Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dietary influences on bone mass and bone metabolism: further evidence of a positive link between fruit and vegetable consumption and bone health?

BACKGROUND The role of nutritional influences on bone health remains largely undefined because most studies have focused attention on calcium intake. OBJECTIVE We reported previously that intakes of nutrients found in abundance in fruit and vegetables are positively associated with bone health. We examined this finding further by considering axial and peripheral bone mass and markers of bone metabolism. DESIGN This was a cross-sectional study of 62 healthy women aged 45-55 y. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine and femoral neck and by peripheral quantitative computed tomography at the ultradistal radial total, trabecular, and cortical sites. Bone resorption was calculated by measuring urinary excretion of pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline and bone formation by measuring serum osteocalcin. Nutrient intakes were assessed by using a validated food-frequency questionnaire; other lifestyle factors were assessed by additional questions. RESULTS After present energy intake was controlled for, higher intakes of magnesium, potassium, and alcohol were associated with higher total bone mass by Pearson correlation (P < 0.05 to P < 0.005). Femoral neck BMD was higher in women who had consumed high amounts of fruit in their childhood than in women who had consumed medium or low amounts (P < 0.01). In a regression analysis with age, weight, height, menstrual status, and dietary intake entered into the model, magnesium intake accounted for 12.3% of the variation in pyridinoline excretion and 12% of the variation in deoxypyridinoline excretion. Alcohol and potassium intakes accounted for 18.1% of the variation in total forearm bone mass. CONCLUSION The BMD results confirm our previous work (but at peripheral bone mass sites), and our findings associating bone resorption with dietary factors provide further evidence of a positive link between fruit and vegetable consumption and bone health.
A Novel Set of Nuclear Localization Signals Determine Distributions of the αCP RNA-Binding Proteins

ABSTRACT αCPs comprise a subfamily of KH-domain-containing RNA-binding proteins with specificity for C-rich pyrimidine tracts. These proteins play pivotal roles in a broad spectrum of posttranscriptional events. The five major αCP isoforms are encoded by four dispersed loci. Each isoform contains three repeats of the RNA-binding KH domain (KH1, KH2, and KH3) but lacks other identifiable motifs. To explore the complexity of their respective functions, we examined the subcellular localization of each αCP isoform. Immunofluorescence studies revealed three distinct distributions: αCP1 and αCP2 are predominantly nuclear with specific enrichment of αCP1 in nuclear speckles, αCP3 and αCP4 are restricted to the cytoplasm, and αCP2-KL, an αCP2 splice variant, is present at significant levels in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. We mapped nuclear localization signals (NLSs) for αCP isoforms. αCP2 contains two functionally independent NLS. Both NLSs appear to be novel and were mapped to a 9-amino-acid segment between KH2 and KH3 (NLS I) and to a 12-amino-acid segment within KH3 (NLS II). NLS I is conserved in αCP1, whereas NLS II is inactivated by two amino acid substitutions. Neither NLS is present in αCP3 or αCP4. Consistent with mapping studies, deletion of NLS I from αCP1 blocks its nuclear accumulation, whereas NLS I and NLS II must both be inactivated to block nuclear accumulation of αCP2. These data demonstrate an unexpected complexity in the compartmentalization of αCP isoforms and identify two novel NLS that play roles in their respective distributions. This complexity of αCP distribution is likely to contribute to the diverse functions mediated by this group of abundant RNA-binding proteins.
Through-thickness air permeability of woven fabric under low pressure compression

Through-thickness permeability (TTP) is one primary property of technical textiles used in air-related applications, such as filtration and protection. The TTP depends on the textile geometrical factors and usually varies according to the test conditions. In this article, the effect of low air pressure compression (LPC) on TTP of woven fabric was investigated. Nine woven fabrics were measured for the relationships of LPC and thickness, LPC and fabric in-plane dimensions, air pressure drop (APD) and air velocity, as well as LPC and fabric TTP. A dramatic decrease of woven fabric thickness was found below the APD value of 200 Pa and less decreased thickness was observed with a continued increase of APD. The variation of fabric in-planar dimensions was found to be negligible during LPC. The plot relationship of the APD and measured air velocity was presented in linearity for most fabric samples. The fabric TTP showed a linear proportion to the fabric thickness, indicating the fabric to be more permeable with the increase of thickness. A sensitivity study showed an evident difference between using fabric constant and decreased (LPC) thickness in calculating TTP, disclosing the importance of compression in fabric TTP evaluation.
Hydrogen plasma treatments for passivation of amorphous-crystalline silicon-heterojunctions on surfaces promoting epitaxy

The impact of post-deposition hydrogen plasma treatment (HPT) on passivation in amorphous/crystalline silicon (a-Si:H/c-Si) interfaces is investigated. Combining low temperature a-Si:H deposition and successive HPT, a high minority carrier lifetime >8 ms is achieved on c-Si 〈100〉, which is otherwise prone to epitaxial growth and thus inferior passivation. It is shown that the passivation improvement stems from diffusion of hydrogen atoms to the heterointerface and subsequent dangling bond passivation. Concomitantly, the a-Si:H hydrogen density increases, leading to band gap widening and void formation, while the film disorder is not increased. Thus, HPT allows for a-Si:H band gap and a-Si:H/c-Si band offset engineering.
High Detectivity and Transparent Few‐Layer MoS2/Glassy‐Graphene Heterostructure Photodetectors

Layered van der Waals heterostructures have attracted considerable attention recently, due to their unique properties both inherited from individual two‐dimensional (2D) components and imparted from their interactions. Here, a novel few‐layer MoS2/glassy‐graphene heterostructure, synthesized by a layer‐by‐layer transfer technique, and its application as transparent photodetectors are reported for the first time. Instead of a traditional Schottky junction, coherent ohmic contact is formed at the interface between the MoS2 and the glassy‐graphene nanosheets. The device exhibits pronounced wavelength selectivity as illuminated by monochromatic lights. A responsivity of 12.3 mA W−1 and detectivity of 1.8 × 1010 Jones are obtained from the photodetector under 532 nm light illumination. Density functional theory calculations reveal the impact of specific carbon atomic arrangement in the glassy‐graphene on the electronic band structure. It is demonstrated that the band alignment of the layered heterostructures can be manipulated by lattice engineering of 2D nanosheets to enhance optoelectronic performance.
Achieving High Output Utility under Limited Resources through Structure-based Spilling in XML Streams

Because of high volumes and unpredictable arrival rates, stream processing systems are not always able to keep up with input data - resulting in buffer overﬂow and uncontrolled loss of data. To produce eventually complete results, load spilling, which pushes some fractions of data to disks temporarily, is commonly employed in relational stream engine. In this work, we now introduce “structure-based spilling”, a spilling technique customized for XML streams by considering the partial spillage of their possibly complex XML elements. Such structure-based spilling brings new challenges. First we devise an algorithm, based on the underlying theory of tree pattern containment relationships, that correctly derives the spilling effects on the query plan efﬁciently. We also examine how to guarantee to generate an entire result set eventually by producing supplementary results in the clean-up stage. Second we tackle the optimization problem, namely, the selection of the reduced query that maximizes output quality. For this, we develop three alternative optimization strategies, namely, OptR, OptPrune and ToX. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed solutions consistently achieve higher quality results compared to state-of-the-art techniques.
Prevalence and trends of overweight among preschool children in developing countries.

BACKGROUND Obesity during childhood is a matter of growing concern. Several reports show increasing rates of obesity in developed countries, whereas the extent of the problem in developing countries remains unknown. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to fill this gap by quantifying the prevalence and trends of overweight among preschool children in developing countries. DESIGN One hundred sixty nationally representative cross-sectional surveys from 94 countries were analyzed in a standardized way to allow comparisons across countries and over time. Overweight was defined as a weight-for-height >2 SDs from the National Center for Health Statistics/World Health Organization international reference median. Prevalences of wasted children (< -2 SDs) are also presented to enable comparisons between both ends of the distribution. RESULTS The global prevalence of overweight was 3.3%. Some countries and regions, however, had considerably higher rates, and overweight was shown to increase in 16 of 38 countries with trend data. Countries with the highest prevalences of overweight are located mainly in the Middle East, North Africa, and Latin America. Rates of wasting were generally higher than those of overweight; Africa and Asia had wasting rates 2.5-3.5 times higher than overweight rates. Countries with high wasting rates tended to have low overweight rates and vice versa. CONCLUSIONS These estimates show that attention should be paid to monitoring levels and trends of overweight in children. This, however, should not be done at the expense of decreasing international commitments to alleviating undernutrition. The data presented confirm that undernutrition remains a major public health problem worldwide.
Effect of distracting faces on visual selective attention in the monkey

Significance Primates express a natural interest in faces. The viewing of faces with an emotional expression affects emotion circuits in the brain, even when they are not directly attended. This has led to a debate about whether faces attract attention automatically. We tested the influence of emotional faces as irrelevant distracters in an attention task in monkeys. Task performance was most affected when facial expression was threatening, especially when presented for durations longer than 200 ms. We conclude that, in monkeys, emotional distractors do attract attention away from other tasks but not instantly. Administration of the hormone oxytocin reduced the effect. Among the brain systems likely involved are areas where oxytocin receptors are abundant. In primates, visual stimuli with social and emotional content tend to attract attention. Attention might be captured through rapid, automatic, subcortical processing or guided by slower, more voluntary cortical processing. Here we examined whether irrelevant faces with varied emotional expressions interfere with a covert attention task in macaque monkeys. In the task, the monkeys monitored a target grating in the periphery for a subtle color change while ignoring distracters that included faces appearing elsewhere on the screen. The onset time of distracter faces before the target change, as well as their spatial proximity to the target, was varied from trial to trial. The presence of faces, especially faces with emotional expressions interfered with the task, indicating a competition for attentional resources between the task and the face stimuli. However, this interference was significant only when faces were presented for greater than 200 ms. Emotional faces also affected saccade velocity and reduced pupillary reflex. Our results indicate that the attraction of attention by emotional faces in the monkey takes a considerable amount of processing time, possibly involving cortical–subcortical interactions. Intranasal application of the hormone oxytocin ameliorated the interfering effects of faces. Together these results provide evidence for slow modulation of attention by emotional distracters, which likely involves oxytocinergic brain circuits.
Measurement results of substrate bias dependency on Negative Bias Temperature Instability degradation in a 65 nm process

The transistor size keeps shrinking by Moore's law and timing degradation of the scaled transistors is becoming critical. Recently, the scaling of CMOS technology increases the effect of NBTI (Negative Bias Temperature Instability) in PMOS. NBTI is an important reliability issue for analog as well as digital CMOS circuits. As transistors are scaled refined, the impact of NBTI becomes more critical. This paper deals with relationship between NBTI and the substrate bias. If the substrate bias go a forward, degradation of NBTI is accelerated. We show measurement results of degradation due to NBTI according to the forward and reverse body biases.
Finding out the audio and visual features that influence the perception of laughter intensity and differ in inhalation and exhalation phases

This paper presents the results of the analysis of laughter expressive behavior. First we present the intensity annotation study of an audiovisual corpus of spontaneous laughter. In the second part of the paper we present the analysis of audio and visual cues that influence the perception of laughter intensity, as well as the study of audio and visual features that differ in laughter inhalation and
Dietary caffeine intake and bone status of postmenopausal women.

Dietary caffeine intake has been suggested as a risk factor for bone loss in postmenopausal women. We measured the bone density of both hips and the total body in 138 healthy, postmenopausal women aged 55-70 y who had either never used hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or had used HRT for < 1 y. In this cross-sectional study, participants were stratified according to their reported current and long-time caffeinated beverage use into one of three groups: low [0-2 cups (180 mL, or 6 oz per cup) caffeinated coffee per day], moderate (3-4 cups caffeinated coffee per day), or high (> or = 5 cups caffeinated coffee per day). Caffeine intake was measured from diet records and by gas chromatography of each subject's brewed, caffeinated beverages. No association between caffeine intake and any bone measurement was observed. The anthropometric and nutrient intakes of the three groups were similar. Compared with caffeine intake based on chemical analysis of brewed beverages, 3-d prospective food records and computer-assisted analysis overestimated caffeine intake by nearly two-thirds. In conclusion, the habitual dietary caffeine intake of this cohort of 138 postmenopausal women ranged from 0-1400 mg/d and was not associated with total body or hip bone mineral density measurements. This study does not support the notion that caffeine is a risk factor for bone loss in healthy postmenopausal women.
Editorial: Genomics and Epigenomics of Tumor and Aging Cells

It is well established that aberrant DNA methylation, as well as genetic heterogeneity are the hallmarks of malignancies. More recently, it was shown that similar features are accompanying many degenerative processes and in particular aging. However, distinct specific processes of malignant transformation or aging may be characterized by the different changes within particular cell genomics and/or epigenomics. Therefore, in the proposed special issue of Current Genomics entitled “Genomics and epigenomics of tumor and aging cells” we have collected recent research and review papers especially on the genomics and epigenomics of aging and/or malignantly transformed cells in the field of the degenerative diseases, including neurodegeneration, dementia, and tumors.
Analysis of mechanical properties at different levels of the periodontal ligament

Background/Purpose: As a soft connective tissue, the Periodontal Ligament (PDL) exhibits material properties which are not the same at different levels. Study concerning the mechanical properties of human PDL was not reported in nanoindentation method with a flat punch. Materials and Methods: A quantitative and a qualitative analysis for cervical margin, midroot and apex were made. According to the Oliver-Pharr theory, the mean value of the elastic modulus was calculated for each level. A generalized Kelvin model was used to fit the experimental load-displacement curve of the loading part at different levels, the model parameters were obtained by least-square method. The difference of stress distribution of the PDL for linear and viscoelastic model was compared with finite element method. Result: In midroot section, the average elastic modulus ranges from 0.11 to 0.23 MPa, the range of the cervical margin and apex changed from 0.21 to 0.53 MPa, and 0.44 to 0.62 MPa, respectively. Apex section shows a higher creep compliance than that on the other two sections. Conclusion: Experimental results indicate that average elastic modulus in midroot was lower than that at the cervical margin and the apex. The results derived with generalized Kelvin model agrees well with the test data, the stress in the PDL derived with viscoelastic model is lower than that with elastic model.
The pathogen-associated iroA gene cluster mediates bacterial evasion of lipocalin 2

Numerous bacteria cope with the scarcity of iron in their microenvironment by synthesizing small iron-scavenging molecules known as siderophores. Mammals have evolved countermeasures to block siderophore-mediated iron acquisition as part of their innate immune response. Secreted lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) sequesters the Escherichia coli siderophore enterobactin (Ent), preventing E. coli from acquiring iron and protecting mammals from infection by E. coli. Here, we show that the iroA gene cluster, found in many pathogenic strains of Gram-negative enteric bacteria, including E. coli, Salmonella spp. , and Klebsiella pneumoniae, allows bacteria to evade sequestration of Ent by Lcn2. We demonstrate that C-glucosylated derivatives of Ent produced by iroA-encoded enzymes do not bind purified Lcn2, and an iroA-harboring strain of E. coli is insensitive to the growth inhibitory effects of Lcn2 in vitro. Furthermore, we show that mice rapidly succumb to infection by an iroA-harboring strain of E. coli but not its wild-type counterpart, and that this increased virulence depends on evasion of host Lcn2. Our findings indicate that the iroA gene cluster allows bacteria to evade this component of the innate immune system, rejuvenating their Ent-mediated iron-acquisition pathway and playing an important role in their virulence.
MINERALIZACIÓN DE DIOXIDO DE CARBONO MEDIANTE CARBONATACIÓN DE RESIDUOS TÉRMICOS.

Greenhouse gases are emitted to the atmosphere through natural processes and human activities. The increase in emissions has forced the international community towards the adoption of actions focused on their reduction. Carbon dioxide sequestration by carbonation is one of the alternatives under development in order to achieve that objective. In carbonation processes diverse reagents can be used, as mineral deposits and industrial wastes. During the present research it was proved that Air Pollution Control (APC) wastes, one of the thermal residues generated in Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) plants, due to their chemical properties and composition, are a source of alkaline material required for the potential sequestration of the CO2 emitted by the industrial activities. An accelerated carbonation process was investigated for APC ashes. Samples from different MSWI plants were treated by gas/solid carbonation at different temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations. The residues were characterized before and after the treatment with the purpose of knowing their chemical composition, their acid neutralization capacity, mineralogical phases, thermal decomposition and leaching behaviour. The treated samples were analyzed by different methodologies to obtain information about the carbonation degree during the treatment. The results obtained allow concluding that CO2 absorption using APC wastes should be considered as an effective alternative in terms of safety carbon dioxide storage and a technology that can contribute to the mitigation of carbon dioxide emissions.
Quantification of information transfer rate of the human hand during a mouse clicking task with healthy adults and one adult with Duchenne muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular Dystrophy (DMD) Is a progressive muscle degenerative disease. Active hand assistive devices, can improve the quality of life of people with DMD. Such devices show a rejection rate due to complexity. Our hypothesis is, that a simple orthosis might prove more functional and realistic in assisting people with DMD. To investigate, we developed a portable setup that provides various visual stimuli and records the response of the subjects' fingers through a mouse clicking task. Six LEDs served as visual stimuli. The subjects' responses were obtained through mechanical interaction with two vertical mice. Different combinations of frequencies and numbers of stimuli were tested with 8 healthy subjects and one with DMD. Performance was evaluated in terms of information transfer rate (ITR), pattern accuracy and perceived workload. The outcome shows that lower complexity results in lower ITR and lower workload for all subjects. While for healthy subjects, maximum ITR was 4.3 bits/s, for DMD maximum ITR was 2.5 bits/s. Both maxima were achieved at the same trial (3 fingers at 2 Hz). This trial agrees with a pareto optimization analysis of ITR with respect to workload. The results support our hypothesis for a simple yet functional solution. Furthermore healthy subjects and the individual with DMD, in principal show similar finger control, albeit with lower absolute performance.