Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Lower Back or Knee Pain Are Associated with Cognitive and Emotional Factors

(1) Background: The present study aimed to examine physical, cognitive and emotional factors affecting falls in community-dwelling older adults with and without pain; (2) Methods: Data from 789 older adults who participated in a community-based health survey were analyzed. Participants completed questionnaires on the presence of pain and previous falls. Muscle weakness (handgrip strength < 26.0 kg for men and < 18.0 kg for women) and low skeletal muscle mass (appendicular skeletal muscle mass index < 7.0 kg/m2 for men and < 5.7 kg/m2 for women) were determined. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and depressive symptoms were assessed using the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology-Functional Assessment Tool and 15-item geriatric depression scale (GDS-15), respectively; (3) Results: In participants with pain, MCI and GDS-15 were associated with previous falls after adjusting for age, sex, education and medication use. In participants without pain, muscle weakness and low skeletal muscle mass were associated with previous falls when adjusting for the above covariates; (4) Conclusions: Falls in participants with pain were associated with cognitive and emotional factors, whereas falls in those without pain were associated with physical factors. Fall prevention interventions for older adults with pain may require tailored strategies to address cognitive and emotional factors.
Doing Gender

The purpose of this article is to advance a new understanding of gender as a routine accomplishment embedded in everyday interaction. To do so entails a critical assessment of existing perspectives on sex and gender and the introduction of important distinctions among sex, sex category, and gender. We argue that recognition of the analytical independence of these concepts is essential for understanding the interactional work involved in being a gendered person in society. The thrust of our remarks is toward theoretical reconceptualization, but we consider fruitful directions for empirical research that are indicated by our formulation.
Effect of bunch trimming and leaf removal at flowering on maturity bronzing, yield, and other aspects of fruit quality of bananas in North Queensland

This study examined the effects of bunch trimming and leaf removal on rate of bunch filling, severity of the maturity bronzing fruit peel disorder, and other yield and quality paramaters. There were 4 levels of leaf removal (4, 7, 10, 13 leaves retained) and 4 levels of bunch trimming (male bud retained, male bud removed, male bud and 2 hands removed, male bud and 4 hands removed) imposed on banana bunches at flowering. The experiment was carried out at South Johnstone, North Queensland. The 320 plants in the trial produced a range of fruit-filling rates that were largely unrelated to the imposed treatments. With the exception of the duration of fruit filling and extra large fruit weight, leaf removal and bunch trimming acted independently on the attributes measured. Leaf removal reduced maturity bronzing and bunch trimming increased it. Increased bronzing was associated with increased finger length, possibly due to epidermal cells in the fruit peel elongating beyond their elastic limit. Bunch trimming reduced bunch weight and but did not improve the quantity of extra large fruit. Leaf removal reduced bunch weight when <10 leaves remained, due largely to a reduction in finger length throughout the bunch. Fruit greenlife was also reduced by leaf removal. Therefore, the reduction in maturity bronzing achieved by leaf removal is of no immediate benefit to growers. Removal of the male bud increased bunch weight due to an increase in finger length. Dry weight analysis indicated that the male bud represented a significant competing photosynthetic sink. For maximum yield of quality fruit, growers should remove the male bud, practice no bunch trimming, and ensure the retention of at least 9-10 leaves from flowering to harvest.
Strong Environment-Genotype Interactions Determine the Fitness Costs of Antibiotic Resistance In Vitro and in an Insect Model of Infection

The acquisition of antibiotic resistance commonly imposes fitness costs, a reduction in the fitness of bacteria in the absence of drugs. These costs have been quantified primarily using in vitro experiments and a small number of in vivo studies in mice, and it is commonly assumed that these diverse methods are consistent. Here, we used an insect model of infection to compare the fitness costs of antibiotic resistance in vivo to those in vitro. ABSTRACT The acquisition of antibiotic resistance commonly imposes fitness costs, a reduction in the fitness of bacteria in the absence of drugs. These costs have been quantified primarily using in vitro experiments and a small number of in vivo studies in mice, and it is commonly assumed that these diverse methods are consistent. Here, we used an insect model of infection to compare the fitness costs of antibiotic resistance in vivo to those in vitro. Experiments explored diverse mechanisms of resistance in a Gram-positive pathogen, Bacillus thuringiensis, and a Gram-negative intestinal symbiont, Enterobacter cloacae. Rifampin resistance in B. thuringiensis showed fitness costs that were typically elevated in vivo, although these were modulated by genotype-environment interactions. In contrast, resistance to cefotaxime via derepression of AmpC β-lactamase in E. cloacae resulted in no detectable costs in vivo or in vitro, while spontaneous resistance to nalidixic acid, and carriage of the IncP plasmid RP4, imposed costs that increased in vivo. Overall, fitness costs in vitro were a poor predictor of fitness costs in vivo because of strong genotype-environment interactions throughout this study. Insect infections provide a cheap and accessible means of assessing the fitness consequences of resistance mutations, data that are important for understanding the evolution and spread of resistance. This study emphasizes that the fitness costs imposed by particular mutations or different modes of resistance are extremely variable and that only a subset of these mutations is likely to be prevalent outside the laboratory.
Rainwater Harvesting Agriculture: An Integrated System for Water Management on Rainfed Land in China's Semiarid Areas

Abstract Rainwater harvesting agriculture (RHA), which was first developed by scientists in Gansu province over a decade ago, is an integrated system for water management on rainfed land in semiarid areas. This system consists of three main components including rainwater harvesting system, water-saving irrigation system, and highly effective crop production system. Its main function is to provide farmers in water-limiting environments with access to the water needed to meet domestic and agricultural water needs. The preliminary implementation of RHA in Gansu and other provinces in northwest China suggests that RHA has the potential to improve performance in rainfed farming systems and to address environmental problems such as soil erosion. The small-scale and low cost of RHA systems make application by household farmers simple. However, to be successful RHA needs to be integrated in a comprehensive agricultural-management system; i.e. management of RHA must be combined with other agricultural technologies and management practices. In addition, the spread of RHA over large areas entails consideration of a range of technological, agrohydrological, ecological, social, cultural, economic, and political factors. In particular, there is a need to provide training and extension services to farmers, to develop and disseminate more effective and affordable types of RHA technologies as alternatives and to design and develop alternative policy instruments and social institutions that facilitate adoption of RHA practices.
Recovery of high-grade copper from metal-rich particles of waste printed circuit boards by ball milling and sieving

ABSTRACT In this paper, a method of ball milling and sieving is proposed for recovery of high-grade copper from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs). The effects of the milling time on the metals grade and recovery of the Cu, Sn and Pb during mechanical treatment were investigated. The results showed that, after 3 cycles of ball milling and sieving, the content of Cu was enriched to 94.72 wt. % from the initial 74.22 wt. % with a high recovery rate of 86.78%. Moreover, the contents of Sn and Pb were enriched to 28.27 wt. % and 18.86 wt. % from 10.13 wt. % and 6.63 wt. % in the by-products, respectively. However, excessive grinding occurred when the milling time was longer than 3 h and led to a sharp decrease in Cu recovery. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated that the metal phases mainly comprised pure Cu, Sn, Pb in the WPCB particles, while a Cu-Sn alloy was formed during the milling process, and the Cu-Sn alloy was also enriched in the tailings. The results presented here establish that ball milling and sieving is an alternative approach to recovering high-grade copper from WPCBs. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Cholesterol-lowering Effects of Unripe Black Raspberry Water Extract

We investigated the effects of unripe black raspberry water extract (UBR-W) and oxidation-LDL treatment on cholesterol levels. Experiments using an established human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2) showed a time-dependent increase in expression of LDL receptor after UBR-W treatment. Expression of LDL receptor-related genes, such as SREBP1 and 2, increased upon UBR-W treatment. However, expression of HDL-related genes was unaffected by UBR-W. HMG-CoA reductase activity was reduced by UBR-W treatment, whereas HMG-CoA mRNA expression significantly increased. In addition, the ApoB/ApoA1 mRNA level, which is a predictor of cardiovascular risk, was reduced in a time-dependent manner by UBR-W treatment. Macrophage-like cells (RAW 264.7) showed increased expression of ox-LDL-related genes, such as CD36, scavenger receptor-A, adipophilin, and PPAR-gamma, upon ox-LDL treatment compared to untreated control cells, and quantitative lipid analysis indicated a dramatic increase in lipid accumulation. However, UBR-W treatment significantly reduced expression of ox-LDL-related genes and largely prevented lipid accumulation. The results indicate that UBR-W mediates a cholesterol-lowering effect via inhibition of cholesterol synthesis and induction of LDL uptake through SREBP.
Hypertension assessment based on feature extraction using a photoplethysmography signal and its derivatives

Objective. Long-term abnormal blood pressure (BP) can lead to various cardiovascular diseases; therefore, it is significant to assess BP status as a preventative measure. In this study, a feature-extraction-based approach is proposed and performed on an open clinical trial dataset. Approach. Firstly, a complete ensemble of empirical mode decomposition with an adaptive noise algorithm and wavelet threshold analysis is applied to eliminate the noise interference from an original photoplethysmography (PPG) signal compared to other signal filters. Considering the strong connection between hypertension and diabetes, an analysis of variance test with a 95% confidence interval is firstly carried out to select these leading extracted morphological features, which are uniquely related to hypertension, from the PPG signal and its derivatives. Subsequently a variety of classification models are evaluated at different BP levels and their performances are compared. Main results and Significance. The test results demonstrate that the support vector machine classification model achieves a greater performance compared to other explored models in this paper, with accuracy of 78%, 87% and 88% for cases including normal versus prehypertension subjects, normotension versus hypertension subjects and non-hypertension versus hypertension subjects, respectively, which further illustrates the great potential of the proposed method in hypertension assessment.
SYNTHESIS OF THE LINEAR B TYPE 2 TRISACCHARIDE Galα3Galβ4GlcNAcβOTMSEt, AND COUPLING OF THE CORRESPONDING 2-CARBOXYETHYL β-THIOGLYCOSIDE TO SEPHAROSE

The synthesis of the Linear B type 2 trisaccharide (Galα3Galβ4GlcNAcβOTMSEt) and the corresponding 2-carboxyethyl β-thioglycoside is described, as well as coupling of the latter to Sepharose. *Deceased June 2000.
Identification and Genotyping of Transposable Element Insertions From Genome Sequencing Data

Transposable element (TE) mobilization is a significant source of genomic variation and has been associated with various human diseases. The exponential growth of population‐scale whole‐genome sequencing and rapid innovations in long‐read sequencing technologies provide unprecedented opportunities to study TE insertions and their functional impact in human health and disease. Identifying TE insertions, however, is challenging due to the repetitive nature of the TE sequences. Here, we review computational approaches to detecting and genotyping TE insertions using short‐ and long‐read sequencing and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Novel Regulators of Pancreatic Cancer Cell Growth and Mobility

Haimasyopa on harvinainen mutta erittain aggressiivinen syopatyyppi, johon sairastuu Suomessa vuosittain noin tuhat henkiloa. Vaikka haimasyovan osuus uusista syopatapauksista on vain muutama prosentti, se on kolmanneksi yleisin syopakuolemien syy niin miehilla kuin naisillakin. Haimasyovan ennuste on erittain huono: keskimaarainen elinaika diagnoosista on vain noin puoli vuotta. Suurin syy tahan on se, etta keinoja taudin diagnosointiin ja hoitoon on todella vahan, ja hoidot ovat usein tehottomia. Diagnoosi tehdaan yleensa vasta vaiheessa, jossa sairaus on edennyt niin pitkalle, ettei sita pystyta enaa parantamaan. Vaitoskirjatyon tarkoituksena oli tutkia haimasyovassa toistuvasti monistuvia kromosomialueita seka kartoittaa geenien toimintaa saatelevien mikroRNA:iden ilmenemismuutoksia ja siten loytaa uusia mahdollisia kohdegeeneja niin diagnostisiin kuin hoidollisiinkin tarkoituksiin. Laajat kromosomimuutokset ovat tyypillisia haimasyovalle kuten suurimmalle osalle muitakin kiinteita syopakasvaimia. Toistuvasti monistuvilla kromosomialueilla sijaitsee suurella todennakoisyydella geeneja, joilla on vaikutusta sairauden syntyyn, ja jotka siten voisivat toimia myos ns. kohdegeeneina syovan diagnoosissa tai hoidossa. Tassa tyossa tutkittiin 7q21-q22 kromosomialueen monistumaa haimasyovassa ja pyrittiin siten loytamaan uusia kohdegeeneja. Kyseista monistumaa todettiin esiintyvan noin joka neljannessa haimasyopasolulinjassa ja yhta usein myos haiman primaarikasvaimissa. Monistuman todettiin johtavan useiden geenien yli-ilmentymiseen. Jatkotutkimukset kohdistuivat kolmeen monistuneeseen geeniin, ARPC1A, ARPC1B ja KPNA7, ja osoittivat, etta naiden toiminta vaikuttaa haimasyovan ominaisuuksiin. ARPC1A ja ARPC1B kuuluvat proteiinikompleksiin, joka saatelee muun muassa solujen liikkumista. Naiden kahden geenin hiljentaminen haimasyopasoluissa vahensi huomattavasti solujen liikkumiskykya, mika on merkittava syovan leviamiseen liittyva ominaisuus. KPNA7 puolestaan osallistuu proteiinien kuljetukseen solun sytoplasmasta tumaan. Sen ilmentymisen hiljentaminen vahensi dramaattisesti haimasyopasolujen kasvua. Kasvun hidastuminen johtui p21-proteiinin ilmentymistason kohoamisesta ja siita seuranneesta solusyklin osittaisesta pysahtymisesta. Kaiken kaikkiaan nama tulokset viittaavat siihen, etta 7q21-q22 monistuma-alueella ei olisi yhta ainoaa kohdegeenia, vaan ennemmin useamman geenin joukko, jotka kaikki ovat monistuneita ja yli-ilmentyneita ja yhdessa vaikuttavat syopasolujen eri ominaisuuksiin. Seka ARPC1A, ARPC1B etta KPNA7 toimivat tarkeissa solun toimintaan vaikuttavissa tehtavissa, ja ovat siten potentiaalisia uusien syopahoitojen kohteita. MikroRNA:t ovat lyhyita yksijuosteisia RNA-molekyyleja, joilla on tarkea tehtava geenien ilmentymisen saatelyssa. Myos niiden ilmentyminen on usein hairiintynyt syovassa. Mikro-RNA:iden ilmentymista tutkittiin haimasyopasolulinjoissa seka normaalista haimasta peraisin olevissa naytteissa, ja tarkoituksena oli tunnistaa sellaiset mikro-RNA:t, joiden ilmentyminen oli muuttunut syovassa. …
Non-linear relationship between gamma-glutamyl transferase and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk: secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study

Objective To investigate the association between gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk. Methods This was a secondary analysis based on a publicly available DRYAD dataset that included 15 444 study participants that received medical examinations at a single centre in Japan between 2004 and 2015. Crude, minimally-adjusted and fully-adjusted regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between GGT levels and T2DM risk. Results The study participants (mean ± SD age of 43.72 ± 8.90 years; 8415 of 15 444 [54.49%] were male) were followed-up for a median of 1968 days (5.39 years). After adjusting for potential covariates, a non-linear relationship between the baseline GGT level and T2DM incidence was observed. The inflection point for T2DM risk was 10 IU/l GGT; below this point, the T2DM incidence increased by 1.18-fold per unit change in GGT. Above this point, the association between GGT and the incidence rate of T2DM became nonsignificant. Conclusion Baseline GGT exhibited a non-linear association with T2DM incidence. Elevated GGT levels should be incorporated into routine screening for individuals at high risk of T2DM, allowing for early intervention targeting GGT to potentially reduce T2DM-related morbidity.
Age-dependent survival in rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis: A nationwide questionnaire survey from children to the elderly

Background Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) has been known to have a poor prognosis. Although evidence across adult RPGN cases has accumulated over many years, the number of case series in adolescents and young adults has been limited, requiring further studies. Methods A total of 1,766 cases from 1989 to 2007 were included in this nationwide questionnaire survey, led by Intractable (former name, Progressive) Renal Diseases Research, Research on intractable disease, from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. To elucidate age-related differences in 2-year patient and renal survival rates, the cases were divided into the following four groups: children (0–18 years), young adults (19–39 years), the middle-aged (40–64 years), and the elderly (over 65 years). Results Of the 1,766 total RPGN cases, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated glomerulonephritis comprised 1,128 cases (63.9% of all RPGN cases), showing a tendency to increase with age. Two-year patient survival for RPGN was 93.9% among children, 92.6% in young adults, 83.2% in the middle-aged, and 68.8% in the elderly. The younger group (children plus young adults) showed a clearly higher survival rate compared to the older group (middle-aged plus elderly) (p<0.05). ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis also showed similar age-related results with all RPGN cases. The comparison of renal prognosis showed no statistically significant differences both in RPGN and in ANCA-associated GN. Conclusion The present study described the age-dependent characteristics of the classification of RPGN, especially focusing on a better prognosis of the younger group in patient survival both in RPGN and in ANCA-associated GN.
40-Year Projections of Disability and Social Isolation of Older Adults for Long-Range Policy Planning in Singapore

Against a rapidly aging population, projections are done to size up the demand for long-term care (LTC) services for long-range policy planning. These projections are typically focused on functional factors such as disability. Recent studies indicate the importance of social factors, for example, socially isolated seniors living alone are more likely to be institutionalized, resulting in higher demand for LTC services. This is one the first known studies to complete a 40-year projection of LTC demand based on disability and social isolation. The primary micro dataset was the Retirement and Health Survey, Singapore’s first nationally representative longitudinal study of noninstitutionalized older adults aged 45 to 85 with over 15,000 respondents. Disability prevalence across the mild to severe spectrum is projected to increase five-fold over the next 40 years, and the number of socially isolated elders living alone is projected to grow four-fold. Regression models of living arrangements revealed interesting ethnic differences: Malay elders are 2.6 times less likely to live alone than their Chinese counterparts, controlling for marital status, age, and housing type. These projections provide a glimpse of the growing demand for LTC services for a rapidly aging Singapore and underscore the need to shore up community-based resources to enable seniors to age-in-place.
Neuroimmune Mechanisms and Sex/Gender-Dependent Effects in the Pathophysiology of Mental Disorders

Innate and adaptive immune mechanisms have emerged as critical regulators of CNS homeostasis and mental health. A plethora of immunologic factors have been reported to interact with emotion- and behavior-related neuronal circuits, modulating susceptibility and resilience to mental disorders. However, it remains unclear whether immune dysregulation is a cardinal causal factor or an outcome of the pathologies associated with mental disorders. Emerging variations in immune regulatory pathways based on sex differences provide an additional framework for discussion in these psychiatric disorders. In this review, we present the current literature pertaining to the effects that disrupted immune pathways have in mental disorder pathophysiology, including immune dysregulation in CNS and periphery, microglial activation, and disturbances of the blood-brain barrier. In addition, we present the suggested origins of such immune dysregulation and discuss the gender and sex influence of the neuroimmune substrates that contribute to mental disorders. The findings challenge the conventional view of these disorders and open the window to a diverse spectrum of innovative therapeutic targets that focus on the immune-specific pathophenotypes in neuronal circuits and behavior. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The involvement of gender-dependent inflammatory mechanisms on the development of mental pathologies is gaining momentum. This review addresses these novel factors and presents the accumulating evidence introducing microglia and proinflammatory elements as critical components and potential targets for the treatment of mental disorders.