Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology of gestational diabetes mellitus and its association with Type 2 diabetes

Gestational diabetes (GDM) is defined as carbohydrate intolerance that begins or is first recognized during pregnancy. Although it is a well‐known cause of pregnancy complications, its epidemiology has not been studied systematically. Our aim was to review the recent data on the epidemiology of GDM, and to describe the close relationship of GDM to prediabetic states, in addition to the risk of future deterioration in insulin resistance and development of overt Type 2 diabetes. We found that differences in screening programmes and diagnostic criteria make it difficult to compare frequencies of GDM among various populations. Nevertheless, ethnicity has been proven to be an independent risk factor for GDM, which varies in prevalence in direct proportion to the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in a given population or ethnic group. There are several identifiable predisposing factors for GDM, and in the absence of risk factors, the incidence of GDM is low. Therefore, some authors suggest that selective screening may be cost‐effective. Importantly, women with an early diagnosis of GDM, in the first half of pregnancy, represent a high‐risk subgroup, with an increased incidence of obstetric complications, recurrent GDM in subsequent pregnancies, and future development of Type 2 diabetes. Other factors that place women with GDM at increased risk of Type 2 diabetes are obesity and need for insulin for glycaemic control. Furthermore, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and afterwards may be more prevalent in women with GDM. We conclude that the epidemiological data suggest an association between several high‐risk prediabetic states, GDM, and Type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance is suggested as a pathogenic linkage. It is possible that improving insulin sensitivity with diet, exercise and drugs such as metformin may reduce the risk of diabetes in individuals at high risk, such as women with polycystic ovary syndrome, impaired glucose tolerance, and a history of GDM. Large controlled studies are needed to clarify this issue and to develop appropriate diabetic prevention strategies that address the potentially modifiable risk factors.
Vasopressin Modulates Medial Prefrontal Cortex–Amygdala Circuitry during Emotion Processing in Humans

The neuropeptide vasopressin is a modulator of mammalian social behavior and emotion, particularly fear, aggression, and anxiety. In humans, the neural circuitry underlying behavioral effects of vasopressin is unknown. Using a double-blind crossover administration of 40 IU of vasopressin or placebo and functional MRI during processing of facial emotions in healthy male volunteers, we show that vasopressin specifically reduces differential activation in the subgenual cingulate cortex. Structural equation modeling of a previously evaluated circuit between amygdala, subgenual cingulate, and supragenual cingulate revealed altered effective connectivity between subgenual and supragenual cingulate under vasopressin. Our data demonstrate an impact of vasopressin on activity and connectivity in the cortical component of a medial prefrontal cortex–amygdala circuit implicated in emotional regulation, providing the first data on the neural basis for the effects of vasopressin on social behavior in humans with potential therapeutic significance for mood and anxiety disorders.
Excitability of paraventricular nucleus neurones that project to the rostral ventrolateral medulla is regulated by small‐conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ channels

Whole cell patch‐clamp recordings were performed in brain slices to investigate mechanisms regulating the excitability of paraventricular nucleus (PVN) neurones that project directly to the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) (PVN–RVLM neurones) of rats. In voltage‐clamp recordings, step depolarization elicited a calcium‐dependent outward tail current that reversed near EK. The current was nearly abolished by apamin and by UCL1684, suggesting mediation by small‐conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ (SK) channels. In current‐clamp recordings, depolarizing step current injections evoked action potentials that underwent spike‐frequency adaptation (SFA). SK channel blockade with apamin or UCL1684 increased the spike frequency without changing the rate of SFA. Upon termination of step current injection, a prominent medium after‐hyperpolarization potential (mAHP) was observed. SK channel blockade abolished the mAHP and revealed an after‐depolarization potential (ADP). In response to ramp current injections, the rate of sub‐threshold depolarization was increased during SK channel blockade, indicating that depolarizing input resistance was increased. Miniature EPSC frequency, amplitude, and decay kinetics were unaltered by bath application of apamin, suggesting that SK channel blockade likely increased excitability by a postsynaptic action. We conclude that although SK channels play little role in generating SFA in PVN–RVLM neurones, their activation nevertheless does dampen excitability. The mechanism appears to involve activation of a mAHP that opposes a prominent ADP that would otherwise facilitate firing.
Long-term effects of universal preventive interventions on prescription drug misuse.

BACKGROUND This is a supplemental report on tests of the long-term effects of universal preventive interventions conducted during middle school on 17-21-year-olds' prescription drug misuse. DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS Two randomized controlled prevention trials were conducted in public schools in the rural midwestern United States. Study 1 began in 1993, with 667 6th-graders; follow-ups with 12th-graders and 21-year-olds included 457 and 483 participants, respectively. Study 2 began in 1998 with 7th-graders (total sample across waves 2127); follow-ups with 11th- and 12th-graders included 1443 and 1212 participants, respectively. INTERVENTIONS In study 1, schools were assigned to the Iowa Strengthening Families Program (ISFP), Preparing for the Drug Free Years, or a control condition. In study 2, schools were assigned to the school-based Life Skills Training (LST) plus a revised ISFP, called SFP 10-14 (LST + SFP 10-14), LST-only, or a control condition. MEASUREMENTS Self reports of lifetime and past-year prescription drug misuse. Findings In study 1, ISFP 12th-graders' past year narcotic misuse was significantly less than controls, as were ISFP 21-year-olds' life-time narcotic and barbiturate misuse rates. In study 2, LST + SFP 10-14 showed significant effects on life-time prescription drug misuse at the 11th-grade follow-up, while effects at the 12th-grade follow-up were marginally significant. CONCLUSIONS Consistent with intervention effects on other substance use outcomes reported earlier, results suggest that universal interventions have potential for pubic health impact by reducing some types of prescription drug misuse among adolescents and young adults.
Genetic variation and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: expansion of the paradigm

Abstract: Genetic variation has been the mainstay of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation since the first transplants were attempted. A significant expansion of genetic knowledge is under way, as the draft sequence of the human genome is annotated. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a field that will greatly benefit from this new knowledge, but the manner in which it is applied is daunting. Variation within key molecules related to hematopoietic stem cell transplant in combination with the current knowledge of human leukocyte antigen variation will serve to improve donor‐recipient matches and clinical outcome.
Effects of organizational innovation and technological innovation capabilities on firm performance: evidence from firms in China’s Pearl River Delta

ABSTRACT This study assesses the relationship between organizational innovation (OI) and technological innovation capabilities (TICs) and analyzes their effect on firm performance. Using a sample of 265 manufacturing firms from the Pearl River Delta in China, we examined whether TICs mediated the effects of OI on firm performance. We also examined how OI moderated the relationship between TICs and firm performance. Results from structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses showed that TICs partially mediated the relationship between OI and firm performance. Similarly, OI partially moderated the relationship between TICs and firm performance. Implications of our findings for research and practice are discussed.
Evaluation of on-board kV cone beam CT (CBCT)-based dose calculation

On-board CBCT images are used to generate patient geometric models to assist patient setup. The image data can also, potentially, be used for dose reconstruction in combination with the fluence maps from treatment plan. Here we evaluate the achievable accuracy in using a kV CBCT for dose calculation. Relative electron density as a function of HU was obtained for both planning CT (pCT) and CBCT using a Catphan-600 calibration phantom. The CBCT calibration stability was monitored weekly for 8 consecutive weeks. A clinical treatment planning system was employed for pCT- and CBCT-based dose calculations and subsequent comparisons. Phantom and patient studies were carried out. In the former study, both Catphan-600 and pelvic phantoms were employed to evaluate the dosimetric performance of the full-fan and half-fan scanning modes. To evaluate the dosimetric influence of motion artefacts commonly seen in CBCT images, the Catphan-600 phantom was scanned with and without cyclic motion using the pCT and CBCT scanners. The doses computed based on the four sets of CT images (pCT and CBCT with/without motion) were compared quantitatively. The patient studies included a lung case and three prostate cases. The lung case was employed to further assess the adverse effect of intra-scan organ motion. Unlike the phantom study, the pCT of a patient is generally acquired at the time of simulation and the anatomy may be different from that of CBCT acquired at the time of treatment delivery because of organ deformation. To tackle the problem, we introduced a set of modified CBCT images (mCBCT) for each patient, which possesses the geometric information of the CBCT but the electronic density distribution mapped from the pCT with the help of a BSpline deformable image registration software. In the patient study, the dose computed with the mCBCT was used as a surrogate of the ‘ground truth’. We found that the CBCT electron density calibration curve differs moderately from that of pCT. No significant fluctuation was observed in the calibration over the period of 8 weeks. For the static phantom, the doses computed based on pCT and CBCT agreed to within 1%. A notable difference in CBCT- and pCT-based dose distributions was found for the motion phantom due to the motion artefacts which appeared in the CBCT images (the maximum discrepancy was found to be ∼3.0% in the high dose region). The motion artefacts-induced dosimetric inaccuracy was also observed in the lung patient study. For the prostate cases, the mCBCT- and CBCT-based dose calculations yielded very close results (<2%). Coupled with the phantom data, it is concluded that the CBCT can be employed directly for dose calculation for a disease site such as the prostate, where there is little motion artefact. In the prostate case study, we also noted a large discrepancy between the original treatment plan and the CBCT (or mCBCT)-based calculation, suggesting the importance of inter-fractional organ movement and the need for adaptive therapy to compensate for the anatomical changes in the future.
Landscape‐level patterns of mercury contamination of fish in North Texas, USA

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal that is found in aquatic food webs and is hazardous to humans. An emerging conceptual model predicts that the areas of the landscape that have the potential to contain food webs with elevated concentrations of Hg are those that receive high amounts of Hg and sulfate deposition and have high coverage of forests and wetlands and low coverage of agriculture. The objective of the present study was to test this conceptual model using concentrations of Hg in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from 145 reservoirs in four ecoregions of North Texas. The highest level of Hg contamination in fish was in the South Central Plains, the ecoregion that receives the highest levels of Hg and sulfate deposition and contains extensive forest and wetland habitat and little agriculture. The present study has important implications for other areas of the United States, because the South Central Plains extend into parts of Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas, covering a total area of 152,132 km2 of the southern United States. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011;30:2041–2045. © 2011 SETAC
Preparation of Budesonide-Loaded Polycaprolactone Nanobeads by Electrospraying for Controlled Drug Release

Corticosteroids such as budesonide are the drugs of choice for the treatment of inflammatory disorders with an inherent limitation, viz., rapid elimination. To overcome this constraint and attain sustained release, budesonide was encapsulated in a biodegradable polymer, polycaprolactone (PCL), by DC electrospraying. By varying the experimental parameters involved in electrospraying such as applied voltage, flow rate, viscosity as well as conductivity of the polymer solution, the dimensionality of nanostructures was tuned from 1-D nanofibers to spherical nanoparticles. By adopting this rapid and viable method of DC electrospraying, we successfully prepared aqueous suspensions of nearly monodispersed, nano-sized drug encapsulated PCL. Drug encapsulation efficiency, in vitro drug release as well as biocompatibility studies of budesonide-loaded PCL nanobeads were carried out. The cytocompatible nanobeads prepared by electrospraying exhibited good encapsulation efficiency (approx. 75%), with controlled drug release enabled by the dissolution of the polymer. Our results demonstrate the potential of this novel technique of electrospraying in developing efficient drug encapsulated polymeric nanocarriers possessing sustained drug release profile.
Debye Function Expansions of Complex Permittivity Using a Hybrid Particle Swarm-Least Squares Optimization Approach

With appropriate modifications, the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method can be used to analyze propagation through linear isotropic dispersive media. Although materials characterized by the Debye permittivity model can be analyzed accurately and efficiently using well established methods, the treatment of other types of frequency dependence is more difficult. This paper proposes the use of a weighted sum of Debye functions to approximate more general complex permittivity functions. A combination of the particle swarm optimization method and linear least squares optimization is used to find the relaxation frequencies and weights in the expansion, which can then be accommodated in the FDTD method using one of the established methods. Two key advantages of the proposed approach are that the relaxation frequencies are bandlimited and the weights are always positive. These two characteristics help to maintain the accuracy and stability of the FDTD solution. It is also shown that the correlation between the imaginary parts of two Debye functions is the same as that between the real parts.
Measurement and Analysis of Electric Signal Transmission Using Human Body as Medium for WBAN Applications

Human body communications (HBCs) realize wireless body area networks (WBANs) using the human body as a transmission channel without wired or wireless connections. While presenting various approaches for measurement and analysis of the human body channel, previous studies require additional interpretations of their results to obtain practical design parameters for a desired communication system. This paper addresses the provision of specific design guidelines based on the proposed channel measurement for capacitive coupling HBC employing digital transmission, adopted in the IEEE standards 802.15. 6. for WBAN. In the experiments, customized channel-sounding signals were applied to the human body using a battery-powered device with a ground-electrode size of $27 \times 50$ mm2. The signals received after passage through the body were measured considering 30 kinds of measurement conditions determined by the body postures and locations of the transmitter and receiver. The operating frequencies of the transmission signals were varied up to 100 MHz. This work derives the minimum required lengths of symbol-codes based on analyses of channel-measured data in terms of measurement conditions, operating frequencies, and bandwidths of a receive-filter, to achieve a maximum data rate. This was done to ensure handling of intrinsic signal errors such as those by inter-symbol-interference, and to provide more reliable bit-error-rate performance in the human body channel, depending on the transmitter structures.
Suspended Thermopile for Microwave Power Sensors Based on Bulk MEMS and GaAs MMIC Technology

In this letter, the effects of the suspended thermopile on the microwave and sensing performances of 0.01-30 GHz thermoelectric microwave power sensors are researched by experiments, in order to obtain the reasonable back-cavity dimension. The back-cavity underneath the thermopile is used to depress thermal losses of the power sensors and is fabricated using the bulk microelectromechanical systems process. Three thermoelectric power sensors with different suspension lengths of the thermopile are accomplished with the GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuit technology. The three power sensors show good microwave matching impedance, with measured reflection losses of less than -21 dB up to 30 GHz. The good linearity between the input power and the output thermovoltages is obtained. When the suspension length of the thermopile is 20, 50, and 80 μm, the average sensitivity of these power sensors is 186.9, 238.9, and 286.0 μV/mW at 30 GHz, respectively. In addition, the relationships of the sensitivity with the microwave power and frequency are quantified under different suspension lengths of the thermopile.
Survey of the year 2008: applications of isothermal titration calorimetry

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is a fast, accurate and label‐free method for measuring the thermodynamics and binding affinities of molecular associations in solution. Because the method will measure any reaction that results in a heat change, it is applicable to many different fields of research from biomolecular science, to drug design and materials engineering, and can be used to measure binding events between essentially any type of biological or chemical ligand. ITC is the only method that can directly measure binding energetics including Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, entropy and heat capacity changes. Not only binding thermodynamics but also catalytic reactions, conformational rearrangements, changes in protonation and molecular dissociations can be readily quantified by performing only a small number of ITC experiments. In this review, we highlight some of the particularly interesting reports from 2008 employing ITC, with a particular focus on protein interactions with other proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and drugs. As is tradition in these reviews we have not attempted a comprehensive analysis of all 500 papers using ITC, but emphasize those reports that particularly captured our interest and that included more thorough discussions we consider exemplify the power of the technique and might serve to inspire other users. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Information Technology Disaster Recovery process improvement in organization

Noteworthy research gap are being perceived on Knowledge Management (KM) in the outlook of Disaster Recovery (DR) in Information Technology (IT) organizations. Preliminary interviews with the organization implied that the organization facing two main challenges in the context of DR, namely (i) DR information hosted in various knowledge repositories, and (ii) lesson learn capturing is being done after the DR test completion and unavailability of centralized lesson learn or best practice document for quick reference. We found that organization can benefit from the inclusion of KM concept within the process improvement to support its Disaster Recovery activities. This research is an action research to improve DR process in a multinational company in Malaysia. Mixed method approach will be used as to obtain some variation in data collection which will lead to greater validity. Our aim is to fill the theoretical gap in KM for DR in IT organizations. This paper presents the result of the first stage in canonical action research which is Problem Diagnosis. The proposition of this research is that an improvised process can successfully support disaster recovery activities in IT organizations.
Alcohol Storylines in Television Episodes: The Preventive Effect of Countering Epilogues

This experimental study assessed whether alcohol television storylines impact youth drinking attitudes and intentions and whether corrective epilogues can potentially moderate this impact. Television episodes were professionally produced to depict heavy drinking leading to either positive or negative consequences. The pro- and anti-alcohol episodes were shown alone or with an epilogue where a main character discussed the deleterious effects of excessive drinking. Attitudes toward drinkers and drinking intentions were measured subsequently, along with reactions to the episode and demographic data, among participants aged 14–17 using an online study. Exposure to the pro-alcohol episode was related to more positive attitudes toward drinkers. Including an epilogue after a pro-alcohol episode was related to more negative viewers’ attitudes toward drinkers and lower drinking intentions compared to a pro-alcohol episode with no epilogue. By contrast, including an epilogue after an anti-alcohol episode was unrelated to attitudes toward drinkers or drinking intentions. Viewing a single television episode with a pro-alcohol message may lead to more positive attitudes toward drinkers. The finding that a brief epilogue may reduce the impact of the pro-alcohol storyline suggests easily implemented preventive strategies to counter the adverse impact of substance use portrayals in entertainment programming.
The Window of Implantation Is Closed by Estrogen via Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Pathway

Background: The opening and closing of the implantation window is important for successful pregnancy in eutherians. The recent study demonstrated that the window of uterine receptivity was prepared by the sole action of progesterone in mice, but the mechanism to close the window remained to be elucidated. Methods: The pregnant mice were ovariectomized on the evening on the third day of pregnancy with a single injection of medroxyprogesterone acetate to induce delayed implantation (DI). Several treatments were applied to DI mice. The uterine receptivity after treatment was assessed by examining cell proliferation in the uterine luminal epithelium (LE). The gene expressions in the endometrium were investigated by RNA-seq. The p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Cell proliferation in the LE ceased only when the window of implantation was open. Estrogen (E2) stimulated cell proliferation in the LE rendered the uterus refractory. The high throughput gene expression analysis by RNA-Seq showed that the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) pathway was the candidate to close the implantation window under E2. In vivo administration of IGF1 to delayed implantation mice resulted in proliferation in the LE cells. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the window of uterine receptivity was closed by E2, which was mediated by the IGF1 pathway.