Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insulin pump therapy would be favored by pregnant women with diabetes

Abstract To evaluate retrospectively the satisfaction of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) compared to multiple daily infusions in Japanese women with diabetes mellitus (DM) during pregnancy, we examined 27 women with type 1 (n = 20) or type 2 (n = 6) diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes (n = 1) who previously used CSII. Among these patients, 19 had used CSII during pregnancy, which accounted for 30 births. Questionnaires were retrospectively administered. The mean age of patients was 36.5 ± 7.0 years. The average birth weight was 3.1 ± 0.6 kg, with 62% of babies exhibiting complications. The satisfaction level of CSII for patients during pregnancy was 3.95 ± 0.26, whereas it was 1.84 ± 0.26 for multiple daily infusions (P < 0.001). CSII was generally viewed favorably by women with diabetes mellitus for glycemic management during pregnancy.
Psychische Krise durch Covid-19? Sorgen sinken, Einsamkeit steigt, Lebenszufriedenheit bleibt stabil

Die vorliegende Studie vergleicht das Niveau der selbstberichteten psychischen Gesundheit und des Wohlbeﬁndens in Deutschland zu Beginn der Corona-Krise (April 2020) mit den der Vorjahre. Die Zufriedenheit mit der Gesundheit steigt uber alle Bevolkerungsgruppen hinweg deutlich an, wahrend Sorgen um die Gesundheit uber alle Gruppen deutlich sinken. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass die aktuelle Einschatzung stark im Kontext des Bedrohungsszenarios der Pandemie erfogt. Die subjektive Einsamkeit steigt uber alle betrachteten Gruppe sehr stark an. Der Anstieg fallt unter jungeren Menschen und Frauen etwas groser aus. Depressions- und Angstsymptome steigen ebenfalls an im Vergleich zu 2019, sind jedoch vergleichbar zum Nievau in 2016. Das Wohlbeﬁnden verandert sich insgesamt kaum, es zeigen sich jedoch kleine Geschlechterunterschiede. Wahrend Frauen im Durchschnitt ein etwas geringeres Wohlbeﬁnden berichten, ist das Wohlbeﬁnden bei Mannern leicht angestiegen. Die allgemeine Lebenszufriedenheit verandert sich im Vergleich zu den Vorjahren im April 2020 noch nicht signiﬁkant. Allerdings ﬁndet man eine Angleichung der soziookonomischen Unterschiede in Bildung und Einkommen. Personen mit niedriger Bildung und Personen mit niedrigem Einkommen berichten einen leichten Anstieg ihrer Lebenszufriedenheit, wahrend Personen mit hoher Bildung und Personen mit hohem Einkommen eine leichte Reduktion ihrer Lebenszufriedenheit berichten. Insgesamt ergibt sich, dass in der ersten Phase der Corona-Pandemie soziookonomische Unterschiede fur die psychische Gesundheit noch keine grose modiﬁzierende Rolle spielen. Bestehende soziale Ungleichheiten in gesundheitsbezogenen Indikatoren bleiben weitgehend bestehen, einige verringern sich sogar.
Evaluation of Some Antioxidants in tuberculosis Patients

Objective: Serum levels of vitamins C, E, selenium , malondialdehyde(MDA), activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase(GPx) and glutathione reductase (GRx) in individuals with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection was investigated. Methods: 251 individuals consisting 120 treatment naive individuals with active TB [26 (TB+HIV+) and 12 malaria parasite (MP) and TB (TB+MP+) co-infection, 82 HIV negative (TB+HIV−)], 26 Latent TB (LTB) and 105 apparently healthy control (AHC). TB infection was determined by Ziehl-Neelsen sputum smeared microscopy and gene Xpert. MP was confirmed by Giemsa staining technique, HIV by immuno-chromatographic method. Analytes were evaluated spectrophotometrically, but selenium was by atomic absorption spectrometer. SPSS version 21 ANOVA was used for statistical analyses. Results: The mean levels of vitamins E, C and selenium were significantly lower in individuals with TB infections compared with AHC (p<0.05). Significantly higher differences were observed in MDA levels in TB infections than in AHC (p<0.05). Significantly lower differences existed in the mean levels of vitamin C and selenium in LTBI than in control, MDA was significantly higher in the same group (p<0.05). The mean levels of vitamin E in TB+HIV+ (1.57±1.30) and TB+MP+ co-infections (2.23±1.70) were significantly lower compared with those with TB+(7.01±3.40)(p<0.05). The mean SOD, catalase and GPx activities in active tuberculosis, TB+HIV+ and TBMP co-infections were significantly lower than in the control (p<0.05). The mean GRx activity in AHC, active TB, TB+HIV+ and TB+MP+ co-infections were significantly lower than in LTBI(p<0.05). Conclusions: Glutathione reductase may have prognostic potential in the differential screening for latent tuberculosis.
Effect of fertilization and density on the survival rate and growth of post-larva of shrimp vaname ( Litopenaues vannamei )

The aim of this research is to know the effect of fertilization and density on survival rate and the absolute growth of post-larvae of shrimp vanname ( Litopenaeus vannamei ). The study was conducted from 18 August to 5 September 2013 at Oensuli ponds, Kabangka, Muna Regency, Indonesia. The research used animal test of vaname shrimp stadium PL6, a fertilizer of Urea and TSP. The study used styrofoam container, 75 cm long, 37 cm wide, and 27 cm high. Research using Factorial RAL, fertilization and density used three levels, three replications, so that the experiment of 27 units. The fertilizer treatment consisted of no-fertilizer (Control), combination Urea 0.5 g/TSP 0.7 g (P2), combination Urea 0.7 g/TSP 0.9 g (P3). The density treatment consists of density 9 ind/container (Control), density 14 ind/container (KP2) and density 19 ind/container (KP3). Parameters observed survival rate (SR) and absolute growth (G). Data analysis using ANOVA (a0,05) with IBM SPSS Statistic 22. The results showed that fertilization and stocking density had a significant effect on survival and post larvae growth of vaname shrimp. The optimum use of 0.7 g/TSP 0.9 g urea per container. The optimum fertilizer composition of growth was Urea 0.5 g/TSP 0.7 g per container. The best survival rate through a combination of Urea 0.7 g/TSP 0.9 g, density 9 ind per container, equivalent Urea 26 kg/TSP 33 kg density 333.000 ind per ha. The best growth through a combination of Urea 0.5 g/TSP 0.7 g, density 9 ind per container or Urea 19 kg/TSP 26 kg, density 333.000 ind per ha.
Retrotransposon-mediated instability in the human genome

vi CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND. 1 CHAPTER TWO: GENOMIC REARRANGEMENTS BY LINE-1 INSERTIONMEDIATED DELETION IN THE HUMAN AND CHIMPANZEE LINEAGES . 13 CHAPTER THREE: HUMAN GENOMIC DELETIONS MEDIATED BY RECOMBINATION BETWEEN ALU ELEMENTS. 47 CHAPTER FOUR: ENDONUCLEASE-INDEPENDENT INSERTION PROVIDES AN ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY FOR L1 RETROTRANSPOSITION IN THE HUMAN GENOME . 80 CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY. 117 APPENDIX: LETTERS OF PERMISSION. 122 VITA . 125
In Vitro Prebiotic Activity of Fructans W Ith Different Fructosyl Linkage for Symbiotics Elaboration

The ever growing interest in functional foods generated a drive towards developing new and effective symbiotic formulations. Considering the leading role of fructans in this market, three fructans with different fructosyl linkages were investigated for their potential use as prebiotics. For this, growth capacity of anaerobic and aerobic probiotics and pathogenic intestinal bacteria in the presence of these fructans were tested. Enhanced growth of aerobic probiotics was observed with Agave tequilana fructans (ATF), while levan or inulin increased the growth of anaerobic probiotics. ATF and aerobic probiotics were selected for antibiotic activity. The extracellular metabolites were more effective for antibiotic activity than the direct contact probiotic-pathogenic bacteria. The in vitro effects of prebiotics were found to depend on the type of probiotic. The probiotic extracellular metabolites induced by ATF showed the highest antibiotic activity. This in vitro study clearly showed the importance of selecting the appropriate prebiotics and probiotics for the effective formulation of symbiotics with antibiotic activity.
Reconciling pest control, nature conservation, and recreation in coniferous forests

Protected areas are not only crucial for biodiversity and natural processes but also for recreation. Although a benign neglect strategy of dealing with natural disturbances in protected areas is beneficial for nature, public debate on avoiding increased pest population growth has intensified. We evaluated the effect of mechanical pest control measures in decreasing populations of insect pests, maintaining nontarget biodiversity, retaining high recreational value, and keeping economic costs low. Debarking and bark scratching or gouging effectively prevented infestation of felled trees by European spruce bark beetles (Ips typographus) and controlled the beetles in recently infested trees. Bark scratching or gouging retained biodiversity at natural levels, whereas debarking decreased biodiversity by 54% with higher economic costs. The public rated bark‐gouged trees more positively than debarked trees. We thus urge authorities to promote bark scratching or gouging in the control of bark beetles in protected areas instead of salvage logging and debarking.
Enhancement of fur and skin from bull moose with additional entomopathogenic fungi that offer increased protection against damage from winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus; Acari: Ixodidae)

ABSTRACT Certain moose (Alces alces) populations in the northeastern United States are in decline because of increasing frequency of winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) epizootics characterized by high calf mortality and reduced productivity in the population. Previous research identified soil fungi in wallows of bull moose that are pathogenic to larval winter ticks. We analysed skin/hair samples of moose harvested in Maine, USA, to further understand this fungus–tick–moose relationship. A total of 32 keratinophilic fungi from moose fur and skins were isolated, predominately Penicillium, Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Alternaria, Trichoderma, Beauveria, and Scopulariopsis. Each displayed pathogenic activity against unfed winter tick larvae (sole infestation stage) by topical application of spore inoculums and Koch’s postulates. Bulls had more entomopathogenic fungi, pathogenic fungal isolates to ticks, and infected larvae than cows and calves. We propose a disease cycle with interactions of soil fungi, moose, and on-host winter tick larvae killed by entomopathogenic soil fungi. Bull moose presumably experience enhanced exposure and protection from abundant soil fungi due to their wallowing behaviour during the breeding season that is coincidental with questing by winter tick larvae.
Perinatal variation and covariation of oxidative status and telomere length in yellow-legged gull chicks

Abstract The perinatal period is critical to survival and performance of many organisms. In birds, rapid postnatal growth and sudden exposure to aerial oxygen around hatching markedly affect the chick redox status, with potentially negative consequences on physiology mediated by oxidative stress. In addition, telomere length (TL) undergoes reduction during birds’ early life, partly depending on oxidative status. However, relatively few studies have focused specifically on the changes in oxidative status and TL that occur immediately after hatching. In this study of the yellow-legged gull Larus michahellis, we found that chicks undergo a marked increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity and a marked decrease in the concentration of pro-oxidant molecules during the first days after hatching. In addition, TL in erythrocytes decreased by 1 standard deviation over the 4 days post-hatching. Body mass and tarsus length covaried with total antioxidant capacity and concentration of pro-oxidants in a complex way, that partly depended on sex and laying order, suggesting that oxidative status can affect growth. Moreover, TL positively covaried with the concentration of pro-oxidant molecules, possibly because retention of high concentrations of pro-oxidant molecules results from mechanisms of prevention of their negative effects, including reduction in TL. Thus, this study shows that chicks undergo marked variation in oxidative status, which predicts growth and subsequent TL, prompting for more studies of the perinatal changes in the critical post-hatching stages.
Bioclimatic modeling of Armillaria species in southeastern Alaska, including potentially invasive Armillaria species under changing climate

Armillaria root disease, caused by several Armillaria species, is one of most damaging tree diseases throughout the world (Wargo & Shaw 1985). In southeastern Alaska, both A. sinapina and A. nabsnona have previously been reported, but these species have generally been considered as weak pathogens or saprophytes under natural conditions in this region (Shaw & Loopstra 1988, Adams et al. 2015). More recently, however, A. sinapina has been found in pathogenic situations in Alaska (Klopfenstein et al. 2009a, Adams et al. 2015). In Shaw and Loopstra’s (1988) study, they also identified two Armillaria spp. (A. sinapina and A. nabsnona) in addition to unknown Armillaria sp. from Alaska, which may represent new species. With the discovery of active and potentially increasing Armillaria root disease in Alaska and the possibility of new Armillaria species in the region, we investigated potential Armillaria species distributions using DNA sequence-based identification coupled with bioclimatic modeling (Klopfenstein et al 2009b, Ross-Davis et al. 2012, Elías-Román et al. 2013, and Klopfenstein et al. 2017).
Beneficial Role of Calcium in Premenstrual Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Current Literature

Since premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is one of the most common and debilitating disorders in women, risk factor modification is an urgent health priority. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to summarize and discuss the outcomes of observational and interventional studies in humans regarding the relationship between Calcium and PMS. PubMed, Scopus, ISI web of sciences and Google scholar were searched up to January 2019 to identify relevant studies. The Newcastle-Ottawa and Jadad scales were used for quality assessment. A total of 14 studies (8 interventional and 6 observational) met our inclusion criteria. Majority of the studies showed that not only serum calcium levels are lower in PMS subjects, but also calcium supplementation could significantly improve the incidence of PMS and its related symptoms. This systematic review suggests a beneficial role for calcium in PMS subjects. However, in order to draw a firm link between calcium and PMS, further dose-response clinical trials with larger sample size and better methodological design are warranted.
Changes in neuropeptides related to food intake in the rat arcuate
nucleus after chronic immobilization stress and the effect of
comfortable music exposure

: Stress is an inevitable interference factor that seriously affects health. Listening to music is an economical, non-invasive, and highly accepted tool for easing stress. However, physiological studies investigating the ability of music to reduce stress in daily life are limited. We established rat models of chronic immobilization stress (CIS) to observe changes in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) neurons involved in the regulation of food intake and the effect of comfortable classical music exposure. Twenty-one days of stress resulted in decreased food intake and delayed body weight gain; up-regulation of leptin receptor (Ob-R), cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone ( α -MSH) expression; and down-regulation of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related protein (AgRP) expression in the ARC. Thus, peripheral leptin entered the ARC under chronic stress conditions, bound to Ob-R, and affected downstream nerve pathways related to appetite, such as the NPY/AgRP and CART/POMC pathways. Gentle classical music played at 65 dB reversed the abnormal expression of Ob-R and NPY induced by chronic stress. Thus, listening to comfortable music improves changes in ARC neurons related to the regulation of food intake in CIS rats, and these results provide a reference for basic research regarding how music therapy alleviates stress and stress-related health issues.
Mindsets Set in Concrete? Exploring the Perspectives of Domestic Travellers on New Zealand’s (Auto-)Mobility Culture

Tourism trips in New Zealand are strongly car-dominated. Research suggests that such car use practices do not only emerge from purely rational economic considerations but also result from symbolic and affective motives, institutionalized mobility cultures, and habitualized mobility practices that have developed and materialized in spatial structures over decades. This paper explores the notion of automobility and its influence on the domestic tourism mobilities of Christchurch residents. It does so by applying Q methodology, an inherently mixed method that involves participants structuring statements by their level of agreement, followed by a range of qualitative post-sorting questions. The statements draw on insights from the study of tourism mobilities, mobility cultures and classical mode choice research, allowing this study to provide novel insights into the under-researched field of urban–rural tourism mobility. The juxtaposition of quantitative Q and the qualitative interview results reveals influential factors at the personal, interpersonal, societal/political and infrastructural level. The results then feed into a conceptualisation of influential factors of tourism mobility choices using an embedded, interlinked structure that captures the dynamics of social interactions (i.e., feedback-loops). Policy implications are discussed with regards to possible sustainability pathways in line with New Zealand’s decarbonisation strategy.
Inflation Targets â€“ What Factors Can Help to Explain Their Levels

Inflation targeting is nowadays used by around 40 countries, with each of them tailoring some features of the strategy to its own needs. This holds especially for deciding on the level of inflation targets. The analysis conducted in the paper aims at identifying factors affecting the choice of the target levels, with macroeconomic, structural and institutional characteristics of the reviewed economies being investigated. The main conclusion is that both backward- and forward-looking models can help to explain how inflation targets are set. Evidently inflation and GDP growth (past and forecast) together with information on a possibly ongoing disinflation process are of key importance, but â€“ especially for emerging market economies â€“ also inflation variance and the level of economic development seem to influence the target levels. Moreover, many of the institutional features related, among others, to transparency and accountability of the reviewed central banks, were found significant in the analysis.
Cross-platform Data Analysis Reveals a Generic Gene Expression Signature for Microsatellite Instability in Colorectal Cancer

The dysfunction of the DNA mismatch repair system results in microsatellite instability (MSI). MSI plays a central role in the development of multiple human cancers. In colon cancer, despite being associated with resistance to 5-fluorouracil treatment, MSI is a favourable prognostic marker. In gastric and endometrial cancers, its prognostic value is not so well established. Nevertheless, recognising the MSI tumours may be important for predicting the therapeutic effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Several gene expression signatures were trained on microarray data sets to understand the regulatory mechanisms underlying microsatellite instability in colorectal cancer. A wealth of expression data already exists in the form of microarray data sets. However, the RNA-seq has become a routine for transcriptome analysis. A new MSI gene expression signature presented here is the first to be valid across two different platforms, microarrays and RNA-seq. In the case of colon cancer, its estimated performance was (i) AUC = 0.94, 95% CI = (0.90 – 0.97) on RNA-seq and (ii) AUC = 0.95, 95% CI = (0.92 – 0.97) on microarray. The 25-gene expression signature was also validated in two independent microarray colon cancer data sets. Despite being derived from colorectal cancer, the signature maintained good performance on RNA-seq and microarray gastric cancer data sets (AUC = 0.90, 95% CI = (0.85 – 0.94) and AUC = 0.83, 95% CI = (0.69 – 0.97), respectively). Furthermore, this classifier retained high concordance even when classifying RNA-seq endometrial cancers (AUC = 0.71, 95% CI = (0.62 – 0.81). These results indicate that the new signature was able to remove the platform-specific differences while preserving the underlying biological differences between MSI/MSS phenotypes in colon cancer samples.
NOMA in Cooperative Communication Systems With Energy-Harvesting Nodes and Wireless Secure Transmission

In this paper, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in cooperative relay system is considered, where a source node communicates with a pair of energy harvesting (EH) user equipments through a multiple antennas relay node. A hybrid protocol is adopted at the relay, in which if the relay can successfully decode the signals, decode-and-forward (DF) protocol will be adopted to forward the signals to the users. Otherwise, amplify-and-forward (AF) protocol will be implemented. Assuming that the users adopt maximal ratio combining (MRC) to combine the received signals in the two cooperative phases, new explicit analytical expressions for the average sum-rate are derived when the relay works in, 1) AF mode, and 2) DF mode, in two scenarios when one user is the stronger in both cooperation phases, and when an alternative user is stronger in each phase. Then, the investigation is extended to the case where the relay is an untrusted node, and cooperative jamming technique is proposed to degrade the ability of the relay to decode the signals and enforce the relay to operate always in AF mode. For the untrusted relay scenario, new analytical expression for the average secrecy rate is derived. Monte Carlo simulations are provided to validate the analysis. The simulation results reveal that the location of the relay is the key parameter to achieve the best performance.
A two-fold increase in migration distance does not have breeding consequences in a long-distance migratory seabird with high flight costs

Whether variation of winter migration distance among individuals within a population has consequences on their reproductive performance has rarely been assessed. Using individual global location sensor-tracking, we determined variation in migration distance, and its breeding consequences, in a Svalbard colony of the little auk Alle alle, a high-Arctic seabird with high flight costs. We found 2 distinct wintering quarters (north of Iceland and SW Greenland) implying a 2-fold difference in migration distance (1500 vs. 3100 km on average from the colony). This migration route from Svalbard to Greenland is among the longest recorded distances for an alcid species. Birds travelling a longer distance were more likely to be females and smaller, but more importantly, migration strategy had no apparent effect on reproductive performance (either timing or success). Our results contradict predictive studies which suggested that the establishment of migration routes to different winter destinations may be limited by the energetic constraints of flight. Our results show that a longer migration route does not necessarily have carry-over effects on subsequent reproduction.