Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intakes of fruits, vegetables and carbohydrate and the risk of CVD

Abstract Background Low-carbohydrate diets could lead to reduced fruit and vegetable intake, which may be protective against CVD. The role of carbohydrate intake in modifying the association between fruits and vegetables and CVD has not been evaluated. Objective To evaluate whether carbohydrate intake affects the association between fruits and vegetables and CVD. Design We included participants from two large prospective studies, the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study (HPFS). We followed 70 870 eligible NHS females for 16 years and 38 918 eligible HPFS males for 14 years. Diet was assessed from an FFQ updated every 4 years. Our primary outcome was ischaemic CVD (fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction and ischaemic stroke). We used Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate the relationship between fruits and vegetables and ischaemic CVD within groups with low, moderate or high carbohydrate intake. Results Fruit intake was strongly related with carbohydrate intake, but vegetables showed a very small correlation. Vegetable intake showed stronger associations with ischaemic CVD among the low carbohydrate group (multivariate risk ratio (RR) = 0·82 for an increment of 3 servings/d; 95 % CI 0·68, 0·99); green leafy vegetables and carotene-rich fruits and vegetables followed a similar pattern. Total fruit intake was associated with a lower risk of ischaemic CVD only among participants with moderate carbohydrate intake (RR = 0·81 comparing extreme quintiles; 95 % CI 0·70, 0·94). Conclusions Total vegetables, green leafy vegetables and carotene-rich fruits and vegetables showed stronger associations with ischaemic CVD among the low carbohydrate group. No consistent trends were observed for fruit intake.
El Modelo Educativo Integral y Flexible de la Universidad Veracruzana

El texto es una revision puntual del Modelo Educativo Integral y Flexible (MEIF) de la Universidad Veracruzana, que es una propuesta de organizacion del curriculum de las licenciaturas por areas de formacion, cuyo eje central es la formacion del estudiante no solo en el plano intelectual y profesional, sino tambien en lo social y lo humano, y que ademas de ello, propone trabajar en tres ejes transversales: teorico-epistemologico, heuristico y axiologico. Ademas de la estructura propuesta, se marcan las principales innovaciones que introduce el modelo, asi como las proyecciones para su implantacion. Abstract This text is an accurate revision of the Flexible and Integral Educative Model (MEIF) of the Universidad Veracruzana, which is a proposal for organizing the bachelor curricula by educational areas, whose central axis is the education of the student, not only in the intellectual and professional fields but also in the social and human ones; in addition to that, this article proposes to work along three transversal axes: theoretical-epistemological, heuristic and axiological. Besides the proposed structure, we underline the main innovations that the model introduce, as well as the projections for their implantation.
Quantitative imaging of the Dorsal nuclear gradient reveals limitations to threshold-dependent patterning in Drosophila

The NF-κB-related transcription factor, Dorsal, forms a nuclear concentration gradient in the early Drosophila embryo, patterning the dorsal-ventral (DV) axis to specify mesoderm, neurogenic ectoderm, and dorsal ectoderm cell fates. The concentration of nuclear Dorsal is thought to determine these patterning events; however, the levels of nuclear Dorsal have not been quantified previously. Furthermore, existing models of Dorsal-dependent germ layer specification and patterning consider steady-state levels of Dorsal relative to target gene expression patterns, yet both Dorsal gradient formation and gene expression are dynamic. We devised a quantitative imaging method to measure the Dorsal nuclear gradient while simultaneously examining Dorsal target gene expression along the DV axis. Unlike observations from other insects such as Tribolium, we find the Dorsal gradient maintains a constant bell-shaped distribution during embryogenesis. We also find that some classical Dorsal target genes are located outside the region of graded Dorsal nuclear localization, raising the question of whether these genes are direct Dorsal targets. Additionally, we show that Dorsal levels change in time during embryogenesis such that a steady state is not reached. These results suggest that the multiple gene expression outputs observed along the DV axis do not simply reflect a steady-state Dorsal nuclear gradient. Instead, we propose that the Dorsal gradient supplies positional information throughout nuclear cycles 10-14, providing additional evidence for the idea that compensatory combinatorial interactions between Dorsal and other factors effect differential gene expression along the DV axis.
Human Toll-like Receptor 2 Confers Responsiveness to Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) in host cells upon infection. LPS binds to the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)- anchored membrane protein CD14, which lacks an intracellular signaling domain. Here we investigated the role of mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLRs) as signal transducers for LPS. Overexpression of TLR2, but not TLR1, TLR4, or CD14 conferred LPS inducibility of NF-κB activation in mammalian 293 cells. Mutational analysis demonstrated that this LPS response requires the intracellular domain of TLR2. LPS signaling through TLR2 was dependent on serum which contains soluble CD14 (sCD14). Coexpression of CD14 synergistically enhanced LPS signal transmission through TLR2. In addition, purified recombinant sCD14 could substitute for serum to support LPS-induced TLR2 activation. LPS stimulation of TLR2 initiated an interleukin 1 receptor–like NF-κB signaling cascade. These findings suggest that TLR2 may be a signaling component of a cellular receptor for LPS.
The effects of aquaculture on farm household economy: a case study in Omon District, Cantho Province, Vietnam

A study of the farming systems in the Mekong River Delta (Vietnam) indicate that fish culture brings to the household a higher level of net farm income and family labor use. In general, adoption of fish culture is strongly affected by: (1) decline of wildfish; (2) location of the farm; (3) farm size per person and available water bodies within the farm; (4) income of farm, excluding income from fish; (5) guidance from agricultural extension workers; (6) policies of local government on the development of agriculture including aquaculture.
A pediatric shock advice algorithm based on the regularity of the detected beats

Automated external defibrillators (AED) detect fatal ventricular arrhythmias: ventricular fibrillation (VF) and ventricular tachycardia (VT). We have developed an algorithm based on the regularity of the detected beats to accurately discriminate VF from nonshockable rhythms in pediatric patients.The beat detection method is based on a preprocessing band pass filter (5-35 Hz) followed by a nonlinear energy operator (NEO). The discrimination algorithm uses three parameters: the number of detected beats, the coefficient of variation of the interval between beats and the content around the zero line of the output of NEO. The values of these parameters were used in a decision tree that identified irregular shockable rhythms (VF), and slow and fast regular rhythms, classified as nonshockable. VT was excluded in the design of the algorithm because it is often a regular but shockable rhythm. The algorithm was tested on a database of 1091 records (959 nonshockable, 62 VF and 70 VT) from 650 pediatric patients. The specificity was 99.7% and the VF sensitivity was 96.6%. 33% of the VT windows were identified as shockable, 65.2% as fast nonshockable and 1.8% as slow nonshockable. The regularity of the detected beats can accurately discriminate VF from nonshockable rhythms. However, an additional stage to discriminate fast nonshockable rhythms from fast and regular VT is needed for a shock advice algorithm.
Parkinson disease in twins: an etiologic study.

CONTEXT The cause of Parkinson disease (PD) is unknown. Genetic linkages have been identified in families with PD, but whether most PD is inherited has not been determined. OBJECTIVE To assess genetic inheritance of PD by studying monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs. DESIGN Twin study comparing concordance rates of PD in MZ and DZ twin pairs. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A total of 19842 white male twins enrolled in the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council World War II Veteran Twins Registry were screened for PD and standard diagnostic criteria for PD were applied. Zygosity was determined by polymerase chain reaction or questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Parkinson disease concordance in twin pairs, stratified by zygosity and age at diagnosis. RESULTS Of 268 twins with suspected parkinsonism and 250 presumed unaffected twin brothers, 193 twins with PD were identified (concordance-adjusted prevalence, 8.67/1000). In 71 MZ and 90 DZ pairs with complete diagnoses, pairwise concordance was similar (0.129 overall, 0.155 MZ, 0.111 DZ; relative risk, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.63-3.1). In 16 pairs with diagnosis at or before age 50 years in at least 1 twin, MZ concordance was 1.0 (4 pairs), and DZ was 0.167 (relative risk, 6.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.69-21.26). CONCLUSIONS The similarity in concordance overall indicates that genetic factors do not play a major role in causing typical PD. No genetic component is evident when the disease begins after age 50 years. However, genetic factors appear to be important when disease begins at or before age 50 years.
Robust Tomlinson-Harashima precoding with Kalman channel tracking in MIMO systems

The multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Tomlinson-Harashima precoder (THP) is an equalization structure for mitigating inter-stream interference in fading MIMO systems. It is well known that THP is optimal with perfect channel state information (CSI) at both transmitter and receiver. However, this assumption is not achievable in real world. In this work, under the assumption of partial channel state information (P-CSI), we show that the THP precoded MIMO system with Kalman (THP-Kalman) channel tracking outperforms that with linear minimum mean-square-error (LMMSE) estimator (THP-LMMSE) when operating in time-division-duplex (TDD) mode. Also, THP-Kalman exhibits robust error performance in fast fading, while THP-LMMSE is more sensitive to the varying rate of channel.
Reconstruction Algorithms in Compressive Sensing : An Overview

The theory Compressive Sensing (CS) has provided a new acquisition strategy and recovery with good in the image processing area. This theory guarantees to recover a signal with high probability from a reduced sampling rate below the Nyquist-Shannon limit. The problem of recovering the original signal from the samples consists in solving an optimization problem. This article presents an overview of reconstruction algorithms for sparse signal recovery in CS, these algorithms may be broadly divided into six types. We have provided a comprehensive survey of the numerous reconstruction algorithms in CS aiming to achieve computational efficiency.
A Feasibility Study on the use of Concentric Tube Continuum Robots for Endonasal Skull Base Tumor Removal

INTRODUCTION We evaluate the ability of a robotic system with needlediameter, tentacle-like manipulators [1] to remove pituitary tumors endonasally. The robot consists of precurved superelastic tubes that can be axially rotated and telescopically extended to create controllable bending and elongation of the manipulator. Pituitary tumors account for 15-20% of all diagnosed primary brain tumors [2], and 1 in 5 people are likely to have one in their lifetime [2], with 1 in 120 of these growing large enough (>1cm) to require surgery [3]. In contrast to traditional transcranial and transfacial surgical approaches, the endonasal approach results in no disfigurement to the patient; rather than entering through large tunnels bored into the patient’s forehead or cheek, surgical instruments enter through the patient’s nostril(s). However, the endonasal procedure is only deployed in a small fraction of all pituitary tumor cases because of the challenge of manually manipulating multiple straight, rigid instruments through the constrained nostril entry port, while performing complex surgical motions at the skull base. A robotic approach to this procedure has the potential to reduce technical barriers and bring the benefits of endonasal surgery to many more patients. As has been demonstrated in other surgical applications, robots can do this by accurately manipulating small tools (e.g. [4]) and enhancing dexterity (e.g. [5]) in constrained spaces inside the patient. Systems have recently been introduced specifically for middle ear surgery [4] and throat surgery [5], among others. Endonasal surgery is a particularly challenging application for a robotic system, because of the small nostril access port and the dexterity required at the skull base. Some prior results exist on the use of robotic systems to aid in bone drilling to open access paths to the skull base (see e.g. [6]), and to assist in endoscope manipulation [7]. These are complementary to our approach [1], which is deployed after the surgical site is opened.
Phrase-based Machine Transliteration

This paper presents a technique for transliteration based directly on techniques developed for phrase-based statistical machine translation. The focus of our work is in providing a transliteration system that could be used to translate unknown words in a speech-to-speech machine translation system. Therefore the system must be able to generate arbitrary sequence of characters in the target language, rather than words chosen from a pre-determined vocabulary. We evalauted our method automatically relative to a set of human-annotated reference transliterations as well as by assessing it for correctness using human evaluators. Our experimental results demonstrate that for both transliteration and back-transliteration the system is able to produce correct, or phonetically e q u i v a l e n t t o c o r r e c t o u t p u t i n approximately 80% of cases.
The anthropogenic impacts of urbanization and industrialisation on the water quality, ecology and health status of the Palmiet River catchment in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

Water, a fundamental and irreplaceable resource, is an all-pervasive issue that underpins the social fabric of every society. Rapid population growth and expansion of human activities increases the amount of waste and pollution generated and many local authorities are encountering serious water pollution problems, often concentrated in the lower reaches of catchments and adjacent coastal areas. This problem is predominantly acute in urbanized catchment areas, where waste is concentrated into localized areas, and the authorities are constantly under pressure to provide adequate management and mitigation measures. The Palmiet River system, located in the northern fringe of the city of Durban and draining the highly industrialized Pinetown region in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, illustrates a system that has been altered due to human impacts, particularly in its headwaters where the industrial sites are located and, in the lower catchment where a densely populated informal settlement occurs. A range of chemical and biotic indicators were monitored seasonally and these confirm the influence of the aforementioned human impacts on the quality of the Palmiet River system. Results from the present study were compared with studies conducted over a period of two decades and clearly demonstrate a pattern of increasing pollution loads for the upper and lower parts of the catchment. This study confirms that the Palmiet River is severely degraded in its lower reaches whilst the middle reaches of the catchment where a nature reserve is located is still in a fairly pristine condition. Additionally, the Palmiet River issues discussed in this thesis have direct impacts on the estuarine and adjacent marine ecosystems.
Origin and Evolution of Glutamyl-prolyl tRNA Synthetase WHEP Domains Reveal Evolutionary Relationships within Holozoa

Repeated domains in proteins that have undergone duplication or loss, and sequence divergence, are especially informative about phylogenetic relationships. We have exploited divergent repeats of the highly structured, 50-amino acid WHEP domains that join the catalytic subunits of bifunctional glutamyl-prolyl tRNA synthetase (EPRS) as a sequence-informed repeat (SIR) to trace the origin and evolution of EPRS in holozoa. EPRS is the only fused tRNA synthetase, with two distinct aminoacylation activities, and a non-canonical translation regulatory function mediated by the WHEP domains in the linker. Investigating the duplications, deletions and divergence of WHEP domains, we traced the bifunctional EPRS to choanozoans and identified the fusion event leading to its origin at the divergence of ichthyosporea and emergence of filozoa nearly a billion years ago. Distribution of WHEP domains from a single species in two or more distinct clades suggested common descent, allowing the identification of linking organisms. The discrete assortment of choanoflagellate WHEP domains with choanozoan domains as well as with those in metazoans supported the phylogenetic position of choanoflagellates as the closest sister group to metazoans. Analysis of clustering and assortment of WHEP domains provided unexpected insights into phylogenetic relationships amongst holozoan taxa. Furthermore, observed gaps in the transition between WHEP domain groupings in distant taxa allowed the prediction of undiscovered or extinct evolutionary intermediates. Analysis based on SIR domains can provide a phylogenetic counterpart to palaentological approaches of discovering “missing links” in the tree of life.
Estimating orientation in tracking individuals of flying swarms

Multi-camera three-dimensional (3D) tracking technology is the most effective gateway to acquire quantitative motion data for studying behaviors of flying swarms. While the state-of-the-art tracking methods usually estimate positions of flying targets, here we present the 3D tracking method which estimates both a target's position and its orientation for tracking individuals of flying swarms, in which videos captured by at least three synchronized and calibrated cameras are necessary. Experiments show the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.
SMOKE-CURING OF FISH BY ARTISANAL FISHERFOLKS IN ILAJE, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

A survey of fish smoking processes was conducted in Ilaje Local Government (ILGA) of Ondo State between March and June, 2001. Data were collected from fish processors at different fishing communities with the aid of structured questionnaires. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The predominant processing and preservation techniques employed is smoke-drying (93.75%) with sundrying accounting for 6.25%. Two types of traditional smoking kiln used were oil drum and raffia palm racks. Firewood and kerosene are the main combustion fuels used during smoke-drying. Commonly used wood that produced good quality smoked fish were Rhizophora racemosa, Nauclea didernichii, Lopira alata, Nauclea latifolia, and Entadrophragma cylindricum. Various fish specieis and sizes were processed based on frequency of occurrence. The family Clupida had the highese number of fish processed while shrimp/prawn had the least. Fish smoking procedure starts from collection from the capture site to smoking of fish in the smoking room. Scales of fish are not removed before smoking. Small size fish are smoked singly or in multiples on sticks. Large sized fish are smoked singly or in twos and threes. The same species are always sticked together. Small, medium and large-sized fish were not gutted before smoking while extra large are cut into chunks before smoking.
Seasonal Effects of Hydropeaking on Growth, Energetics and Movement of Juvenile Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar)

The performance and movements of juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar exposed to variable water discharge (simulating hydropeaking) but with a stable water‐covered area were studied in six experimental stream channels, both during the winter and summer. Thirty fish were stocked into each channel, and the growth, body fat and movements of the fish were followed for about 2.5 months in each season. During the winter, no effect of hydropeaking was documented on performance or movement. In the summer, fish experiencing hydropeaking had lower body mass, lower body fat, and higher movement rates than the control fish. In general, effect sizes were small, and the rapid and frequent changes in water discharge and water level in the present study had small effects on the performance of juvenile Atlantic salmon. The cumulative long‐term effect at the population level is unknown, but a reduced growth rate of 10% and a reduction in body fat of 16% in the hydropeaking experiments in the summer might to some extent translate into increased smolt age and lower overwintering survival. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The circadian clock gene period extends healthspan in aging Drosophila melanogaster

There is increasing evidence that aging is affected by biological (circadian) clocks - the internal mechanisms that coordinate daily changes in gene expression, physiological functions and behavior with external day/night cycles. Recent data suggest that disruption of the mammalian circadian clock results in accelerated aging and increased age-related pathologies such as cancer; however, the links between loss of daily rhythms and aging are not understood. We sought to determine whether disruption of the circadian clock affects lifespan and healthspan in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. We examined effects of a null mutation in the circadian clock gene period (per01) on the fly healthspan by challenging aging flies with short-term oxidative stress (24h hyperoxia) and investigating their response in terms of mortality hazard, levels of oxidative damage, and functional senescence. Exposure to 24h hyperoxia during middle age significantly shortened the life expectancy in per01 but not in control flies. This homeostatic challenge also led to significantly higher accumulation of oxidative damage in per01 flies compared to controls. In addition, aging per01 flies showed accelerated functional decline, such as lower climbing ability and increased neuronal degeneration compared to age-matched controls. Together, these data suggest that impaired stress defense pathways may contribute to accelerated aging in the per mutant. In addition, we show that the expression of per gene declines in old wild type flies, suggesting that the circadian regulatory network becomes impaired with age.