Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimating total body fat using a skinfold prediction equation in Brazilian children

Background: The double burden of obesity and underweight is increasing in developing countries and simple methods for the assessment of fat mass in children are needed. Aim: To develop and validate a new anthropometric predication equation for assessment of fat mass in children. Subjects and methods: Body composition was assessed in 145 children aged 9.8 ± 1.3 (SD) years from São Paulo, Brazil using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and skinfold measurements. The study sample was divided into development and validation sub-sets to develop a new prediction equation for FM (PE). Results: Using multiple linear regression analyses, the best equation for predicting FM (R2 = 0.77) included body weight, triceps skinfold, height, gender and age as independent variables. When cross-validated, the new PE was valid in this sample (R2 = 0.80), while previously published equations were not. Conclusion: The PE was more valid for Brazilian children that existing equations, but further studies are needed to assess the validity of this PE in other populations.
The next 700 programming languages

A family of unimplemented computing languages is described that is intended to span differences of application area by a unified framework. This framework dictates the rules about the uses of user-coined names, and the conventions about characterizing functional relationships. Within this framework the design of a specific language splits into two independent parts. One is the choice of written appearances of programs (or more generally, their physical representation). The other is the choice of the abstract entities (such as numbers, character-strings, list of them, functional relations among them) that can be referred to in the language. The system is biased towards “expressions” rather than “statements. ” It includes a nonprocedural (purely functional) subsystem that aims to expand the class of users' needs that can be met by a single print-instruction, without sacrificing the important properties that make conventional right-hand-side expressions easy to construct and understand.
Scaling up automated test generation: Automatically generating maintainable regression unit tests for programs

This paper presents an automatic technique for generating maintainable regression unit tests for programs. We found previous test generation techniques inadequate for two main reasons. First. they were designed for and evaluated upon libraries rather than applications. Second, they were designed to find bugs rather than to create maintainable regression test suites: the test suites that they generated were brittle and hard to understand. This paper presents a suite of techniques that address these problems by enhancing an existing unit test generation system. In experiments using an industrial system, the generated tests achieved good coverage and mutation kill score, were readable by the product's developers, and required few edits as the system under test evolved. While our evaluation is in the context of one test generator, we are aware of many research systems that suffer similar limitations, so our approach and observations are more generally relevant.
A novel microtubule-binding motif identified in a high molecular weight microtubule-associated protein from Trypanosoma brucei

The major component of the cytoskeleton of the parasitic hemoflagellate Trypanosoma brucei is a membrane skeleton which consists of a single layer of tightly spaced microtubules. This array encloses the entire cell body, and it is apposed to, and connected with, the overlying cell membrane. The microtubules of this array contain numerous microtubule- associated proteins. Prominent among those is a family of high molecular weight, repetitive proteins which consist to a large extent of tandemly arranged 38-amino acid repeat units. The binding of one of these proteins, MARP-1, to microtubules has now been characterized in vitro and in vivo. MARP-1 binds to microtubules via tubulin domains other than the COOH-termini used by microtubule-associated proteins from mammalian brain, e.g., MAP2 or Tau. In vitro binding assays using recombinant protein, as well as transfection of mammalian cell lines, have established that the repetitive 38-amino acid repeat units represent a novel microtubule-binding motif. This motif is very similar in length to those of the mammalian microtubule-associated proteins Tau, MAP2, and MAP-U, but both its sequence and charge are different. The observation that the microtubule-binding motifs both of the neural and the trypanosomal proteins are of similar length may reflect the fact that both mediate binding to the same repetitive surface, the microtubule, while their sequence and charge differences are in agreement with the observation that they interact with different domains of the tubulins.
Biosynthesis of Lipoteichoic Acid inLactobacillus rhamnosus: Role of DltD ind-Alanylation

ABSTRACT The dlt operon (dltA to dltD) of Lactobacillus rhamnosus 7469 encodes four proteins responsible for the esterification of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) byd-alanine. These esters play an important role in controlling the net anionic charge of the poly (GroP) moiety of LTA.dltA and dltC encode thed-alanine–d-alanyl carrier protein ligase (Dcl) and d-alanyl carrier protein (Dcp), respectively. Whereas the functions of DltA and DltC are defined, the functions of DltB and DltD are unknown. To define the role of DltD, the gene was cloned and sequenced and a mutant was constructed by insertional mutagenesis of dltD from Lactobacillus casei102S. Permeabilized cells of a dltD::erm mutant lacked the ability to incorporate d-alanine into LTA. This defect was complemented by the expression of DltD from pNZ123/dlt. In in vitro assays, DltD bound Dcp for ligation with d-alanine by Dcl in the presence of ATP. In contrast, the homologue of Dcp, the Escherichia coli acyl carrier protein (ACP), involved in fatty acid biosynthesis, was not bound to DltD and thus was not ligated with d-alanine. DltD also catalyzed the hydrolysis of the mischarged d-alanyl–ACP. The hydrophobic N-terminal sequence of DltD was required for anchoring the protein in the membrane. It is hypothesized that this membrane-associated DltD facilitates the binding of Dcp and Dcl for ligation of Dcp with d-alanine and that the resultingd-alanyl–Dcp is translocated to the primary site ofd-alanylation.
Finite Element Analysis of Interfacial Debonding in Copper/Diamond Composites for Thermal Management Applications

Copper/diamond (Cu/D) composites are famous in thermal management applications for their high thermal conductivity values. They, however, offer some interface related problems like high thermal boundary resistance and excessive debonding. This paper investigates interfacial debonding in Cu/D composites subjected to steady-state and transient thermal cyclic loading. A micro-scale finite element (FE) model was developed from a SEM image of the Cu/20 vol % D composite sample. Several test cases were assumed with respect to the direction of heat flow and the boundary interactions between Cu/uncoated diamonds and Cu/Cr-coated diamonds. It was observed that the debonding behavior varied as a result of the differences in the coefficients of thermal expansions (CTEs) among Cu, diamond, and Cr. Moreover, the separation of interfaces had a direct influence upon the equivalent stress state of the Cu-matrix, since diamond particles only deformed elastically. It was revealed through a fully coupled thermo-mechanical FE analysis that repeated heating and cooling cycles resulted in an extremely high stress state within the Cu-matrix along the diamond interface. Since these stresses lead to interfacial debonding, their computation through numerical means may help in determining the service life of heat sinks for a given application beforehand.
Transvascular and intravascular fluid transport in the rainbow trout: revisiting Starling's forces, the secondary circulation and interstitial compliance

SUMMARY The kinetics of transvascular fluid transport across fish capillaries and redistribution of fluids between intravascular compartments in intact fish are unknown. Cannulae were placed in the dorsal aorta (DA) and caudal vein (CV) of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (mass 0.45-0.85 kg) and the fish spleenectomized. The following day a peristaltic pump was fitted to complete the extracorporeal arterio-venous circulation. Hematocrit (Hct) was monitored in unanesthetized fish either manually, by collecting blood from the extracorporeal loop at 5 min intervals for a period of 1 h (groups 1 and 2), or continuously (instantaneously) with an impedance flow-cell inserted in the aortic cannula (group 3). Fish in group 1 were volume expanded by injecting a volume of saline (0.9 g% NaCl; SI) or trout plasma (PI) equivalent to 40% of the plasma volume. In group 2, 20% or 35% of the blood volume was removed, and in group 3, 35% of the blood volume was removed. Plasma volume (Vp) was calculated from an assumed blood volume of 35 ml kg-1 and the Hct. Vp declined mono-exponentially after SI with a half-time of 6.8 min and Vp reached a new steady state at 28.1 ml kg-1; 30% of the injected volume remained in the vasculature. Volume recovery after PI was also mono-exponential, but slower (half-time=15.4 min) than SI, whereas the steady-state Vp (27.3 ml kg-1) was similar and 30% of the injected volume remained in the vasculature. Thus the presence of plasma proteins delayed fluid efflux from the vasculature, but did not affect the volume lost. Transvascular fluid filtration coefficients calculated from this data were 5.5 (SI) and 4.5 ml mmHg-1 kg-1 min-1 (PI), and interstitial compliance was 11.8 (SI) and 9.7 ml mmHg-1 kg-1 (PI). The rate of volume recovery after 20% or 35% hemorrhage was independent of the hemorrhage volume (half-time=13.3 and 15.1 min, respectively) and similar to the half-time of PI, indicating that protein-rich interstitial fluid is returned to the vasculature. There is a nearly instantaneous change in Hct that occurs during the hemorrhage period; it is dependent on hemorrhage duration and volume and not associated with the subsequent mono-exponential recovery. This initial response is best explained by a rapid fluid shift from a large-volume (approximately 40% of total blood volume), low-hematocrit (less than half of systemic Hct) microcirculation into the higher-hematocrit macrocirculation. These studies are consistent with transcapillary fluid flux across a barrier that is highly permeable to protein, and cannot be explained by fluid shift between primary and secondary circulations, or by transcapilllary flux across a capillary bed that is impermeable to plasma proteins. The results support the hypothesis that whole-body reflection coefficients in trout are very low and that plasma oncotic pressure is not a determinant of transcapillary fluid balance. They also show that both transvascular and intravascular fluid movements are important effectors of central volume homeostasis.
Epithelial and non-epithelial Ptch1 play opposing roles to regulate proliferation and morphogenesis of the mouse mammary gland

Patched 1 (Ptch1) has epithelial, stromal and systemic roles in murine mammary gland organogenesis, yet specific functions remain undefined. Cre-recombinase-mediated Ptch1 ablation in mammary epithelium increased proliferation and branching, but did not phenocopy transgenic expression of activated smoothened (SmoM2). The epithelium showed no evidence of canonical hedgehog signaling, and hyperproliferation was not blocked by smoothened (SMO) inhibition, suggesting a non-canonical function of PTCH1. Consistent with this possibility, nuclear localization of cyclin B1 was increased. In non-epithelial cells, heterozygous Fsp-Cre-mediated Ptch1 ablation increased proliferation and branching, with dysplastic terminal end buds (TEB) and ducts. By contrast, homozygous Ptch1 ablation decreased proliferation and branching, producing stunted ducts filled with luminal cells showing altered ovarian hormone receptor expression. Whole-gland transplantation into wild-type hosts or estrogen/progesterone treatment rescued outgrowth and hormone receptor expression, but not the histological changes. Bone marrow transplantation failed to rescue outgrowth. Ducts of Fsp-Cre;Ptch1fl/fl mice were similar to Fsp-Cre;SmoM2 ducts, but Fsp-Cre;SmoM2 outgrowths were not stunted, suggesting that the histology might be mediated by Smo in the local stroma, with systemic Ptch1 required for ductal outgrowth and proper hormone receptor expression in the mammary epithelium. Summary: Systemic and tissue-specific depletion of patched 1 in epithelial and stromal compartments of the mammary gland defines functions in ductal patterning, proliferation and gene expression.
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia as an index of parasympathetic cardiac control during active coping.

Psychophysiological studies concerning tonic cardiac responses to stressor tasks have tended to emphasize beta-adrenergic effects and to neglect parasympathetic influences and sympathetic-parasympathetic interactions. Much recent evidence indicates that both within- and between-individual variations in cardiac parasympathetic heart rate (HR) control can be easily and reliably assessed by measuring the magnitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Therefore, we used RSA to index cardiac vagal responses to two active coping tasks. Both tasks consisted of the same video game, in one condition with threat of shock for inferior performance, and in the other without such threat. Twenty subjects underwent both tasks (counterbalanced over subjects), plus a preceding resting baseline period. HR and RSA were continuously measured. Results suggested that cardiac parasympathetic activity was diminished from rest to task, contributing to heart rate responses. Exaggerated HR responses were also associated with extreme parasympathetic withdrawal. Furthermore, task condition X sequence of presentation interaction effects showed that threat of shock was particularly effective in elevating HR and reducing RSA when the threat was presented during the first task condition. A repeated-measures analysis of covariance of HR, attempting to remove the effects of parasympathetic influences upon HR, suggested that sympathetic influences upon HR exceeded any reciprocal vagal effects during the threat condition for those subjects exposed to the threat task first. The findings indicate the importance of considering stress-related parasympathetic effects upon HR as well as sympathetic-vagal interactions.
Assistance magnitude versus metabolic cost reductions for a tethered multiarticular soft exosuit

Evaluation of a soft exosuit designed to reduce metabolic requirements during walking. When defining requirements for any wearable robot for walking assistance, it is important to maximize the user’s metabolic benefit resulting from the exosuit assistance while limiting the metabolic penalty of carrying the system’s mass. Thus, the aim of this study was to isolate and characterize the relationship between assistance magnitude and the metabolic cost of walking while also examining changes to the wearer’s underlying gait mechanics. The study was performed with a tethered multiarticular soft exosuit during normal walking, where assistance was directly applied at the ankle joint and indirectly at the hip due to a textile architecture. The exosuit controller was designed such that the delivered torque profile at the ankle joint approximated that of the biological torque during normal walking. Seven participants walked on a treadmill at 1.5 meters per second under one unpowered and four powered conditions, where the peak moment applied at the ankle joint was varied from about 10 to 38% of biological ankle moment (equivalent to an applied force of 18.7 to 75.0% of body weight). Results showed that, with increasing exosuit assistance, net metabolic rate continually decreased within the tested range. When maximum assistance was applied, the metabolic rate of walking was reduced by 22.83 ± 3.17% relative to the powered-off condition (mean ± SEM).
Spectral extrapolation of spatially bounded images [MRI application]

A spectral extrapolation algorithm for spatially bounded images is presented. An image is said to be spatially bounded when it is confined to a closed region and is surrounded by a background of zeros. With prior knowledge of the spatial domain zeros, the extrapolation algorithm extends the image's spectrum beyond a known interval of low-frequency components. The result, which is referred to as the finite support solution, has space variant resolution; features near the edge of the support region are better resolved than those in the center. The resolution of the finite support solution is discussed as a function of the number of known spatial zeros and known spectral components. A regularized version of the finite support solution is included for handling the case where the known spectral components are noisy. For both the noiseless and noisy cases, the resolution of the finite support solution is measured in terms of its impulse response characteristics, and compared to the resolution of the zerofilled and Nyquist solutions. The finite support solution is superior to the zerofilled solution for both the noisy and noiseless data cases. When compared to the Nyquist solution, the finite support solution may be preferred in the noisy data case. Examples using medical image data are provided.
Best-practice physical activity programs for older adults: findings from the national impact study.

OBJECTIVES We assessed the impact of existing best-practice physical activity programs for older adults on physical activity participation and health-related outcomes. METHODS We used a multisite, randomized trial with 544 older adults (mean age 66 years) and measures at baseline, 5, and 10 months to test the impact of a multiple-component physical activity program compared with results for a control group that did not participate in such a program. RESULTS For adults who participated in a multiple-component physical activity program, we found statistically significant benefits at 5 and 10 months with regard to self-efficacy for exercise adherence over time (P < .001), adherence in the face of barriers (P = .01), increased upper- and lower-body strength (P = .02, P = .01), and exercise participation (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS Best-practice community-based physical activity programs can measurably improve aspects of functioning that are risk factors for disability among older adults. US public policy should encourage these inexpensive health promotion programs.
Perturbed Interactions of Mutant Proteolipid Protein/DM20 with Cholesterol and Lipid Rafts in Oligodendroglia: Implications for Dysmyelination in Spastic Paraplegia

Missense mutations in the human PLP1 gene lead to dysmyelinating diseases with a broad range of clinical severity, ranging from severe Pelizaeus–Merzbacher disease (PMD) to milder spastic paraplegia type 2 (SPG-2). The molecular pathology has been generally attributed to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention of misfolded proteolipid protein (PLP) (and its splice isoform DM20) and induction of the unfolded protein response. As opposed to previous studies of heterologous expression systems, we have analyzed PLP/DM20 trafficking in oligodendroglial cells, thereby revealing differences between PMD and SPG-2-associated PLP/DM20 isoforms. PLPA242V and DM20A242V (jimpy-msd in mice), associated with severe PMD-like phenotype in vivo, were not only retained in the ER but also interfered with oligodendroglial process formation. In contrast, glial cells expressing SPG-2-associated PLPI186T or DM20I186T (rumpshaker in mice) developed processes, and mutant PLP/DM20 reached a late endosomal/lysosomal compartment. Unexpectedly, PLP/DM20 with either substitution exhibited impaired cholesterol binding, and the association with lipid raft microdomains was strongly reduced. Turnover analysis demonstrated that mutant PLP was rapidly degraded in oligodendroglial cells, with half-lives for PLP > PLPI186T > PLPA242V. Protein degradation was specifically sensitive to proteasome inhibition, although PLP/DM20I186T degradation was also affected by inhibition of lysosomal enzymes. We conclude that, in addition to ER retention and unfolded protein response (UPR) induction, impaired cholesterol binding and lipid raft association are characteristic cellular defects of PLP1-missense mutations. Mutant protein is rapidly cleared and does not accumulate in oligodendroglial cells. Whereas UPR-induced cell death governs the PMD phenotype of the msd mutation, we propose that impaired cholesterol and lipid raft interaction of the rsh protein may contribute to the dysmyelination observed in SPG-2.
Closed-loop Approaches for Service Differentiation

A DC switch mode power supply operating from an AC input power source typically has an input stage which includes a rectifier for rectifying the AC input power waveform to provide a DC voltage to the switch mode power supply. This rectifier includes a capacitive storage circuit for storing the DC power to be supplied to the switch mode power supply. To protect the circuit against current surges during start-up, normally an open relay is provided in parallel with a current limiting resistor. This resistor can burn out under some circumstances. This invention replaces the resistor with a capacitor divider circuit containing at least one capacitor in series between the storage capacitor and one of the terminals from the input power supply. A second capacitor can also be provided in parallel with the storage capacitor and one of the diodes of the rectifier. Another diode of the rectifier is in series with the storage capacitor. The resulting circuit limits the initial current surge to the storage capacitor and also functions as a charge pump to make possible the storage of a charge on the storage capacitor greater than the peak input voltage.
Methotrexate Pharmacokinetics and Survival in Osteosarcomat

Procedure This study included 44 patients (479 courses) who received a median dose of 5.92 g/m of MTX (interquartile range (IQR) 2.37 g/m) in a 4-hr infusion. The mean area under the concentration–time curve (AUC) estimated by parametric methods (non-parametric expectation maximization, NPEM), and the mean concentration at the end of the infusion were considered to be the exposure parameters. Tumor response was recorded as disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and histologic tumor response. The relationship between MTX exposure and survival parameters was analyzed by Cox regression.
Passive Q-switching of microchip lasers based on Ho:YAG ceramics.

A Ho:YAG ceramic microchip laser pumped by a Tm fiber laser at 1910 nm is passively Q-switched by single- and multi-layer graphene, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and Cr2+:ZnSe saturable absorbers (SAs). Employing SWCNTs, this laser generated an average power of 810 mW at 2090 nm with a slope efficiency of 68% and continuous wave to Q-switching conversion efficiency of 70%. The shortest pulse duration was 85 ns at a repetition rate of 165 kHz, and the pulse energy reached 4.9 μJ. The laser performance and pulse stability were superior compared to graphene SAs even for a different number of graphene layers (n=1 to 4). A model for the description of the Ho:YAG laser Q-switched by carbon nanostructures is presented. This modeling allowed us to estimate the saturation intensity for multi-layered graphene and SWCNT SAs to be 1.2±0.2 and 7±1 MW/cm2, respectively. When using Cr2+:ZnSe, the Ho:YAG microchip laser generated 11 ns/25 μJ pulses at a repetition rate of 14.8 kHz.