Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Inhibiting Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 (DPP4) in Cows with Subclinical Ketosis

The inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) via specific inhibitors is known to result in improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and decreased accumulation of hepatic fat in type II diabetic human patients. The metabolic situation of dairy cows can easily be compared to the status of human diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver. For both, insulin sensitivity is reduced, while hepatic fat accumulation increases, characterized by high levels of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and ketone bodies.Therefore, in the present study, a DPP4 inhibitor was employed (BI 14332) for the first time in cows. In a first investigation BI 14332 treatment (intravenous injection at dosages of up to 3 mg/kg body weight) was well tolerated in healthy lactating pluriparous cows (n = 6) with a significant inhibition of DPP4 in plasma and liver. Further testing included primi- and pluriparous lactating cows suffering from subclinical ketosis (β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in serum > 1.2 mM; n = 12). The intension was to offer effects of DPP4 inhibition during comprehensive lipomobilisation and hepatosteatosis. The cows of subclinical ketosis were evenly allocated to either the treatment group (daily injections, 0.3 mg BI 14332/kg body weight, 7 days) or the control group. Under condition of subclinical ketosis, the impact of DPP4 inhibition via BI 14332 was less, as in particular β-hydroxybutyrate and the hepatic lipid content remained unaffected, but NEFA and triglyceride concentrations were decreased after treatment. Owing to lower NEFA, the revised quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (surrogate marker for insulin sensitivity) increased. Therefore, a positive influence on energy metabolism might be quite possible. Minor impacts on immune-modulating variables were limited to the lymphocyte CD4+/CD8+ ratio for which a trend to decreased values in treated versus control animals was noted. In sum, the DPP4 inhibition in cows did not affect glycaemic control like it is shown in humans, but was able to impact hyperlipemia, as NEFA and TG decreased.
Scanning electron microscope at low voltage operation – a unique characterization tool for graphene layers

Graphene grown on Cu foils by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique has been investigated using commercially available scanning electron microscope at low voltage operation. The optimized conditions of SEM imaging carried out in a double-channel mode (registering secondary electrons type 1 (SE1) and backscattered electrons (BSE) images in a single scan) allowed for the visualization of typical features of graphene on Cu, such as folds, cracks and add-layers. The mechanism of thickness contrast observed in the BSE images was described in terms of low loss-BSE detection. Antioxidant qualities of graphene sheets on metallic substrate were confirmed by the ability of observation of the channeling contrast in Cu substrates at primary electrons energy of 0.5 keV.
Health, social and economical consequences of sleep-disordered breathing: a controlled national study

Background The objective direct and indirect costs of sleep-disordered breathing (snoring, sleep apnoea (SA) and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS)) and the treatment are incompletely described. Methods Using data from the Danish National Patient Registry (1998–2006), 12 045, 19 438 and 755 patients were identified with a diagnosis of snoring, SA and OHS, respectively. For every patient, four age-, sex- and socioeconomic-matched citizens were randomly selected (48 180, 77 752 and 3020, respectively) from the Danish Civil Registration System Statistics Direct costs were extracted from the Danish Ministry of Health, Danish Medicines Agency and National Health Security and indirect costs were based on data derived from the Coherent Social Statistics. Results Snoring, and especially SA and OHS, were associated with significantly higher rates of health-related contact, medication use, unemployment and accounted for increased socioeconomic costs (especially indirect costs). These effects increased with the severity of SA and patients with OHS had the lowest employment rates. The income level of patients with SA and OHS who were employed was lower than that of employed control subjects. The annual excess total direct and indirect costs for patients with snoring, SA and OHS were €705, €3860 and €11 320, respectively. Patients with snoring, SA and OHS received an annual mean excess social transfer income of €147, €879 and €3263, respectively. These socioeconomic consequences were present up to 8 years prior to the first diagnosis in patients with SA and OHS, and further increased with disease advancement. Treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) reduced mortality in patients with SA but not in those with OHS within an observation period of 2 years. Conclusion Sleep-disordered breathing has major socioeconomic consequences for the individual patient and for society. Although CPAP treatment reduces mortality, earlier disease detection could have a greater impact on disease complications.
VMAF reproducibility: Validating a perceptual practical video quality metric

Measuring video quality with standard metrics ensures that operators can deliver to consumers the desired quality of experience (QoE) at an optimal cost. Such metrics also allow CODEC engineers to optimize the performance of their encoding algorithms. This paper briefly surveys existing video quality metrics and then presents results of the new Video Multi-Method Assessment Fusion (VMAF) metric [1] proposed by Netflix. The author and colleagues used VMAF to measure the quality of a 4K dataset encoded with the RealMedia video CODEC at a range of bitrates. They also gathered subjective quality assessments from a group of viewers for the same dataset. The paper presents findings of correlation between subjective and objective results.
Minimal cytosolic iron‐sulfur cluster assembly machinery of Giardia intestinalis is partially associated with mitosomes

Iron‐sulfur (Fe‐S) clusters are essential cofactors that enable proteins to transport electrons, sense signals, or catalyze chemical reactions. The maturation of dozens of Fe‐S proteins in various compartments of every eukaryotic cell is driven by several assembly pathways. The ubiquitous cytosolic Fe‐S cluster assembly (CIA) pathway, typically composed of eight highly conserved proteins, depends on mitochondrial Fe‐S cluster assembly (ISC) machinery. Giardia intestinalis contains one of the smallest eukaryotic genomes and the mitosome, an extremely reduced mitochondrion. Because the only pathway known to be retained within this organelle is the synthesis of Fe‐S clusters mediated by ISC machinery, a likely function of the mitosome is to cooperate with the CIA pathway. We investigated the cellular localization of CIA components in G. intestinalis and the origin and distribution of CIA‐related components and Tah18‐like proteins in other Metamonada. We show that orthologs of Tah18 and Dre2 are missing in these eukaryotes. In Giardia, all CIA components are exclusively cytosolic, with the important exception of Cia2 and two Nbp35 paralogs, which are present in the mitosomes. We propose that the dual localization of Cia2 and Nbp35 proteins in Giardia might represent a novel connection between the ISC and the CIA pathways.
Validity of International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Proposals for the Revision of N Descriptors in Lung Cancer

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the validity of the pending suggestions for N descriptors by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Methods: Medical records from 1032 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had pulmonary resection and proven stage I–III were retrospectively reviewed. Lymph node stations were grouped together into six “zones”: peripheral or hilar for N1 and upper or lower mediastinal, aortopulmonary, and subcarinal for N2. Survival was analyzed according to the proposed subdividing N descriptors: single-zone N1 (N1a), multizone N1 (N1b), single-zone N2 (N2a), and multizone N2 (N2b). Results: The 5-year survival rate was 63.8% for N0, 42.3% for N1a, 36.5% for N1b, 35.8% for N2a, and 17.4% for N2b. There were three distinct prognostic groups for N1 and N2 nodes: N1a, N1b or N2a, and N2b disease. In multivariate analysis, age, sex, type of surgery, T stage, and node status were independent prognostic factors. Hazard ratios versus N0 for N1a, N1b or N2b, N2b, and N3 were 1.577, 2.164, 3.291, and 5.897, respectively. Conclusion: Amalgamating lymph node stations into zones and subdividing N descriptors described a significant stepwise deterioration of disease status. Although more studies are needed, the lymph node zone and subdivided N descriptors could be one of step for desirable approach of forthcoming tumor, node, metastasis classification in non-small cell lung cancer.
Enhancing the classification accuracy of steady-state visual evoked potential-based brain–computer interfaces using phase constrained canonical correlation analysis

In this study, a novel method of phase constrained canonical correlation analysis (p-CCA) is presented for classifying steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) using multichannel electroencephalography (EEG) signals. p-CCA is employed to improve the performance of the SSVEP-based brain–computer interface (BCI) system using standard CCA. SSVEP response phases are estimated based on the physiologically meaningful apparent latency and are added as a reliable constraint into standard CCA. The results of EEG experiments involving 10 subjects demonstrate that p-CCA consistently outperforms standard CCA in classification accuracy. The improvement is up to 6.8% using 1–4 s data segments. The results indicate that the reliable measurement of phase information is of importance in SSVEP-based BCIs.
Effects of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and its main metabolites on cardiovascular function in conscious rats

The cardiovascular effects produced by 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ‘Ecstasy’) contribute to its acute toxicity, but the potential role of its metabolites in these cardiovascular effects is not known. Here we examined the effects of MDMA metabolites on cardiovascular function in rats.
A comprehension-based model of exploration

The linked model of comprehension-based action planning and instruction taking (LICAI) simulates performing by exploration tasks using applications hosted on systems with graphical user interfaces. The tasks are given to the user as written exercises containing no information about the correct action sequences. LICAI's comprehension and action-planning processes are based on Kintsch's construction-integration (C-I) theory for text comprehension. The model assumes that comprehending instructions is a strategic process; instruction texts must be elaborated using specialized strategres that guide goal generation. LICAI comprehends the instructions and generates goals that are then stored in memory. The action-planning processes are controlled by goals retrieved from memory. Representations of goals that can guide exploration are restricted by the C-I architecture. The model predicts that successful exploration requires linking of the goal representation with the label on the correct object. The model is evaluated by comparing its predictions with results from an experimental study of learning by exploration by Franzke (1994, 1995). We discuss the implications of LICAI for designing instruction materials and interfaces that facilitate exploration.
Metallothionein‐1G facilitates sorafenib resistance through inhibition of ferroptosis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer‐related death worldwide and currently has the fastest rising incidence of all cancers. Sorafenib was originally identified as an inhibitor of multiple oncogenic kinases and remains the only approved systemic therapy for advanced HCC. However, acquired resistance to sorafenib has been found in HCC patients, which results in poor prognosis. Here, we show that metallothionein (MT)‐1G is a critical regulator and promising therapeutic target of sorafenib resistance in human HCC cells. The expression of MT‐1G messenger RNA and protein is remarkably induced by sorafenib but not other clinically relevant kinase inhibitors (e.g., erlotinib, gefitinib, tivantinib, vemurafenib, selumetinib, imatinib, masitinib, and ponatinib). Activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2, but not p53 and hypoxia‐inducible factor 1‐alpha, is essential for induction of MT‐1G expression following sorafenib treatment. Importantly, genetic and pharmacological inhibition of MT‐1G enhances the anticancer activity of sorafenib in vitro and in tumor xenograft models. The molecular mechanisms underlying the action of MT‐1G in sorafenib resistance involve the inhibition of ferroptosis, a novel form of regulated cell death. Knockdown of MT‐1G by RNA interference increases glutathione depletion and lipid peroxidation, which contributes to sorafenib‐induced ferroptosis. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate a novel molecular mechanism of sorafenib resistance and suggest that MT‐1G is a new regulator of ferroptosis in HCC cells. (Hepatology 2016;64:488‐500)
Absence of primary cilia in cell cycle‐arrested human breast cancer cells

Previous studies using cultured cells showed that primary cilia are present in quiescent cells, but are absent in proliferating cells. We studied here the relationship between the presence or absence of primary cilia and the cell cycle arrest of normal epithelial cells and cancer cells in the human normal breast and breast cancer tissues. In normal breast tissues, although most epithelial cells were nonproliferating as estimated by the immunofluorescence staining of the proliferation marker Ki‐67, primary cilia were present only in 20–40% of the epithelial cells. In breast cancer tissues, primary cilia were not observed in any of the breast cancer cells. Furthermore, primary cilia were hardly observed in the nonproliferating cancer cells in the orthotopic and metastatic human breast cancer xenograft tumors in mice. These results indicate that the absence of primary cilia does not necessarily represent the proliferating phases of normal epithelial cells and cancer cells.
Orthogonal GF Moments for Image Representation

A new set of orthogonal moment functions named as GF moments (GFMs) was proposed in this paper. The kernel functions of GFMs is GF-system, which is a class of complete orthogonal spline function set of degree k(k=0,1,2,? ). The implementation of GFMs does not involve any numerical approximation and has a rather low computation complexity, since the basis set has the advantages of lower order. These properties make GFMs superior to the traditional polynomial moments such as Legendre moments and Zernike moments, in terms of the image reconstruction. Our simulation results also show that GFMs have a better feature representation capability. Keywords-GF system; Orthogonal spline functions; Moments; Image reconstruction
Functional Outcomes of Cleft Lip Surgery. Part II: Quantification of Nasolabial Movement

Objective: To explore nasolabial movements in participants with repaired cleft lip and palate. Design: A parallel, three-group, nonrandomized clinical trial. Subjects: Group 1 = 31 participants with a cleft lip slated for revision surgery (revision), group 2 = 32 participants with a cleft lip who did not have surgery (nonrevision), and group 3 = 37 noncleft control participants. Methods: Three-dimensional movements were assessed using a video-based tracking system that captured movement of 38 landmarks placed at specific sites on the face during instructed maximum smile, cheek puff, lip purse, mouth opening, and natural smile. Measurements were made at two time points at least 1 week and no greater than 3 months apart. Summary measurements were generated for the magnitude of upper lip, lower lip, and lower jaw movements and the asymmetry of upper lip movement. Separate regression models were fitted to each of the summary measurements. Results: Lateral movements of the upper lip were greater than vertical movements. Relative to the noncleft group, the revision and nonrevision groups demonstrated 6% to 28% less upper lip movements, with the smiles having the most restriction in movement and greater asymmetry of upper lip movement. Having an alveolar bone graft further increased the asymmetry, while a bilateral cleft lip decreased the asymmetry. Lower jaw movement caused a small increase in upper lip movement. Conclusions: The objective measurement of movement may be used as an outcome measure for cleft lip surgery.
Lower Bounds for Kinetic Planar Subdivisions

We revisit the notion of kinetic efficiency for noncanonically defined discrete attributes of moving data, like binary space partitions and triangulations. Under reasonable computational models, we obtain lower bounds on the minimum amount of work required to maintain any binary space partition of moving segments in the plane or any Steiner triangulation of moving points in the plane. Such lower bounds—the first to be obtained in the kinetic context—are necessary to evaluate the efficiency of kinetic data structures when the attribute to be maintained is not canonically defined.
Biomedical modeling of Magnetic Nanoparticles Fluid Hyperthermia for Cancer treatment

Magnetic Nanoparticles Fluid Hyperthermia is called to be a promising treatment method for cancer lesions, constituting an alternative pathway to other medical approaches, as for example, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The large surface area to volume ratio of nanoparticles makes them a suitable element to amplify the effect of external fields, in particular, the heat generated by alternating magnetic fields. Despite of these promising possibilities, a critical problem of hyperthermia is the direct control of the heat source and the distribution of nanoparticles in order to induce necrosis within cancerous cells with the minimum negative impact to the surrounding healthy cells. In the current project, the biomedical modeling of the process of hyperthermia is carried on for cancer cells of different geometries appealing to the modified Penne’s bioheat equation and the Finite Element Method (FEM). Special attention was paid to the size and spatial distribution of nanoparticles. The results from numerical solutions have permitted to establish guidance towards optimal conditions for its use. Computations were performed either in Wolfram Mathematica and/or Octave/MATLAB.
A modified Wilcoxon test for non‐negative distributions with a clump of zeros

Comparing two samples with a continuous non‐negative score, e.g. a utility score over [0, 1], with a substantial proportion, say 50 per cent, scoring 0 presents distributional problems for most standard tests. A Wilcoxon rank test can be used, but the large number of ties reduces power. I propose a new test, the Wilcoxon rank‐sum test performed after removing an equal (and maximal) number of 0's from each sample. This test recovers much of the power. Compared with a (directional) modification of a two‐part test proposed by Lachenbruch, the truncated Wilcoxon has similar power when the non‐zero scores are independent of the proportion of zeros, but, unlike the two‐part test, the truncated Wilcoxon is relatively unaffected when these processes are dependent. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Glenohumeral Range of Motion in Major League Pitchers

Background: Although overhead throwing athletes may develop unique glenohumeral range of motion characteristics, to our knowledge these characteristics have not been studied longitudinally in major league pitchers. Hypothesis: Major league pitchers (starters and relievers) experience an increase in glenohumeral external rotation and a decrease in internal rotation and total range of motion. Glenohumeral internal rotation deficit worsens over a regular playing season. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: In 21 major league baseball pitchers (29 individual playing seasons), glenohumeral range of motion was measured in external and internal rotation for the throwing and nonthrowing shoulders before and at the conclusion of the regular season. The total range of motion (the sum of external rotation and internal rotation) and the glenohumeral internal rotation deficit were calculated (the difference between internal rotation of the nonthrowing shoulder minus that of the throwing shoulder), and data were compared between starting and relief pitchers. Results: The overall mean changes in external rotation (+1.5°), internal rotation (+2.7°), and total range of motion (+3.3°) were not statistically significant. However, starting pitchers showed statistically significant increases in internal rotation (+6.5°, P = 0.01) and total range of motion (+7.9°, P = 0.04), whereas relief pitchers had significant worsening of glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (+5.3°, P = 0.04). Conclusions: The characteristics of glenohumeral range of motion in major league pitchers did not differ significantly from the beginning to the end of a season, but significant changes did occur between starting and relief pitchers. Clinical Relevance: Adaptations to the daily routines of starter and reliever pitchers may be warranted on the basis of these findings.
Effect of denture-coating composite on Candida albicans biofilm and surface degradation after disinfection protocol.

INTRODUCTION Denture stomatitis is the most common pathology affecting denture wearers and its main cause is colonisation of dentures with Candida albicans. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the effectiveness of two commercial composite surface sealants (Biscover(®) LV and Surface Coat(®)) to reduce C. albicans biofilm colonisation on denture resin, as well as their surface integrity after disinfection cycles with 1% sodium hypochlorite solution. METHODS Heat-cured acrylic resin specimens were manufactured (10 mm × 10 mm × 1 mm). The specimen surfaces were mechanically polished to simulate rough or smooth denture surfaces. Four surface-treatment groups were tested: smooth surfaces [0.3 μm of mean roughness (Ra)]; rough surfaces (3 μm of Ra); rough surfaces treated with Biscover(®) LV; and rough surfaces treated with Surface Coat(®). Specimens of each group were randomly divided to undergo immersion in distilled water or 1% sodium hypochlorite for 30 or 90 cycles each. Specimens of all groups in each immersion solution were tested using a crystal violet (CV) staining assay for biofilm quantification and by scanning electron microscopy for visual analyses of surface integrity and biofilm structure. CV assay data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey's multiple comparison test (P < 0.05). RESULTS The effectiveness and surface integrity of Biscover(®) LV-treated surfaces were similar to those of smooth surfaces, whereas Surface Coat(®) -treated surfaces presented a similar performance to rough surfaces in all solutions and cycles. CONCLUSION These results suggest the possibility of clinical use of Biscover(®) LV for denture coating on surfaces in which mechanical polish is not indicated, such as the fitting surface.
Recent Growth In Substrate Integrated Waveguide Slotted Array Antennas

The use of substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology in integrated microwave circuits has increased significantly in the last few years. The SIW technology has been used to design phase shifters, oscillators, filters and cavity backed antennas. SIW waveguides show similar characteristics as that of rectangular metallic waveguides but with more advantages like low fabrication cost, light weight etc. This paper reviews the use of SIW technology in the design and fabrication of SIW waveguides, SIW slot antennas and SIW slot array antennas.