Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitamin A Antagonizes Calcium Response to Vitamin D in Man

For unknown reasons, the highest incidence of osteoporosis is found in northern Europe. In these populations, the sunlight exposure is limited and the vitamin A intake is high. The interaction between vitamin A and D has been the subject of several in vitro and animal studies. We have studied the acute effects of vitamin A and D on calcium homeostasis in 9 healthy human subjects. We compared the effect of (i) 15 mg of retinyl palmitate, (ii) 2 μg of 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], (iii) 15 mg of retinyl palmitate plus 2 μg of 1,25(OH)2D3, and (iv) placebo in a double‐blind crossover study. The subjects took vitamin preparations at 10:00 p.m. and the following day blood samples were collected five times from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Serum levels of 1,25(OH)2D3 and retinyl esters increased (1.7‐fold and 8.3‐fold, respectively; p < 0.01). As expected, serum calcium (S‐calcium) increased (2.3%; p < 0.01) and S‐parathyroid hormone (PTH) decreased (−32%,;p < 0.05) after 1,25(OH)2D3 intake. In contrast, retinyl palmitate intake resulted in a significant decrease in S‐calcium when taken alone (−1.0%; p < 0.05) and diminished the calcium response to 1,25(OH)2D3 after the combined intake (1.4%; p < 0.01). S‐PTH was unaffected by retinyl palmitate. No significant changes in serum levels of the degradation product of C‐telopeptide of type I collagen (CrossLaps), or U‐calcium/creatinine levels were found. In conclusion, an intake of vitamin A corresponding to about one serving of liver antagonizes the rapid intestinal calcium response to physiological levels of vitamin D in man.
La mise en territoire de l’économie circulaire: comment mettre en œuvre la proximité dans la circulation des déchets?

Circular flows in urban areas are examined from a new point of view using the concept of the circular economy. This concept aims to emphasise the control of material flows wthin the context of a strong political policy. At the same time, no territorial perimeters are defined to make this concept operational. Is it a question of territories for waste management or of administrative territories? To understand these issues, this article is based on the last pillar of the circular economy, namely waste management. Waste management is controlled by certain norms, including the principle of proximity, designed to ensure the management of waste as close as possible to the point of origin. While this principle introduces a spatial dimension into waste management, its adoption varies between different actors. Having identified the political dimension of proximity and the way in which it is made operational (due notably to mapping the flows), the article aims to identify the forms of action which, according to the actors interviewed, will allow the concept of proximity to be used in the management of waste.
An estimate of the number of samples to convergence for critic algorithms

Simplified critic based neurocontrol algorithms are analyzed for expected number of samples to convergence. It is shown that there is a fundamental difference in the complexity behavior between the batch and the incremental algorithm, and between the algorithm with and without an explicit plant model. The batch algorithm using a plant model is superior to other variants.
The taste of toxicity: A quantitative analysis of bitter and toxic molecules

The role of bitter taste—one of the few basic taste modalities—is commonly assumed to signal toxicity and alert animals against consuming harmful compounds. However, it is known that some toxic compounds are not bitter and that many bitter compounds have negligible toxicity while having important health benefits. Here we apply a quantitative analysis of the chemical space to shed light on the bitterness‐toxicity relationship. Using the BitterDB dataset of bitter molecules, The BitterPredict prediction tool, and datasets of toxic compounds, we quantify the identity and similarity between bitter and toxic compounds. About 60% of the bitter compounds have documented toxicity and only 56% of the toxic compounds are known or predicted to be bitter. The LD50 value distributions suggest that most of the bitter compounds are not very toxic, but there is a somewhat higher chance of toxicity for known bitter compounds compared to known nonbitter ones. Flavonoids and alpha acids are more common in the bitter dataset compared with the toxic dataset. In contrast, alkaloids are more common in the toxic datasets compared to the bitter dataset. Interestingly, no trend linking LD50 values with the number of activated bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) subtypes is apparent in the currently available data. This is in accord with the newly discovered expression of TAS2Rs in several extra‐oral tissues, in which they might be activated by yet unknown endogenous ligands and play non‐gustatory physiological roles. These results suggest that bitter taste is not a very reliable marker for toxicity, and is likely to have other physiological roles. © 2017 IUBMB Life, 69(12):938–946, 2017
Network-enabled Knowledge Discovery Recommender Service for Social Search of Content Management System

This paper presents a novel content recommender service that uses network-enabled knowledge discovery in database (NKDD), which is developing a social search that is different with traditional keyword search. Specifically, the NKDD in this study combines the content-based term co-occurrence network (TCN) and the user-based collaborative filtering (CF) technologies. At the heart of the research is developing what social search, the integration of content-based and user-based recommendation technologies, calls the NKDD-centered recommender service, which can provide a novel text search. TCN can determine the relevant terms / keywords in order to recommend the other relative online texts / articles. CF decides the recommended texts according to the ratings of the similar users. Because in that list specifically to determine the other online texts. A dataset (OHSUMED) can be searched for online medical articles to demonstrate the recommender service and verifies the performances of precision and recall.
Stepped OFDM radar technique to resolve range and doppler simultaneously

Recent developments involving the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) structure call for new potentials in radar. In this paper, a novel wideband OFDM based waveform is presented and the high range resolution (HRR) processing is derived.We show by means of comparisons with standard wideband waveforms the benefits of this concept. Radial velocities can be retrieved unambiguously and high velocities can be handled at no extra computational effort since the range migration constraint is related to the small pulse bandwidth as opposed to the large synthetic bandwidth. In our analysis, we inspect the impact of Doppler modulation on the processing and give recommendations for improvement in terms of the OFDM parameters. We address the problem caused by a correlation artefact and discuss the risk of intersymbol interference (ISI) typical with OFDM. Lastly, we show that our concept has inherent low probability of detection (LPD) characteristics.
Visfer: Camera-based visual data transfer for cross-device visualization

Going beyond the desktop to leverage novel devices—such as smartphones, tablets, or large displays—for visual sensemaking typically requires supporting extraneous operations for device discovery, interaction sharing, and view management. Such operations can be time-consuming and tedious and distract the user from the actual analysis. Embodied interaction models in these multi-device environments can take advantage of the natural interaction and physicality afforded by multimodal devices and help effectively carry out these operations in visual sensemaking. In this article, we present cross-device interaction models for visualization spaces, that are embodied in nature, by conducting a user study to elicit actions from participants that could trigger a portrayed effect of sharing visualizations (and therefore information) across devices. We then explore one common interaction style from this design elicitation called Visfer, a technique for effortlessly sharing visualizations across devices using the visual medium. More specifically, this technique involves taking pictures of visualizations, or rather the QR codes augmenting them, on a display using the built-in camera on a handheld device. Our contributions include a conceptual framework for cross-device interaction and the Visfer technique itself, as well as transformation guidelines to exploit the capabilities of each specific device and a web framework for encoding visualization components into animated QR codes, which capture multiple frames of QR codes to embed more information. Beyond this, we also present the results from a performance evaluation for the visual data transfer enabled by Visfer. We end the article by presenting the application examples of our Visfer framework.
Small target detection based on reweighted infrared patch-image model

To further improve the effect of infrared small target detection, a reweighted infrared patch-image model is proposed. First, the authors point out that the nuclear norm in the infrared patch-image model could easily leave some sparse background edges in the target patch-image, leading to an inaccurate background estimation. Then, to overcome this defect, the reweighted nuclear norm is adopted to constrain the background patch-image, which could preserve the background edges better. Considering that some non-target sparse points could not be suppressed by only using l 1 norm, the authors introduce the reweighted l 1 norm to further enhance the sparsity of target image. Finally, the proposed model is formulated as a reweighted robust principal component analysis problem and solved by the inexact augmented Lagrangian multiplier method. Extensive experiments show that the proposed model outperforms the other six competitive methods in suppressing background clutter and detecting target.
Memory and Imagination: Perspectives on Constructive Episodic Simulation

Questions concerning the relation between memory and imagination have occupied a prominent place in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience during the past several decades. Johnson and Raye’s (1981) reality monitoring framework brought the issue into prominence by portraying the relation as constituting a fundamental problem that must be addressed by any cognitive model. Johnson and Raye’s framework provided the inspiration for subsequent cognitive and neuroimaging studies concerning the mnemonic qualities of perceived and imagined events, and the underlying psychological and neural processes that allow us to distinguish between them (for an update, see Simons, Garrison, and Johnson, 2017). A little more than a decade ago, a related line of research emerged that focused on striking neural and cognitive similarities that occur when people remember past experiences and imagine or simulate future and hypothetical experiences. The foundation of this work was set in the 1980s and 1990s by clinical observations that an amnesic patient with a severe deficit in recalling past experiences also had comparable difficulties imagining future experiences (Tulving, 1985; see also, Klein, Loftus, and Kihlstrom, 2002) and that suicidally depressed patients showed similar reductions in the specificity of autobiographical memories and future imaginings (Williams et al., 1996). Observations that remembering past experiences and imagining future experiences show similar neural correlates (Okuda et al., 2003), phenomenological characteristics (D’Argembeau and van der Linden, 2004) and individual differences (D’Argembeau and van der Linden, 2006) heightened interest in the relation between the two. This growing interest was galvanized by the publication in 2007 of several papers that strengthened the case for a link between remembering and imagining by revealing strong overlap in the brain regions engaged when people remembered past experiences and either imagined future experiences (Addis, Wong, and Schacter, 2007; Szpunar, Watson, and McDermott, 2007) or imagined novel scenes (i.e. scene construction: Hassabis, Kumaran, and Maguire, 2007a). This evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was complemented by neuropsychological evidence showing that several amnesic patients with medial temporal lobe damage exhibit scene construction deficits (Hassabis et al., 2007b). Based on these and related observations, Schacter, Addis, and Buckner (2007; see also, Buckner and Carroll, 2007) pointed to the existence of a core neural network,
Nonverbal learning disabilities: A critical review

This article presents a critical review of the term and concept of nonverbal learning disability (NLD). After a brief historical introduction, the article focuses on the apparent rarity of NLD; the hypothesis of the frequent co-occurrence of emotional disorder, depression, and suicide in NLD; the white matter hypothesis as an explanation of the origin of NLD; and the question of NLD as part of a variety of other disorders. It is argued that NLD presents a broad hypothesis, but that there is little evidence to support its use in clinical practice.
The impaired coping induced by early deprivation is reversed by chronic fluoxetine treatment in adult fischer rats

The symptoms of depression include feelings of reduced coping ability and increased helplessness. Early life adversity increases vulnerability to depression. In rats, the quantification of ability to cope with adverse challenge can be achieved using preexposure to an inescapable aversive stimulus and subsequent assessment of escape or avoidance deficits in the same environment. Here we investigated the predictive validity of a model in which, in the Fischer rat strain, postnatal isolation leads in adulthood to a state of increased sensitivity to develop an escape or avoidance deficit. On days 1–14 rat pups were isolated for 4 hours (early deprivation, ED) or for 15 minutes (early handling, EH), or were left completely undisturbed (non-handling, NH). In adulthood, subjects were placed in a shuttle box and half were exposed to brief, mild foot shocks (preexposure, PE) and the other half were non-preexposed (NPE). Half of the PE and NPE subjects were then treated for 21 days with fluoxetine and the other half with vehicle. In males, although there was no overall preexposure effect on avoidance behaviour, ED-PE and ED-NPE and EH-PE and EH-NPE demonstrated an avoidance deficit relative to NH. Fluoxetine attenuated this deficit and most notably in ED-PE. In females, vehicle ED-PE demonstrated an avoidance deficit relative to NH-PE; fluoxetine attenuated this ED effect. These findings provide supportive evidence for the predictive validity of this depression model.
A Real Option Perspective on Valuing Gas Fields

Real option theory has remained a fringe field; practitioners believe it is not practically applicable in complex real world environments. We show that this view is mistaken. We apply real option theory to a highly complex energy problem with unhedgeable risk, time varying volatilities and endogenous exercise dates (non-European options). Investment decisions in the energy industry are often undertaken sequentially and are sensitive to information on markets and geographic conditions. Information may arrive gradually over time and as a consequence of early stage decisions. Contrary to real option analysis (ROA), standard NPV-based frameworks are unsuitable because they do not allow for the fact that new information may change later stage decisions. We apply the approach to exploitation decisions for a Dutch cluster of gas fields, where gas prices and field reservoir size are the two main sources of uncertainty. Gas price returns show volatility clustering , which we model using a GARCH specification. Reservoir size uncertainty is unhedgeable, which necessitates an approach dealing with incomplete markets. Finally investment decisions can be postponed or delayed, which implies an non-European option setting, for which no analytical solutions exist. Correctly modeling the structure of volatility has a major impact: Option values shrink by 50% if the time varying nature of volatility is ignored. We also show that a high correlation between reservoir size at different locations creates large option values. The non-standard features of our approach have a major impact: option values are large so real options based valuations substantially exceed corresponding NPV calculations.
Differences in scapular and humeral head position between swimmers and non‐swimmers

The aims of this study were to determine differences between swimmers/non‐swimmers, males/females and dominant/non‐dominant sides for scapular and humeral head position, while accounting for size, and to determine the relationship between scapular and humeral head position. 46 teenage swimmers (30 females) and 43 non‐swimmers (28 females) were measured. The distances between (a) medial spine of the scapula and T3/4 (Superior Kibler), (b) inferior scapula and T7/8 (Inferior Kibler) and (c) anterior acromion and anterior humeral head were recorded while teenagers stood with their hands‐on hips. There was no main effect difference between swimmers and non‐swimmers for scapular or humeral head position. There were interactions for swim status/dominance (Superior Kibler; P=0.005, Inferior Kibler; P<0.001) and swim status/gender (Superior Kibler; P=0.027). The humeral head was significantly further from the acromion on the dominant side (adjusted mean difference=1.4 mm, P=0.004). Little relationship between scapular and humeral head position was evident. Clinicians should be aware that swim status, in combination with gender or dominance may affect scapular position but does not affect humeral head position. Where swimming had an effect, it minimized differences between genders and sides. The small dominance effect on the humeral head position is unlikely to be clinically detectable.
Overexpression of ZFX confers self‐renewal and chemoresistance properties in hepatocellular carcinoma

Zinc finger protein X‐linked (ZFX) is a zinc finger protein of Zfy family, which is highly conserved in vertebrates. This transcriptional regulator is not only highly expressed in embryonic stem cells (ESC) and hematopoietic stem cells, but is also upregulated in a number of human cancers where it is functional related to cell proliferation and survival. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly aggressive cancer that commonly resistant to most chemotherapies and displays stemness characteristics. In this study, we examined the expression of ZFX in HCC and its possible functional implications in liver tumorigenesis. Quantitative RT‐PCR analysis showed common overexpressions of ZFX in 51.8% HCC tumors when compared with their adjacent nonmalignant liver (n = 43/83; p = 0.004). Inline with the pluripotency role of ZFX, we found silencing of ZFX readily inhibited self‐renewal capability (p = 0.0022), colony formation ability (p < 0.0001) and cell proliferation (p < 0.0001) through G0/G1 cell cycle arrest of HCC cells (p = 0.0038). In addition, suppression of ZFX sensitized HCC cells to chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin (p < 0.0001). Further investigations suggested that ZFX bind on the promoter of two important mediators, namely Nanog and SOX‐2, activating their expressions in HCC (p < 0.0001). Moreover, in vivo xenograft study demonstrated that overexpression of ZFX would promote the tumor growth (p = 0.031). Taken together, our results show, for the first time, commonly overexpressions of ZFX in HCC, where it likely contributes to the stemness and pluripotent behavior of this highly malignant cancer.
Chart classification by combining deep convolutional networks and deep belief networks

Chart classification is the foundation of chart analysis and document understanding. In this paper, we propose a novel framework to classify charts by combining convolutional networks and deep belief networks. In the framework, we firstly extract deep hidden features of charts, which are taken from the fully-connected layer of deep convolutional networks. We then utilize deep belief networks to predict the labels of the charts based on their deep hidden features. The convolutional networks are initialized using a large number of natural images and fine-tuned using the chart images to prevent overfitting. Compared with previous methods using primitive feature extraction, the deep features give our framework better scalability and stability. We collect a 5-class chart dataset with more than 5000 images and show that the proposed framework outperforms existing methods greatly.
Trends in cardiovascular disease mortality in industrialized countries since 1950.

In most industrialized countries, mortality in general, and cardiovascular disease mortality in particular, have shown decreasing trends since around 1970, following stagnation or increases observed during the 1950s and 1960s. In some countries, however (e.g. in Eastern Europe), male mortality from cardiovascular diseases increased during recent years. The levels and trends of mortality from cardiovascular diseases vary considerably among countries. Measured in terms of age-standardized rates, the ratio between the highest and the lowest rates around 1985 was about 2 for total mortality but about 4 for all cardiovascular diseases combined. With further breakdowns the ratio was even greater, i.e. 4-5 for heart diseases and 6-7 for cerebrovascular disease. For ischaemic heart disease alone, the ratio reached as high as 10, though part of this wide range should be attributed to artefacts due to the varying diagnostic practices followed in different countries. The speed of mortality changes also differed among countries, ranging from a rapid decrease to a rapid increase. In general, the trends were much more favourable in females than in males. Consequently, sex differentials have been widened. The male/female ratio in mortality for ischaemic heart disease has now exceeded 3 in a number of countries. The ratio for cerebrovascular diseases, which used to be close to 1 in many countries in the early 1950s, has also increased, often reaching the level of 1.5 or higher. Differentials were observed also among different age groups in some countries. There seems to be a tendency for mortality change, either an increase or a decrease, to be quicker in younger age groups than in older ones. These varying levels and trends in cardiovascular disease mortality have no doubt been caused by a multitude of risk factors operating in each country, affecting the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and their prognosis. Much is already known about these risk factors and about the measures to be taken by the health services as well as by individuals for prevention and effective therapy. The considerable variation in mortality levels and trends observed among different countries points to the possibility for action by countries heavily affected by cardiovascular diseases. Mortality surveillance in each country and at the international level thus reveals how each country's situation and trends compare with others and provides a basis for action and further research. Progress in WHO's MONICA (MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease) project will clarify various aspects of the role played by risk factors in different communities.