Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of acylated and nonacylated ghrelin with insulin sensitivity in overweight and obese postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE Ghrelin [acylated (AG) and nonacylated (NAG)] has been shown to play a pivotal role in the regulation of food intake and insulin sensitivity. It is presently unclear whether variation in insulin sensitivity is related to AG and NAG levels in obese individuals. To address this issue, we determined whether insulin-sensitive overweight or obese (ISO) and insulin-resistant overweight or obese (IRO) individuals display different total ghrelin (TotG), AG, and NAG profiles during a euglycemic/hyperinsulinemic clamp (EHC). DESIGN Eighty-nine nondiabetic overweight and obese postmenopausal women underwent EHC to evaluate insulin sensitivity. Body composition and blood lipid profiles were assessed. Subjects within the highest tertile of insulin sensitivity were described as ISO (n = 31), whereas those within the lowest tertile of insulin sensitivity were considered as IRO (n = 29). Plasma TotG, AG, and NAG profiles were assessed by RIA at 0, 60, 160, 170, and 180 min during the EHC. RESULTS TotG and NAG levels were significantly decreased for ISO and IRO individuals during the EHC, whereas only ISO subjects displayed a significant reduction of AG concentrations (P < 0.05). AG area under the curve value and the ratio of AG/NAG (fasting and area under the curve) were significantly decreased in ISO individuals. Furthermore, maximal reduction of TotG and AG concentrations was greater in ISO compared with IRO individuals (P < 0.05). Insulin sensitivity was significantly correlated with maximal reduction of TotG (r = 0.36; P < 0.01) and AG (r = 0.36; P < 0.05) concentrations. CONCLUSION The dysregulation of ghrelin secretion profiles during EHC is associated with insulin resistance. AG may contribute to the variation of insulin sensitivity in overweight or obese postmenopausal women.
Solubility and apical sealing characteristics of a new calcium silicate-based root canal sealer in comparison to calcium hydroxide-, methacrylate resin- and epoxy resin-based sealers

Abstract Aim. To assess and compare the water sorption, solubility and apical sealing ability of iRoot SP and three other widely used root canal sealers. Materials and methods. Solubility was assessed by immersing standardized samples of calcium silicate- (iRoot SP), calcium hydroxide- (Sealapex), methacrylate resin- (EndoREZ) and epoxy resin- (AH Plus) based sealers in distilled water and measuring weight gain and weight loss at 6 h, 24 h and daily for 14 days. Roots of extracted mandibular premolars (n = 80) were prepared with 0.04-taper nickel-titanium rotary files to a final size 40. Roots were then randomly divided into four experimental groups (n = 18) and two control groups (n = 4), root canal sealers were applied and apical leakage was assessed using the fluid filtration method. Data was analyzed using Kruskal Wallis analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney U-tests, with the level of significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Results. EndoREZ exhibited the highest water sorption, followed by iRoot SP, Sealapex and AH Plus. Sealapex exhibited significantly higher solubility than the other sealers, whereas no significant differences in solubility levels were observed between the other three sealers tested. AH Plus exhibited significantly lower microleakage than Sealapex and EndoREZ, whereas no difference in microleakage was found between AH Plus and iRoot SP. Conclusions. In view of the study findings, all tested sealers except Sealapex met the ANSI/ADA's requirements for solubility and no difference was found between AH Plus and iRoot SP in terms of apical sealing ability.
Antithrombotic Effects of Recombinant Hirudin in Experimental Angioplasty and Intravascular Thrombolysis

Summary The effect of recombinant desulphatohirudin CGP 39393 (rH) on arterial thrombus formation and especially on thrombotic reocclusion after experimental angioplasty as well as after thrombolysis was investigated in rabbits. In the femoral artery thrombi were induced after endothelial damage of the vessel wall by a balloon catheter and following stasis. After removing the thrombus by angioplasty or after lysing it by streptokinase reocclusion of the artery was observed within a relatively short period of time. Subcutaneous injection of rH reduced the incidence of both primary thrombus formation and reocclusion in dependence on the dose administered. After a dose of rH of 2 mg/kg s.c. arterial thrombus formation was completely prevented and after administering 4 mg/kg s.c. thrombotic reocclusion did also not occur. Comparative studies with heparin showed that similar antithrombotic effects were only achieved at doses of 12 mg heparin/kg s.c. The results obtained suggest a clear potential of rH for prevention of thrombotic reocclusion in clinical states.
The Impact of Incarceration on Children's Care: A Strategic Framework for Good Care Planning

In order to examine current care planning experiences and practices for children whose primary carers are arrested and imprisoned in Victoria and New South Wales, this multi-method study gathered primary data from 151 imprisoned primary carers, 27 carers, three children and two adult children, along with 124 professional stakeholders. Secondary data was sought from both statutory and nongovernment organisations about imprisoned parents and children. Relevant rights, legislative and policy documents were also reviewed.
Expert-Driven Perceptual Features for Modeling Style and Affect in Human Motion

This paper presents a novel approach for modeling features of style and affect in human motion. Our approach is based on inputs collected from experienced animators. For this purpose, an interface is developed that allows for editing of motion sequences by adding a limited number of Gaussian radial basis functions (RBFs) to different joint trajectories in 3-D Cartesian space. Animators are asked to alter a neutral walking sequence to synthesize happy, sad, feminine, masculine, energetic, and tired variants. Through consolidating the sets of collected RBFs, we compute an expert-driven set of features that can transform neutral walks to the mentioned variations. Moreover, details regarding the use of posture versus movement features, the most frequently edited body joints, as well as shapes, intensities, and distributions of the edits are investigated and presented. Perception feedback from a group of nonexperts validates the proposed approach and the effectiveness, efficiency, scalability, and inversion of the proposed models. The perception study also sheds light on several aspects of perceiving style and affect from motion.
Corporate Governance Boundary, Debt Constraint, and Investment Efficiency

ABSTRACT This article examines how the corporate governance boundary affects corporate investment efficiency. The empirical results based on Chinese listed companies suggest that the expansion of the corporate governance boundary can significantly improve investment efficiency. We also investigate the role of debt constraint. Debt constraint can enhance the positive effects of the corporate governance boundary on investment efficiency. This study contributes to the theory of corporate groups and has policy implications on corporate governance.
Design and simulation inductive setting for electronic time fuze on muzzle

The author proposed a set of techniques for induction setting the electronic time fuses of projectile on muzzle for short-range defense, and discussed the methods for data coding by by (7,4) hamming code, modulating and demodulating of the time signals in fuse-setting, based on NI Multisim 10, designed and simulated interface circuit in the muzzle setter and the fuzes, which can make fuzes receive more than 5 frame data in muzzle setting windows by asynchronous serial communication with 35-bit binary encoding, and can reduce the error by out of step of the clock caused by high mechanical overload.
Augmenting resolution capabilities of image reconstruction in adaptive electrical capacitance tomography

In adaptive electrical capacitance tomography (AECT), synthetic electrodes of different sizes are formed by combining the smaller electrode segments. Different sized electrodes can be employed to interrogate different regions of the sensing domain since smaller synthetic electrodes provide higher resolution at the periphery of the domain while larger electrodes are preferred to interrogate the center region of the domain for providing higher signal-to-noise ratio. AECT also enables electronic scanning of (synthetic) electrodes. In this work, we investigate the resolution capabilities of AECT that are achieved by employing electronic scanning and different sized electrodes. Ill-conditioning effects caused by the underdetermined nature of the problem are also investigated by a singular value decomposition analysis of the sensitivity matrix. We also check robustness of reconstruction algorithm against noise.
Both the basic region and the ‘leucine zipper’ domain of the cyclic AMP response element binding (CREB) protein are essential for transcriptional activation.

Second messengers like cAMP can activate the transcription of genes containing consesus cAMP response element (CRE). A 43 kd nuclear phosphoprotein previously identified as the cAMP response element binding (CREB) protein has been shown to bind as a dimer to CRE and activate gene transcription. The rat and human CREB protein contain the ‘leucine zipper’ motif. We have analyzed the role of both leucine zipper domain and the amino‐terminal basic region by making site‐specific mutations. Our results show that the first three leucines int he leucine zipper domain are essential for efficient dimer formation. Mutations of two consecutive leucines in the leucine zipper domain completely abolish the ability to form dimers. Mutant CREB protein unable to form homodimers is also unable to bind to DNA. In contrast, however, mutations, in the DNA binding region had no effect on dimer formation but were unable to bind to CRE sites or activate transcription. We propose that CREB protein functions by forming homodimers which bind to CRE and activate transcription. Furthermore, the CREB protein needs to be phosphorylated before activating transcription. Finally, we show that the CREB basic region mutant acts as a trans‐dominant transcriptional suppressor of wild‐type CREB function.
Technical Improvement Using a Three-Dimensional Video System for Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy.

BACKGROUND Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is one of the major surgical techniques for small renal masses. However, it is difficult to manage cutting and suturing procedures within acceptable time periods. To overcome this difficulty, we applied a three-dimensional (3D) video system with laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, and evaluated its utility. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively enrolled 31 patients who underwent laparoscopic partial nephrectomy between November 2009 and June 2014. A conventional two-dimensional (2D) video system was used in 20 patients, and a 3D video system in 11. Patient characteristics and video system type (2D or 3D) were recorded, and correlations with perioperative outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS Mean age of the patients was 55.8±12.4, mean body mass index was 25.7±3.9 kg/m2, mean tumor size was 2.0±0.8 cm, mean R.E. N.A. L nephrometry score was 6.9±1.9, and clinical stage was T1a in all patients. There were no significant differences in operative time (p=0.348), pneumoperitoneum time (p=0.322), cutting time (p=0.493), estimated blood loss (p=0.335), and Clavien grade of >II complication rate (p=0.719) between the two groups. However, warm ischemic time was significantly shorter in the 3D group than the 2D group (16.1 min vs. 21.2min, p=0.021), which resulted from short suturing time (9.1 min vs. 15.2 min, p=0.008). No open conversion occurred in either group. CONCLUSIONS A 3D video system allows the shortening of warm ischemic time in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and thus may be useful in improving the procedure.
Labour Market Decisions of the Self-Employed in the Netherlands at the Statutory Retirement Age

We investigate retirement decisions of the self-employed in the Netherlands using administrative data. We focus on the time period around which individuals reach the statutory retirement age (SRA, 65 years in most cases). After the statutory retirement age, each Dutch resident receives the Old Age State Pension annuity (AOW), providing an income at the subsistence level. Both the timing and the magnitude of this state pension are well known in advance. According to a standard leisure/consumption trade-off life cycle model, receiving AOW should therefore have no impact on labour supply choices. While employees often face the demand side restriction of mandatory retirement, this does not apply to the self-employed. We investigate whether retirement and earnings of the self-employed change at the SRA and whether any such changes vary with, e.g., the level of financial wealth. We find a peak in retirement when self-employed reach the SRA. The evidence suggests that the benchmark of retiring at 65 is acting as a driver, due to behavioural features like anchoring or a social norm.
Acoustic Changes in the Production of Lexical Stress during Lombard Speech

The Lombard effect describes the phenomenon of individuals increasing their vocal intensity when speaking in the presence of background noise. Here, we conducted an investigation of the production of lexical stress during Lombard speech. Participants (N= 27) produced the same sentences in three conditions: one quiet condition and two noise conditions at 70 dB (white noise; multi-talker babble). Manual acoustic analyses (syllable duration, vowel intensity, and vowel fundamental frequency) were completed for repeated productions of two trisyllabic words with opposing patterns of lexical stress (weak–strong; strong–weak) in each of the three conditions. In total, 324 productions were analysed (12 utterances per participant). Results revealed that, rather than increasing vocal intensity equally across syllables, participants alter the degree of stress contrastivity when speaking in noise. This was especially evident in the production of strong–weak lexical stress where there was an increase in contrastivity across syllables in terms of intensity and fundamental frequency. This preliminary study paves the way for further research that is needed to establish these findings using a larger set of multisyllabic stimuli.
Compressed sensing of diffusion MRI data using spatial regularization and positivity constraints

In recent years, there has been an ever increasing number of works reporting the successful application of the theory of compressed sensing (CS) to the problem of time-efficient reconstruction of MRI scans. The CS theory seems to be particularly advantageous in application to diffusion MRI (dMRI), where, for the same region of interest, a number of MRI scans need to be acquired in order to assess the strength of water diffusion along different spatial directions. In this paper, we propose a CS-based reconstruction method which allows a substantial reduction in the number of diffusion encoding gradients required for reliable estimation of high angular resolution diffusion imaging signals. Specifically, the method performs a CS-based reconstruction in the diffusion domain subject to two additional constraints, namely: 1) the diffusion signals have to be spatially regular, and 2) the diffusion signals have to be non-negative valued. Additionally, we detail an efficient numerical solution based on variable splitting and proximity operations, which can be used to perform the proposed reconstruction. The paper is concluded with experimental results which support the practical value of our methodology.
Cortisol, DHEA, and testosterone concentrations in saliva in response to an international powerlifting competition

The purpose of this study was to examine salivary cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and testosterone responses to the bench press in an international powerlifting competition and to determine whether these salivary hormone concentrations could be used to predict performance. Twenty-six elite athletes (13 females and 13 males) provided saliva samples during the official weighing-in and after the last attempt at the bench press, as well as at baseline on a non-competition day. Performance index was determined with the Wilks formula, which adjusts powerlifting scores according to body mass. Salivary cortisol concentrations were significantly increased in all subjects after the bench press (p < 0.01), whereas DHEA concentrations were significantly increased in women (p < 0.01) but not in men after the bench press. No significant change in testosterone concentrations was observed during the experiment in either men or women, which resulted in a marked decrease in the testosterone/cortisol ratio. The performance index showed no significant correlation with any of the hormone responses to competition. In conclusion, despite the increase in stress adrenocortical hormone responses to an international powerlifting competition, these hormone concentrations alone are not predictors of bench press performance in elite powerlifting athletes.
Home Prices and Fundamentals: Solving the Mystery for the G-7 by Accounting for Nonlinearities

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine whether house prices and income share a stable, stationary relationship in the G-7 countries. This stable relationship has been clearly implied by theory but has been difficult to uncover empirically in previous studies.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis entails using nonlinear tests for a stationary relationship between home prices and per-capita income for the G-7 countries, whereas most previous papers on the topic have used linear methods.FindingsWhen the standard linear ADF test is used, no stationary relationship for home prices and income is found for any of the G-7 countries. When the more powerful (but still linear) Ng–Perron test is used, the USA, but no other G-7 country, exhibits a stable relationship between the two variables. When the nonlinear Enders–Granger test is used, stationarity between home prices and income is found for five of the remaining six G-7 states.Practical implicationsPrevious research has shown that as house prices have risen far above the income, especially over bubble periods, income has done a poor job in predicting home values. The findings show that income has a clear long-run stationary relationship with home values. This implies income could be helpful in providing home price forecasts.Originality/valueWhere previous studies have failed to find a long-run relationship between home prices and income while using linear methods, results in this paper show this theoretical asset–pricing relationship holds once the adjustment process is allowed to exhibit nonlinearity.
Integrative physiological and computational approaches to understand autonomic control of cerebral autoregulation

• What is the topic of this review? This review focuses on the autonomic control of the cerebral vasculature in health and disease from an integrative physiological and computational perspective. • What advances does it highlight? This review highlights recent studies exploring autonomic effectors of cerebral autoregulation as well as recent advances in experimental and analytical approaches to understand cerebral autoregulation.
HCV Integrated Care: A Randomized Trial to Increase Treatment Initiation and SVR with Direct Acting Antivirals

Background and Aims Psychiatric or substance use disorders are barriers to successful HCV antiviral treatment. In a randomized, controlled trial (RCT), the effects of HCV Integrated Care (IC) for increasing treatment rates and sustained viral response (SVR) were studied with direct acting antivirals (DAA). Methods In 2012-13, VA patients, whose screening was positive for depression, PTSD, or substance use (N = 79), were randomized to IC or Usual Care (UC). IC consisted of brief psychological interventions and case management. The primary endpoint was SVR among patients followed for an average of 16.6 months. Results 42% of the study participants were previously homeless and 79% had HCV genotype 1. Twice as many IC participants (45%) initiated treatment compared with UC participants (23%) (χ2 = 4.59, p = 0.032). Among those treated, SVR rates did not significantly differ (IC: 12/18 = 67%; UC: 5/9 = 55%; p = 0.23). Among all randomized participants, IC participants trended toward better SVR rates (30.0% versus 12.8% in UC; p = 0.07). Conclusions Although first-generation DAAs are no longer used, this smaller RCT helps confirm the results of a larger multisite RCT showing that Integrated Care results in higher treatment initiation and SVR rates among HCV-infected persons with comorbid psychological disorders. Integrated mental health services can facilitate treatment among the most challenging HCV patients, many of whom have not been successfully treated. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00722423.
Cryptic Polyketide Synthase Genes in Non-Pathogenic Clostridium SPP

Modular type I polyketide synthases (PKS) produce a vast array of bacterial metabolites with highly diverse biological functions. Notably, all known polyketides were isolated from aerobic bacteria, and yet no example has been reported for strict anaerobes. In this study we explored the diversity and distribution of PKS genes in the genus Clostridium. In addition to comparative genomic analyses combined with predictions of modular type I polyketide synthase (PKS) gene clusters in sequenced genomes of Clostridium spp. , a representative selection of other species inhabiting a variety of ecological niches was investigated by PCR screening for PKS genes. Our data reveal that all studied pathogenic Clostridium spp. are devoid of putative PKS genes. In stark contrast, cryptic PKS genes are widespread in genomes of non-pathogenic Clostridium species. According to phylogenetic analyses, the Clostridium PKS genes have unusual and diverse origins. However, reverse transcription quantitative PCR demonstrates that these genes are silent under standard cultivation conditions, explaining why the related metabolites have been overlooked until now. This study presents clostridia as a putative source for novel bioactive polyketides.
Disruption of glucagon-like peptide 1 signaling in Sim1 neurons reduces physiological and behavioral reactivity to acute and chronic stress.

Organismal stress initiates a tightly orchestrated set of responses involving complex physiological and neurocognitive systems. Here, we present evidence for glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) mediated paraventricular hypothalamic circuit coordinating the global stress response. The GLP-1 receptor (Glp1r) in mice was knocked down in neurons expressing single-minded 1 (Sim1), a transcription factor abundantly expressed in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. Mice with Sim1-mediated Glp1r knockdown had reduced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses to both acute and chronic stress and were protected against weight loss associated with chronic stress. In addition, regional Glp1r knockdown attenuated stress-induced cardiovascular responses accompanied by decreased sympathetic drive to the heart. Finally, Glp1r knockdown reduced anxiety-like behavior, implicating PVN GLP-1 signaling in behavioral stress reactivity. Collectively, these findings support a circuit whereby brainstem GLP-1 activates PVN signaling to mount an appropriate whole-organism response to stress. These results raise the possibility that dysfunction of this system may contribute to stress-related pathologies, and thereby provide a novel target for intervention.