Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insulin need in gestational diabetes is associated with a worse cardiovascular risk profile after pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) treated with insulin are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes after pregnancy compared to mild GDM cases treated with medical nutrition treatment (MNT) alone. We aimed to compare levels of subclinical atherosclerosis markers in women with previous GDM treated with insulin and MNT alone. METHODS Eighty-one women with previous GDM (45 treated with insulin, 36 treated with MNT) and 35 age-matched lean controls were included. Fasting glucose, insulin and lipids, circulating fibrinogen, CRP, PAI-1 and IL-6 levels were assayed. Carotid intima media thickness (IMT) was measured. RESULTS Women with previous GDM treated with insulin in pregnancy had significantly higher fasting glucose, plasma PAI-1 levels and carotid IMT compared to women treated with MNT alone. In multiple regression analysis, insulin need in pregnancy was associated with increased carotid IMT and plasma PAI-1 levels (corrected for age, BMI, postpartum duration, fasting glucose and lipids; model r(2)=0.132; beta=0.297, p=0.014 for carotid IMT; model r(2)=0.198; beta=0.345, p=0.003 for PAI-1). CONCLUSION Women with previous GDM treated with insulin in pregnancy had a worse cardiovascular risk profile compared to mild GDM patients. An intensive preventive approach for cardiovascular disorders is particularly essential for this subgroup of women.
A high sensitivity MEMS capacitive hydrogen sensor with inverted T-shaped electrode and ring-shaped palladium

We report on a novel Palladium (Pd)-based MEMS capacitive hydrogen gas sensor which has an "inverted T-shaped" electrode and a "ring-shaped palladium" layer that enable high sensitivity. Thanks to these structures, deformation of the membrane caused by hydrogen absorption can be efficiently transduced to the capacitance change. The capacitance change was found to be 3 times larger than that of the conventional structure. The prototype sensors were fabricated by a CMOS compatible process. The sensor operation was confirmed up to the lower explosive limit of 4%vol. hydrogen. We also show that the proposed sensor has a broad design window that attains high sensitivity.
Analysis and attenuation proposal in ground bounce

The effect of the parasitic values on the ground bounce voltage and on the delay is investigated. Also the effect of ground bounce on the delay in depth paths is analyzed. A ground bounce attenuation proposal is investigated. This can be done using a circuitry to generate ground bounce before the activation of the main circuit. The impact on the circuit delay is observed.
Reinforcement Learning based Recommender System using Biclustering Technique

A recommender system aims to recommend items that a user is interested in among many items. The need for the recommender system has been expanded by the information explosion. Various approaches have been suggested for providing meaningful recommendations to users. One of the proposed approaches is to consider a recommender system as a Markov decision process (MDP) problem and try to solve it using reinforcement learning (RL). However, existing RL-based methods have an obvious drawback. To solve an MDP in a recommender system, they encountered a problem with the large number of discrete actions that bring RL to a larger class of problems. In this paper, we propose a novel RL-based recommender system. We formulate a recommender system as a gridworld game by using a biclustering technique that can reduce the state and action space significantly. Using biclustering not only reduces space but also improves the recommendation quality effectively handling the cold-start problem. In addition, our approach can provide users with some explanation why the system recommends certain items. Lastly, we examine the proposed algorithm on a real-world dataset and achieve a better performance than the widely used recommendation algorithm.
“Bonde dos Nike Fit”: Ideological and Identity Issues towards a Graffiti in the City of Juiz de Fora/Brazil

The linguistic landscapes (BLOMMAERT & MALY, 2014; BLOMMAERT, 2016) of urban centers are characterized by diverse visual stimuli, which include store plates, billboards, banners, road signs, advertisements etc. In addition, an artistic, linguistic and cultural expression frequent in some cities is the graffiti. Therefore, we discuss a photograph of a graffiti taken on a field research, near the outskirts of Juiz de Fora city, Brazil, in which different ideological and identity aspects converge. The inscription registered in a photograph, Bonde dos Nike Fit, in which there is a Portuguese and English code-switching seems to be a kind of effort for social meaning (re)construction, in which the individual shows contradictory identities.
The association of process with outcomes in child group therapy

Abstract This study investigated the prediction of outcomes by process variables related to client and therapist behavior in support groups of children being treated for emotional and behavioral difficulties. The study included 40 groups (N=266) and 40 counselors. The association of process with outcomes was analyzed through hierarchical structural equation modeling (Mplus 5.1). The child model showed that bonding affected group functioning and anxiety, group functioning affected social competence and client behavior, therapeutic change affected anxiety, and reduced anxiety affected reduction in aggression. The therapist model pointed to encouragement, interpretation, and therapist self-disclosure as having a positive impact on outcomes and challenges as affecting them negatively. The discussion points to the importance of process variables for clinicians.
SINGLE-IMAGE SUPER RESOLUTION FOR MULTISPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING DATA USING CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS

Abstract. In optical remote sensing, spatial resolution of images is crucial for numerous applications. Space-borne systems are most likely to be affected by a lack of spatial resolution, due to their natural disadvantage of a large distance between the sensor and the sensed object. Thus, methods for single-image super resolution are desirable to exceed the limits of the sensor. Apart from assisting visual inspection of datasets, post-processing operations—e.g., segmentation or feature extraction—can benefit from detailed and distinguishable structures. In this paper, we show that recently introduced state-of-the-art approaches for single-image super resolution of conventional photographs, making use of deep learning techniques, such as convolutional neural networks (CNN), can successfully be applied to remote sensing data. With a huge amount of training data available, end-to-end learning is reasonably easy to apply and can achieve results unattainable using conventional handcrafted algorithms. We trained our CNN on a specifically designed, domain-specific dataset, in order to take into account the special characteristics of multispectral remote sensing data. This dataset consists of publicly available SENTINEL-2 images featuring 13 spectral bands, a ground resolution of up to 10m, and a high radiometric resolution and thus satisfying our requirements in terms of quality and quantity. In experiments, we obtained results superior compared to competing approaches trained on generic image sets, which failed to reasonably scale satellite images with a high radiometric resolution, as well as conventional interpolation methods.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANIMAL GROWTH: A PRIMATE CONTINUUM REVEALED BY A NEW DIMENSIONLESS GROWTH RATE COEFFICIENT

The comparative analysis of animal growth still awaits full integration into life‐history studies, partially due to the difficulty of defining a comparable measure of growth rate across species. Using growth data from 50 primate species, we introduce a modified "general growth model" and a dimensionless growth rate coefficient β that controls for size scaling and phylogenetic effects in the distribution of growth rates. Our results contradict the prevailing idea that slow growth characterizes primates as a group: the observed range of β values shows that not all primates grow slowly, with galago species exhibiting growth rates similar or above the mammalian average, while other strepsirrhines and most New World monkeys show limited reduction in growth rates. Low growth rate characterizes apes and some papionines. Phylogenetic regressions reveal associations between β and life‐history variables, providing tests for theories of primate growth evolution. We also show that primate slow growth is an exclusively postnatal phenomenon. Our study exemplifies how the dimensionless approach promotes the integration of growth rate data into comparative life‐history analysis, and demonstrates its potential applicability to other cases of adaptive diversification of animal growth patterns.
Sequence dependence for the energetics of dangling ends and terminal base pairs in ribonucleic acid.

Stability increments of terminal unpaired nucleotides (dangling ends) and terminal base pairs on the core helixes AUGCAU and UGCGCA are reported. Enthalpy, entropy, and free energy changes of helix formation were measured spectrophotometrically for 18 oligoribonucleotides containing the core sequences. The results indicate 3' dangling purines add more stability than 3' dangling pyrimidines. In most cases, the additional stability from a 3' dangling end on an AU base pair is less than that on a GC base pair [Freier, S.M. , Burger, B.J., Alkema, D. , Neilson, T. , & Turner, D.H. (1985) Biochemistry 22, 6198-6206]. The sequence dependence provides a test for the importance of dangling ends for various RNA interactions. Correlations are suggested with codon context effects and with the three-dimensional structure of yeast phenylalanine transfer RNA. In the latter case, all terminal unpaired nucleotides having stability increments more favorable than -1 kcal/mol are stacked on the adjacent base pair. All terminal unpaired nucleotides having stability increments less favorable than -0.3 kcal/mol are not stacked on the adjacent base pair. In several cases, this lack of stacking is associated with a turn in the sugar-phosphate backbone. This suggests stability increments measured on oligoribonucleotides may be useful for predicting tertiary structure in large RNA molecules. Comparison of the stability increments for terminal dangling ends and base pairs, and of terminal GC and AU base pairs, indicates the free energy increment associated with forming a hydrogen bond can be about -1 kcal/mol of hydrogen bond.
Acoustical Blind source separation based on linear advection

This paper presents an autonomous directivity microphone system for the blind source separation based on the newly proposed spatio-temporal gradient algorithm. The proposed blind signal separation algorithm utilizes the linearity among the four signals: (1) the sound pressure, (2) x, (3) y, and (4) z-directional particle velocities, all of which are governed by the wave equation and the equation of motion. The proposed method, therefore, has an ability to simplify the convoluted blind source separation problems into the instantaneous blind source separation problems over the spatio-temporal gradient space. Several acoustical experiments have been performed with acceptable performance of the proposed method of blind source separation.
Effects of epidural morphine and transdermal fentanyl analgesia on physiology and behaviour after abdominal surgery in pigs

The objective of this work was to evaluate the physiological and behavioural effects of opioid analgesic treatment in pigs subjected to abdominal surgery. Ten Swedish Landrace × Yorkshire pigs (20 ± 4 kg b.w.) were submitted for intestinal cannulation. The pigs were allocated into two groups during one preoperative, one surgical and two postoperative days. All pigs were anaesthetized with medetomidine, tiletamine and zolazepam. One group was treated with epidural morphine (0.1 mg/kg) preoperatively, and transdermal fentanyl patches (50 μg/kg/h) were applied behind the ear immediately after surgery. The other group received epidural saline (equivalent volume) and placebo patches. All pigs were regularly weighed and clinically examined and repeated blood samples were analysed for serum concentrations of cortisol, β-endorphin and fentanyl. Pre- and postoperative behaviours were evaluated by a swine specialist blinded to the treatment, three times a day, and were also videotape recorded for a total of 84 h per pig. No differences in behaviour were noted by the observer. During the first postoperative 12 h, treated pigs did not differ in activity compared with preoperative recordings, while untreated pigs were found to be less active. The treated group started to show interest in eating immediately after anaesthesia recovery, whereas the placebo group did not. During the 12–60 h postoperative period, the treated group had lower activity levels compared with the preoperative levels, which were similar to those in the placebo group. Treated pigs gained 0.5 ± 0.2 kg during the subsequent two postoperative days, whereas the untreated pigs lost weight throughout the experiment. Cortisol concentration differed immediately after the surgery: Group P had 325 ± 120 nmol/L and Group M 159 ± 49 nmol/L. β-endorphin concentration did not differ between groups. The highest serum fentanyl concentration (0.37 ± 0.3 ng/mL) was measured 24 h postoperatively. Preoperative epidural morphine in combination with postoperative transdermal fentanyl resulted in earlier return to normal activity levels and an immediate weight gain after surgery.
Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus murimartini LMG 21005T, an Alkalitolerant Bacterium Isolated from a Church Wall Mural in Germany

ABSTRACT Bacillus murimartini LMG 21005T is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, and alkalitolerant bacterium isolated from a church wall mural. Here, we report the 4.17-Mb genome sequence of B. murimartini LMG 21005T, which will accelerate the application of this alkalitolerant bacterium and provide useful information for genomic taxonomy and phylogenomics of Bacillus-like bacteria.
Selective pharmacogenetic inhibition of mammalian target of Rapamycin complex I (mTORC1) blocks long-term synaptic plasticity and memory storage

Both the formation of long-term memory (LTM) and late-long-term potentiation (L-LTP), which is thought to represent the cellular model of learning and memory, require de novo protein synthesis. The mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR) complex I (mTORC1) integrates information from various synaptic inputs and its best characterized function is the regulation of translation. Although initial studies have shown that rapamycin reduces L-LTP and partially blocks LTM, recent genetic and pharmacological evidence indicating that mTORC1 promotes L-LTP and LTM is controversial. Thus, the role of mTORC1 in L-LTP and LTM is unclear. To selectively inhibit mTORC1 activity in the adult brain, we used a “pharmacogenetic” approach that relies on the synergistic action of a drug (rapamycin) and a genetic manipulation (mTOR heterozygotes, mTOR+/− mice) on the same target (mTORC1). Although L-LTP and LTM are normal in mTOR+/− mice, application of a low concentration of rapamycin—one that is subthreshold for WT mice—prevented L-LTP and LTM only in mTOR+/− mice. Furthermore, we found that mTORC1-mediated translational control is required for memory reconsolidation. We provide here direct genetic evidence supporting the role of mTORC1 in L-LTP and behavioral memory.
Healthcare utilization among Hispanics: findings from the 1994 Minority Health Survey.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of health need, enabling factors, and predisposing factors on entry into any type of care, volume of care, use of emergency services, hospitalization, and receipt of preventive services. STUDY DESIGN Multiple regression analysis with cross-sectional data. PATIENTS AND METHODS Participants were the 1001 adults who identified themselves as Hispanic in the Commonwealth Fund Minority Health Survey; a telephone survey of noninstitutionalized persons designed to oversample minorities was conducted. RESULTS The 3 Hispanic subpopulations had similar sociodemographic profiles and similar patterns of healthcare utilization, except that Hispanics of other national origins were more likely to use preventive care compared with Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans. Overall, 78% of the Hispanics surveyed entered the healthcare system in the past year, making an average of 5.25 visits. After controlling for other factors, immigrants had fewer visits and were less likely to have received preventive care. A regular source of care and insurance coverage influenced entry and volume of care, but was not associated with emergency services or hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS Access to care for Hispanics remains a major problem, significantly affected by structural and financial factors, personal experiences with the healthcare system, and predisposing factors. Policy solutions that address the health service needs of the uninsured will largely benefit Hispanics. In addition, as managed care plans compete for contracts and become more multicultural, access to care for Hispanics, including the uninsured, may improve through market forces.
Sports governance stakeholders, actors and policies in the Philippines: current issues, challenges and future directions

Abstract The paper begins with a brief retrospective review of the history of sports governance in the Philippines with an emphasis on the American influence on the Filipinos’ sports way of life. It then proceeds to the identification of contemporary multiple stakeholders, actors and sub-actors engaged in Philippine sports governance such as the government, private corporations and non-profit associations and media and of their corresponding roles in shaping sports development through their respective policies, projects, programmes and activities. Subsequently, the paper attempts to provide a critical analysis of some key current issues and challenges facing sports governance in the Philippines with regard to funds, politics, naturalization and selection of foreigners, and good governance. Finally, by implication, the paper suggests some key factors to address these sports governance issues such as strong public-private partnership, investment in sport and the creation of a Department of Sports.
Eliminating a Set of Four Penicillin Binding Proteins Triggers the Rcs Phosphorelay and Cpx Stress Responses in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT Penicillin binding proteins (PBPs) are responsible for synthesizing and modifying the bacterial cell wall, and in Escherichia coli the loss of several nonessential low-molecular-weight PBPs gives rise to abnormalities in cell shape and division. To determine whether these proteins help connect the flagellar basal body to the peptidoglycan wall, we surveyed a set of PBP mutants and found that motility in an agar migration assay was compromised by the simultaneous absence of four enzymes: PBP4, PBP5, PBP7, and AmpH. A wild-type copy of any one of these restored migration, and complementation depended on the integrity of the PBP active-site serine. However, the migration defect was caused by the absence of flagella instead of improper flagellar assembly. Migration was restored if the flhDC genes were overexpressed or if the rcsB or cpxR genes were deleted. Thus, migration was inhibited because the Rcs and Cpx stress response systems were induced in the absence of these four specific PBPs. Furthermore, in this situation Rcs induction depended on the presence of CpxR. The results imply that small changes in peptidoglycan structure are sufficient to activate these stress responses, suggesting that a specific cell wall fragment may be the signal being sensed. The fact that four PBPs must be inactivated may explain why large perturbations to the envelope are required to induce stress responses.
Cellular Competitive Decision Algorithm for Traveling Salesman Problem

Among all combinatorial optimization problems, traveling salesman problem (TSP) is one of the widely studied problems. Though the optimization version of this problem is NP-hard, practical solution techniques don't require optimality. And many different heuristics and approximation algorithms are used to solve this problem. Cellular competitive decision algorithm (CCDA) is a new heuristic for solving hard problem, especially those NP-hard problems. One of the biggest characteristic of CCDA is easy to integrate the mathematical feature with the problem itself together. Firstly, mathematical properties of traveling salesman problem are analyzed to calculate the lower bound of the problem. Then a CCDA for traveling salesman problem is presented. In order to test its validity, we carry out extensive computational experiments. From the results we know the presented algorithm has a satisfactory behavior both in running time and the quality of the solution found.
Public Services Impact on Urban Migration Phenomenon in Romania

Both urban and rural migration phenomena are determined by standard of living, unemployment rate, widespread corruption, poverty and lack of private investments. It is widely considered that macro-economic indicators are responsible for the standard of living at a national level, imaging a top-down effect, without analyzing how local level is impacting the national standard of living. In this mindset, local authorities are not concerned about urban migration since this is a national effect, and their decisional contribution would be anyway an ineffective one. This paper aims at revealing that there are some local administrative elements that might influence urban migration, public services being part of them. Bearing in mind the necessity of fulfilling citizens’ requests, public managers are facing a mandatory duty regarding public services quality. In this paper there are considered public utility services that cover the entire population of urban areas, services that are creating an impact on urban migration phenomenon. The research is a quantitative one, involving both collected information and statistics. The results indicate a relation between public services and urban migration phenomenon, exploring mid-term effects. Certainly there are additional elements that create impact on urban demographics and some of these are decisive in emerging urban migration, but for sure public services are having a clear influence.
Mitochondrial and metabolic toxicity of 1-methyl-4-(2'-methylphenyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine.

In previous studies and in the accompanying paper, 1-methyl-4-(2'-methylphenyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (2'CH3-MPTP) was found to be more potent than MPTP in producing dopaminergic neurotoxicity in mice. One purpose of the present study was to determine whether 1-methyl-4-(2'-methylphenyl)pyridinium (2'CH3-MPP+), the primary oxidation product of 2'CH3-MPTP both in vivo and in vitro, inhibits mitochondrial respiration as does 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), the primary oxidation product of MPTP. Another aim was to determine whether treatments which modify MPTP- and 2'CH3-MPTP-induced neurotoxicity in vivo also cause parallel changes in the metabolic toxicity of these compounds. It was found that 2'CH3-MPP+, like MPP+, inhibited the oxidation of NAD(H)-linked substrates by isolated brain mitochondria in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, whereas succinate oxidation was not affected. Thus, the effect was on Complex I in the electron transport chain. Furthermore, 2'CH3-MPP+, like MPP+, enhanced lactate formation by neostriatal tissue slices as would be expected if Complex respiration were inhibited. MPP+ was slightly more potent than 2'CH3-MPP+ in both of these studies. However, 2'CH3-MPTP was several-fold more potent than MPTP in increasing lactate accumulation by the neostriatal slices. This difference in potency correlated with the differing capacities of 2'CH3-MPTP and MPTP to be oxidized by monoamine oxidase (MAO). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)