Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lipotoxicity in the Pathogenesis of Obesity-Dependent NIDDM: Genetic and Clinical Implications

We review evidence that increased tissue levels of fatty acyl CoA cause the β-cell abnormalities of nondiabetic obesity and ultimately result in obesity-dependent diabetes. Nondiabetic obesity in Zucker rats is characterized by hypersecretion of insulin at normal fasting and subfasting glucose concentrations. This is a result of β-cell hyperplasia and increased low Km glucose usage and oxidation. These abnormalities, the hyperinsulinemia, the hyperplasia of β-cells, i.e., its in vitro equivalent, enhanced bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, and the increased low Km glucose usage can be induced by culturing normal islets with 2 mmol/l free fatty acids (FFAs). Once obese Zucker diabetic fatty rats become diabetic, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) is absent and β-cell GLUT2 reduced. Islet triglyceride (TG) content is increased 10-fold, probably reflecting increased FFA delivery (plasma FFA levels > 1.5 mmol/l) beginning about 2 weeks before the onset of diabetes. These β-cell abnormalities, GSIS loss, GLUT2 loss, and TG accumulation, are prevented by reducing plasma FFAs by caloric restriction and by nicotinamide injection. The loss of GSIS and the accumulation of TGs, but not the GLUT2 loss, can be induced in vitro in normal islets cultured in a 2 mmol/l FFA-containing medium, but prediabetic islets seem far more vulnerable to FFA-induced functional impairment and TG accumulation. It is proposed that in uncomplicated obesity, increased lipid availability (FFA levels <1.5 mmol/1) induces both hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in parallel fashion, thereby maintaining normoglycemia. A further increase in substrate overload impairs β-cell compensation for insulin resistance and hyperglycemia appears.
The Effect of the Summer Vacation on the Reading Ability of First-Grade Children

progress in reading during the summer. Should promotion depend on his ability in June, or should the final decision be made in September ? The Research Bureau of the Minneapolis schools undertook an investigation to determine statistically the effect of the summer vacation on the reading ability of first-grade pupils. Twelve classes were used in this investigation. They were in four different schools
Vancomycin MIC as a predictor of outcome in MRSA bacteraemia in the UK context.

UNLABELLED Received 29 November 2012; returned 20 February 2013; revised 16 May 2013; accepted 18 May 2013 OBJECTIVES: Raised vancomycin MICs have been associated with poor outcomes for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia in the USA and mainland Europe. We investigated if this also applies in the UK, where EMRSA-15 (clonal complex 22) dominates. METHODS Isolates from UK patients receiving vancomycin therapy for MRSA bacteraemia in 2008-10 were collected, along with clinical details. Outcomes (i.e. patient survival or bacteraemia resolution) were reported 28 days after vancomycin therapy ended. The relationship between clinical outcome and MIC--as determined by CLSI and BSAC agar dilution methods--was assessed. RESULTS Among 228 MRSA bacteraemias, 82% were caused by EMRSA-15; 65% of the patients were male and the median age was 70.5 years. MICs correlated between methods, but CLSI agar dilution testing gave a mode at 1 mg/L with only 12% of results either side, whereas the BSAC method gave a mode straddling 0.7-1 mg/L with <4% outliers. Twenty-three percent of patients died, with MRSA contributory in half; another 17% had unresolved bacteraemia at 28 days. Neither death nor unresolved bacteraemia was significantly associated with higher vancomycin MICs by either method. Rifampicin co-therapy had no quantifiable effect on outcome. The patient's age was the only significant correlate of patient outcome (P < 0.01); the underlying medical condition of the patient was important for the resolution of bacteraemia (P < 0.01), though not for overall mortality. CONCLUSIONS Subtle vancomycin MIC differences did not correlate with worse outcomes for vancomycin monotherapy or for vancomycin/rifampicin co-therapy in MRSA bacteraemia. Regardless of the exact MIC-outcome relationship, detecting such small MIC differences seems unlikely to be reliable in routine laboratories.
Preliminary study of a novel dental hand instrument for restorative procedures

Background. There is no clear consensus on operative hand instrumentation. In general, there is one hand instrument that completes one task. Consequently, numerous instruments are required for the placement, shaping and carving of a restoration. This reduces clinical efficiency, increases cost and may generate frustration. Methods. A novel dental hand instrument has been developed. The instrument (GTI) can complete several tasks. The instrument was assessed in a laboratory setting with amalgam, composite and glass-ionomer restorations on dentoform teeth. Results. Results indicated that class II amalgam and composite restorations were significantly faster than conventional instrumentation (P<0.05). Differences in restoration quality were not statistically significant. Cost was significantly reduced as the GTI could perform the task of 9 conventional instruments. Conclusion. The GTI is an industry-translated, novel medical device that offers the clinician an alternative to standard instrumentation. Further investigations are required with increased samples sizes, clinical assessment and expanded utility.
Psychiatric Diagnoses in a Sample of Outpatient Psycho-Geriatric New Referrals with Suspected Mild Cognitive Impairment

Psychiatric symptoms/syndromes are frequent in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). However, only a few stud- ies reported full psychiatric diagnoses in MCI. We describe the nosology and prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses in a group of 102 consecutive patients evaluated for suspected MCI and finally re-classified into dementia, MCI and No Cog- nitive Impairment. Psychiatric diagnoses were frequent in MCI and the other groups as well, however they were qualita- tively different in each group.
Liver transplantation: history, outcomes and perspectives

In 1958 Francis Moore described the orthotopic liver transplantation technique in dogs. In 1963, Starzl et al. performed the first liver transplantation. In the first five liver transplantations no patient survived more than 23 days. In 1967, stimulated by Calne who used antilymphocytic serum, Starzl began a successful series of liver transplantation. Until 1977, 200 liver transplantations were performed in the world. In that period, technical problems were overcome. Roy Calne, in 1979, used the first time cyclosporine in two patients who had undergone liver transplantation. In 1989, Starzl et al. reported a series of 1,179 consecutives patients who underwent liver transplantation and reported a survival rate between one and five years of 73% and 64%, respectively. Finally, in 1990, Starzl et al. reported successful use of tacrolimus in patents undergoing liver transplantation and who had rejection despite receiving conventional immunosuppressive treatment. Liver Transplantation Program was initiated at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in 1990 and so far over 1,400 transplants have been done. In 2013, 102 deceased donors liver transplantations were performed. The main indications for transplantation were hepatocellular carcinoma (38%), hepatitis C virus (33.3%) and alcohol liver cirrhosis (19.6%). Of these, 36% of patients who underwent transplantation showed biological MELD score > 30. Patient and graft survival in the first year was, 82.4% and 74.8%, respectively. A major challenge in liver transplantation field is the insufficient number of donors compared with the growing demand of transplant candidates. Thus, we emphasize that appropriated donor/receptor selection, allocation and organ preservation topics should contribute to improve the number and outcomes in liver transplantation.
A Reduction in Intestinal Cell pHi Due to Loss of the Caenorhabditis elegans Na+/H+ Exchanger NHX-2 Increases Life Span*

Na+/H+ exchangers are involved in cell volume regulation, fluid secretion and absorption, and pH homeostasis. NHX-2 is a Caenorhabditis elegans Na+/H+ exchanger expressed exclusively at the apical membrane of intestinal epithelial cells. The inactivation of various intestinal nutrient transport proteins has been shown previously to influence aging via metabolic potential and a mechanism resembling caloric restriction. We report here a functional coupling of NHX-2 activity with nutrient uptake that results in long lived worms. Gene inactivation of nhx-2 by RNAi led to a loss of fat stores in the intestine and a 40% increase in longevity. The NHX-2 protein was coincidentally expressed with OPT-2, an oligopeptide transporter that is driven by a transmembrane proton gradient and that is also known to be involved in fat accumulation. Gene inactivation of opt-2 led to a phenotype resembling that of nhx-2, although not as severe. In order to explore this potential functional interaction, we combined RNA interference with a genetically encoded, fluorescence-based reagent to measure intestinal intracellular pH (pHi) in live worms under physiological conditions. Our results suggest first that OPT-2 is the main dipeptide uptake pathway in the nematode intestine, and second that dipeptide uptake results in intestinal cell acidification, and finally that recovery following dipeptide-induced acidification is normally a function of NHX-2. The loss of NHX-2 protein results in decreased steady-state intestinal cell pHi, and we hypothesize that this change perturbs proton-coupled nutrient uptake processes such as performed by OPT-2. Our data demonstrate a functional role for a Na+/H+ exchanger in nutrient absorption in vivo and lays the groundwork for examining integrated acid-base physiology in a non-mammalian model organism.
Exploring UX issues in Quantified Self technologies

The Quantified Self is a movement that promotes the use of technology for self-tracking various kinds of personal information, such as physical activities and energy consumption. In this paper, we study the user reviews of quantified self tools, as reported on a quantified self community website. We perform a content analysis to categorize tracking tools, and to explore user experience (UX) issues related to quantified self technologies. From this analysis, we find various tracking categories, including body state (e.g., physical and physiological), psychological state and traits, activities (e.g., exercise, eating, sleep), social interactions, and environmental and property states. Furthermore, we find the key UX issues associated with quantified self technologies, which include data controllability, data integration, data accuracy, data visualization, input complexity, sharing/privacy, design/aesthetics, and engagement. The UX issues reported in this paper have significant implications for the design of quantified self technologies.
Safety and tolerability of the novel non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist BAY 94-8862 in patients with chronic heart failure and mild or moderate chronic kidney disease: a randomized, double-blind trial

Aims Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) improve outcomes in patients with heart failure and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF), but their use is limited by hyperkalaemia and/or worsening renal function (WRF). BAY 94-8862 is a highly selective and strongly potent non-steroidal MRA. We investigated its safety and tolerability in patients with HFrEF associated with mild or moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods and results This randomized, controlled, phase II trial consisted of two parts. In part A, the safety and tolerability of oral BAY 94-8862 [2.5, 5, or 10 mg once daily (q.d.)] was assessed in 65 patients with HFrEF and mild CKD. In part B, BAY 94-8862 (2.5, 5, or 10 mg q.d., or 5 mg twice daily) was compared with placebo and open-label spironolactone (25 or 50 mg/day) in 392 patients with HFrEF and moderate CKD. BAY 94-8862 was associated with significantly smaller mean increases in serum potassium concentration than spironolactone (0.04–0.30 and 0.45 mmol/L, respectively, P < 0.0001–0.0107) and lower incidences of hyperkalaemia (5.3 and 12.7%, respectively, P = 0.048) and WRF. BAY 94-8862 decreased the levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), amino-terminal proBNP, and albuminuria at least as much as spironolactone. Adverse events related to BAY 94-8862 were infrequent and mostly mild. Conclusion In patients with HFrEF and moderate CKD, BAY 94-8862 5–10 mg/day was at least as effective as spironolactone 25 or 50 mg/day in decreasing biomarkers of haemodynamic stress, but it was associated with lower incidences of hyperkalaemia and WRF.
The Development of the Young Child's Ability to Anticipate the Outcomes of Simple Causal Events.

KEIL, FRANK. The Development of the Young Child's Ability to Anticipate the Outcomes of Simple Causal Events. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1979, 50, 455-462. Children at 12 and 232 years observed events consisting of the removal of crucial support blocks from simple block structures. It was proposed that the child's causal intuitions were related to the ability to anticipate the outcomes of the events. The child's anticipation ability was measured by the degree of surprise observed on certain "trick" trials in which concealed magnets prevented the expected collapse. While an event requiring knowledge of one physical law to anticipate collapse was surprising to both ages, an event requiring an additional second law was not surprising to either age (but was surprising to older ages). When the simpler event was screened from view, only the 2n3-year-olds were surprised at the causal incompatibility between the initial and final conditions. These findings are interpreted within a component-theory framework.
Humanoid Robots - From Fiction to Reality?

Humanoid robots, robots with an anthropomorphic body plan and human-like senses, are enjoying increasing popularity as research tool. More and more groups worldwide work on issues like bipedal locomotion, dexterous manipulation, audio-visual perception, human-robot interaction, adaptive control, and learning, targeted for the application in humanoid robots. These efforts are motivated by the vision to create a new kind of tool: robots that work in close cooperation with humans in the same environment that we designed to suit our needs. While highly specialized industrial robots are successfully employed in industrial mass production, these new applications require a different approach: general purpose humanoid robots. The human body is well suited for acting in our everyday environments. Stairs, door handles, tools, and so on are designed to be used by humans. A robot with a human-like body can take advantage of these humancentered designs. The new applications will require social interaction between humans and robots. If a robot is able to analyze and synthesize speech, eye movements, mimics, gestures, and body language, it will be capable of intuitive communication with humans. Most of these modalities require a human-like body plan. A human-like action repertoire also facilitates the programming of the robots by demonstration and the learning of new skills by imitation of humans, because there is a one-to-one mapping of human actions to robot actions. Last, but not least, humanoid robots are used as a tool to understand human intelligence. In the same way biomimetic robots have been built to understand certain aspects of animal intelligence, humanoid robots can be used to test models of aspects of human intelligence. Addressing all of the above areas simultaneously exceeds the current state of the art. Today’s humanoid robots display their capabilities in tasks requiring a limited subset of skills. After some brief historical notes, this article will review the state-of-the-art in humanoid robotics and discuss possible future developments.
A gendered view of computer professionals: preliminary results of a survey

The under-representation of women in the computing profession in many parts the western world has received our attention through numerous publications, the noticeable low representation of women at computer science conferences and in the lecture halls. Over the past two decades, the situation had become worse. Please refer to the other articles in this special issue for detailed statistics, a discussion of factors that contribute to the low participation rate by women, and for suggestions on how to reverse the current trend.This paper seeks to add to the dialogue by presenting preliminary findings from a research project conducted in four countries. The aim of this research was to gain an insight into the perceptions future computer professionals hold on the category of employment loosely defined under the term of "a computer professional. " One goal was to get insight into whether or not there is a difference between female and male students regarding their view of computer professionals. Other goals were to determine if there was any difference between female and male students in different parts of the world, as well as who or what most influences the students to undertake their courses in computing.The team of researchers gave an extensive questionnaire to undergraduate students enrolled in a variety of computing degree programs. The students enrolled in these programs at Victoria University of Technology in Melbourne, the University of East London, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Ithaca College located in Ithaca, New York. This article reports on the analysis of the results from the questionnaire. It discusses the gender differences in the responses from the students in these countries to try to get a worldwide perspective. At this time, it does not yet report on the similarities and differences between the groups of participants from each of the four countries. Instead, it investigates whether there are gendered differences in the views of this rather broad sample of student population of future computer professionals.
Transforming Chinese teachers' thinking, learning and understanding via e‐learning

The Developing E‐learning for Teachers (DEfT) project, a collaborative venture between UK and Chinese universities, has produced e‐learning modules for master's level programmes for in‐service high school teachers in China. E‐learning offers Chinese teachers new and innovative forms of professional development and provides for transformative learning. The paper investigates teachers' online learning experiences and how e‐learning facilitates teacher transformation from three perspectives: the ‘learner‐centred perspective’, the ‘knowledge‐centred perspective’ and the ‘community‐centred perspective’. The paper concludes that e‐learning, while not without some caveats, is a feasible solution for the training needs of serving Chinese teachers.
Covert Sensitization as a Treatment for Weight Control

Factors responsible for the success of covert sensitization were investigated with regard to effectiveness in initiating an aversion toward selected foods. 5 volunteers first were given forward-conditioning, then backward-conditioning trials using Cautela's covert sensitization procedures, and 5 Ss were given the opposite sequence. Conditions were then reversed allowing each S to serve as his own control. Significant reductions were found for all Ss in the intake of selected foods but no differential effect was found for the two conditioning procedures. This study supported the efficacy of using the rehearsal of an aversive scene to reduce food intake but suggests that motivational rather than learning factors may account for the results.
Pyrosequencing of prey DNA in reptile faeces: analysis of earthworm consumption by slow worms

Little quantitative ecological information exists on the diets of most invertebrate feeding reptiles, particularly nocturnal or elusive species that are difficult to observe. In the UK and elsewhere, reptiles are legally required to be relocated before land development can proceed, but without knowledge of their dietary requirements, the suitability of receptor sites cannot be known. Here, we tested the ability of non‐invasive DNA‐based molecular diagnostics (454 pyrosequencing) to analyse reptile diets, with the specific aims of determining which earthworm species are exploited by slow worms (the legless lizard Anguis fragilis) and whether they feed on the deeper‐living earthworm species that only come to the surface at night. Slow worm faecal samples from four different habitats were analysed using earthworm‐specific PCR primers. We found that 86% of slow worms (N = 80) had eaten earthworms. In lowland heath and marshy/acid grassland, Lumbricus rubellus, a surface‐dwelling epigeic species, dominated slow worm diet. In two other habitats, riverside pasture and calciferous coarse grassland, diet was dominated by deeper‐living anecic and endogeic species. We conclude that all species of earthworm are exploited by these reptiles and lack of specialization allows slow worms to thrive in a wide variety of habitats. Pyrosequencing of prey DNA in faeces showed promise as a practical, rapid and relatively inexpensive means of obtaining detailed and valuable ecological information on the diets of reptiles.
Attachment of phycobilisomes in an antenna–photosystem I supercomplex of cyanobacteria

Significance Light-harvesting antenna are essential for photosynthetic systems, which comprise photosystems I and II (PSI and PSII, respectively). Phycobilisome (PBS) is a dominant and efficient antenna for PSII in cyanobacteria and some algae, whereas the attachment of PBS to PSI is a long-standing open question. We isolated a unique PBS–PSI supercomplex from a nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium. Biochemical and spectral studies revealed that PBS is functionally connected to the PSI tetramer via a new universal connecting component. A pseudoatomic model explains the configuration of the PSI tetramer and how the PBS is connected to PSI. Such antenna may play an important role for light harvesting in PSI-driven cyclic electron transport to facilitate nitrogen fixation and other reactions. Oxygenic photosynthesis is driven by photosystems I and II (PSI and PSII, respectively). Both have specific antenna complexes and the phycobilisome (PBS) is the major antenna protein complex in cyanobacteria, typically consisting of a core from which several rod-like subcomplexes protrude. PBS preferentially transfers light energy to PSII, whereas a PSI-specific antenna has not been identified. The cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 has rod–core linker genes (cpcG1-cpcG2-cpcG3-cpcG4). Their products, except CpcG3, have been detected in the conventional PBS. Here we report the isolation of a supercomplex that comprises a PSI tetramer and a second, unique type of a PBS, specific to PSI. This rod-shaped PBS includes phycocyanin (PC) and CpcG3 (hereafter renamed “CpcL”), but no allophycocyanin or CpcGs. Fluorescence excitation showed efficient energy transfer from PBS to PSI. The supercomplex was analyzed by electron microscopy and single-particle averaging. In the supercomplex, one to three rod-shaped CpcL–PBSs associate to a tetrameric PSI complex. They are mostly composed of two hexameric PC units and bind at the periphery of PSI, at the interfaces of two monomers. Structural modeling indicates, based on 2D projection maps, how the PsaI, PsaL, and PsaM subunits link PSI monomers into dimers and into a rhombically shaped tetramer or “pseudotetramer. ” The 3D model further shows where PBSs associate with the large subunits PsaA and PsaB of PSI. It is proposed that the alternative form of CpcL–PBS is functional in harvesting energy in a wide number of cyanobacteria, partially to facilitate the involvement of PSI in nitrogen fixation.