Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENT OF PRECISION BEARING DYNAMIC STIFFNESS

Static stiffness measurement of precision bearing components by influence coefficients is complicated by the task of loading and measuring the baseline test fixture stiffness before including the bearing components. Furthermore, as the displacement of the bearing system is measured for various load conditions, the stiffness of high quality bearings may be difficult to distinguish from the test fixture stiffness. The common occurrence of inaccurate stiffness measurements has motivated this investigation of an experimental method based on frequency response function measurements. In this work the traditional static measurement that requires careful attachment and modelling of the test fixture to ‘‘ground’’ is abandoned and replaced by dynamic measurements taken from a test fixture with free boundary conditions. A complete dynamic characterization of the test fixture is shown to be unnecessary; the only measurements required are the frequency response functions at the points of attachment to the bearing components. An investigation into the effects of common measurement errors such as sensor calibration and location is also included, with an example of the proposed method. 7 1997 Academic Press Limited
Preclinical AD predicts decline in memory and executive functions in subjective complaints

Objective: We assessed whether preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD) based on CSF biomarkers at baseline predicts decline in cognitive functioning as measured by repeated neuropsychological tests for 4 cognitive domains in patients with subjective complaints. Methods: We included 132 patients with subjective complaints from our memory clinic–based Amsterdam Dementia Cohort, who underwent lumbar puncture and had repeated (range 2–7) neuropsychological evaluations. Follow-up was 2 ± 1 years. CSF biomarkers amyloid-β (Aβ42), total tau (Tau), and hyperphosphorylated tau-181 were used to define National Institute on Aging–Alzheimer's Association (NIA-AA) preclinical AD stages. Predictive value of preclinical AD stages as defined by CSF biomarkers, individual biomarkers, and Aβ42/tau ratio was assessed using linear mixed models. Outcome measures were compound z scores for memory, attention, executive functioning, language, and global cognition. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and education. Results: Patients were 61 ± 8 years old; 56 (42%) were women. Average baseline Mini-Mental State Examination score was 28.3 ± 1.5. Patients who fulfilled criteria for preclinical AD (stage 1: n = 11 + stage 2: n = 10) showed decline over time in memory (β ± SE −0.41 ± 0.14, p < 0.01), executive functions (−0.21 ± 0.08, p < 0.01), and global cognition (−0.29 ± 0.10, p < 0.01). There were no differences in cognitive decline between NIA-AA preclinical AD stages 1 and 2. In patients with normal CSF biomarkers, we observed memory improvement (0.19 ± 0.07, p < 0.01) and stable performance in all other domains. Conclusions: CSF evidence of preclinical AD in patients with subjective complaints predicted cognitive decline over time, encompassing more than memory alone. Executive functioning and global cognitive functioning also deteriorated. On the other hand, 2-year prognosis for patients without evidence of AD pathophysiology was good.
An IEEE 802.11 Model for the Planning of Wireless Mesh Networks

Service-area specific optimization is a necessity for large-scale wireless networks. For this task, a model to estimate the quality of a radio network configuration is required. In the case of cellular radio networks, much work exists on models for Radio Network Planning (RNP). This work cannot be applied to optimize IEEE 802.11-based Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs), as their multi-hop structure and the distributed medium access deviates significantly from cellular networks. In this paper, we present a model for IEEE 802.11-based WMNs that fulfills the following criteria: (i) It has low complexity, enabling iterative optimization; (ii) it has sufficient accuracy in comparison to simulation; (iii) it includes a physical layer model that takes into account interference and multiple transmission rates. that, we overview in Section II different existing models for WMN and discuss their applicability in the RNP process. Then, Section III introduces the developed model. Based on simplifying assumptions, it allows for a computation of the saturation throughput for a given network. We compare in Section IV the model with event-driven simulation. We find that the developed model exhibits a mean accuracy above 85% in comparison to simulation using only 3% of the runtime.
(E)-Methyl N′-(2-furylmethylene)hydrazinecarboxylate

The title compound, C7H8N2O3, crystallizes with two independent but essentially identical molecules in the asymmetric unit. Each molecule adopts a trans configuration with respect to the C=N bond. The hydrazinecarboxylate group is twisted from the furan ring by 7.78 (13)° in one molecule and by 7.01 (17)° in the other. In the crystal structure, molecules are linked into chains running along [010] by bifurcated N—H⋯(N,O) and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. In addition, weak C—H⋯O interactions and an O⋯C short contact [2.896 (3) Å] are observed.
Vitamin D supplementation has no effect on insulin sensitivity or secretion in vitamin D-deficient, overweight or obese adults: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Vitamin D supplementation has been proposed as a potential strategy to prevent type 2 diabetes. Existing clinical trials have been limited by short duration, low doses of vitamin D, variability in participants' vitamin D-deficiency status, and the use of surrogate measures of body composition, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion.Objective: To address existing knowledge gaps, we conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to investigate whether vitamin D supplementation that is provided in a sufficient dose and duration to vitamin D-deficient individuals would improve insulin sensitivity or secretion as measured with the use of gold-standard methods. We hypothesized that vitamin D supplementation would improve insulin sensitivity and secretion compared with placebo.Design: Sixty-five overweight or obese, vitamin D-deficient (25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration ≤50 nmol/L) adults were randomly assigned to receive either a bolus oral dose of 100,000 IU cholecalciferol followed by 4000 IU cholecalciferol/d or a matching placebo for 16 wk. Before and after the intervention, participants received gold-standard assessments of body composition (via dual X-ray absorptiometry), insulin sensitivity (via hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps), and insulin secretion [via intravenous-glucose-tolerance tests (IVGTTs)]. Results: Fifty-four participants completed the study [35 men and 19 women; mean ± SD age: 31.9 ± 8.5 y; body mass index (in kg/m2): 30.9 ± 4.4]. 25(OH)D increased with vitamin D supplementation compared with placebo (57.0 ± 21.3 compared with 1.9 ± 15.1 nmol/L, respectively; P = 0.02). Vitamin D and placebo groups did not differ in change in insulin sensitivity (0.02 ± 2.0 compared with -0.03 ± 2.8 mg · kg-1 · min-1, respectively; P = 0.9) or first-phase insulin secretion (-21 ± 212 compared with 24 ± 184 mU/L, respectively; P = 0.9). Results remained nonsignificant after adjustment for age, sex, percentage of body fat, sun exposure, physical activity, and dietary vitamin D intake (P > 0.1). Conclusions: Vitamin D supplementation does not improve insulin sensitivity or secretion in vitamin D-deficient, overweight or obese adults, despite using high-dose vitamin D supplementation and robust endpoint measures. Therefore, it is unlikely that vitamin D supplementation would be an effective strategy for reducing diabetes risk even in vitamin D-deficient populations. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02112721.
Recreational physical activity and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer based on hormone receptor status.

BACKGROUND Physical activity is a potentially modifiable breast cancer risk factor. There is considerable recent evidence to suggest that risk factors for breast cancer differ based on its subtype, particularly estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR) status, but this has been less well studied for physical activity. The objective of this study was to examine the association of physical activity with breast cancer incidence based on ER/PR status of the tumor. METHODS The Iowa Women's Health Study is a prospective cohort study of 41 836 postmenopausal women. Recreational physical activity was self-reported on the baseline questionnaire, and 3 levels (high, medium, and low) were defined. Breast cancer incidence and ER/PR status, through 18 years of follow-up, were ascertained by linkage with the Iowa Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Cancer Registry. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate multivariate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of breast cancer, adjusting for other breast cancer risk factors. RESULTS During 554 819 person-years of follow-up, 2548 incident cases of breast cancer were observed. Compared with low physical activity, high physical activity levels were inversely associated with risk of breast cancer (RR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78-0.96), and there were inverse associations for ER-positive (ER+)/PR-positive (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.75-1.00), ER+/PR-negative (PR-) (RR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.47-0.96), and ER-negative/PR- (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.56-1.14) tumors. Further adjustment for body mass index attenuated the overall association with breast cancer (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.82-1.01) and for ER+/PR-positive tumors (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.81-1.08), while there was no change for ER+/PR- tumors (RR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.46-0.94). CONCLUSIONS Higher recreational physical activity might reduce the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer overall. Risk reduction varies by ER/PR status of the tumor, being most marked for ER+/PR- tumors, which, in general, have been associated with a clinically more aggressive tumor phenotype. If confirmed in additional studies, these results would suggest that additional mechanisms, besides an effect on body mass, may account for observed protective effects of physical activity in reducing breast cancer.
The effect of a high ambient temperature on the apparent ileal digestibility of amino acids and nitrogen in growing pigs

A total of 7 gilts (initial BW 50.5 ± 1.7 kg) fitted with a simple T-cannula in terminal part of ileum were used for the determination the effect of high ambient temperature on the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of amino acids (AA) and nitrogen (N) and on the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of N and dry matter (DM). After the 5 d adaptation period two 14 d experimental periods followed. After the 1st 14 d period when the animals were housed at thermo-neutral (TN) temperature (20.6 ± 0.1 oC), the 2nd 14 d period followed at high temperature (HT) (30.4 ± 0.4 oC). On d 7 and 14 of each experimental period, two 24 h collections of ileal digesta and 2 collections of faeces were performed. The pigs were fed twice a day in two equal doses at a daily rate of 90 g*kg BW -0.75. The content of AA in samples of diets and ileal digesta was determined by an automatic amino acid analyzer (AAA 400, Ingos, Prague) after previous acid hydrolysis in 6M HCl with the exception of methionine and cysteine which were determined after oxidative hydrolysis. Water was offered ad libitum. The ATTD of N and DM at TN was 84.9 and 85.3%, respectively and the ATTD at HT was 84.7% and 86.5% for N and DM, respectively. Apparent ileal digestibility of AA and N were similar at both TN and HT ambient conditions. High ambient temperature had no adverse effect on ATTD of N and DM nor on the AID of N and AA in pigs.
Mutation rate dynamics in a bacterial population reflect tension between adaptation and genetic load

Mutations are the ultimate source of heritable variation for evolution. Understanding how mutation rates themselves evolve is thus essential for quantitatively understanding many evolutionary processes. According to theory, mutation rates should be minimized for well-adapted populations living in stable environments, whereas hypermutators may evolve if conditions change. However, the long-term fate of hypermutators is unknown. Using a phylogenomic approach, we found that an adapting Escherichia coli population that first evolved a mutT hypermutator phenotype was later invaded by two independent lineages with mutY mutations that reduced genome-wide mutation rates. Applying neutral theory to synonymous substitutions, we dated the emergence of these mutations and inferred that the mutT mutation increased the point-mutation rate by ∼150-fold, whereas the mutY mutations reduced the rate by ∼40–60%, with a corresponding decrease in the genetic load. Thus, the long-term fate of the hypermutators was governed by the selective advantage arising from a reduced mutation rate as the potential for further adaptation declined.
ROC-ConCert: ROC-Based Measurement of Consistency and Certainty

Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) has increasingly been advocated as a mechanism for evaluating classifiers, particularly when the precise conditions and costs of deployment are not known. Area Under the Curve (AUC) is then used a single figure for comparing how good too methods or algorithms are. Additional support for ROC AUC is cited in its equivalence to the non-parametric Wilcoxon signed rank test, but we show that this is in general misleading and that use of AUC implicitly makes theoretical assumptions that are not well met in practice. This paper advocates two ROC-related measures that separate out two specific types of goodness that are wrapped up in ROC-AUC, which we call Consistency (Con) and Certainty (Cert). We treat primarily the dichotomous 2 class case, but discuss also the generalization to multiple classes.
Augmented and doubly robust G‐estimation of causal effects under a Structural nested failure time model

Structural nested failure time models (SNFTMs) are models for the effect of a time‐dependent exposure on a survival outcome. They have been introduced along with so‐called G‐estimation methods to provide valid adjustment for time‐dependent confounding induced by time‐varying variables. Adjustment for informative censoring in SNFTMs is possible via inverse probability of censoring weighting (IPCW). In the presence of considerable dropout, this can imply substantial information loss and consequently imprecise effect estimates. In this article, we aim to increase the efficiency of IPCW G‐estimators under a SNFTM by deriving an augmented estimator that uses both censored and uncensored observations, and offers robustness against misspecification of the model for the censoring process, provided that a model for a specific functional of the survival time and time‐dependent covariates is correctly specified. The empirical properties of the proposed estimators are studied in a simulation experiment, and the estimators are used in the analysis of surveillance data from the field of hospital epidemiology.
Conceptual Structure of Fraud Research and Its Dynamics

The concept of fraud, its antecedents and outcomes as well as its detection and prevention, have been discussed by both academics and practitioners for decades. The scope and complexity of the concept of fraud attracts scholars from diverse disciplines. The purpose of our study is to gain a broader understanding of how fraud is viewed in the compendium of academic literature. Using semantic network analysis method, we explore the structure of fraud-related research and analyze the internal connections among the current areas of interest for fraud researchers. We are particularly interested in the relationship between the mainstream financial accounting and audit research and the field of information systems and technology. Our work makes a big stride toward the understanding of current state of fraud-related research. The interdisciplinary semantic map of keywords and subject terms helps understand the trends in fraud scholarship, identify gaps and propose directions for future research.
Kinase replacement by a dehydrogenase for Escherichia coli glycerol utilization

A mutant of Escherichia coli that employs a glycerol:nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide 2-oxidoreductase (EC 1.1.1.6), instead of adenosine 5'-triphosphate:glycerol 3-phosphotransferase (EC 2.7.1.30), as the first enzyme for the dissimilation of glycerol was constructed. This mutant, like the wild-type strain, still cannot grow anaerobically on glycerol without an exogenous hydrogen acceptor.
A tale of two proteins: Differential roles and regulation of Smad2 and Smad3 in TGF‐β signaling

Transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) is an important growth inhibitor of epithelial cells, and insensitivity to this cytokine results in uncontrolled cell proliferation and can contribute to tumorigenesis. Smad2 and Smad3 are direct mediators of TGF‐β signaling, however little is known about the selective activation of Smad2 versus Smad3. The Smad2 and Smad3 knockout mouse phenotypes and studies comparing Smad2 and Smad3 activation of TGF‐β target genes, suggest that Smad2 and Smad3 have distinct roles in TGF‐β signaling. The observation that TGF‐β inhibits proliferation of Smad3‐null mammary gland epithelial cells, whereas Smad3 deficient fibroblasts are only partially growth inhibited, suggests that Smad3 has a different role in epithelial cells and fibroblasts. Herein, the current understanding of Smad2 and Smad3‐mediated TGF‐β signaling and their relative roles are discussed, in addition to potential mechanisms for the selective activation of Smad2 versus Smad3. Since alterations in the TGF‐β signaling pathway play an important role in promoting tumorigenesis and cancer progression, methods for therapeutic targeting of the TGF‐β signaling pathway are being pursued. Determining how Smad2 or Smad3 differentially regulate the TGF‐β response may translate into developing more effective strategies for cancer therapy. J. Cell. Biochem. 101: 9–33, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Detection of microRNA-21 expression as a potential screening biomarker for colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer-related death and cancer-related incidence worldwide. The potential of microRNA-21 (miR-21) as a biomarker for CRC detection has been studied in several studies. However, the results were inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted the present meta-analysis to systematically assess the diagnostic value of miR-21 for CRC. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using a random-effect model, the pooled sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic performance of miR-21 for CRC. A summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve and an area under the curve (AUC) were also generated to assess the diagnosis accuracy of miR-21 for CRC. Q test and I2 statistics were used to assess between- study heterogeneity. Publication bias was evaluated by the Deeks' funnel plot asymmetry test. RESULTS A total of 986 CRC patients and 702 matched healthy controls from 8 studies were involved in the meta-analysis. The pooled results for SEN, SPE, PLR, NLR, DOR, and AUC were 57% (95%CI: 39%-74%), 87% (95%CI: 78%- 93%), 4.4 (95%CI: 2.4-8.0), 0.49 (95%CI: 0.32-0.74), 9 (95%CI: 4-22), and 0.83 (95%CI: 0.79-0.86), respectively. Subgroup analyses further suggested that blood-based studies showed a better diagnostic accuracy compared with feces-based studies, indicating that blood may be a better matrix for miR-21 assay and CRC detection. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that miR-21 has a potential diagnostic value for CRC with a moderate level of overall diagnostic accuracy. Hence, it could be used as auxiliary means for the initial screening of CRC and avoid unnecessary colonoscopy, which is an invasive and expensive procedure.
High-Level Expression and Purification of a Truncated Merozoite Antigen-2 of Babesia equi in Escherichia coli and Its Potential for Immunodiagnosis

ABSTRACT The gene encoding a truncated merozoite antigen-2 (EMA-2t) of Babesia equi was cloned and highly expressed in Escherichia coli as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein (G-rEMA-2t). Both G-rEMA-2t and rEMA-2t (after the removal of glutathione S-transferase) had good antigenicity. Either Western blot analysis with rEMA-2t or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with G-rEMA-2t clearly discriminated the sera of horses experimentally infected with B. equi from sera of horses infected with Babesia caballi and healthy horses, although rEMA-2t was not suitable for ELISA, probably owing to its poor absorbability to the plates. The specific antibodies in B. equi-infected horses were detectable during both acute and latent infection (6 to 244 days postinfection). Horse sera from Jilin Province, China, were examined by the two tests. The seroprevalence of B. equi was 49.2% (31 of 63 sera) by Western blot analysis with rEMA-2t and 47.6% (30 of 63 sera) by ELISA with G-rEMA-2t. The correspondence was 98.4% (62 of 63 sera) between the two tests. The results indicate that G-rEMA-2t and rEMA-2t proteins should be suitable antigens for the development of an effective immunodiagnostic assay due to their high sensitivity, specificity, and great yield.