Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accuracy of weighed dietary records in studies of diet and health.

OBJECTIVE--To provide an independent evaluation of seven day weighed dietary records, which are currently accepted as the most accurate technique for assessing habitual dietary intake in studies investigating the links between diet and health. DESIGN--Subjects who had previously participated in the Northern Ireland diet and health study were reselected by stratified random sampling to represent the range of energy intakes in the study as assessed by the seven day weighed dietary record. SETTING--Northern Ireland. SUBJECTS--31 Free living adults (16 men and 15 women). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Energy intake as measured by the seven day weighed dietary record and total energy expenditure estimated concurrently by the doubly labelled water technique. RESULTS--Average recorded energy intakes were significantly lower than measured expenditure in the group overall (9.66 MJ/day v 12.15 MJ/day, 95% confidence interval 1.45 to 3.53 MJ/day). Among those in the upper third of energy intakes the mean (SE) ratio of intake to expenditure was close to 1.0, indicating accurate records (men 1.01 (0.11), women 0.96 (0.08]. In the middle and lower thirds the ratios for men were only 0.74 (0.05) and 0.70 (0.07) respectively and for women 0.89 (0.07) and 0.61 (0.07). CONCLUSIONS--These results show a serious bias in reporting habitual energy intake. If substantiated they may have wide implications for the interpretation of many nutritional studies.
Differential Geometric Path Planning of Multiple UAVs

Safe and simultaneous arrival of constant speed, constant altitude unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) on target is solved by design of paths of equal lengths. The starting point for our solution is the well-known Dubins path, which is composed of circular arc and line segments, thus requiring only one simple maneuver-constant rate turn. An explicit bound can he imposed on the rate during the design and the resulting paths are the minimum time solution of the problem. However, transition between arc and line segments entails discontinuous changes in lateral acceleration (latax), making this approach impractical for real fixed wing UAVs. Therefore, we replace the Dubins solution with a novel one, based on quintic Pythagorean hodograph (PH) curves, whose latax demand is continuous. The PH paths are designed to have lengths close to the lengths of the Dubins paths to stay close to the minimum time solution. To derive the PH paths, the Dubins solution is first interpreted in terms of differential geometry of curves using the path length and curvature as the key parameters. The curvature of a Dubins path is a piece-wise constant and discontinuous function of its path length, which is a differential geometric expression of the discontinuous latax demand involved in transitions between the arc and the line segment. By contrast, the curvature of the PH path is a fifth order polynomial of its path length. This is not only continuous but also has enough design parameters (polynomial coefficients) to meet the latax (curvature) constraints (bounds) and make the PH solution close to the minimum time one. The solution involves the design of paths meeting the curvature constraint and is followed by producing multiple paths of equal length by increasing the lengths of the shorter paths to match the longest one. The safety constraint, intercollision avoidance is achieved by satisfying two conditions: minimum separation distance and nonintersection at equal distance. The offset curves of the PH path are used to design a safety region along each path.
Inducible nitric oxide synthase enhances disease aggressiveness in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies and is refractory to the available treatments. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) expresses high level of inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2), which causes sustained production of nitric oxide (NO). We tested the hypothesis that an aberrantly increased NO-release enhances the development and progression of PDAC. Enhanced NOS2 expression in tumors significantly associated with poor survival in PDAC patients (N = 107) with validation in independent cohorts. We then genetically targeted NOS2 in an autochthonous mouse model of PDAC to examine the effect of NOS2-deficiency on disease progression and survival. Genetic ablation of NOS2 significantly prolonged survival and reduced tumor severity in LSL-KrasG12D/+; LSL-Trp53R172H/+; Pdx-1-Cre (KPC) mice. Primary tumor cells isolated from NOS2-deficient KPC (NKPC) mice showed decreased proliferation and invasiveness as compared to those from KPC mice. Furthermore, NKPC tumors showed reduced expression of pERK, a diminished inactivation of Forkhead box transcription factor O (FOXO3), a tumor suppressor, and a decrease in the expression of oncomir-21, when compared with tumors in KPC mice. Taken together, these findings showed that NOS2 is a predictor of prognosis in early stage, resected PDAC patients, and provide proof-of-principle that targeting NOS2 may have potential therapeutic value in this lethal malignancy.
A radiation of arboreal basal eutherian mammals beginning in the Late Cretaceous of India

India's Late Cretaceous fossil mammals include the only undisputed pre-Tertiary Gondwanan eutherians, such as Deccanolestes. Recent studies have suggested a relationship between Deccanolestes and African and European Paleocene adapisoriculids, which have been variably identified as stem euarchontans, stem primates, lipotyphlan insectivores, or afrosoricids. Support for a close relationship between Deccanolestes and any of these placental mammal clades would be unique in representing a confirmed Mesozoic record of a placental mammal. However, some paleogeographic reconstructions place India at its peak isolation from all other continents during the latest Cretaceous, complicating reconstructions of the biogeographic history of the placental radiation. Recent fieldwork in India has recovered dozens of better-preserved specimens of Cretaceous eutherians, including several new species. Here, we incorporate these new specimens into an extensive phylogenetic analysis that includes every clade with a previously hypothesized relationship to Deccanolestes. Our results support a robust relationship between Deccanolestes and Paleocene adapisoriculids, but do not support a close affinity between these taxa and any placental clade, demonstrating that Deccanolestes is not a Cretaceous placental mammal and reinforcing the sizeable gap between molecular and fossil divergence time estimates for the placental mammal radiation. Instead, our expanded data push Adapisoriculidae, including Deccanolestes, into a much more basal position than in earlier analyses, strengthening hypotheses that scansoriality and arboreality were prevalent early in eutherian evolution. This comprehensive phylogeny indicates that faunal exchange occurred between India, Africa, and Europe in the Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene, and suggests a previously unrecognized ∼30 to 45 Myr “ghost lineage” for these Gondwanan eutherians.
Membrane proteins in reverse micelles: myelin basic protein in a membrane-mimetic environment.

The solubility, reactivity, and conformational dynamics of myelin basic protein (MBP) from bovine brain were studied in reverse micelles of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT)-isooctane and water. Such a membrane-mimetic system resembles the aqueous spaces of native myelin sheath in terms of physicochemical properties as reflected in the high affinity of MBP for interfacial bound water. This is marked by the unusual profile of the solubility curve of the protein in reverse micelles, which shows optimal solubility at a much lower molar ratio of water to surfactant ([ H2O]/[AOT] = w0) than that reported for other water-soluble proteins. The role of counterions and/or charged polar head groups in the solubilization process is revealed by comparison of the solubility of MBP in nonionic surfactant micellar solutions. Whereas MBP is unfolded in aqueous solutions, insertion into reverse micelles generates a more folded structure, characterized by the presence of 20% alpha-helix. This conformation is unaffected by variations in the water content of the system (in the 2.0-22.4 w0 range). The reactivity of epsilon-amino groups of lysine residues with aqueous solutions of o-phthalaldehyde demonstrates that segments of the peptide chain are accessible to water. Similar results were obtained with the sequence involved in heme binding. In contrast, the sole tryptophan residue, Trp-117, is shielded from the aqueous solvent, as indicated by lack of reaction with N-bromosuccinimide. The invariance of the wavelength maximum emission in the fluorescence spectra as a function of w0 is consistent with this result. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Portable ECG nalysis

Health care is most important for a healthy society. It is defined as diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases. Heart being an important functional unit of body, ECG which records it electrical activity plays important role in many diagnosis. Conventional ECG recording, done by 12 leads which require patients in rest is performed at clinical levels. Mobile ECG monitoring which can perform like clinical methods will help in early or fast diagnosis. For this we require a novel method in which real time and computation issues is taken into consideration so that we can balance the clinical system in which incorporating a complex computational system is not a problem. ECG acquisition is done using two electrodes so as to get Lead II values. There exists different algorithms for peak detection, but they require efficient computation and powerful processing. An algorithm is designed so as to nullify errors with reduced computation. Using the algorithm R peaks are detected and their nature is analyzed for arrhythmia detection. This whole setup is implemented as embedded system.
Effect of extrapyramidal signs and Lewy bodies on survival in patients with Alzheimer disease.

BACKGROUND Patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) who have psychiatric and parkinsonian symptoms experience faster cognitive deterioration and shorter survival vs those without such disease features. Extrapyramidal signs (EPSs) in particular have been associated with the presence of Lewy bodies (LBs) on autopsy and with poorer survival in patients with AD. Lewy bodies found at autopsy are not always correlated with EPSs during late life. OBJECTIVE To determine whether the association between LBs and age at death is modified by the presence of EPSs, hallucinations, or delusions. DESIGN An autopsy series of patients with clinically diagnosed AD. SETTINGS Three AD clinics (San Diego and Sacramento, Calif, and Portland, Ore). PATIENTS Data on 379 patients with a clinical diagnosis of AD who were initially assessed between May 1, 1984, and August 1, 1996, and who were autopsied between January 1, 1990, and April 1, 1998, were pooled from 3 AD centers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Presence of LBs on autopsy and differences in age at death in those with EPSs, LBs, or both. RESULTS Individuals with EPSs at initial assessment were more than 3 times as likely to have LBs at autopsy than were those without EPSs. Age at death was younger in those with LBs and EPSs than in those with LBs only and those without EPSs or LBs. CONCLUSIONS The presence of EPSs in patients with AD indicates worse prognosis and may be related to underlying LBs. The presence of EPSs is a strong predictor of LBs.
A folded and functional synthetic PA1b: An interlocked entomotoxic miniprotein

PA1b (Pea Albumin 1, subunit b) is a hydrophobic, 37‐amino acid miniprotein isolated from pea seeds (Pivum sativum), crosslinked by three interlocked disulfide bridges, signature of the ICK (inhibitory cystine‐knot) family. It acts as an entomotoxic factor against major insect pests in stored crops and vegetables, making it a promising bioinsecticide. Here we report an efficient and simple protocol for the production of large quantities of highly pure, biologically active synthetic PA1b. The features of PA1b oxidative refolding revealed the off‐pathway products and competitive aggregation processes. The efficiency of the oxidative folding can be significantly improved by using hydrophobic alcoholic cosolvents and decreasing the temperature. The homogeneity of the synthetic oxidized PA1b was established by reversed‐phase HPLC. The correct pairing of the three disulfide bridges, as well as the three‐dimensional structure of synthetic PA1b was assessed by NMR. Synthetic PA1b binds to microsomal proteins from Sitophilus oryzae with a Kd of 8 nM, a figure quite similar to that determined for PA1b extracted from its natural source. Moreover, the synthetic miniprotein was as potent as the extracted one towards the sensitive strains of weevils. Our findings will open the way to the production of PA1b analogues by chemical means to an in‐depth understanding of the PA1b mechanism of action. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 92: 436–444, 2009.
The influences of knowledge loss and knowledge retention mechanisms on the absorptive capacity and performance of a MIS department

Purpose – Knowledge loss impact on the performance of management information system (MIS) departments due to its influence on absorptive capacity. Furthermore, knowledge retention in human resource management and information system application is also included in the research model, in order to examine their effectiveness in mitigating knowledge loss. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Survey method and hypotheses are tested with the collected data from 191 Taiwanese IS personnel. Findings – The results not only indicate knowledge loss has impacts on the absorptive capacity and performance of MIS departments while information systems could mitigate knowledge loss, but also provide deeper understanding of knowledge loss and potential issues for academics; as for practitioners, this study could serve as a reference to design and adopt knowledge management (KM) mechanisms. Originality/value – KM is an important issue for organizations since it is the source of competitive a.
Adjustable flux three phase a.c. machines with combined multiple-step star-delta winding connections

In the paper it is developed a complete theory and analysis method of combined star-delta three-phase windings from the point of view of MMF spatial harmonics content and equivalent winding factors calculation. The method allows for any space angle and coils percentage distribution between the star and delta balanced winding systems. It is proven that connecting the inner delta in the CW or CCW direction leads to two different space angle between the star and delta systems and two different steps in the flux level control. It means that, compared to what is known and applied up to now, using n winding sections in each phase, it is possible to obtain 2n steps (instead of n+1) in the flux level. To check the analysis validity, two experimental tests are reported on both squirrel cage integer winding induction motor and PM low speed fractional synchronous generator with a specially designed stator winding, allowing multiple-step air-gap flux regulation.
Robust blood glucose regulation for Type II Diabetes Mellitus patients

This paper presents a H∞ robust controller to glycemic control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients. The proposed control action calculates the insulin delivery rate in order to prevent hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic levels in patients. A nonlinear compartmental model that represents the glucose regulation behavior for T2DM subjects was linearized around a nominal healthy subject conditions, and then reduced for synthesis design. Unstructured uncertainties were considered in model based on sensitivity analysis and a 10th order robust controller was derived with a γ = 0.9921. The proposed scheme uses as a reference glucose values of a healthy patient. The applicability of the proposed control scheme is shown via simulations for a scenario of three daily intakes.
Electronic Social Capital for Self-Organising Multi-Agent Systems

It is a recurring requirement in open systems, such as networks, distributed systems, and socio-technical systems, that a group of agents must coordinate their behaviour for the common good. In those systems—where agents are heterogeneous—unexpected behaviour can occur due to errors or malice. Agents whose practices free-ride the system can be accepted to a certain level; however, not only do they put the stability of the system at risk, but they also compromise the agents that behave according to the system’s rules. In social systems, it has been observed that social capital is an attribute of individuals that enhances their ability to solve collective action problems. Sociologists have studied collective action through human societies and observed that social capital plays an important role in maintaining communities though time as well as in simplifying the decision-making in them. In this work, we explore the use of Electronic Social Capital for optimising self-organised collective action. We developed a context-independent Electronic Social Capital framework to test this hypothesis. The framework comprises a set of handlers that capture events from the system and update three different forms of social capital: trustworthiness, networks, and institutions. Later, a set of metrics are generated by the forms of social capital and used for decision-making. The framework was tested in different scenarios such as two-player games, n-player games, and public goods games. The experimental results show that social capital optimises the outcomes (in terms of long-term satisfaction and utility), reduces the complexity of decision-making, and scales with the size of the population. This work proposes an alternative solution using Electronic Social Capital to represent and reason with qualitative, instead of traditional quantitative, values. This solution could be embedded into socio-technical systems to incentivise collective action without commodifying the resources or actions in the system.
Vitamin D and fibromyalgia: a meta-analysis

Vitamin D is a cofactor responsible for autoimmune disorders. There is no agreement in the studies investigating the association between vitamin D and fibromyalgia. This study aims to combine the conflicting results of the primary studies which compared these patients with control groups regarding the serum concentration of vitamin D. This meta-analysis has been designed based on PRISMA guidelines. Relevant keywords were searched in PubMed, Science direct, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google scholar and primary studies were selected. After screening the eligible studies according to inclusion/exclusion criteria, we investigated the risk of bias in the selected studies and also the heterogeneity between the primary results using Cochrane (Q) and I-squared (I2) indices. The primary results were combined using inverse variance method and Cohen statistics as well as a random effects model. Publication bias was assessed using Egger test. Sensitivity analysis was applied to investigate the influence of each primary study on the final result of the meta-analysis. Suspected factors in the heterogeneity were assessed using meta-regression models. We entered 12 eligible studies in the meta-analysis including 851 cases compared with 862 controls. The standardized mean difference of Vitamin D between the two groups was −0.56 (95% confidence interval: −1.05, −0.08). Our meta-analysis showed that vitamin D serum levels of patients with fibromyalgia was significantly lower than that of control group.
Enhanced γ‐glutamylcysteine synthetase activity decreases drug‐induced oxidative stress levels and cytotoxicity

Multidrug resistance of cancer cells can be intrinsic or acquired and occurs due to various reasons, including increased repair of genotoxic damage, an enhanced ability to remove/detoxify chemical agents, or reactive oxygen species (ROS), and repression of apoptosis. Human A2780/100 ovarian carcinoma cells exhibit resistance to DNA cross‐linking agents, chlorambucil (Cbl), cisplatin (Cpl), melphalan (Mel), and ionizing radiation (IR) compared to the parental cell line, A2780. In the present study, we show that when A2780/100 and A2780 cells were treated with Cbl, GSH was extruded via methionine or cystathionine‐inhibitable transporters of intact plasma membrane. GSH loss was followed by a rapid increase in ROS levels. The resistant, but not drug‐sensitive cells normalized the intracellular GSH concentration along with ROS levels within 4–6 h after Cbl addition, and survived drug treatment. Normalization of GSH and ROS levels in A2780/100 cells correlated well with elevated γ‐glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ‐GCS) activity (10 ± 1.8‐fold over A2780 cells). Ectopic overexpression of the γ‐GCS heavy subunit in drug‐sensitive cells nearly restored GSH and ROS to pre‐treatment levels consequently increased cellular resistance to genotoxic agents (Cbl, Cpl, and IR), while overexpression of γ‐GCS light subunit had no such effects. Thus, in our model system, drug‐resistant cells have the inherent ability to maintain increased γ‐GCS activity, reestablish physiological GSH, and cellular redox state and maintain increased cellular resistance to DNA cross‐linking agents and IR. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An edge operating system enabling anything-as -a-service

This article argues that SDN and NFV, together with cloud and edge-fog computing, can be seen as different facets of a systemic transformation of telecommunications and ICT, called softwarization. The first impact will be at the edge of current telecommunications infrastructures, which are becoming powerful network and service platforms. The edge operating system (EOS) software architecture is proposed as the means to get there. In fact, the main feature of EOS is to bring several service domains, such as cloud robotics, Internet of Things, and Tactile Internet, into convergence at the edge. The development of EOS leverages available open source software. A use case is described to validate the EOS with a proof-of-concept.
Use of SAR Data for Detecting Floodwater in Urban and Agricultural Areas: The Role of the Interferometric Coherence

The use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data is presently well established in operational services for flood management. Nevertheless, detecting inundated vegetation and urban areas still represents a critical issue, because the radar signatures of these targets are often ambiguous. This paper analyzes the role of the interferometric coherence in complementing intensity SAR data for mapping floods in agricultural and urban environments. The advantages of the joint use of intensity and coherence are first discussed in a theoretical way and then verified on a case study, namely, the flood that hit the Emilia-Romagna region (Northern Italy) in January 2014. The short revisit time of the COSMO-SkyMed images, as well as a dedicated acquisition plan tailored to the requirements of the Italian Civil Protection Department, has allowed us to build a data set of radar interferometric observations of the event. Results show that the analysis of the multitemporal trend of the coherence is useful for the interpretation of SAR data since it enables a considerable reduction of classification errors that could be committed considering intensity data only. Interferometric data have permitted us to distinguish zones where water receded from areas where it persisted for a longer time and, in one case, to measure changes of water level.