Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Total energy expenditure of 16 Chinese young men measured by the doubly labeled water method.

OBJECTIVE Doubly labeled water (DLW) method is the gold standard for measuring total energy expenditure (TEE). We used this method to measure TEE in Chinese young men. METHODS Sixteen healthy young men age 23±1 years with body mass index 22.0±1.4 kg/m2 were recruited. TEE was measured by the DLW method, and basal energy expenditure (BEE) was determined by indirect calorimetry. We also conducted 24-h activity, energy balance and factorial approach to estimate energy requirements of the subjects. RESULTS TEE of subjects by DLW method was 9.45±0.57 MJ/day (2258±180 kcal/day). The 24-h activity was 10.80±0.33 MJ/day (2582±136 kcal/day). The energy requirement, derived from energy balance observations, was 9.93±1.32 MJ/day (2373±315 kcal/day). The BEE of 6.65±0.28 MJ/day (1589±67 kcal/day), calculated by the adjusted Schofield equation, was significantly higher (P<0.001) than that measured by indirect calorimetry, 5.99±0.66 MJ/day (1433±158 kcal/day). The TEE derived from the factorial approach was 10.31±0.43 MJ/day (2463±104 kcal/day). CONCLUSION The TEE of Chinese young men measured by the DLW method was about 10% lower than the current recommended nutrient intake (RNI), suggesting that the RNI for Chinese men maybe overestimated. Further studies are warranted to determine the value of the estimated energy requirement.
DNA microarray application in ecotoxicology: Experimental design, microarray scanning, and factors affecting transcriptional profiles in a small fish species

The research presented here is part of a larger study of the molecular mode of action of endocrine‐disrupting chemicals targeting the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis in zebrafish (Danio rerio). It addresses several issues critical to microarray application in aquatic ecotoxicology: experimental design, microarray scanning, gene expression intensity distribution, and the effect of experimental parameters on the zebrafish transcriptome. Expression profiles from various tissues of individual zebrafish exposed to 17α‐ethinylestradiol (30 ng/L), fadrozole (25 μg/L), or 17β‐trenbolone (3.0 μg/L) for 48 or 96 h were examined with the Agilent Oligo Microarray (G2518A). As a flexible and efficient alternative to the designs commonly used in microarray studies, an unbalanced incomplete block design was found to be well suited for this work, as evidenced by high data reproducibility, low microarray‐to‐microarray variability, and little gene‐specific dye bias. Random scanner noise had little effect on data reproducibility. A low‐level, slightly variable Cyanine 3 (Cy3) contaminant was revealed by hyperspectral imaging, suggesting fluorescence contamination as a potential contributor to the large variance associated with weakly expressed genes. Expression intensities of zebrafish genes were skewed toward the lower end of their distribution range, and more weakly expressed genes tended to have larger variances. Tissue type, followed in descending order by gender, chemical treatment, and exposure duration, had the greatest effect on the overall gene expression profiles, a finding potentially critical to experimental design optimization. Overall, congruence was excellent between quantitative polymerase chain reaction results and microarray profiles of 13 genes examined across a subset of 20 pairs of ovarian samples. These findings will help to improve applications of microarrays in future ecotoxicological studies.
Congenital Pseudarthrosis of the Tibia: History, Etiology, Classification, and Epidemiologic Data

&NA; Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia is a rare disease with a variable history. The pseudarthrosis is usually not present at birth (and therefore is not truly congenital) but occurs during the first decade of life. Paget in 1891 was the first to describe a case. The etiology is unknown. Neurofibromatosis plays a role in approximately 50% of patients. In the others, hereditary and mechanical factors are debated. Various (morphologic) classification systems have been proposed (Andersen, Boyd, Crawford). Because the appearance changes during the course of the disease, all classification systems have limited value: the determining factor is the stage of the disease at which it was classified. Because of the rarity of the disease and the variability of its history, the European Pediatric Orthopaedic Society decided to carry out a multicenter study on this disease. This paper presents the epidemiologic data on the patients involved. Data have been gathered on 340 patients from 13 countries. Two hundred patients were male (58.8%), 140 were female (41.2%). The right side was affected in 165 patients (48.5%) and the left side in 172 (50.6%); 3 patients had bilateral disease. Symptoms of neurofibromatosis were present in 54.7%. Histologic examinations in 192 patients showed a nonspecific appearance in 45.3%; in 15.6% the ultrastructure resembled fibrous dysplasia, and in 39% there was histologic evidence of neurofibromatosis. Most of the lesions were initially localized in the middle or distal third of the tibia. In 29% the localization changed during the course of the disease.
Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen 1 Forms a Complex with the Nuclear Transporter Karyopherin α2*

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is implicated in the induction of several malignancies. The nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) is the only viral protein that is expressed consistently in all EBV-associated tumors. EBNA1 is involved in the replication and maintenance of the viral episome in the infected cell and exhibits oncogenic activity in transgenic mice. Here we report the identification of the nuclear transporter karyopherin α2 as a cellular partner of EBNA1 using the yeast “two-hybrid system. ” Karyopherin α2 is also called importin α or Rch1. The binding to karyopherin α2 was mediated through a C-terminal region of EBNA1 encompassing the nuclear localization signal, whereas clones of EBNA1 devoid of the nuclear localization signal failed to bind to karyopherin α2. The interaction was biochemically confirmed by far-Western analysis using bacterially expressed karyopherin α2 and karyopherin α2-specific monoclonal antibodies. The nuclear transport of EBNA1 was impaired by expression of N-terminally truncated karyopherin α2. Zone velocity sedimentation in a sucrose gradient indicated that: (i) EBNA1 and Rch1 colocalize; and (ii) the association of karyopherin α2 with high molecular weight protein complexes might be impeded by the presence of EBNA1.
Long-term studies of snow-vegetation interactions

Relationships among vegetation, wind, snow, and temperature regimes may help predict effects of climate change. This paper presents a hierarchic geographic information system (HGIS) which helps examine links between species distributions at the plot level, at the level of landscape patterns of plant communities, and at the level of regional patterns of greeness. Geographically referencing ecological data, mapping techniques, landscape and regional scale mapping, and linking ground-level observations to remotely sensed information are all discussed. Results include discussion of specific plant species-snow relationships, landscape-level patterns of specific plant communities, regional patterns of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and linking patterns to variations in climate or direct anthropogenic impacts. 50 refs., 12 figs., 3 tabs.
The future of Spanish pensions*

Abstract We use an overlapping generations model economy with endogenous retirement to study the 2011 and 2013 reforms of the Spanish public pension system. These reforms delay the legal retirement ages, increase the contributivity of the system, and adopt a sustainability factor and a pension revualuation index that effectively transform the Spanish pension system into a defined-contribution pension system. We find that these reforms improve the sustainability of Spanish pensions substantially, and that they limit the tax increases that would have been necessary to finance the pension system deficits. But these results are achieved at the expense of large reductions in the real value of the average pension. This reduction is progressive and, by 2050, the average pension is approximately 30% smaller in real terms than what it would have been under the pension system rules that prevailed in 2010. We also show that these reforms are costly in welfare terms and that households born between 1950 and 1970, young disabled workers who are alive at the time of the reform, and future cohorts bear the highest welfare costs. The substantial reduction of pensions and the high welfare costs that these reforms bring about lead us to conjecture that further reforms lurk in the future of Spanish pensions.
Achieving the Great Lakes Initiative Mercury Limits in Oil Refinery Effluent

To meet the stringent Great Lakes Initiative (GLI) wastewater discharge mercury (Hg) limit of 1.3 ppt (ng /L), mercury removal technologies need to be identified and investigated. The goals of this study were to (1) identify and assess available wastewater treatment technologies for mercury removal from an oil refinery wastewater; and (2) conduct bench‐scale tests to provide comparable, transparent, and uniform results to assess their performance at low mercury concentrations. The study found that many tested technologies were able to achieve the GLI mercury target concentration at the bench‐scale, albeit with different efficiencies and engineering implications. These results demonstrate that at this scale there is no fundamental physical or chemical barrier to achieving <1.3 ng Hg/L in the tested wastewater. The study also found that some technologies were effective on particulate mercury whereas others were effective on dissolved mercury. One emerging treatment technology was found to be effective on both particulate and dissolved mercury. Three mercury‐removal technologies—ultrafiltration (particulate mercury), adsorption (dissolved mercury), and an emerging reactive filtration technology (particulate and dissolved mercury)—are recommended for further study. This research offers treatment alternatives for different forms of mercury in an oil refinery wastewater, which might be applicable to other types of mercury‐containing wastewater.
Crossing Boundaries in a Collaborative Modeling Workspace

ABSTRACT There is substantial literature on the importance of bridging across disciplinary and science–management boundaries. One of the ways commonly suggested to cross boundaries is for participants from both sides of the boundary to jointly produce information (i.e., knowledge co-production). But simply providing tools or bringing people together in the same room is not sufficient. Here we present a case study documenting the mechanisms by which managers and scientists collaborated to incorporate climate change projections into Colorado’s State Wildlife Action Plan. A critical component of the project was the use of a collaborative modeling and visualization workspace: the U.S. Geological Survey’s Resource for Advanced Modeling (RAM). Using video analysis and pre/post surveys from this case study, we examine how the RAM facilitated cognitive and social processes that co-produced a more salient and credible end product. This case provides practical suggestions to scientists and practitioners who want to implement actionable science.
Investigating Impact of Volatility Persistence and Information Inflow on Volatility of Stock Indices Using Bivarite GJR-GARCH

Joint dynamics of market index returns, volume traded and volatility of stock market returns can unveil different dimensions of market microstructure. In this study, the joint dynamics is investigated with the help of bivarite Glosten–Jagannathan–Runkle generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GJR-GARCH) methodology given by Bollerslev (1990), as this method helps in jointly estimating volatility equation of return and volume in a one-step estimation procedure and it also eliminates the regressor problem (Pagan, 1984). The study finds negative conditional correlation between volume traded and return of large-cap index. The relation between volume traded and volatility is found to be positive in case of large-cap index but it is negative in the case of mid-cap and small-cap indices. Volatility is affected by pronounced persistence in volatility, mean-reversion of returns and asymmetry in market. The rate of information arrival measured by intra-day volatility (IDV) is found to be a significant source of the conditional heteroskedasticity in Indian markets since the presence of volume (proxy for information flow) in volatility equation, as an independent variable, marginally reduces the volatility persistence, whereas presence of IDV, as a proxy for information flow, completely makes GARCH effect insignificant.
Markers of vitamin B6 status and metabolism as predictors of incident cancer: The Hordaland Health Study

Dietary intake and/or circulating concentrations of vitamin B6 have been associated with risk of cancer, but results are inconsistent and mechanisms uncertain. Pyridoxal 5'‐phosphate (PLP) is the most commonly used marker of B6 status. We recently proposed the ratio 3‐hydroxykynurenine/xanthurenic acid (HK/XA) as an indicator of functional vitamin B6 status, and the 4‐pyridoxic acid (PA) /(pyridoxal (PL) +PLP) ratio (PAr) as a marker of vitamin B6 catabolism during inflammation. We compared plasma PLP, HK/XA and PAr as predictors of cancer incidence in a prospective community‐based cohort in Norway. This study included 6,539 adults without known cancer at baseline (1998–99) from the Hordaland Health Study (HUSK). HR and 95% CI were calculated for the risk of overall and site‐specific cancers using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression with adjustment for potential confounders. After a median follow‐up time of 11.9 years, 963 cancer cases (501 men and 462 women) were identified. Multivariate‐adjusted Cox‐regression showed no significant relation of plasma PLP or HK/XA with risk of incident cancer. In contrast, PAr was significantly associated with risk of cancer with HR (95% CI) = 1.31 (1.12–1.52) per two standard deviation (SD) increment (p < 0.01). Further analysis showed that PAr was a particular strong predictor of lung cancer with HR (95% CI) = 2.46 (1.49–4.05) per two SD increment (p < 0.01). The present results indicate that associations of vitamin B6 with cancer may be related to increased catabolism of vitamin B6, in particular for lung cancer where inflammation may be largely involved in carcinogenesis.
Interaction between chest wall motion and lung mechanics in normal infants and infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Asynchronous or paradoxic motion between the rib cage and abdomen may be seen in infants with lung disease. We have recently shown that after bronchodilator administration, the degree of asynchrony decreases proportionately to the improvement in lung mechanics. However, whether such thoraco‐abdominal asynchrony (TAA) is a useful indicator of lung function in a cross‐sectional population, i.e., whether asynchrony correlates with baseline lung mechanics, is unknown. Therefore, we quantitated the degree of TAA using respiratory inductive plethysmography during quiet sleep in ten infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and six weight‐matched control infants. We displayed abdominal wall (AB) and rib cage (RC) motion on an X‐Y recorder, and from the tidal breathing loop we calculated a phase angle Φ, between 0° and 180° as an index of asynchrony (synchronous RC/AB motion = 0°, paradox = 180°). Lung resistance (RL) and compliance/kg (CL/kg) were calculated from esophageal and mouth pressure, tidal volume, and tidal flow. As expected, BPD infants had abnormally high RL, and low CL/kg when compared to controls. All infants with BPD displayed marked thoraco‐abdominal asynchrony (Φ = 102 ± 16°, mean ± SEM; range 35°–160°) while controls displayed synchronous chest wall motion (Φ = 8 ± 3°, range 0°–15°) (P < 0.001). The degree of TAA was significantly correlated with RL (r = 0.773, P < 0.001) and inversely correlated with CL/kg (r = −0.67, P < 0.01). We conclude that in infants of similar weight, TAA may be used as a cross‐sectional index reflecting both resistive and elastic properties of the lungs. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1991 ; 11 :37‐43.
Everyday technology use among older adults in Sweden and Portugal

Abstract Background: Technology use is relevant for engaging in everyday occupations and aging in place and difficulties might limit participation. Aim: The aim of the present study was two-fold: to investigate the internal scale validity of the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (ETUQ) in a matched Portuguese and a Swedish sample of older adults without known cognitive impairments and to compare everyday technology use (i.e., the relevance of Everyday Technology (ET) and perceived difficulty of using ET). Methods: The Rasch rating scale model was used to investigate the psychometric properties of the data from the two countries. Analyses were then used to compare the samples. Results: There is evidence of internal scale and person response validity in the Swedish and Portuguese ETUQ datasets. The Swedish sample demonstrated almost 25% more ETs to be relevant, as compared to the Portuguese sample (p < .05). The samples’ means of perceived difficulty in using ETs were similar. Conclusions: The results support that the ETUQ is a valid assessment for measuring the relevance of and perceived difficulty of ET use and is able to detect differences and similarities between older adults in these European countries in relation to ET use in the home and society.
Impacts and adaptation to climate change in Malaysian real estate

Purpose There is a growing concern in recent years regarding climate change risks to real estate in the developed and developing countries. It is anticipated that the property sector could be affected by variable climate and related extremes as well as by the strategies adopted to combat greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper aims to analyse the current knowledge regarding future climate changes to understand their possible impacts on the real estate sector of Malaysia with an aim to help stakeholders to adopt necessary responses to reduce negative impacts. Design/methodology/approach Available literature is reviewed and data related to climatic influences on buildings and structures are analysed to understand the climate change impacts on real estate in Malaysia. Findings The study reveals that temperature in the Peninsular Malaysia will increase by 1.1 to 3.6°C, rainfall will be more variable and river discharge in some river basins will increase up to 43 per cent during the northeast monsoon season by the end of this century. These changes in turn will pose risks of property damage and increase property lifecycle costs. Furthermore, property prices and the overall growth of the property sector may be affected by the government policy of GHG emission reduction by up to 45 per cent by the year 2030. This study concludes that the property sector of Malaysia will be most affected by the implementation of GHG emission reduction policy in the short term and due to the physical risk posed by variable climate and related extremes in the long term. Originality/value The study in general will assist in guiding the operational responses of various authorities, especially in terms of those interventions aimed at climate change risk reduction in the property sector of Malaysia.
Impact of drug maintenance treatment on injection practices among French HIV-infected IDUs

Drug maintenance treatment (DMT) has only been recently introduced in France (methadone programmes in March 1995, buprenorphine prescriptions in ambulatory medicine in February 1996) in relation to risk reduction policies for HIV infection among intravenous drug users (IDUs). Impact of DMT was assessed in the period of inclusion (October 1995-December 1997) of a French cohort of patients HIV infected through intravenous drug use the MANIF 2000 study). Among the 429 patients, 48.2% were ex-IDUs, 20.3% were active users not in DMT and 31.5% were in DMT. A majority (73.3%) of patients in DMT had persisted in their injection behaviours and their social and psychological characteristics were similar to those of active users not in DMT. Among the 186 active IDUs, those in DMT were more likely to have injected cocaine (42.4%) and buprenorphine or methadone (21.3%) than those who were not (respectively 27.6% and 2.4%), and 23.6% declared direct needle-sharing behaviours during the prior six months. Among younger IDUs ( ≤ 33 years of age) (n = 100), needle-sharing was associated with polydrug use and cocaine injection but was not significantly reduced by participation in DMT. These results suggest the need for taking into account differences between type of HIV-infected drug users and developing appropriate multidrug maintenance treatment programmes, which may imply adaptations of current dosages of methadone and buprenorphine.
The Deubiquitinating Enzyme Cylindromatosis Dampens CD8+ T Cell Responses and Is a Critical Factor for Experimental Cerebral Malaria and Blood–Brain Barrier Damage

Cerebral malaria is a severe complication of human malaria and may lead to death of Plasmodium falciparum-infected individuals. Cerebral malaria is associated with sequestration of parasitized red blood cells within the cerebral microvasculature resulting in damage of the blood–brain barrier and brain pathology. Although CD8+ T cells have been implicated in the development of murine experimental cerebral malaria (ECM), several other studies have shown that CD8+ T cells confer protection against blood-stage infections. Since the role of host deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) in malaria is yet unknown, we investigated how the DUB cylindromatosis (CYLD), an important inhibitor of several cellular signaling pathways, influences the outcome of ECM. Upon infection with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) sporozoites or PbA-infected red blood cells, at least 90% of Cyld−/− mice survived the infection, whereas all congenic C57BL/6 mice displayed signatures of ECM, impaired parasite control, and disruption of the blood–brain barrier integrity. Cyld deficiency prevented brain pathology, including hemorrhagic lesions, enhanced activation of astrocytes and microglia, infiltration of CD8+ T cells, and apoptosis of endothelial cells. Furthermore, PbA-specific CD8+ T cell responses were augmented in the blood of Cyld−/− mice with increased production of interferon-γ and granzyme B and elevated activation of protein kinase C-θ and nuclear factor “kappa light-chain enhancer” of activated B cells. Importantly, accumulation of CD8+ T cells in the brain of Cyld−/− mice was significantly reduced compared to C57BL/6 mice. Bone marrow chimera experiments showed that the absence of ECM signatures in infected Cyld−/− mice could be attributed to hematopoietic and radioresistant parenchymal cells, most likely endothelial cells that did not undergo apoptosis. Together, we were able to show that host deubiqutinating enzymes play an important role in ECM and that CYLD promotes ECM supporting it as a potential therapeutic target for adjunct therapy to prevent cerebral complications of severe malaria.