Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fracture prevention with vitamin D supplementation: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

CONTEXT The role and dose of oral vitamin D supplementation in nonvertebral fracture prevention have not been well established. OBJECTIVE To estimate the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in preventing hip and nonvertebral fractures in older persons. DATA SOURCES A systematic review of English and non-English articles using MEDLINE and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (1960-2005), and EMBASE (1991-2005). Additional studies were identified by contacting clinical experts and searching bibliographies and abstracts presented at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (1995-2004). Search terms included randomized controlled trial (RCT), controlled clinical trial, random allocation, double-blind method, cholecalciferol, ergocalciferol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, fractures, humans, elderly, falls, and bone density. STUDY SELECTION Only double-blind RCTs of oral vitamin D supplementation (cholecalciferol, ergocalciferol) with or without calcium supplementation vs calcium supplementation or placebo in older persons (> or =60 years) that examined hip or nonvertebral fractures were included. DATA EXTRACTION Independent extraction of articles by 2 authors using predefined data fields, including study quality indicators. DATA SYNTHESIS All pooled analyses were based on random-effects models. Five RCTs for hip fracture (n = 9294) and 7 RCTs for nonvertebral fracture risk (n = 9820) met our inclusion criteria. All trials used cholecalciferol. Heterogeneity among studies for both hip and nonvertebral fracture prevention was observed, which disappeared after pooling RCTs with low-dose (400 IU/d) and higher-dose vitamin D (700-800 IU/d), separately. A vitamin D dose of 700 to 800 IU/d reduced the relative risk (RR) of hip fracture by 26% (3 RCTs with 5572 persons; pooled RR, 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61-0.88) and any nonvertebral fracture by 23% (5 RCTs with 6098 persons; pooled RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.68-0.87) vs calcium or placebo. No significant benefit was observed for RCTs with 400 IU/d vitamin D (2 RCTs with 3722 persons; pooled RR for hip fracture, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.88-1.50; and pooled RR for any nonvertebral fracture, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.86-1.24). CONCLUSIONS Oral vitamin D supplementation between 700 to 800 IU/d appears to reduce the risk of hip and any nonvertebral fractures in ambulatory or institutionalized elderly persons. An oral vitamin D dose of 400 IU/d is not sufficient for fracture prevention.
On the First k Moments of the Random Count of a Pattern in a Multistate Sequence Generated by a Markov Source

In this paper we develop an explicit formula that allows us to compute the first k moments of the random count of a pattern in a multistate sequence generated by a Markov source. We derive efficient algorithms that allow us to deal with any pattern (low or high complexity) in any Markov model (homogeneous or not). We then apply these results to the distribution of DNA patterns in genomic sequences, and we show that moment-based developments (namely Edgeworth's expansion and Gram-Charlier type-B series) allow us to improve the reliability of common asymptotic approximations, such as Gaussian or Poisson approximations.
Design of optimal servomechanisms for Markovian jump linear systems (First Draft)

In This paper we investigate the design of controllers, for d iscrete-time Markovian jump linear systems, that achieve optimal reference tracking in the pre sence of preview. In particular, given a reference sequence, we obtain the optimal control law for th e fully observed case, while the output feedback case is also briefly discussed. We provide the optim al control law for the infinite and finite optimization-horizon cases. The optimal control policy co nsists of the additive contribution of two terms: a feedforward term and a feedback term which is identical to t he standard LQR solution. We provide explicit formulas for computing the feedforward term, whil e establishing a comparison with the internal model principle.
of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society Title Asymmetry in Stroop interference arising from naming practice : shape beats color

Stroop interference is characterized by strong asymmetry between word and color naming such that the former is faster and interferes with the latter but not vice versa. This asymmetry is attributed to differential experience with naming in the two dimensions, i.e., words and colors. Here we show that training on a visual-verbal paired associate task equivalent to color and shape naming leads to strongly asymmetric interference patterns. 28 adults practiced naming colors and novel shapes, one dimension more extensively (10 days) than the other (2 days), using nonsense syllables. Despite equal training, color naming was strongly affected by shape even after extensive practice, whereas shape naming was more resistant to interference. To reconcile these findings with theoretical accounts of interference, reading may be conceptualized as involving visual-verbal associations akin to “shape naming. ” An inherent advantage for naming shapes may provide an evolutionary substrate for the invention and development of reading.
International Classification of Traditional Medicine

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) provides alphanumeric codes that have a longstanding place in the annals of contemporary medicine for epidemiology, health management, and clinical diagnoses from patient encounters to death certificates. This system is maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO). Traditional medicine (TM) has historical usage patterns established by treating people through the centuries but has never before been included in the ICD code set. The inclusion of traditional Asian medicine in the International Family of Classifications is a new venture and scheduled to be included in the ICD-11 revision of the codes. This may enable the comparison of diagnostic, clinical outcome, and epidemiological information across medical systems. WHO recently completed a survey among member nations and discovered that 82% of the world's population uses some form of TM.2
Origin of exotic clasts in the Central-Southern Apennines: clues to the Cenozoic fold-and-thrust collisional belt in the Central Mediterranean area

Abstract The Central-Southern Apennines are the result of the collision between Europe and Africa. Despite the volume of existing literature, many problems remain unsolved such as the presence of Tertiary conglomerates containing exotic basement clasts. The lack of basement rocks in the Central-Southern Apennines implies that the origin of these clasts has to be sought in areas where the basement is extensively exposed. These include the Calabro–Peloritani arc and the Sardinia–Corsica block, which in Cenozoic time were connected to the Central-Southern Apennines. In this work we present the results of sedimentary, geochemical and petrographic analyses performed on the exotic basement-derived clasts. These analyses include lithological, major- and minor-element and rare Earth element compositions which are compared to analogous rocks from Calabria and Sardinia basements. Results indicate Eastern Sardinia as the primary source area for the studied conglomeratic units, linking the Central-Southern Apennines sedimentary cover to the Mesozoic carbonates of Eastern Sardinia prior to the opening of Tyrrhenian Sea. The Cilento unit (Campania) was directly fed by an uplifting Cenozoic orogen, and the Filettino, Gavignano (Latium) and Ariano Irpino (Campania) units were produced by the successive reworking of ‘Cilento-like’ sedimentary units. These results may imply that part of the Central-Southern Apennines represented a portion of the European margin of the Tethys.
Anti-CTLA-4 Antibodies of IgG2a Isotype Enhance Antitumor Activity through Reduction of Intratumoral Regulatory T Cells

The therapeutic potential of CTLA-4 blockade is evident in the ability of anti-CTLA-4 antibody to induce regression of established tumors. In an elegant set of experiments using a panel of murine immunoglobulin in various isotypes, Selby and colleagues delineated the mechanism of action of CTLA-4 blockade. Anti-CTLA-4 promotes antitumor activity by a selective reduction of intratumoral T-regulatory cells along with concomitant activation of T-effector cells. Antitumor activity of CTLA-4 antibody blockade is thought to be mediated by interfering with the negative regulation of T-effector cell (Teff) function resulting from CTLA-4 engagement by B7-ligands. In addition, a role for CTLA-4 on regulatory T cells (Treg), wherein CTLA-4 loss or inhibition results in reduced Treg function, may also contribute to antitumor responses by anti-CTLA-4 treatment. We have examined the role of the immunoglobulin constant region on the antitumor activity of anti-CTLA-4 to analyze in greater detail the mechanism of action of anti-CTLA-4 antibodies. Anti-CTLA-4 antibody containing the murine immunoglobulin G (IgG)2a constant region exhibits enhanced antitumor activity in subcutaneous established MC38 and CT26 colon adenocarcinoma tumor models compared with anti-CTLA-4 containing the IgG2b constant region. Interestingly, anti-CTLA-4 antibodies containing mouse IgG1 or a mutated mouse IgG1-D265A, which eliminates binding to all Fcγ receptors (FcγR), do not show antitumor activity in these models. Assessment of Teff and Treg populations at the tumor and in the periphery showed that anti-CTLA-4-IgG2a mediated a rapid and dramatic reduction of Tregs at the tumor site, whereas treatment with each of the isotypes expanded Tregs in the periphery. Expansion of CD8+ Teffs is observed with both the IgG2a and IgG2b anti-CTLA-4 isotypes, resulting in a superior Teff to Treg ratio for the IgG2a isotype. These data suggest that anti-CTLA-4 promotes antitumor activity by a selective reduction of intratumoral Tregs along with concomitant activation of Teffs. Cancer Immunol Res; 1(1); 32–42. ©2013 AACR.
Comparison of path visualizations and cognitive measures relative to travel technique in a virtual environment

We describe a between-subjects experiment that compared four different methods of travel and their effect on cognition and paths taken in an immersive virtual environment (IVE). Participants answered a set of questions based on Crook's condensation of Bloom's taxonomy that assessed their cognition of the IVE with respect to knowledge, understanding and application, and higher mental processes. Participants also drew a sketch map of the IVE and the objects within it. The users' sense of presence was measured using the Steed-Usoh-Slater presence questionnaire. The participants' position and head orientation were automatically logged during their exposure to the virtual environment. These logs were later used to create visualizations of the paths taken. Path analysis, such as exploring the overlaid path visualizations and dwell data information, revealed further differences among the travel techniques. Our results suggest that, for applications where problem solving and evaluation of information is important or where opportunity to train is minimal, then having a large tracked space so that the participant can walk around the virtual environment provides benefits over common virtual travel techniques.
UK Biodiversity Indicators 2015. Technical background document: Deriving indicators from occupancy models

Recent studies have highlighted the value of Bayesian occupancy models for estimating species’ status and trends from unstructured biological records (van Strien et al. 2013; Isaac et al. 2014). Based on these developments, it is now possible to produce biodiversity indicators from biological records, using occupancy models. However, the process of fitting occupancy models and generating indicators raises a number of technical, statistical and conceptual challenges. This document describes these challenges, and how they have been addressed for the 2015 biodiversity indicator set. The procedure described here represents a shared methodology for two current UK biodiversity indicators: C4b (Priority Species) and D1c (Pollinating Insects).
Diminution in energy expenditure during lactation

SIR,-Dr GW Stewart and colleagues (1 March, p 589) described an interesting case of pronounced arterial hypoxaemia in a patient with the carcinoid syndrome. In the absence ofpulmonary metastases they attributed the hypoxaemia to intrapulmonary shunting through microscopic arteriovenous fistulas. The data presented, however, do not exclude an alternative explanation-right to left shunting through a patent foramen ovale. Although right to left shunting through the foramen ovale is well recognised in patients with pulmonary hypertension,'"3 it may also occur in the presence of normal pulmonary artery and right heart pressures, apparently as a result of reduced right atrial compliance.4 Thus though mean left atrial pressure may exceed mean right atrial pressure, during atrial filling right atrial pressure rises disproportionately, causing phasic shunting across the interatrial septum. Right atrial compliance tends to diminish with age,5 but it is conceivable that in Dr Stewart and others' patient the typical endocardial thickening, seen in carcinoid heart disease, may have contributed. The distinction between intracardiac and intrapulmonary shunting could have been made quite easily by contrast angiography or injecting microspheres through a pulmonary artery catheter. Although this distinction may not have influenced management in Dr Stewart and others' patient, it may be important in other patients in whom severe, symptomatic arterial hypoxaemia may be abolished by surgical closure ofthe atrial septum.3 4
Bilingual Terminology Extraction based on Translation Patterns

Parallel corpora are rich sources of translation resources. This document presents a methodology for the extraction of bilingual nominals (terminology candidates) from parallel corpora, using translation patterns. The patterns proposed in this work specify the order changes that occur during translation and that are intrinsic to the involved languages syntaxes. These patterns are described in a domain specific language named PDL (Pattern Description Language), and are extremely efficient for the detection of nominal phrases.
Voltage-gated K+ currents regulate resting membrane potential and [Ca2+]i in pulmonary arterial myocytes.

The membrane potential (Em) of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) regulates pulmonary arterial tone by controlling voltage-gated Ca2+ channel activity, which is a major contributor to [Ca2+]i. The resting membrane is mainly permeable to K+; thus, the resting Em is controlled by K+ permeability through sarcolemmal K+ channels. At least three K+ currents, voltage-gated K+ (KV) currents, Ca(2+)-activated K+ (KCa) currents, and ATP-sensitive (KATP) currents, have been identified in PASMCs. In this study, both patch-clamp and quantitative fluorescent microscopy techniques were used to determine which kind(s) of K+ channels (KV, KCa, and/or KATP) is responsible for controlling Em and [Ca2+]i under resting conditions in rat PASMCs. When the bath solution contained 1.8 mmol/L Ca2+ and the pipette solution included 0.1 mmol/L EGTA, depolarizations (-40 to +80 mV) elicited both KCa and KV currents. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ and increase of intracellular EGTA concentration (to 10 mmol/L) eliminated the Ca2+ influx-dependent KCa current. 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP, 5 to 10 mmol/L) but not charybdotoxin (ChTX, 10 to 20 nmol/L) significantly reduced KV current under these conditions. In current-clamp experiments, 4-AP decreased Em (depolarization) and induced Ca(2+)-dependent action potentials; this depolarization increased [Ca2+]i in intact PASMCs. Neither ChTX nor the specific blocker of KATP channels, glibenclamide (2 to 10 mumol/L), caused membrane depolarization and the increase in [Ca2+]i. However, pretreatment of PASMCs with ChTX enhanced the 4-AP-induced increase in [Ca2+]i. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Epidemiology and Phenotype of Crohn’s Disease in the Chinese Population

Background:Inflammatory bowel disease is uncommon in Southeast Asia but is increasing in incidence. The epidemiology and phenotype of Crohn disease (CD) in the Chinese population is not well-known. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, temporal trend, clinical features, risk factors, extraintestinal manifestations, and the treatment of CD in the Chinese population of Hong Kong. Methods:We performed a single-center study of consecutive definite CD cases based on internationally accepted criteria, with strict exclusion of infective enterocolitis. Results:Eighty Chinese CD patients were recruited, characterized by male gender predominance (male:female ratio 2.5:1), no association with ever smoking (OR 1.02, 95% CI: 0.54–1.92), absence of familial clustering (0%), high proportion of upper gastrointestinal tract disease proximal to the terminal ileum (19%), and a low proportion of isolated terminal ileal disease (4%). The mean age at diagnosis was 33 years. Forty-five percent of patients had penetrating disease, 18% stricturing disease, and 37% had nonstricturing, nonpenetrating disease. Twenty-five percent of patients had at least 1 extraintestinal manifestation, and there was a high rate of ankylosing spondylitis (9%). The incidence of CD was 1.0 per 100,000 and has increased by 3 fold during the past decade. The age-adjusted incidence was 3.0 per 100,000 (95% CI: 2.3–3.7 per 100,000). Conclusions:The incidence of CD in the Chinese is increasing. There are some notable epidemiological and phenotypic differences between Chinese CD with Caucasian CD including the lack of familial clustering, male predominance, and higher proportion of upper GIT involvement and lower frequency of isolated terminal ileal disease.
Early-Type Galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. The Sample

A sample of nearly 9000 early-type galaxies, in the redshift range 0.01 ≤ z ≤ 0.3, was selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) using morphological and spectral criteria. This paper describes how the sample was selected, presents examples of images and seeing-corrected fits to the observed surface brightness profiles, describes our method for estimating K-corrections, and shows that the SDSS spectra are of sufficiently high quality to measure velocity dispersions accurately. It also provides catalogs of the measured photometric and spectroscopic parameters. In related papers, these data are used to study how early-type galaxy observables, including luminosity, effective radius, surface brightness, color, and velocity dispersion, are correlated with one another.
Performance evaluation of an optimal cache replacement policy for wireless data dissemination

Data caching at mobile clients is an important technique for improving the performance of wireless data dissemination systems. However, variable data sizes, data updates, limited client resources, and frequent client disconnections make cache management a challenge. We propose a gain-based cache replacement policy, Min-SAUD, for wireless data dissemination when cache consistency must be enforced before a cached item is used. Min-SAUD considers several factors that affect cache performance, namely, access probability, update frequency, data size, retrieval delay, and cache validation cost. The paper employs stretch as the major performance metric since it accounts for the data service time and, thus, is fair when items have different sizes. We prove that Min-SAUD achieves optimal stretch under some standard assumptions. Moreover, a series of simulation experiments have been conducted to thoroughly evaluate the performance of Min-SAUD under various system configurations. The simulation results show that, in most cases, the Min-SAUD replacement policy substantially outperforms two existing policies, namely, LRU and SAIU.
Quality standards and requirements for solid recovered fuels: a review

The utilization of solid recovered fuels (SRF) for energy recovery has been increasing steadily in recent years, and this development is set to continue. In order to use SRF efficiently, it is necessary to define quality standards and introduce targeted quality assurance measures. SRF can be used both in mono-incineration and in co-incineration systems, for instance in power generation and cement plants; but as quality requirements differ, it is necessary to unambiguously define the term ‘solid recovered fuel’. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the origin, development and the current status of quality assurance for SRF. The basic principles of quality assurance for SRF are explained with reference to the development of the German RAL Quality Assurance System and in addition specifications that have emerged from European standardization work of CEN/TC 343 are analysed.
Influência do efeito de escala sobre a produção de sedimentos em bacias hidrográficas não instrumentadas no semiárido

O estudo dos efeitos das alteracoes de uso e ocupacao do solo nos processos hidrologicos tem sido realizado por meio de manipulacoes experimentais em termos de sua cobertura em bacias hidrograficas. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo analisar o efeito de escala sobre a erosao e a producao de sedimentos por meio de modelagem ambiental para bacias nao instrumentadas no semiarido com o intuito de subsidiar estrategias de conservacao do solo. As caracteristicas de uso e ocupacao dos solos, tipos de solos, topografia e morfologia foram obtidas por meio da classificacao supervisionada de imagens do satelite LANDSAT 5. O modelo SWAT ( Soil and Water Assessment Tool ) foi utilizado para a simulacao dos cenarios alternativos de uso e ocupacao do solo, possibilitando a analise da influencia de praticas conservacionistas em pequenas bacias hidrograficas e o efeito de escala na producao de sedimentos nas bacias analisadas, apresentando-se como uma importante ferramenta para o planejamento ambiental, visto que, por meio da espacializacao dos resultados da producao de sedimentos podem ser identificadas as areas criticas por sub-bacia, o que pode auxiliar o processo de tomada de decisao por parte dos diversos atores sociais que ocupam a area da bacia hidrografica.
Generation of geometric model by registration and integration of multiple range images

We propose a method to construct a 3-D geometric shape model by registering and integrating multiple range images under a unified framework. We use 3-D points around the object surface as the correspondence key, because the closest data point from an arbitrary 3-D point should be matched if the data are registered correctly with some exceptional cases. We assume that the input shapes are roughly registered in advance, and then we solve the problem by iterative loops that consist of establishing correspondence by searching closest data points, integration of corresponded data points, and registration of each data to the integrated shape. The error function is defined by the weighted variances of the signed distance field from the surface. The weighting values are determined to trim out wrong correspondences typically caused by different sampling and measurement error. We do not need to consider the cumulative pairwise registration error because each data is registered to the integrated shape. The integrated shape information is directly used to generate a surface model. We tested the method on synthetic and real range images.