Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calcium supplementation for improving bone mineral density in children.

BACKGROUND Clinical trials have shown that calcium supplementation in children can increase bone mineral density (BMD) although this effect may not be maintained. There has been no quantitative systematic review of this intervention. OBJECTIVES . To determine the effectiveness of calcium supplementation for improving BMD in children. To determine if any effect varies by sex, pubertal stage, ethnicity or level of physical activity, and if any effect persists after supplementation is ceased. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched CENTRAL, (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) (Issue 3, 2005), MEDLINE (1966 to 1 April 2005), EMBASE (1980 to 1 April 2005), CINAHL (1982 to 1 April 2005), AMED (1985 to 1 April 2005), MANTIS (1880 to 1 April 2005) ISI Web of Science (1945 to 1 April 2005), Food Science and Technology Abstracts (1969 to 1 April 2005) and Human Nutrition (1982 to 1 April 2005). Conference abstract books (Osteoporosis International, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research) were hand-searched. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials of calcium supplementation (including by food sources) compared with placebo, with a treatment period of at least 3 months in children without co-existent medical conditions affecting bone metabolism. Outcomes had to include areal or volumetric BMD, bone mineral content (BMC), or in the case of studies using quantitative ultrasound, broadband ultrasound attenuation and ultrasonic speed of sound, measured after at least 6 months of follow-up. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data including adverse events. We contacted study authors for additional information. MAIN RESULTS The 19 trials included 2859 participants, of which 1367 were randomised to supplementation and 1426 to placebo. There was no heterogeneity in the results of the main effects analyses to suggest that the studies were not comparable. There was no effect of calcium supplementation on femoral neck or lumbar spine BMD. There was a small effect on total body BMC (standardised mean difference (SMD) +0.14, 95% CI+0.01, +0.27) and upper limb BMD (SMD +0.14, 95%CI +0.04, +0.24). Only the effect in the upper limb persisted after supplementation ceased (SMD+0.14, 95%CI+0.01, +0.28). This effect is approximately equivalent to a 1.7% greater increase in supplemented groups, which at best would reduce absolute fracture risk in children by 0.1-0.2%per annum. There was no evidence of effect modification by baseline calcium intake, sex, ethnicity, physical activity or pubertal stage. Adverse events were reported infrequently and were minor. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS While there is a small effect of calcium supplementation in the upper limb, the increase in BMD which results is unlikely to result in a clinically significant decrease in fracture risk. The results do not support the use of calcium supplementation in healthy children as a public health intervention. These results cannot be extrapolated to children with medical conditions affecting bone metabolism.
Improved Dynamic Multimedia Resource Adaptation-based Peer-to-Peer System through Locality-based Clustering and Service

A dynamic P2P architecture based on MPEG-21 was proposed in our previous work to support resource adaptation/personalization according to the surrounding usage environment and user preferences. In this paper, we improve the proposed system through two separate but related modifications. Firstly, peers are clustered according to registered geographic location information. Secondly, based on that registered location information, a locality-based service is introduced which allows users to search services according to their geographic locations. The service complements the proposed P2P architecture by encouraging service providers to increase the uptime of their devices and hence provide the spare computer power for active adaptation of resources for low-end peers. Simulation results show that the proposed approach reduces download time and network delays while increasing resource availability and download speed in the network.
First Data on the Molecular Phylogeny of Euscorpius (Scorpions: Euscorpiidae) from Turkey

The first molecular data (16s rRNA gene sequences) on the Anatolian scorpion populations, tenta- tively identified as Euscorpius ciliciensis Birula, are presented. Phylogenetic analysis shows their affinities to the European species E. gamma and E. germanus, but not to the "E. carpathicus" species complex. s
Suggestive synergy between genetic variants in TF and HFE as risk factors for Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex disease that is likely influenced by many genetic and environmental factors. Citing evidence that iron may play a role in AD pathology, Robson et al. [Robson et al. ( 2004 ); J Med Genet 41:261–265] reported that epistatic interaction between rs1049296 (P589S) in the transferrin gene (TF) and rs1800562 (C282Y) in the hemochromatosis gene (HFE) results in significant association with risk for AD. In this study we attempted to replicate their findings in a total of 1,166 cases and 1,404 controls from three European and European American populations. Allele and genotype frequencies were consistent across the three populations. Using synergy factor analysis (SFA) and Logistic Regression analysis we tested each population and the combined sample for interactions between these two SNPs and risk for AD. We observed significant association between bi‐carriers of the minor alleles of rs1049296 and rs1800562 in the combined sample using SFA (P = 0.0016, synergy factor = 2.71) and adjusted SFA adjusting for age and presence of the APOE epsilon 4 allele (P = 0.002, OR = 2.4). These results validate those of the previous report and support the hypothesis that iron transport and regulation play a role in AD pathology. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A fully integrated UHF passive tag IC having one-time programmable memory in standard CMOS technology

We present a 2-Kb one-time programmable (OTP) memory for high security RFID applications. The OTP memory cell is based on a two-transistor (2-T) gate-oxide anti-fuse (AF) for low voltage operation. Improved low power circuit design techniques are used including auto shut-off for program mode and self-timed control for read mode. The designed OTP is successfully embedded into a UHF passive RFID tag IC that conforms to the EPCglobal Gen-2 standard. The tag chip was fabricated in a 0.18 μm 1-poly 6-metal standard CMOS process with no additional masks.
Artificial intelligence and a universal quantum computer

In this paper we describe a complete quantum computational model of computation that is based on the production system. The presented description of the model does not require any quantum computation background. By doing so, the reason that quantum computation may be important for pure symbolical artificial intelligence may become clear. The feature universal quantum computer based on this idea will involve programs that are related to the classical artificial intelligence programming languages such as OPS5.
LR White sections as slot grid support films for transmission electron microscopy

The utility of LR White sections as slot grid support films for the examination of thin resin‐embedded tissue sections by transmission electron microscopy was investigated and compared with traditional formvar‐carbon films. Throughout a variety of staining procedures, which involved the use of organic solvent, oxidizing agents, strong acid and prolonged incubation, LR White support films remained intact and the attached tissue sections remained adherent. By contrast, complete loss of formvar‐carbon support films occurred in 25% of preparations during routine staining with aqueous reagents. This loss increased to 62% following staining with either alcoholic or oxidizing and acidic stains, and to 66% following prolonged (immunohistochemical) staining. Tissue contrast, ultrastructural detail and immunohistochemical staining intensity were comparable between sections on the two types of support film. The use of LR White sections as support films for slot grids represents a quick, cheap, simple and robust alternative to traditional support films and, furthermore, requires no carbon coating
The validity and internal structure of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale: data from a clinical trial of N-acetylcysteine as adjunctive therapy in bipolar disorder

Berk M, Dodd S, Dean OM, Kohlmann K, Berk L, Malhi GS. The validity and internal structure of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale: data from a clinical trial of N-acetylcysteine as adjunctive therapy in bipolar disorder. Background: The phenomenology of unipolar and bipolar disorders differ in a number of ways, such as the presence of mixed states and atypical features. Conventional depression rating instruments are designed to capture the characteristics of unipolar depression and have limitations in capturing the breadth of bipolar disorder. Method The Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS) was administered together with the Montgomery Asberg Rating Scale (MADRS) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) in a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial of N-acetyl cysteine for bipolar disorder (N = 75). Results: A factor analysis showed a two-factor solution: depression and mixed symptom clusters. The BDRS has strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.917), the depression cluster showed robust correlation with the MADRS (r = 0.865) and the mixed subscale correlated with the YMRS (r = 0.750). Conclusion: The BDRS has good internal validity and inter-rater reliability and is sensitive to change in the context of a clinical trial.
Solar tracking system and modelling of PV module

Maximizing of output power from a solar system is desirable to increase its efficiency. It has been estimated that the yield from solar panels can be significantly increased utilizing a solar tracking system instead of a stationary solar array. In this paper is described the design of solar panel tracking system and modeling of used photovoltaic (PV) module. It is performed analysis of the system and PV module and also experimentally obtained results are given.
Teamline : Visualizing small team code contributions

Determining and understanding contributions to a shared code base can be helpful for monitoring developer efficiency, allocating work items and understanding how and why changes were made. To support this task, we introduce a method for deriving contribution using test execution results and code coverage reports. Our visualization tool, Teamline, then presents these metrics in two different views. An overview shows the uniformity of contributions across hundreds of teams. The detail view shows the test pass rate progression and offers a way to compare up to ten contributors at-a-glance with a small-multiples view. Pairs of contributors can selected to get a detailed comparison in a large side-by-side view.
The treatment of combined trigeminal and glossopharyngeal neuralgia by glycerol rhizolysis of the trigeminal ganglion

Abstract A 78-year-old man with combined trigeminal and glossopharyngeal neuralgia underwent glycerol rhizolysis of the trigeminal ganglion. The treatment led to the immediate relief of both neuralgias. We discuss the potential mechanism of this unexpected therapeutic effect with reference to the pathophysiology of trigeminal and glossopharyngeal neuralgia.
Design and descriptive characteristics of the GHRAS: the Greek Health Randomized Aging Study.

BACKGROUND The "GHRAS" study is aimed at investigating the interactions among socioeconomic, lifestyle, dietary, psychological, and biochemical factors determining the health status of elderly Greeks. The design and baseline sociodemographic, clinical, and dietary characteristics of the participants are presented here. MATERIAL/METHODS A total of 782 elderly (>60 years of age) Greeks were randomly recruited in Athens. Standardized anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical procedures and extensive questionnaires were used to assess health parameters and lifestyle factors. RESULTS A high prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was found in both men and women (78.7% vs. 90.1%, p<0.001) as well as hypertension (81.3% vs. 71.8, p=0.005). Obesity was found in 43.6% of all participants and 42.7% was overweight. Elderly women demonstrated higher mean BMI values than the men (30.2+/-5.0 vs. 28.7+/-4.0, p<0.001). Only 13.4% of all subjects reported current smoking. The majority of the women (77.5%) had never smoked, while most of the men (53.4%) were former smokers. The women appeared more physically active and less adherent to the Mediterranean diet than the men. 36.2% of the women and 21.0% of the men had mild to severe depressive symptoms (p<0.001), while 28.4% of the women and 25.4% of the men had cognitive decline (p=0.430). A history of cardiovascular disease was present in 19.9% and diabetes in 13.9% of all participants. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of morbidity risk factors in this population is high. Further investigation is required, including the interaction of compromising factors, to clarify their impact on the health status of the elderly.
Can etics Reduced Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor – Associated Death Domain Expression Is Associated with Prostate Cancer Progression

By using LNCaP and its derivative cell lines, we first observed an association between tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) resistance and hormone independence. Moreover, we found that the expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor–associated death domain (TRADD) was reduced in androgen deprivation–independent cells compared with that in androgen deprivation–dependent cells. TRADD is a crucial transducer for TNF-α–induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation. Knocking down TRADD expression in LNCaP cells impaired TNF-α–induced NF-κB activation and androgen receptor repression, whereas overexpression of TRADD in C4-2B cells restored their sensitivity to TNF-α. Finally, we found that androgen deprivation reduces TRADD expression in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that androgen deprivation therapy may promote the development of TNF-α resistance by reducing TRADD expression during prostate cancer progression. [Cancer Res 2009;69(24):9448–56]
A Space-Time Graph Optimization Approach Based on Maximum Cliques for Action Detection

We present an efficient action detection method that takes a space-time (ST) graph optimization approach for real-world videos. Given an ST graph representing the entire action video, our method identifies a maximum-weight connected subgraph (MWCS) indicating an action region by applying an optimization approach based on clique information. We define an energy function based on maximum weight cliques for subregions of the graph and formulate it using an optimization problem that can be represented as a linear system. Our energy function includes the maximum and connectivity properties for finding the MWCS, and its optimization solution indicates the probability of belonging to the maximum subgraph for each node. Our graph optimization method efficiently solves the detection problem by applying the clique-based approach and simple linear system solver. We demonstrate that our detection method results in a more accurate localization compared with conventional methods through our experimental results with real-world data sets, such as the Hollywood and MSR action data sets. We also show that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods of action detection.
Loss of mouse cardiomyocyte talin-1 and talin-2 leads to β-1 integrin reduction, costameric instability, and dilated cardiomyopathy

Significance Heart failure is a significant health problem with a poorly understood molecular basis. Continuous contraction–relaxation cycles of the heart and its cardiomyocytes (CMs) require strong interactions between intracellular proteins and the surrounding extracellular matrix to maintain normal heart function. We exhaustively studied the function of the cytoskeletal protein talin (Tln), and its two isoforms, Tln1 and Tln2, in CMs and the intact heart. Both Tln isoforms can independently support costamere, CM, and whole-heart function. Yet, combined deletion of CM Tln1 and Tln2 destabilized the myocardium, leading to heart failure. This study significantly advances knowledge about the basic biology of talin, particularly given its study in vivo, and advances understanding of Tln’s role in maintenance of normal heart muscle function. Continuous contraction–relaxation cycles of the heart require strong and stable connections of cardiac myocytes (CMs) with the extracellular matrix (ECM) to preserve sarcolemmal integrity. CM attachment to the ECM is mediated by integrin complexes localized at the muscle adhesion sites termed costameres. The ubiquitously expressed cytoskeletal protein talin (Tln) is a component of muscle costameres that links integrins ultimately to the sarcomere. There are two talin genes, Tln1 and Tln2. Here, we tested the function of these two Tln forms in myocardium where Tln2 is the dominant isoform in postnatal CMs. Surprisingly, global deletion of Tln2 in mice caused no structural or functional changes in heart, presumably because CM Tln1 became up-regulated. Tln2 loss increased integrin activation, although levels of the muscle-specific β1D-integrin isoform were reduced by 50%. With this result, we produced mice that had simultaneous loss of both CM Tln1 and Tln2 and found that cardiac dysfunction occurred by 4 wk with 100% mortality by 6 mo. β1D integrin and other costameric proteins were lost from the CMs, and membrane integrity was compromised. Given that integrin protein reduction occurred with Tln loss, rescue of the phenotype was attempted through transgenic integrin overexpression, but this could not restore WT CM integrin levels nor improve heart function. Our results show that CM Tln2 is essential for proper β1D-integrin expression and that Tln1 can substitute for Tln2 in preserving heart function, but that loss of all Tln forms from the heart-muscle cell leads to myocyte instability and a dilated cardiomyopathy.
MK2/3 Are Pivotal for IL-33–Induced and Mast Cell–Dependent Leukocyte Recruitment and the Resulting Skin Inflammation

The IL-1R family member IL-33R mediates Fcε-receptor-I (FcεRI)-independent activation of mast cells leading to NF-κB activation and consequently the production of cytokines. IL-33 also induces the activation of MAPKs, such as p38. We aimed to define the relevance of the p38-targets, the MAPK-activated protein kinases 2 and 3 (MK2 and MK3) in IL-33-induced signaling and the resulting mast cell effector functions in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that the IL-33-induced IL-6 and IL-13 production strongly depends on the MK2/3-mediated activation of ERK1/2 and PI3K signaling. Furthermore, in the presence of the stem cell factors, IL-33 did induce an MK2/3-, ERK1/2- and PI3K-dependent production of TNF-α. In vivo, the loss of MK2/3 in mast cells decreased the IL-33-induced leukocyte recruitment and the resulting skin inflammation. Therefore, the MK2/3-dependent signaling in mast cells is essential to mediate IL-33-induced inflammatory responses. Thus, MK2/3 are potential therapeutic targets for suppression of IL-33-induced inflammation skin diseases such as psoriasis.
The effect of atomoxetine on random and directed exploration in humans

The adaptive regulation of the trade-off between pursuing a known reward (exploitation) and sampling lesser-known options in search of something better (exploration) is critical for optimal performance. Theory and recent empirical work suggest that humans use at least two strategies for solving this dilemma: a directed strategy in which choices are explicitly biased toward information seeking, and a random strategy in which decision noise leads to exploration by chance. Here we examined the hypothesis that random exploration is governed by the neuromodulatory locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system. We administered atomoxetine, a norepinephrine transporter blocker that increases extracellular levels of norepinephrine throughout the cortex, to 22 healthy human participants in a double-blind crossover design. We examined the effect of treatment on performance in a gambling task designed to produce distinct measures of directed exploration and random exploration. In line with our hypothesis we found an effect of atomoxetine on random, but not directed exploration. However, contrary to expectation, atomoxetine reduced rather than increased random exploration. We offer three potential explanations of our findings, involving the non-linear relationship between tonic NE and cognitive performance, the interaction of atomoxetine with other neuromodulators, and the possibility that atomoxetine affected phasic norepinephrine activity more so than tonic norepinephrine activity.
Bax‐induced cell death in Candida albicans

Bax is a pro‐apoptotic member of the Bcl‐2 family of proteins involved in the regulation of genetically programmed cell death in mammalian cells. It has been shown that heterologous expression of Bax in several yeast species, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Pichia pastoris, also induces cell death. In this study we investigated the effects of Bax expression in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. Cell death inducing expression of Bax required a synthetic BAX gene that was codon‐optimized for expression in Candida albicans. Expression of this BAX gene resulted in growth inhibition and cell death. By fusing Bax with the yeast enhanced green fluorescent protein of Aequoria victoria, the cell death‐inducing effect of Bax was increased due to reduced proteolytic degradation of Bax. Using this fusion protein we showed that, upon expression in C. albicans, Bax co‐localizes with the mitochondria. Furthermore, we showed for the first time that expression of Bax in yeast causes the mitochondria, which are normally distributed throughout the cell, to cluster in the perinuclear region. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predicting gaze direction from head pose yaw and pitch

Abstract - Socially assistive robots (SARs) must be able to interpret non-verbal communication from a human. A person’s gaze direction informs the observer where the visual attention is directed to. Therefore it is useful if a robot can interpret the gaze direction, so that it can assess whether a person is looking at it or some object in the environment. Gazing is a combination of head and eye movement, but detecting eye orientation from a distance is difficult in real life environments. Instead a robot can measure the head pose and infer the gaze direction. In this paper, we show that both the yaw and pitch of a human’s gaze can be inferred from the measured yaw and pitch of the human’s head pose with simple linear equations.