Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Weight history, glucose intolerance, and insulin levels in middle-aged Swedish men.

The association between weight history and glucose intolerance was examined in a cross-sectional study consisting of 3,128 Swedish men aged 35-56 years, 52 percent of whom had a family background of diabetes mellitus. Oral glucose tolerance testing detected 55 cases of type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes and 172 cases of impaired glucose tolerance. Among men with no family history of diabetes, the estimated odds ratios for impaired glucose tolerance associated with short (<5 years) and long (> or =10 years) durations of obesity (body mass index (weight (kg)/height2 (m2) > or =25.0) were 1.3 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2-7.7) and 11.8 (95% CI 3.3-41.9), respectively. Among men with a family history of diabetes, the odds ratios were 2.0 (95% CI 0.8-4.7) and 4.0 (95% CI 1.8-9.1), respectively. Corresponding estimates of the odds of type 2 diabetes, adjusted for family history of diabetes, were 1.9 (95% CI 0.5-7.1) and 7.3 (95% CI 2.2-23.7), respectively. The odds of high (> or =30.0 mU/liter) fasting insulin levels in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance were 6.9 (95% CI 0.6-74.2) and 21.0 (95% CI 2.1-206.4) for short and long durations of obesity, respectively. Corresponding estimated odds of low 2-hour insulin response (< or =71.9 mU/liter) were 0.7 (95% CI 0.2-2.9) and 3.3 (95% CI 1.2-8.9). Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance yielded an odds ratio of 6.7 (95% CI 0.6-73.4) for a short duration of obesity and 20.0 (95% CI 2.0-200.6) for a long duration. Examination of beta-cell function with homeostasis model assessment resulted in odds ratios of 0.2 (95% CI 0.0-1.6) and 2.0 (95% CI 0.7-5.4) for short and long durations of obesity, respectively. These data indicate that obesity decreases glucose tolerance by way of progressively increased insulin resistance and, in the case of prolonged duration, by decreased insulin secretion as well.
Positive and negative MHC class I recognition by rat NK cells

Summary: The prompt rejection of transplanted allogeneic lymphocytes by rat NK cells in non‐sensitized recipients (allogeneic lymphocyte cyto‐toxicity or ALC) is determined by MHC genes as well as by genes located in the NK complex. The same genetic control is found when NK alloreactivity is measured by an in vitro assay, and we have employed this assay to delineate the specificity of NK cells for the MHC. The MHC of the rat, RT1, contains class 1 genes situated on either side of the class Il/class III region. The majority of these class 1 genes are located in the RT1.C region and expressed class I products usually behave as non ‐classical (class Ib) molecules. They do not serve as restriction elements for the vast majority of conventional a/p T‐cells, in contrast to those class molecules encoded by one or more loci in the classical (doss la) region, RT1. A. However, NK cells appear to recognize the products of either class 1 region. Immunogenetic studies suggest that NK cells are inhibited by RT1.A molecules, whereas RT1.C region molecules may have a dual role in regulating NK cytolytic activity, i.e. they either inhibit or activate natural killing. Based on THESE premises, a model is proposed in which identification of a target as self or non‐self depends on different receptors for class 1 in single NK cells, interpreting coincident positive and negative signals from the various target class I molecules. The putative role of peptides presented by class I, the biological implications, and the evolution of the NK receptors and ether ligands are discussed.
Application of Gene Targeting to Designed Mutation Breeding of High-Tryptophan Rice1[W][OA]

Site-directed mutagenesis via gene targeting (GT) based on homologous recombination is the ultimate mutation breeding technology because it enables useful information acquired from structural- and computational-based protein engineering to be applied directly to molecular breeding, including metabolic engineering, of crops. Here, we employed this rationale to introduce precise mutations in OASA2—an α-subunit of anthranilate synthase that is a key enzyme of tryptophan (Trp) biosynthesis in rice (Oryza sativa)—via GT, with subsequent selection of GT cells using a Trp analog. The expression level of OASA2 in plants homozygous and heterozygous for modified OASA2 was similar to that of nontransformants, suggesting that OASA2 transcription in GT plants was controlled in the same manner as endogenous OASA2, and that GT could lead to a lower risk of gene silencing than in conventional overexpression approaches. Moreover, we showed that enzymatic properties deduced from protein engineering or in vitro analysis could be reproduced in GT plants as evidenced by Trp accumulation levels. Interestingly, mature seeds of homozygous GT plants accumulated Trp levels 230-fold higher than in nontransformants without any apparent morphological or developmental changes. Thus, we have succeeded in producing a novel rice plant of great potential nutritional benefit for both man and livestock that could not have been selected using conventional mutagenesis approaches. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of directed crop improvement by combining precision mutagenesis via GT with a knowledge of protein engineering.
Design and development of a new scanning core engine for malware detection

Malware is a man-made evil code, created for manipulative and destructive purpose. The increasing dependence on today's Internet and other communication network has caused a major malware threat to many computer users. The threat can infiltrate computers using a variety of methods, such as hidden functionality in regular programs, drive-by download from unsafe web sites, attack against known software vulnerabilities and more. In this paper, architecture of modern malware scanning engine is proposed and presented. A known packer detector and removal is proposed to build on top of the core engine. Prior begin malware scanning engine, the detection of known packer has to be performed. If any known packer is detected, a dedicated decryption routine will strip out the packer protection. Our malware detection core engine approach is based on the integration of static heuristic, emulator and disassembler. Static heuristic scanner detects malicious program via byte signature identification. It involves static extraction of an executable file and compares the destructive code with dedicated viral signatures. Emulator can execute the arbitrary code of an instance and trace the instance body's code inside the virtual environment. It can be used to combat any protection code, regardless of the complexity of the protection algorithm. Disassembler module will work simultaneously with emulator to analyze the execution code. Fragment of malicious code within the decrypted virus body could be detected via the execution. Through this study, we hope to help security researchers to understand our defense approach and give some directions for future research.
Continued expression of a poly(A)+ transcript of herpes simplex virus type 1 in trigeminal ganglia of latently infected mice

Radioactively labeled cDNAs were prepared by using as the template poly(A)+ mRNA from trigeminal ganglia of mice latently infected with herpes simplex virus type 1. These cDNAs were used as hybridization probes for Southern blots of cloned herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA fragments. Specific hybridization to fragments from the terminal repetition of the L segment was detected with probes derived from mRNAs obtained as early as 3 weeks and as late as 17 months postinoculation. Fine mapping of the region of hybridization showed that the viral transcripts originated from DNA sequences coding for the immediate-early gene IE-1 (alpha-0). These results indicate that IE-1, or an as yet unidentified gene colinear with it, is continuously expressed during latency.
Towards Understanding the Evolution of Vocabulary Terms in Knowledge Graphs

Vocabularies are used for modeling data in Knowledge Graphs (KG) like the Linked Open Data Cloud and Wikidata. During their lifetime, the vocabularies of the KGs are subject to changes. New terms are coined, while existing terms are modified or declared as deprecated. We first quantify the amount and frequency of changes in vocabularies. Subsequently, we investigate to which extend and when the changes are adopted in the evolution of the KGs. We conduct our experiments on three large-scale KGs for which time-stamped snapshots are available, namely the Billion Triples Challenge datasets, Dynamic Linked Data Observatory dataset, and Wikidata. Our results show that the change frequency of terms is rather low, but can have high impact when adopted on a large amount of distributed graph data on the web. Furthermore, not all coined terms are used and most of the deprecated terms are still used by data publishers. There are variations in the adoption time of terms coming from different vocabularies ranging from very fast (few days) to very slow (few years). Surprisingly, there are also adoptions we could observe even before the vocabulary changes are published. Understanding this adoption is important, since otherwise it may lead to wrong assumptions about the modeling status of data published on the web and may result in difficulties when querying the data from distributed sources.
Using the Emanuel et al. Framework to Assess Ethical Issues Raised by a Biomedical Research Ethics Committee in South Africa

The Emanuel, Wendler, and Grady framework was designed as a universal tool for use in many settings including developing countries. However, it is not known whether the work of African health research ethics committees (RECs) is compatible with this framework. The absence of any normative or empirical weighting of the eight principles within this framework suggests that different health RECs may raise some ethical issues more frequently than others when reviewing protocols. We used the Emanuel et al. framework to assess, code, and rank the most frequent ethical issues considered by a biomedical REC during review of research protocols for the years 2008 to 2012. We extracted data from the recorded minutes of a South African biomedical REC for the years 2008 to 2012, designed the data collection sheet according to the Emanuel et al. framework, and removed all identifiers during data processing and analysis. From the 98 protocols that we assessed, the most frequent issues that emerged were the informed consent, scientific validity, fair participant selection, and ongoing respect for participants. This study represents the first known attempt to analyze REC responses/minutes using the Emanuel et al. framework, and suggests that this framework may be useful in describing and categorizing the core activities of an REC.
Serum Uric Acid level in the severity of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

Background and Objective: It has been observed that in a clinical condition like hypoxemia there is an increase in the serum Uric acid level. The objective of our study was to find out the relationship between serum uric acid levels in the severity of Heart failure. Methods: We analyze 285 patients with a diagnosis of Congestive heart failure admitted in Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar from March 1st to August 2016. Age group of patients was 17- 67 years. New York Health Association (NYHA) scoring were used to access the severity of Congestive Heart Failure. Serum UA level >7.0 mg/dl was considered high. Results: Total 285 patients with CHF were analyzed with a mean age of 54±2.8 years in which males were 65.96% and 34.03% were female. 40% were in class II of New York Health Association (NYHA), 32.63% in class III and 25.61% in class IV and 1.75% were in class I. Out of 285, 59.29% met the definition of hyperuricemia. In which 83.43% were male and 16.57% were female. Most of the Hyperuricemic patients 62.13% were in age group of 51- 60 years, with a mean age of 57±4.5 years. We found a significant correlation between uric acid level and BNP (p= <0.001), and use of diuretics (p=<0.001). 34.93% of the Hyperuricemic CHF patients were in NYHA III and NYHA IV whose SUA was above 8 mg/dl as compared to 31.57% Hyperuricemic CHF patients whose SUA was below 8 mg/dl. Conclusion: High serum Uric acid was observed in 59.29% of patients with CHF. The observed significant correlation between UA level and some established prognostic markers in these patients may indicate that serum UA could provide additional prognostic information in this population. SUA as a marker can be measured anywhere at a low cost to help identify high-risk patients with CHF. Lowing uric acid is expected to be a new approach for prevention and therapy of HF.
The minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) and hemodynamic effects of halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane in newborn swine.

To determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) and hemodynamic responses to halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane in newborn swine, 36 fasting swine 4-10 days of age were anesthetized with one of the three volatile anesthetics in 100% oxygen. MAC was determined for each swine. Carotid artery and internal jugular catheters were inserted and each swine was allowed to recover for 48 h. After recovery, heart rate (HR), systemic systolic arterial pressure (SAP), and cardiac index (CI) were measured awake and then at 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 MAC of the designated anesthetic in random sequence. The (mean +/- SD) MAC for halothane was 0.90 +/- 0.12%; the MAC for isoflurane was 1.48 +/- 0.21%; and the MAC for sevoflurane was 2.12 +/- 0.39%. Awake (mean +/- SD) measurements of HR, SAP, and CI did not differ significantly among the three groups. Compared to the awake HR, the mean HR decreased 35% at 1.5 MAC halothane (P less than 0.001), 19% at 1.5 MAC isoflurane (P less than 0.005), and 31% at 1.5 MAC sevoflurane (P less than 0.005). Compared to awake SAP, mean SAP measurements decreased 46% at 1.5 MAC halothane (P less than 0.001), 43% at 1.5 MAC isoflurane (P less than 0.001), and 36% at 1.5 MAC sevoflurane (P less than 0.005). Mean SAP at 1.0 and 1.5 MAC halothane and isoflurane were significantly less than those measured at equipotent concentrations of sevoflurane (P less than 0.005). Compared to awake CI, mean CI measurements decreased 53% at 1.5 MAC halothane (P less than 0.001) and 43% at 1.5 MAC isoflurane (P less than 0.005). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Determination of hydraulic and osmotic properties of soybean root systems.

An analytical technique which allows the experimental determination of soybean (Glycine max L.) root properties is presented. Two major problems hamper the interpretation of experimental data. These are: (a) the influence of a possible boundary layer which raises the effective value of pi degrees above that of the bulk solution; and (b) the difficulty of obtaining an adequate measure of the internal osmotic pressure except at high values of volume flow rate due primarily to possible exchanges of solutes between the xylem and adjacent tissues. Consideration of these two problems leads to an interpretation of previous models which is reconcilable with the criticisms of Newman (Plant Physiology 1975 57: 738-739). In these experiments, estimates of hydraulic conductivity and reflection coefficient are based on high flow rate data where the osmotic effects are minimized. Because of the difficulties attached to the evaluation of pi(i), at low and moderate flow rates, any technique for evaluating root parameters which depends on knowledge of when the osmotic pressure difference (in bars) is zero will be subject to large errors, at least until both problems metioned above have been adequately resolved.An additional problem which must be dealt with in terminal root segments is the effect of a standing osmotic gradient. It is thought that this is not a serious problem in a complex root system.Transpiration rates are calculated on the basis of leaf and root surface areas and experimentally determined root volume flow. It is shown that root flow rates necessary to sustain high transpiration rates in the shoots are easily accommodated by the model at moderate levels of applied pressure difference.
Burnout and work-related stress in Italian rehabilitation professionals: A comparison of physiotherapists, speech therapists and occupational therapists.

BACKGROUND Healthcare workers are exposed to work related stresses that significantly increase their risk of burnout. OBJECTIVE To evaluate and compare burnout and work related stress levels in three categories of health professionals: physiotherapists, speech therapists and occupational therapists. METHODS A convenience sample of 391 health professionals participated, including 210 physiotherapists, 101 speech therapists and 80 occupational therapists. We collected general socio-demographic information and administered the standardized Italian version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards Indicator Tool. RESULTS We found the proportion of professionals with high-risk scores in the three dimensions of the MBI to be as follows: Emotional Exhaustion 32%, Depersonalisation 13% and Personal Accomplishment 9%. Overall, 14% of participants were at high risk of burnout. No significant differences were found between the three professional categories. Five subscales of the HSE were associated with burnout: Control (p < 0.01), Management support (p < 0.01), Relationship (p < 0.05), Role (p < 0.01), and Change (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Like all health care workers, rehabilitation professionals are at a high risk of burnout. There are common mechanisms underlying burnout in the different professional groups investigated. Further research in occupational health in rehabilitation settings is needed to prevent burnout.
An instrumented wobble board for assessing and training dynamic sitting balance

Following balance impairments, effective assessment and training of dynamic sitting balance are critical for enhancing functional independence. The objective of this study was to construct and test an instrumented wobble board that elicits multidirectional perturbations in seated individuals, quantifies balance proficiency, and provides vibrotactile feedback. The wobble board was equipped with an inertial measurement unit, eight vibrating tactors, and a microprocessor. The accuracy of the kinematic measurements was confirmed in a technical validation study. One healthy participant performed an assessment and training task using the wobble board. Future work will evaluate the efficacy of the portable device in assessing and enhancing sensorimotor function during dynamic sitting.
Using Combined Difference Image and $k$ -Means Clustering for SAR Image Change Detection

In this letter, a simple and effective unsupervised approach based on the combined difference image and k-means clustering is proposed for the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image change detection task. First, we use one of the most popular denoising methods, the probabilistic-patch-based algorithm, for speckle noise reduction of the two multitemporal SAR images, and the subtraction operator and the log ratio operator are applied to generate two kinds of simple change maps. Then, the mean filter and the median filter are used to the two change maps, respectively, where the mean filter focuses on making the change map smooth and the local area consistent, and the median filter is used to preserve the edge information. Second, a simple combination framework which uses the maps obtained by the mean filter and the median filter is proposed to generate a better change map. Finally, the k-means clustering algorithm with k = 2 is used to cluster it into two classes, changed area and unchanged area. Local consistency and edge information of the difference image are considered in this method. Experimental results obtained on four real SAR image data sets confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Oxygen Consumption During Oxygenated Hypothermic Perfusion as a Measure of Donor Organ Viability

Hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) for the preservation of kidneys, recovered from extended criteria organ donors (ECDs), presents the opportunity for assessing ex vivo parameters that may have value in predicting postimplantation organ viability. Organ perfusion and vascular resistance are the parameters most frequently cited as the basis for the decision to use or discard a donor kidney. The limitation of these measures is emphasized by the observation that a significant percentage of ECD kidneys with poor perfusion parameters can provide life-sustaining function after transplantation. It has been suggested that whole organ oxygen consumption (OC) during oxygenated HMP may better reflect the proportion of viable tissue in the organ and more reliably predict posttransplant organ function. Our study correlates renal OC and renal vascular resistance (RVR) during oxygenated HMP with postpreservation glomerular filtration rates (GFRs) in rodent kidneys after 24 hours of oxygenated HMP. Kidneys from adult rodents were preserved for 24 hours using oxygenated HMP and static cold storage (SCS). During oxygenated HMP preservation, organ OC, renal organ flow rates, and RVR were serially measured. After the preservation period, organs were mounted onto a Langendorff device for warming to normal body temperature and measurement of GFR. Oxygen consumption and RVR during HMP were correlated with postpreservation GFR. Oxygen consumption during oxygenated HMP was significantly correlated (r2 =0.871; p < 0.05) with postpreservation GFR, suggesting that higher OC predicts better postpreservation GFR. In contrast, RVR was poorly correlated with postpreservation GFR (r2 =0.258; p = 0.199). Glomerular filtration rate in SCS kidneys was 0.002 ± 0.003 ml/min/g. We demonstrate that measurement of organ OC during oxygenated HMP may have significant value in predicting postpreservation organ function.
Can We Lose Memory for Music? A Case of Music Agnosia in a Nonmusician

A follow-up study of a patient, C.N. , with a severe auditory agnosia limited to music is reported. After bilateral temporal lobe damage, C.N. , whose cognitive and speech functions are otherwise normal, is totally unable to identify or to experience a sense of familiarity with musical excerpts that were once highly familiar to her. However, she can recognize the lyrics that usually accompany the songs. She can also identify familiar sounds, such as animal cries. Thus, her agnosia appears highly specific to music. The functional nature of her deficit has been investigated through various perceptual tasks. She was initially severely impaired in processing pitch sequential structure but has always enjoyed normal processing of temporal structure. This selective disturbance for sequential pitch information can hardly account for her tune agnosia since processing of pitch variations has dramatically improved over the years. This recovery was not accompanied by any signs of improvement in music recognition, which remains extremely poor. Moreover, the fact that she has never been able to hum tunes from memory argues for a basic memory disturbance. Thus, she was tested here with a series of tests aiming at assessing her memory for familiar and unfamiliar music. The results show that C.N. has now recovered most perceptual skills and that despite a transient ability to exhibit knowledge of familiar music under restricted circumstances, she is markedly impaired at naming a tune and at judging its familiarity, as well as at memorizing familiar as well as novel music. This deficit was found to be not only modality-specific but music-specific as well. The findings suggest the existence of a perceptual memory that is specialized for music and that can be selectively damaged so as to prevent most forms of recognition ability.