian element [PSI], a prion-like form of the release factor Sup35, was shown to be regulated by the interplay between chaperone proteins Hsp104 and Hsp70. While overproduction of Hsp104 protein cures cells of [PSI], overproduction of the Ssa1 protein of the Hsp70 family protects [PSI] from the curing effect of Hsp104. Here we demonstrate that another protein of the Hsp70 family, Ssb, previously implicated in nascent polypeptide folding and protein turnover, exhibits effects on [PSI] which are opposite those of Ssa. Ssb overproduction increases, while Ssb depletion decreases, [PSI] curing by the overproduced Hsp104. Both spontaneous [PSI] formation and [PSI] induction by overproduction of the homologous or heterologous Sup35 protein are increased significantly in the strain lacking Ssb. This is the first example when inactivation of an unrelated cellular protein facilitates prion formation. Ssb is therefore playing a role in protein-based inheritance, which is analogous to the role played by the products of mutator genes in nucleic acid-based inheritance. Ssb depletion also decreases toxicity of the overproduced Sup35 and causes extreme sensitivity to the [PSI]-curing chemical agent guanidine hydrochloride. Our data demonstrate that various members of the yeast Hsp70 family have diverged from each other in regard to their roles in prion propagation and suggest that Ssb could serve as a proofreading component of the enzymatic system, which prevents formation of prion aggregates.
Combining information from multiple surveys to enhance estimation of measures of health

Survey estimates are often affected by non‐sampling errors due to missing data, coverage error, and measurement or response error. Such non‐sampling errors can be difficult to assess, and possibly correct for, using information from a single survey. Thus, combining information from multiple surveys can be beneficial. In addition, combining information from multiple surveys can help to reduce sampling error. This article describes four examples of projects undertaken by researchers within and outside the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in which information from multiple surveys was combined to adjust for non‐sampling errors and thereby enhance estimation of various measures of health. The four projects can be described briefly as follows: (1) combining estimates from a survey of households and a survey of nursing homes to extend coverage; (2) using information from an interview survey to bridge the transition in race reporting in the United States census; (3) combining information from an examination survey and an interview survey to improve on analyses of self‐reported data; and (4) combining information from two interview surveys to enhance small‐area estimation. The article highlights the goals, techniques, and results from the four projects and discusses issues that can arise when information is combined from multiple surveys. Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the Asymptotic Estimates for Exit Probabilities and Minimum Exit Rates of Diffusion Processes Pertaining to a Chain of Distributed Control Systems

In this paper, we consider a diffusion process pertaining to a distributed control system formed by a chain of $n$ subsystems (with $n \ge 2$), where a random perturbation enters only in the first subsystem and is then subsequently transmitted to the other subsystems. We also assume that, for any $\ell \in \{2, \ldots, n\}$, the distributed control system formed by the first $\ell$ subsystems (i.e., from the first subsystem up to the $\ell$th subsystem) satisfies an appropriate Hormander condition. As a result, the diffusion process is degenerate, in the sense that the backward operator associated with it is a degenerate parabolic equation. In particular, we consider the following two problems: (i) We provide an asymptotic estimate for the exit probability with which the diffusion process (corresponding to a particular subsystem) exits from a given bounded open domain during a certain time interval; the approach for such an asymptotic estimate basically relies on the interpretation of the exit probability.
IL‐1β, TNF and IP‐10 in the cerebrospinal fluid and serum are not altered in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension compared to controls

The article by Burnett-Bowie et al. reports that aromatase inhibition in hypogonadal older men improves testosterone concentrations and decreases oestradiol levels. These findings are important because they support the view that excess aromatase activity plays a major role in the genesis of the hypogonadal state in elderly males. In their conclusions, the authors state that anastrazole normalizes androgen production in this group of patients. The inference that normalization of androgen concentrations equates with production is not supported by the data presented; however, the normalization of oestradiol concentrations probably reflects aromatase inhibition and is the result of the decreased conversion of testosterone to oestradiol. Table 1 in their article compares baseline characteristics between the anastrazole treatment and the placebo groups. While the data for the clinical and biological end-points appear to be similar, there may be subtle, yet important, differences between the groups. There is a ‘pattern’, which suggests that the two vary, with the placebo group being slightly more obese (greater body mass index, total fat mass by dual X-ray absorptiometry and total abdominal fat by computerized tomography) and also having modestly increased oestradiol levels. These findings suggest that there may be greater aromatase activity in the placebo group with excess conversion of androgens to oestrogens, thereby leading to the initiation of the hypogonadal–obesity cycle. Finally, the failure to observe any improvement in body composition is not to be unexpected. An important consideration of the male hypogonadal state is that diminished testosterone levels may represent only one component of a larger hypogonadal–anabolic deficiency state and that other hormonal contributions may also be important. Dehydroepiandrosterone concentrations are frequently reduced in aging and obese males. Therefore, in order to effectively repair the total androgenic deficit, simultaneous treatment of all of these components may be required to optimize the body composition in older hypogonadal men. Nevertheless, the administration of aromatase inhibitors corrects both the testosterone and oestradiol concentrations and represents an important therapeutic intervention that is based on the recognition that aromatase is a major factor in the genesis of secondary types of male hypogonadism.
How important is drinking water exposure for the risks of engineered nanoparticles to consumers?

Abstract This study explored the potential for engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) to contaminate the UK drinking water supplies and established the significance of the drinking water exposure route compared to other routes of human exposure. A review of the occurrence and quantities of ENPs in different product types on the UK market as well as release scenarios, their possible fate and behaviour in raw water and during drinking water treatment was performed. Based on the available data, all the ENPs which are likely to reach water sources were identified and categorized. Worst case concentrations of ENPs in raw water and treated drinking water, using a simple exposure model, were estimated and then qualitatively compared to available estimates for human exposure through other routes. A range of metal, metal oxide and organic-based ENPs were identified that have the potential to contaminate drinking waters. Worst case predicted concentrations in drinking waters were in the low- to sub-µg/l range and more realistic estimates were tens of ng/l or less. For the majority of product types, human exposure via drinking water was predicted to be less important than exposure via other routes. The exceptions were some clothing materials, paints and coatings and cleaning products containing Ag, Al, TiO2, Fe2O3 ENPs and carbon-based materials.