Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do trans fatty acids from industrially produced sources and from natural sources have the same effect on cardiovascular disease risk factors in healthy subjects? Results of the trans Fatty Acids Collaboration (TRANSFACT) study.

BACKGROUND The consumption of monounsaturated trans fatty acids (TFAs) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Putative differences between the effects of TFAs from industrially produced and natural sources on CVD risk markers were not previously investigated in healthy subjects. OBJECTIVE We aimed to compare the effects of TFAs from industrially produced and natural sources on HDL and LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein particle size and distribution, apolipoproteins, and other lipids in healthy subjects. DESIGN In a randomized, double-blind, controlled, crossover design, 46 healthy subjects (22 men and 24 women) consumed food items containing TFAs (11-12 g/d, representing approximately 5% of daily energy) from the 2 sources. RESULTS Forty subjects (19 men and 21 women) completed the study. Compared with TFAs from industrially produced sources, TFAs from natural sources significantly (P = 0.012) increased HDL cholesterol in women but not in men. Significant (P = 0.001) increases in LDL-cholesterol concentrations were observed in women, but not in men, after the consumption of TFAs from natural sources. Apolipoprotein (apo)B and apoA1 concentrations confirmed the changes observed in LDL and HDL cholesterol. Analysis of lipoprotein subclass showed that only large HDL and LDL concentrations were modified by TFAs from natural sources but not by those from industrially produced sources. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that TFAs from industrially produced and from natural sources have different effects on CVD risk factors in women. The HDL cholesterol-lowering property of TFAs seems to be specific to industrial sources. However, it is difficult in the present study to draw a conclusion about the effect of TFAs from either source on absolute CVD risk in these normolipidemic subjects. The mechanism underlying the observed sex- and isomer-specific effects warrants further investigation.
Correlation of MRI-derived adipose tissue measurements and anthropometric markers with prevalent hypertension in the community

Objectives: To compare the correlations of MRI-derived adipose tissue measurements and anthropometric markers, respectively, with prevalent hypertension in a community-based sample, free of clinical cardiovascular disease. Methods: MRI-derived adipose tissue measurements were obtained in 345 participants (143 women; age 39–73 years) of the KORA FF4 survey from Southern Germany using a 3-Tesla machine and included total adipose tissue (TAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCAT), hepatic fat fraction (HFF), pancreatic fat fraction (PFF) as well as pericardial adipose tissue (PAT). In addition, the anthropometric markers body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist–hip ratio (WHR) and waist–height ratio (WHtR) as well as blood pressure measurements were obtained. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 33.6% (women: 28%, men: 38%). VAT and PAT had the highest area under the curve (AUC) values for identifying individuals with prevalent hypertension (AUC: 0.75; 0.73, respectively), whereas WHtR and waist circumference were best performing anthropometric markers (AUC: 0.72; 0.70, respectively). A 1SD increment of TAT was associated with the highest odd for hypertension in the age-adjusted and sex-adjusted model (OR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.67–2.91, P < 0.001) and in the fully adjusted model (OR = 1.97, 95% CI 1.45–2.66, P < 0.001). TAT was the only MRI-derived adipose tissue measurement that was associated with hypertension independently of the best performing anthropometric marker waist circumference in the fully adjusted model (OR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.00–3.72, P = 0.049). Conclusion: MRI-derived adipose tissue measurements perform similarly in identifying prevalent hypertension compared with anthropometric markers. Especially, TAT, VAT and PAT as well as WHtR and waist circumference were highly correlated with prevalent hypertension.
Apoptotic effect of mtrix metalloproteinases 9 in the development of diabetic retinopathy.

OBJECTIVE To explore the potential regulatory mechanism of MMP9 in the development of DR. METHODS Plasmids pcDNA-MMP9 and pcDNA-Ang2 were transfected into primary rat retinal Müller cells (RMCs) using Lipofectamine 2000. Cell viability and apoptosis were respectively determined by MTT assay and flow cytometry. Moreover, the interaction between MMP9 and Ang2 was explored. Besides, RMCs were treated with MMP-9 under normal glucose and high glucose condition for 2d. Besides, the expression levels of apoptotic proteins, like MMP9, Ang2, Bax2, Bcl2, cleaved PARP and cleaved caspase3 were determined by Western blot. RESULTS The cell viability of siRNA-MMP9 group was significantly increased while decreased in MMP9 overexpression group when compared to control group, respectively. The apoptotic cells in MMP9 overexpression group significantly increased while decreased in siRNA-MMP9 group when compared with control group. MMP9 expression was significantly regulated by Ang2 whereas no significant changes occurred in Ang2 expression when MMP9 expression changed. Moreover, MMP9 expression in HG group significantly increased while there were no significant differences between NG group and control group. Besides, the expression of Bax2, Bcl2, cleaved PARP and cleaved caspase3 in HG group increased while there were no significant differences between NG group and control group. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that MMP9 may play an important role via inducing cell apoptosis in the development of DR via regulating by Ang2 or targeting apoptotic proteins, such as Bax2, Bcl2, cleaved PARP and cleaved caspase3.
On the cognitive basis of contact-induced sound change: Vowel merger reversal in Shanghainese

Abstract:This study investigates the source and status of a recent sound change in Shanghainese (Wu, Sinitic) that has been attributed to language contact with Mandarin. The change involves two vowels, /e/ and /ɛ/, reported to be merged three decades ago but produced distinctly in contemporary Shanghainese. Results of two production experiments show that speaker age, language mode (monolingual Shanghainese vs. bilingual Shanghainese-Mandarin), and crosslinguistic phonological similarity all influence the production of these vowels. These findings provide evidence for language contact as a linguistic means of merger reversal and are consistent with the view that contact phenomena originate from cross-language interaction within the bilingual mind.
Serum cholesteryl fatty acid composition and plasma glucose concentrations in Amerindian women.

BACKGROUND Diabetes mellitus has reached epidemic proportions in women of Amerindian origin. The risk of developing diabetes has been found to be related to the serum fatty acid composition in whites. OBJECTIVE We prospectively investigated the relation between the serum cholesteryl fatty acid composition and changes in fasting plasma glucose concentrations in Peruvian Indian women who are characterized by hyperinsulinemia in comparison to white women. DESIGN A 5-y follow-up study of 73 women with normal fasting plasma glucose values was undertaken by performing a survey in 1999 and a follow-up survey in 2004. The studied variables included anthropometric measurements, plasma insulin and leptin, dietary food consumption from 24-h recall, blood pressure, and serum fatty acid composition. RESULTS The participants developed significantly higher fasting plasma glucose concentrations in 2004 compared with 1999 (P < 0.0001) with unaltered plasma insulin values. Palmitoleic acid (16:1n-7) in 1999 was the only fatty acid that was significantly correlated to glucose concentration at follow-up. In a multiple regression analysis that included waist circumference, percentage of body fat, systolic blood pressure, and circulating triacylglycerol, insulin, leptin, and 16:1n-7 as independent determinants, 16:1n-7 and systolic blood pressure were the only significant determinants of plasma glucose concentration 5 y later. CONCLUSIONS A high proportion of 16:1n-7 in serum is an independent predictor of high plasma glucose concentrations in Amerindian women. The reason for this association remains to be elucidated.
Applying Notions and Methods of Fuzzy Set Theory to Analysis of Microstructure of Cotton Fracture

The degree of cotton maturity is a significant parameter characterising the properties of a fibre. Many textile properties depends on the degree of cotton maturity. A frequently applied method for determining this is based on the so-called ‘Russian standards’ which have been long applied in Poland. This paper proposes another method for determining the degree of cotton maturity, based on a cotton fracture image from a scanning electron microscope. For this analysis of the cotton image, the elements of fuzzy set theory are applied. Since categories of images of cotton fracture do not have clearly defined boundaries, the application of fuzzy set theory for determining the degree of maturity seems justified.
Variability of measured resting metabolic rate.

BACKGROUND The necessity of a 12-h fast before resting metabolic rate (RMR) is measured is often a barrier to measuring RMR. OBJECTIVE We compared RMR measurements obtained in the morning and afternoon and across repeated days to elucidate the magnitude and sources of variability. DESIGN Healthy men (n = 12) and women (n = 25) aged 21-67 y, with body mass indexes (in kg/m(2)) ranging from 17 to 34 and body fat ranging from 6% to 54%, completed 4 RMR measurements. RMR measurements were made in the morning (after a 12-h fast and 12 h postexercise) and in the afternoon (after a 4-h fast and 12 h postexercise) on 2 separate days with the ventilated-hood technique. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS Mean (+/- SE) afternoon RMR was significantly higher than morning RMR on both visit 1 (1593.5 +/- 35.6 compared with 1508.0 +/- 31.5 kcal/d; P = 0.001) and visit 2 (1602 +/- 29.3 compared with 1511.4 +/- 35.9 kcal/d; P = 0.001). The 2 morning measurements (r = 0.93) and the 2 afternoon measurements (r = 0.93) were highly correlated, and no significant differences between measurements were observed. The mean difference between the morning and afternoon measurements was 99.0 +/- 35.8 kcal/d (6%). CONCLUSIONS Repeated morning and evening measurements of RMR were stable and highly correlated. Day-to-day measurements of RMR were not significantly different. RMR measured in the afternoon after a 4-h fast and exercise was approximately 100 kcal/d higher than RMR measured in the morning.
Prospective comparison of four laparoscopic vessel ligation devices.

PURPOSE The merits of laparoscopic sealing devices have been poorly characterized. The purpose of this study was to compare two bipolar sealing devices [LigaSure V (LS) and Gyrus PK (GP)], an ultrasonic device [Harmonic Scalpel ACE (HS)] and a novel device using nanotechnology [EnSeal PTC (ES)]. MATERIALS AND METHODS The ability of all four 5 mm devices to seal 5 mm bovine arteries was tested under controlled temperature and humidity in accordance with manufacturer specifications. Study endpoints included lateral thermal spread, time to seal, burst pressure, smoke production and subjective (blinded review of video clips) and objective (measured using an aerosol monitor) effect upon visibility. RESULTS The HS demonstrated the least thermal spread. The LS (10.0 secs) and GP (11.1 secs) had the fastest sealing times (p<0.001 for both) when compared to ES (19.2 sec) and HS (14.3 sec). Mean burst pressure values were: LS 385 mm Hg, GP 290 mm Hg, ES 255 mm Hg and HS 204 mm Hg. The HS had the best subjective visibility score and the lowest objective smoke production (2.88 ppm) compared to the GP (74.1 ppm), ES (21.6 ppm) and LS (12.5 ppm), (p<0.01 for all). CONCLUSIONS The LS has the highest burst pressure and fastest sealing time and was the highest rated overall. The HS produced the lowest thermal spread and smoke but had the lowest mean burst pressure. The GP had the highest smoke production, and variable burst pressures. Despite employing nanotechnology, the ES device was the slowest and had variable burst pressures.
Computer Vision on the GPU

A transistor circuit is formed on a substrate having source and drain electrodes and multiple current-controlling gates. The two current-controlling gates are separated by spacer oxide material. The first gate is an metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) gate that is insulated from the substrate by a layer of gate oxide. The second gate is a junction field effect transistor (JFET) gate contiguous to the MOS gate that is insulated from the MOS gate by a layer of spacer oxide.
Lower estimates of net endogenous non-carbonic acid production are positively associated with indexes of bone health in premenopausal and perimenopausal women.

BACKGROUND The link between acid-base homeostasis and skeletal integrity has gained increasing prominence in the literature. Estimation of the net rate of endogenous non-carbonic acid production (NEAP) from dietary protein and potassium content enables exploration of the effects of dietary acidity or alkalinity on bone. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to ascertain whether lower dietary acidity (lower dietary protein intake but higher potassium intake-ie, low estimate of NEAP) was associated with greater axial and peripheral bone mass and less bone turnover, independent of key confounding factors. DESIGN Baseline (cross-sectional) results of a population-based study were examined further. The database includes spine and hip bone mineral density (BMD) in 1056 premenopausal or perimenopausal women aged 45-54 y and forearm bone mass and the urinary markers of bone resorption in 62 women. A validated food-frequency questionnaire was used to measure dietary intakes. RESULTS Lower estimates of energy-adjusted NEAP were correlated with greater spine and hip BMD and greater forearm bone mass (P < 0.02 to P < 0.05). Hip and forearm bone mass decreased significantly across increasing quartiles of energy-adjusted NEAP (P < 0.02 to P < 0.03), and trends at the spine were similar (P < 0.09). Differences remained significant after adjustment for age, weight, height, and menstrual status. Lower estimates of energy-adjusted NEAP were also correlated with lower excretion of deoxypyridinoline and were significant predictors of spine and forearm bone mass. CONCLUSIONS These novel findings provide evidence of a positive link between a ratio of lower protein to higher potassium dietary intake (ie, less dietary acid) and skeletal integrity.
Uncovering Latent Mobility Patterns from Twitter During Mass Events

The investigation of human activity in location-based social networks such as Twitter is one promising example of exploring spatial structures in order to infer underlying mobility patterns. Previous work regarding Twitter analysis is mainly focused on the spatiotemporal classification of events. However, since the information about the occurrence of a general event can in many cases be considered as given, one identified research gap is the exploration of human spatial behavior within specific mass events to potentially characterize underlying, locally occurring mobility clusters. One key challenge is to explore whether this noisy biased dataset can be a reliable source for the knowledge discovery of human mobility during mass events. In this paper we therefore present an advanced methodologycal framework, including a generative semantic topic modeling and local spatial autocorrelation approach, to observe both spatiotemporal and semantic clusters during a major sports event in Boston in the US. Our results of the observed spatiotemporally and semantically clustered tweets within the selected case study area have shown the possibility of deriving intra-urban event related mobility patterns with similar spatiotemporal movement.
Low- and high-carbohydrate weight-loss diets have similar effects on mood but not cognitive performance.

BACKGROUND Low-carbohydrate diets are often used to promote weight loss, but their effects on psychological function are largely unknown. OBJECTIVE We compared the effects of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LCHF) diet with a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat (HCLF) diet on mood and cognitive function. DESIGN Ninety-three overweight or obese participants [x +/- SEM age: 50.2 +/- 0.8 y; body mass index (in kg/m2): 33.6 +/- 0.4] were randomly assigned to an energy-restricted ( approximately 6-7 MJ, 30% deficit), planned isocaloric LCHF diet or an HCLF diet for 8 wk. Body weight and psychological well-being were measured by using the Profile of Mood States, Beck Depression Inventory, and Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory instruments at baseline and fortnightly. Cognitive functioning (working memory and speed of processing) was assessed at baseline and week 8. RESULTS The LCHF diet resulted in significantly greater weight loss than did the HCLF diet (7.8 +/- 0.4 and 6.4 +/- 0.4 kg, respectively; P = 0.04). Both groups showed improvements in psychological well-being (P < 0.01 for time), with the greatest effect occurring during the first 2 wk, but there was no significant difference between groups. There were no significant between-group differences in working memory (P = 0.68), but there was a significant time x diet interaction for speed of processing (P = 0.04), so that this measure improved less in the LCHF than in the HCLF diet group. CONCLUSIONS Both dietary patterns significantly reduced body weight and were associated with improvements in mood. There was some evidence for a smaller improvement in cognitive functioning with the LCHF diet with respect to speed of processing, but further studies are required to determine the replicability of this finding.
New Aspects in Numerical Representations Involved in DNA Repeats Detection Petre

The presence of repeated sequences is a fundamental feature of biological genomes. The detection of tandem repeats is important in biology and medicine as it can be used for phylogenic studies and disease diagnosis. A major difficulty in identification of repeats arises from the fact that the repeat units can be either exact or imperfect, in tandem or dispersed, and of unspecified length. Many of the methods for detecting repeated sequences are part of the digital signal processing field. These methods involve the application of a kind of transformation. Applying a transform technique requires mapping the symbolic domain into the numeric domain in such a way that no additional structure is placed on the symbolic sequence beyond that inherent to it. Therefore the numerical representation of genomic signals is very important. This paper presents results obtained by combining grey level spectrograms with two novel numerical representations to isolate position and length of DNA repeats. Key-Words: Genomic Signal Processing, Sequence Repeats, DNA Representations, Fourier analysis, Spectrograms
Inhibition of calcium absorption and elevation of calcium removal rate from bone in fluoride-treated calves.

Nutritional balances, 45Cakinetics and roentgenologA­astudies were per formed on six Holstein calves, three of which had been given 100 ppm fluoride in their drinking water for 11 months. The fluoride-treated calves had lower body weights, food intakes, and calcium balances than the controls. Multicompartmental analysis indi cated marked depression of calcium absorption and efficiency of calcium absorption from the gastrointestinal tract, and an elevated rate of removal of calcium from bone in the fluoride-treated calves. Urinary calcium excretion, calcium deposition into bone, and mass of exchangeable calcium did not appear to be affected by fluoride. Endoge nous fecal calcium excretion was lower in the fluoride group but a high correlation of endogenous fecal calcium with body weight suggested that this was not a direct effect of fluoride. Radiographs of sections of the metacarpal bones indicated decreased min eral density, larger intertrabecular spaces, and prominent rA©sorptioncavities in the fluoride-treated calves. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis of primary inhibition of calcium absorption and a homeostatic elevation of calcium removal rate from bone as a mechanism for the development of demineralizing bone lesions in cattle exposed to high levels of fluoride.
Ebp2 and Brx1 function cooperatively in 60S ribosomal subunit assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The yeast protein Ebp2 is required for early steps in production of 60S ribosomal subunits. To search for cofactors with which Ebp2 functions, or substrates on which it acts, we screened for mutants that were synthetically lethal (sl) with the ebp2-14 mutation. Four different mutant alleles of the 60S ribosomal subunit assembly factor Brx1 were found. To investigate defects of the double mutant, we constructed strains conditional for the ebp2-14 brx1- synthetic lethal phenotype. These ebp2-14 brx1 mutants were defective in processing of 27S pre-rRNA and production of 60S subunits, under conditions where each single mutant was not. Ebp2 and Brx1 exhibit a strong two-hybrid interaction, which is eliminated by some combinations of brx1 and ebp2 mutations. In one such mutant, Ebp2 and Brx1 can still associate with pre-ribosomes, but subunit maturation is perturbed. Depletion of either Ebp2 or Brx1 revealed that Brx1 requires Ebp2 for its stable association with pre-ribosomes, but Ebp2 does not depend on the presence of Brx1 to enter pre-ribosomes. These results suggest that assembly of 60S ribosomal subunits requires cooperation of Ebp2 with Brx1, together with other molecules present in pre-ribosomes, potentially including several found in assembly subcomplexes with Brx1 and Ebp2.
Somatic POLE exonuclease domain mutations are early events in sporadic endometrial and colorectal carcinogenesis, determining driver mutational landscape, clonal neoantigen burden and immune response

Genomic instability, which is a hallmark of cancer, is generally thought to occur in the middle to late stages of tumourigenesis, following the acquisition of permissive molecular aberrations such as TP53 mutation or whole genome doubling. Tumours with somatic POLE exonuclease domain mutations are notable for their extreme genomic instability (their mutation burden is among the highest in human cancer), distinct mutational signature, lymphocytic infiltrate, and excellent prognosis. To what extent these characteristics are determined by the timing of POLE mutations in oncogenesis is unknown. Here, we have shown that pathogenic POLE mutations are detectable in non‐malignant precursors of endometrial and colorectal cancer. Using genome and exome sequencing, we found that multiple driver mutations in POLE‐mutant cancers show the characteristic POLE mutational signature, including those in genes conventionally regarded as initiators of tumourigenesis. In POLE‐mutant cancers, the proportion of monoclonal predicted neoantigens was similar to that in other cancers, but the absolute number was much greater. We also found that the prominent CD8+ T‐cell infiltrate present in POLE‐mutant cancers was evident in their precursor lesions. Collectively, these data indicate that somatic POLE mutations are early, quite possibly initiating, events in the endometrial and colorectal cancers in which they occur. The resulting early onset of genomic instability may account for the striking immune response and excellent prognosis of these tumours, as well as their early presentation. © 2018 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.