Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Liver fat is related to cardiovascular risk factors and subclinical vascular disease: the Rotterdam Study.

AIMS Increasing evidence suggests involvement of the amount of liver fat in the development of cardiovascular disease. We investigated the relation of liver fat with cardiovascular risk factors and subclinical vascular disease in the general population. METHODS AND RESULTS Between 2003 and 2006, 2351 persons from the population-based Rotterdam Study (mean age 69.6 ± 6.7 years, 47.2% males) underwent non-enhanced computed tomography. We measured the mean liver attenuation value in Hounsfield units and quantified the following markers of subclinical vascular disease: epicardial fat volume and volumes of coronary (CAC), aortic (AAC), extracranial (ECAC), and intracranial carotid calcification (ICAC). Using linear regression, we investigated associations between traditional cardiovascular risk factors and mean liver attenuation. We also investigated relations of mean liver attenuation with markers of subclinical vascular disease, adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors. We found strong associations of waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, and diabetes with lower mean liver attenuation [multivariable-adjusted beta per unit increase in waist circumference: -2.54 (95% CI: -3.10; -1.99); diastolic blood pressure: -0.52 (95% CI: -0.88; -0.17); and the presence of diabetes: -21.91 (95% CI: -31.76; -12.06)]. Moreover, we found that larger mean liver attenuation values were associated with smaller volumes of epicardial fat and CAC, independent of cardiovascular risk factors [beta per 1-SD increase in mean liver attenuation value: -0.05 (95% CI: -0.08; -0.02) and -0.05 (95% CI: -0.10; -0.01), respectively]. CONCLUSION Larger amounts of liver fat are related to larger volumes of epicardial fat and CAC, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, providing important novel insights into the role of liver fat as a marker of vascular disease.
Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto ospC Alleles Associated with Human Lyme Borreliosis Worldwide in Non-Human-Biting Tick Ixodes affinis and Rodent Hosts in Southeastern United States

ABSTRACT Comparative analysis of ospC genes from 127 Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto strains collected in European and North American regions where Lyme disease is endemic and where it is not endemic revealed a close relatedness of geographically distinct populations. ospC alleles A, B, and L were detected on both continents in vectors and hosts, including humans. Six ospC alleles, A, B, L, Q, R, and V, were prevalent in Europe; 4 of them were detected in samples of human origin. Ten ospC alleles, A, B, D, E3, F, G, H, H3, I3, and M, were identified in the far-western United States. Four ospC alleles, B, G, H, and L, were abundant in the southeastern United States. Here we present the first expanded analysis of ospC alleles of B. burgdorferi strains from the southeastern United States with respect to their relatedness to strains from other North American and European localities. We demonstrate that ospC genotypes commonly associated with human Lyme disease in European and North American regions where the disease is endemic were detected in B. burgdorferi strains isolated from the non-human-biting tick Ixodes affinis and rodent hosts in the southeastern United States. We discovered that some ospC alleles previously known only from Europe are widely distributed in the southeastern United States, a finding that confirms the hypothesis of transoceanic migration of Borrelia species.
Risk decision analysis method for emergency response based on prospect theory

With respect to the situations that response actions will intervene evolvement of emergency and cause different life and property losses,this paper proposes a risk decision analysis method for emergency response based on prospect theory.First,the description of risk decision problem of emergency response is given.Then,based on main idea of prospect theory,the values of possible scenarios of emergency are calculated,i.e.,describe the decision maker's psychological feeling on the life and property losses quantitatively. Furthermore,the weights of possible scenarios of emergency are calculated,i.e.,describe the decision maker's psychological feeling on the important degree of possible scenarios quantitatively.Moreover, according to the values,weights and alternative cost,the overall prospect value of each alternative is calculated to determine a ranking of alternative.Finally,a case study is given to illustrate the feasibility and validity of the proposed method.
An Accurate and Low Cost Complex Permittivity Measurement System Using a Planar Resonant Sensor

A microwave planar resonant sensor for the measurement of the complex permittivity in compact areas of the material under test (MUT) is presented. Both thin and thick samples can be considered. Compared to transmission or reflection sensors, the adoption of a scalar 2-port measurement procedure reduces the system and improves its robustness. The measuring system requires only the calculation of two parameters, namely the resonant frequency and the 3dB bandwidth, thus achieving a substantial reduction of cost and computation time. The low cost of the sensor is such as to allow its use even in a disposable manner.
MATCHING OF SARCOPLASMIC RETICULUM AND CONTRACTILE PROPERTIES IN RAT FAST‐ AND SLOW‐TWITCH MUSCLE FIBRES

1 The twitch characteristics (fast‐twitch or slow‐twitch) of skeletal muscle fibres are determined not only by the contractile apparatus properties of the fibre, but also by the time‐course of Ca2+ release and re‐uptake by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). The present study examined, in individual fibres from non‐transforming muscle of the rat, whether particular SR properties are matched to the contractile apparatus properties of the fibre, in particular in the case of fibres with fast‐twitch contractile apparatus located in a slow‐twitch muscle, namely the soleus. 2 Force was recorded in single, mechanically skinned fibres from extensor digitorum longus (EDL), gastrocnemius, peroneus longus and soleus muscles. Using repeated cycles in which the SR was emptied of all releasable Ca2+ and then reloaded, it was possible to determine the relative amount of Ca2+ present in the SR endogenously, the maximum SR capacity and the rate of Ca2+ loading. The sensitivity of the contractile apparatus to Ca2+ and Sr2+ was used to classify the fibres as fast‐twitch (FT), slow‐twitch (ST) or mixed (< 3% of the fibres examined) and thereby identify the likely troponin C and myosin heavy chain types present. 3 There was no significant difference in SR properties between the groups of FT fibres obtained from the four different muscles, including soleus. Despite some overlap in the SR properties of individual fibres between the FT and ST groups, the properties of the FT fibres in all four muscles studied were significantly different from those of the ST and mixed fibres. 4 In general, in FT fibres the SR had a larger capacity and the endogenous Ca2+ content was a relatively lower percentage of maximum compared with ST fibres. Importantly, in terms of their SR properties, FT fibres from soleus muscle more closely resembled FT fibres from other muscles than they did ST fibres from soleus muscle.
Targeted Delivery of PLK1-siRNA by ScFv Suppresses Her2+ Breast Cancer Growth and Metastasis

Antibody-mediated delivery of anticancer siRNAs suppresses Her2+ breast cancer growth and metastasis. A Bull’s-Eye for Breast Cancer The goal in archery is to hit the center of the target. Although this could be accomplished by randomly shooting a barrage of arrows, it would be more efficient—and less likely to provoke emergency room visits—to aim straight at the bull’s-eye. Cancer therapies work on a similar principle. Broad therapies may treat the cancer but have many unwanted effects on healthy tissue. Yao et al. now target cancer drugs directly to the tumor using single-chain fragmented antibodies (ScFvs). About 60% of metastatic breast cancers that express human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) do not respond to the anti-Her2 therapeutic antibody trastuzumab. The authors hypothesized that ScFvs specific to Her2 could deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) to Her2+ breast cancer cells. They complexed siRNA for Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), which promotes cell division, with a Her2-ScFv-protamine peptide fusion protein (F5-P). This complex suppressed Her2+ breast cancer cell lines and primary human cancers in orthotopic breast cancer models. The siRNA complexes slowed tumor cell growth, reduced metastasis, and prolonged survival with no observed toxicity. The antitumor effects were even greater when a mix of siRNAs was delivered. These results suggest that as a new platform to deliver siRNAs to specifically treat Her2+ breast cancers, F5-P may be on target. A major obstacle to developing small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) as cancer drugs is their intracellular delivery to disseminated cancer cells. Fusion proteins of single-chain fragmented antibodies (ScFvs) and positively charged peptides deliver siRNAs into specific target cells. However, the therapeutic potential of ScFv-mediated siRNA delivery has not been evaluated in cancer. Here, we tested whether Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) siRNAs complexed with a Her2-ScFv-protamine peptide fusion protein (F5-P) could suppress Her2+ breast cancer cell lines and primary human cancers in orthotopic breast cancer models. PLK1-siRNAs transferred by F5-P inhibited target gene expression, reduced proliferation, and induced apoptosis of Her2+ breast cancer cell lines and primary human cancer cells in vitro without triggering an interferon response. Intravenously injected F5-P/PLK1-siRNA complexes concentrated in orthotopic Her2+ breast cancer xenografts and persisted for at least 72 hours, leading to suppressed PLK1 gene expression and tumor cell apoptosis. The intravenously injected siRNA complexes retarded Her2+ breast tumor growth, reduced metastasis, and prolonged survival without evident toxicity. F5-P–mediated delivery of a cocktail of PLK1, CCND1, and AKT siRNAs was more effective than an equivalent dose of PLK1-siRNAs alone. These data suggest that F5-P could be used to deliver siRNAs to treat Her2+ breast cancer.
Glucagon-like peptide 1 promotes satiety and suppresses energy intake in humans.

We examined the effect of intravenously infused glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) on subjective appetite sensations after an energy-fixed breakfast, and on spontaneous energy intake at an ad libitum lunch. 20 young, healthy, normal-weight men participated in a placebo-controlled, randomized, blinded, crossover study. Infusion (GLP-1, 50 pmol/ kg.h or saline) was started simultaneously with initiation of the test meals. Visual analogue scales were used to assess appetite sensations throughout the experiment and the palatability of the test meals. Blood was sampled throughout the day for analysis of plasma hormone and substrate levels. After the energy-fixed breakfast, GLP-1 infusion enhanced satiety and fullness compared with placebo (treatment effect: P < 0.03). Furthermore, spontaneous energy intake at the ad libitum lunch was reduced by 12% by GLP-1 infusion compared with saline (P = 0.002). Plasma GLP-1, insulin, glucagon, and blood glucose profiles were affected significantly by the treatment (P < 0.002). In conclusion, the results show that GLP-1 enhanced satiety and reduced energy intake and thus may play a physiological regulatory role in controlling appetite and energy intake in humans.
Long-term road traffic noise exposure is associated with an increase in morning tiredness.

This study investigates the association between night time road traffic noise exposure (L(night)) and self-reported sleep problems. Logistic regression was performed in a large population based cohort study (GLOBE), including over 18 000 subjects, to study the association between exposure at the dwelling facade and sleep problems. Measures of sleep problems were collected by questionnaire with two questions: "Do you in general get up tired and not well rested in the morning? " and "Do you often use sleep medication or tranquilizers? " After adjustment for potential confounders, a significant association was found between noise exposure and the risk of getting up tired and not rested in the morning. Although prevalence of medication use was higher at higher noise levels compared to the reference category (L(night)<35 dB), after adjustment for covariates this association was not significant. Long-term road traffic noise exposure is associated with increased risk of getting up tired and not rested in the morning in the general population. This result extends the earlier established relationship between long-term noise exposure and self-reported sleep disturbance assessed with questions that explicitly referred to noise and indicates that road traffic noise exposure during the night may have day-after effects.
Peripheral arterial disease is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation in the elderly.

AIMS To examine the relationship between peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) in a population-based cohort study of older adults. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined the relationship between PAD and AF in 5143 participants (85% white, 43% male) in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a longitudinal, observational study of adults aged 65 years and older. Peripheral arterial disease was defined by abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) values (<1.0 or >1.4). Incident AF events were ascertained by self-reported history, study electrocardiograms, and hospitalization discharge records. Cox regression was used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between PAD and AF. Over a median follow-up of 11.7 years, a total of 1521 participants developed AF. The incidence rate (per 1000 person-years) of AF was higher in those with PAD (incidence rate = 32.9, 95% CI = 29.5, 36.7) than those without PAD (incidence rate = 23.3, 95% CI = 22.0, 24.6). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, PAD was associated with an increased risk for AF (HR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.34, 1.72). Each 0.1 decrease in the ABI was associated with a 6% increase in the risk for AF (HR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.10). The associations of high (>1.4) and low (<1.0) ABI values with AF were examined separately and were in the same direction as the main result for PAD (ABI < 1.0: HR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.42; ABI > 1.4: HR = 1.33, 95% CI = 0.95, 1.86). CONCLUSION The presence of PAD should alert practitioners to the increased risk of AF. Elderly patients with PAD possibly will benefit from routine electrocardiographic screening to identify AF events.
Optimal utilization of low voltage GaN HEMT in high frequency boost converter

In this paper, investigations on optimal topology and operation mode for low voltage GaN HEMT are performed. Analytical loss model of GaN HEMT, in which influences of circuit and package parasitics are accounted for, is developed as a tool to analyze losses in GaN HEMT in different switching conditions. Analysis results shows that when applied in both Vout <; 2Vin and Vout > 2Vin situations in Boundary Conduction Mode with Valley Switching(BCM-VS) in a boost converter, where GaN HEMT is switched on when voltage across it is lowered, switching loss can be greatly reduced. Switching loss reduction results not only from the exemption of discharging the large output capacitance of GaN HEMT at high voltage, but also from the fact that parasitic inductance has much less effects on switching loss in GaN HEMT in BCM-VS than in Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM). Limitations and design tradeoffs when GaN HEMT is applied in BCM-VS are also revealed. Forward voltage of GaN HEMT in reverse conduction is high and its conduction should be prevented when Vout > 2Vin to achieve conduction loss reduction. This further loss reduction can be realized by switching on transistor before valley point. Besides, in BCM-VS, overvoltage on GaN HEMT is larger and oscillatory energy dissipation in circuit is higher than in CCM due to higher turn off current. Paralleling external capacitor to the transistor helps to ease voltage stress; however turn on loss will be increased. This loss increase is more severe in the case of Vout <; 2Vin than Vout > 2Vin. Trade-offs on the selection of proper external capacitor value exists between increased switching loss and reduced voltage stress. Experimental setup is built to verify and demonstrate the analysis.
Increased natural killer cell activity in patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm

Natural killer (NK) cells have an emerging role in the development of chronic disease and in the direction and maintenance of inflammatory responses. Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology. The aim was to investigate whether NK cells showed altered function in patients with an AAA.
GARP inhibits allergic airway inflammation in a humanized mouse model

Regulatory T cells (Treg) represent a promising target for novel treatment strategies in patients with inflammatory/allergic diseases. A soluble derivate of the Treg surface molecule glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (sGARP) has strong anti‐inflammatory and regulatory effects on human cells in vitro as well as in vivo through de novo induction of peripheral Treg. The aim of this study was to investigate the immunomodulatory function of sGARP and its possible role as a new therapeutic option in allergic diseases using a humanized mouse model.
Data Gathering in Wireless Sensor Networks

Data gathering is a major function of many applications in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this paper, An Effective Data Gathering scheme for heterogeneous energy WSNs (EDGA) is proposed. EDGA achieves a good performance in terms of lifetime by minimizing energy consumption for in-network communications and balancing the energy load. EDGA adopt a simple but efficient method to solve the area coverage problem in a cluster range, namely intra-cluster coverage. Finally, the simulation results demonstrate that the proposed EDGA significantly outperforms LEACH, HEED in terms of network lifetime and the amount of data gathered in the heterogeneous energy network.
Object detection using Regionlet Transform

A Regionlet model explored here provides a new object representation strategy for generic object detection, which integrates local deformation handling into object classifier learning and feature extraction. Generic object detection deals with different degrees of variations in discrete object classes with tractable computations and hence faces problems. This generates a need for representational and flexible object representations that are also efficient to evaluate for many locations. This paper consists of efficient object detection in static images using Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) for local feature extraction and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers. This approach improves object detection accuracy for multiple object classes on CALTECH 101 database.
Insulin‐like growth factor binding proteins in femoral and vertebral bone marrow stromal cells: Expression and regulation by thyroid hormone and dexamethasone

Insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐I is an important regulator of bone metabolism. Clinical observations suggest that different anatomic sites within the adult skeleton respond differently to hormonal and therapeutic treatment, and recent studies on bone marrow stromal cells in culture show that there are skeletal site‐dependent differences in the gene expression of IGF‐I. The actions of IGF‐I and ‐II on bone cells are known to be modulated by the IGF binding proteins (IGFBP)‐1 through ‐6 and the Type I and Type II IGF receptors. Therefore, we compared the expression of IGFBP‐1 through ‐6 in adult female rat bone marrow stromal cell cultures derived from two separate skeletal sites: vertebrae and femurs. The cultures were maintained simultaneously under conditions that support osteoblast differentiation from osteoprogenitors present in the femoral and vertebral marrow cell populations. We also addressed whether IGFBP messenger RNA levels are regulated by thyroid hormone (T3) and dexamethasone (dex) treatment in femoral vs. vertebral marrow stromal cells in vitro, since steroid hormones play an important role in skeletal function. Northern blot analyses revealed that there are distinct skeletal site differences in the gene expression of IGFBPs. The vertebral marrow cultures express IGFBP‐2 through ‐6 mRNAs, with IGFBP‐2, IGFBP‐4, and IGFBP‐6 mRNAs predominating. The femoral marrow stromal cell cultures express only IGFBP‐4 and IGFBP‐6. Importantly, vertebral marrow cultures have much higher IGFBP mRNA steady‐state levels than femoral cultures for all the detected IGFBP transcripts. IGFBP‐1 is not detected in either femoral or vertebral cultures. In addition to a skeletal site difference, we show that T3 and dex regulate the expression of specific IGFBP mRNAs. T3 treatment also upregulates IGF‐I protein secretion by vertebral marrow stromal cell cultures. Interestingly, the type I receptor for IGF‐I was expressed equivalently in cultures from the two skeletal sites. These findings have important implications for the anatomical site specificities of hormonal responses that are noted in the skeleton. J. Cell. Biochem. 81:229–240, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A decentralized vehicle re-routing approach using vehicular ad-hoc networks

Sustainable economic growth and appreciable living standard in a country heavily depend on the reliability and efficiency of its transport infrastructure. One possible way of enhancing the travel experience of commuters is by using intelligent applications in vehicles that communicate through wireless networks. Envisioning these applications to new heights can be achieved with the recent advancements in wireless communication technologies. Vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) are a special type of mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) which can be used to define intelligent interfaces for vehicle to vehicle (V2V) or vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication requirements. In this paper, we propose a vehicle rerouting approach for accident situations through VANET scenario simulations. For this research, we have used OMNeT++ network simulator to simulate the mobile network involved and SUMO microscopic traffic simulator to simulate vehicular movements in parallel and Veins framework as a bridging interface between OMNeT++ and SUMO. We have validated our solution with two heterogeneous metropolitan areas with significant structural dissimilarities located in the cities of Kandy and Colombo in Sri Lanka. Our solution achieved lesser values for waiting time and the trip duration of vehicles and qualitatively improving the traffic flow when comparing against the absence of rerouting component.