Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Waist-to-Height Ratio a Better Obesity Risk-Factor Indicator for Puerto Rican Children than is BMI or Waist Circumference?

OBJECTIVE Puerto Rican children could have a higher prevalence of obesity, compared to US children or even to US Hispanic children. Obese youths are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular conditions, such as hypertension. Although BMI provides a simple, convenient measurement of obesity, it does not measure body fat distribution, associated with mortality and morbidity. Waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) have been suggested to estimate obesity health risks. This study aimed to explore the association of a single blood pressure reading with 3 different obesity indicators (WC, BMI, and WHtR). METHODS A representative sample of students (first to sixth grade) from public and private schools in Puerto Rico was selected. The sample size consisted of 249 students, representing a 63% response rate. According to the sex-specific BMIs, approximately 38.1% of the children were obese or overweight. The prevalence of obesity was slightly higher when determined using WHtR but lower when using WC as the overweight indicator. The prevalence of high blood pressure among students was 12.5%; an additional 11.3% of the students were classified as possible prehypertensive. RESULTS Regardless of the weight indicator used, overweight children were shown to have a higher risk of pre-hypertension/hypertension (as defined by a single BP measure) than were non-overweight children. The odds for high blood pressure were almost 3 times higher using WHtR. Logistic regression showed a stronger relationship between WHtR and the risk of pre-hypertension/hypertension than that between the former and either BMI or WC. CONCLUSION This study suggests the possibility of higher prevalence of high blood pressure in obese Puerto Rican children. The waist-to height ratio could be the best indicator to measure obesity and potential hypertension in Puerto Rican children.
Somatosensory cortical neuronal population activity across states of anaesthesia

Experiments were carried out to learn about changes in sensory cortical processing associated with different levels of anaesthesia. Traditionally this question has been addressed by studying single neurons. Because state changes are likely to influence the relationships between neurons, the present experiments were undertaken to investigate the spatial and temporal firing patterns distributed across cortex. Using 5 × 5 or 10 × 10 microelectrode arrays, spontaneous and stimulus‐evoked activity of multineuron clusters was recorded from rat somatosensory ‘barrel’ cortex (the whisker representation) during a light surgical stage of urethane anaesthesia, and after two supplemental doses of urethane which led to intermediate and deep levels of anaesthesia. At all depths of anaesthesia, spontaneously occurring action potentials at a single electrode tended to be clustered into ‘bursts. ’ With increasing anaesthetic depth, bursts became more prominent and rhythmic, and increasingly synchronized between cortical barrel‐columns. Burst frequency decreased and fewer spikes occurred outside bursts, leading to a decrease in the overall spontaneous firing rate. The cortical territory engaged by individual whiskers contracted with increasing depth of anaesthesia, leading to the spatial segregation of whisker representations. At all stages of anaesthesia, whisker stimulation produced the maximal cortical response when delivered close to burst onset. These observations show that ongoing spontaneous activity modulates sensory response properties and makes peripheral tactile information accessible to a cortical territory whose size is determined by the phase of burst cycle. The possible significance of the cyclic cortical responsiveness encountered during urethane anaesthesia to cortical processing in awake rats is considered.
GPS-BASED ATTITUDE FOR AIRCRAFT

GPS was used with ultra-short baselines (2-3 carrier wavelengths) in a triple antenna configuration to obtain aircraft attitude in real time. Through algorithm selection and error source calibration, accuracies of 0.1°, 0.15° and 0.2° rms were obtained for pitch roll and yaw respectively. The accuracy and robustness of the system was enhanced by combining the ultra short-baseline GPS attitude solution with an attitude solution derived using inertial sensors. Both inexpensive automotive grade rate gyros and tactical grade inertial sensors were tested. The solid state auto grade gyros allow coasting through temporary GPS outages lasting 2 minutes with attitude errors less than 6 degrees. The tactical grade inertial sensors use the GPS primarily for initial alignment and are able to coast for up to 30 minutes durring AGPS outage. The combined GPS-inertial system has a 20Hz output sufficient to drive glass cockpit type displays. A prototype system was built and flight tested in a Beechcraft Queen Air. The system installed and flight tested in the Queen Air compares favorably to the performance of the existing vacuum driven instruments. It is currently being used in ongoing research at Stanford with futuristic high resolution displays[1].
Catalytic Mechanism of Escherichia coli Isopentenyl Diphosphate Isomerase Involves Cys-67, Glu-116, and Tyr-104 as Suggested by Crystal Structures of Complexes with Transition State Analogues and Irreversible Inhibitors*

Isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP):dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) isomerase is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of isoprenoids. The reaction involves protonation and deprotonation of the isoprenoid unit and proceeds through a carbocationic transition state. Analysis of the crystal structures (2 Å) of complexes ofEscherichia coli IPP·DMAPPs isomerase with a transition state analogue (N,N-dimethyl-2-amino-1-ethyl diphosphate) and a covalently attached irreversible inhibitor (3,4-epoxy-3-methyl-1-butyl diphosphate) indicates that Glu-116, Tyr-104, and Cys-67 are involved in the antarafacial addition/elimination of protons during isomerization. This work provides a new perspective about the mechanism of the reaction.
The Quality of Banking and Regional Growth

We test whether output growth in European economic agglomeration regions depends on financial development. To this end we suggest a relative measure of the quality of financial institutions rather than the usual quantity proxy of financial development. In order to measure the quality of financial development we use profit efficiency derived from stochastic frontier analysis. We show that more efficient banks spur regional growth while the typically used quantity measure of financial development is negligible. Also, our results suggest an additional channel through which better banking can spur growth: the interaction of more credit with efficient banks.
Facilitation of Contextual Fear Extinction by Orexin-1 Receptor Antagonism Is Associated with the Activation of Specific Amygdala Cell Subpopulations

Abstract Background Orexins are hypothalamic neuropeptides recently involved in the regulation of emotional memory. The basolateral amygdala, an area orchestrating fear memory processes, appears to be modulated by orexin transmission during fear extinction. However, the neuronal types within the basolateral amygdala involved in this modulation remain to be elucidated. Methods We used retrograde tracing combined with immunofluorescence techniques in mice to identify basolateral amygdala projection neurons and cell subpopulations in this brain region influenced by orexin transmission during contextual fear extinction consolidation. Results Treatment with the orexin-1 receptor antagonist SB334867 increased the activity of basolateral amygdala neurons projecting to infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex during fear extinction. GABAergic interneurons expressing calbindin, but not parvalbumin, were also activated by orexin-1 receptor antagonism in the basolateral amygdala. Conclusions These data identify neuronal circuits and cell populations of the amygdala associated with the facilitation of fear extinction consolidation induced by the orexin-1 receptor antagonist SB334867.
MicroRNA‐657 promotes tumorigenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting transducin‐like enhancer protein 1 through nuclear factor kappa B pathways

Growing evidence indicates that deregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) contributes to tumorigenesis. Dysregulation of miR‐657 has been observed in several types of cancers, but its biological function is still largely unknown. Our results showed that miR‐657 expression can be induced by hepatitis viral proteins and is significantly increased in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues. Moreover, introduction of miR‐657 dramatically increases proliferation and colony formation of HCC cells in vitro and induces tumor development in immunodeficient mice. Further studies showed that miR‐657 directly targets the transducin‐like enhancer protein 1 (TLE1) 3′ untranslated region (UTR) and activates nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) pathways that contribute to hepatocarcinogenesis. Conclusion: This study identified a mechanism whereby miRNA‐657 contributed to HCC through novel cancer pathways and provides new insights into the potential molecular mechanisms of hepatic carcinogenesis. (HEPATOLOGY 2013)
Learning to Associate Faces across Views in Vector Space of Similarities to Prototypes

We present a method for learning appearance models that can be used to recognise and track both 3D head pose and identities of novel subjects with continuous head movement across the view-sphere. We describe an automatic face data acquisition system based on a magnetic sensor and a calibrated camera. The system enabled us to obtain systematically a database of face images with labelled 3D poses across a view-sphere of yaw and tilt at intervals of . The database was used to learn appearance models of unseen faces based on similarity measures to prototype faces. The method is computationally efficient and enables real-time performance.
Kinetics of shear banding in a bulk metallic glass monitored by acoustic emission measurements

Detailed acoustic emission (AE) and surface microscopy investigations of the kinetics of shear banding in bulk Zr52.5Ti5Cu17. 9Ni14.6Al10 metallic glass at room temperature are presented. The shear band propagates in a jump-like mode as reflected by numerous AE bursts. The time distribution and cluster statistical analysis of AE time series revealed, firstly, that there are two shear banding processes notably different in their spatial scales and, secondly, that formation of shear bands at large strains can be correlated in time and space. Independence of the AE characteristics on the current stress magnitude implies that shear band propagation could not be interpreted as a shear front motion in a viscous Newtonian-like medium. The AE response to shear banding is to a certain extent similar to that of a moving dislocation pile-up escaping to a free surface. It is emphasized that AE and microscopic features of shear banding in the bulk metallic glass are very nearly the same as those found earlier for melt-spun ribbon glasses, indicating that the change in the quenching rate by about four orders of magnitude does not cause the kinetics of shear band nucleation and propagation to vary considerably.
Development of Intermittent Infusion Hemodiafiltration Using Ultrapure Dialysis Fluid with an Automated Dialysis Machine

To reduce the potential occurrence of hypotension during a dialysis treatment, intermittent infusion hemodiafiltration (I-HDF) using back filtration with an ultrapure dialysis fluid was developed. Under typical I-HDF treatment conditions, some 200-300 ml of ultrapure dialysis fluid was infused into the blood component through the dialyzer at a rate of 100 ml/min, every 30 min. A multicenter clinical trial was carried out to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of I-HDF compared with standard hemodialysis (SHD). The peripheral blood flow rate of each patient as detected with a laser flow meter increased for each I-HDF infusion. A significantly lower value for averaged blood volume reduction was obtained with I-HDF compared with SHD in spite of there being no difference in the total amount of water removal. The amount of normalized solute removal, cleared space for inorganic phosphate and α1-microglobulin (α1-MG) during a treatment were higher with I-HDF. Moderate α1-MG K reduction was found in I-HDF due to the prevention of membrane fouling by intermittent back filtration of the dialysis fluid. I-HDF using an automated dialysis machine was effective for improvement of the peripheral circulation of dialysis patients.
Ageing processes in laser sintered and injection moulded PA12 following hygienic reprocessing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the ageing behaviour of polyamide 12 (PA12) after clinical use. The research is focused on the comparison of the processing methods injection moulding and laser sintering. Design/methodology/approach – Test specimens are subjected to a cyclic stress of defined bending, cleaning, disinfection and sterilization. The focus of interest in this research is the degradation and reduction of mechanical properties. Findings – Mechanical and optical changes of the materials after clinical use and hygienic reprocessing are evaluated and discussed. Research limitations/implications – This article is focused on PA12 and, therefore, enables a very specific statement for the clinical use of PA12. The processing methods could have different impacts depending on the polymer. Originality/value – With the increasing application of polymers in medical devices, the mechanical properties must be ensured even after long-term clinical use. A systematic research with a realistic .
Dysfunction of Pulmonary Surfactant in Chronically Ventilated Premature Infants

Infants of <30 wk gestation often require respiratory support for several weeks and may develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), which is associated with long-term pulmonary disability or death in severe cases. To examine the status of surfactant in infants at high risk for BPD, this prospective study analyzed 247 tracheal aspirate samples from 68 infants of 23–30 wk gestation who remained intubated for 7–84 d. Seventy-five percent of the infants had one or more surfactant samples with abnormal function (minimum surface tension 5.1–21.7 mN/m by pulsating bubble surfactometer), which were temporally associated with episodes of infection (p = 0.01) and respiratory deterioration (p = 0.005). Comparing normal and abnormal surfactant samples, there were no differences in amount of surfactant phospholipid, normalized to total protein that was recovered from tracheal aspirate, or in relative content of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol. Contents of surfactant proteins (SP) A, B, and C, measured in the surfactant pellet by immunoassay, were reduced by 50%, 80%, and 72%, respectively, in samples with abnormal surface tension (p ≤ 0.001). On multivariable analysis of all samples, SP-B content (r = −0.58, p < 0.0001) and SP-C content (r = −0.32, p < 0.001) were correlated with surfactant function. We conclude that most premature infants requiring continued respiratory support after 7 d of age experience transient episodes of dysfunctional surfactant that are associated with a deficiency of SP-B and SP-C.
Prosthetic management of the partially dentate patient with fixed implant restorations.

The aim of this chapter is to discuss the current prosthetic management of the partially dentate patient by means of fixed implant restorations in the scope of the ITI(R) Dental Implant System. For that purpose, the related statements defined by the participants of the prosthodontic section of the 1997 ITI Consensus Conference in Vitznau, Switzerland, will be presented, completed by explanatory comments where appropriate. Distinct conceptual differences will be made between the esthetic zone (areas of the dental arches where esthetic considerations are of primary concern) and the non-esthetic zone (regions of the jaws where esthetic aspects do not represent a priority), and between single tooth replacement and multiple unit implant restorations. Furthermore, it is underlined that current clinical concepts should be based on both predictable treatment outcome and cost-effectiveness. In this context, a straightforward surgical and prosthetic protocol is generally preferred in posterior locations of the oral cavity, using a nonsubmerged implant placement comprising an easily accessible implant shoulder location, and subsequently cemented implant restorations, basically according to a traditional prosthodontic approach. In esthetically demanding indications, where normally a distinctly submucosal implant shoulder location is advocated, screw-retained restorations are preferred, based on prefabricated prosthetic components (e.g. machined cast-on copings) to assure optimum surface properties and contour, and to achieve adequate marginal adaptation.
On the Hygrothermal Response of Laminated Composite Systems †

The hygroscopic nature of polymeric systems, which find widespread application as matrices in advanced composite materials, requires that dila tations induced by the absorption of moisture be considered m the stress analysis of composite laminates. Considerable attention has recently been focused upon the reduction m both strength and constitutive properties of fiber-reinforced polymeric composites at elevated temperatures when the composite has been subjected to environments which enhance moisture diffusion. This apparent degradation in elevated temperature properties may be magnified even more by residual stresses induced by both the hygroscopic and thermoelastic characteristics of the unidirectional com posite. A unified treatment of the hygrothermal response of the laminated composite plate element is derived. The analysis develops effective mois ture inplane force resultants and bending resultants, which when coupled with mechanical and thermal loadings, yield laminae stresses resulting from the total hygrothermal and mechanical loading environment. Solutions of the classical diffusion equation are obtained yielding mois ture profiles through the laminate thickness. Typical composite laminates consisting of T300/5208 graphite-epoxy are analyzed. Results reveal both the magnitude and distribution of hygrothermally induced stresses.
Scalable alignment of large-format multi-projector displays using camera homography trees

This paper presents a vision-based geometric alignment system for aligning the projectors in an arbitrarily large display wall. Existing algorithms typically rely on a single camera view and degrade in accuracy as the display resolution exceeds the camera resolution by several orders of magnitude. Naive approaches to integrating multiple zoomed camera views fail since small errors in aligning adjacent views propagate quickly over the display surface to create glaring discontinuities. Our algorithm builds and refines a camera homography tree to automatically register any number of uncalibrated camera images; the resulting system is both faster and significantly more accurate than competing approaches, reliably achieving alignment errors of 0.55 pixels on a 24-projector display in under 9 minutes. Detailed experiments compare our system to two recent display wall alignment algorithms, both on our 18 Megapixel display wall and in simulation. These results indicate that our approach achieves sub-pixel accuracy even on displays with hundreds of projectors.
Cervical and Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia after Treatment with Oral Isotretinoin for Severe Acne Vulgaris

Oral isotretinoin is the drug of choice for severe acne vulgaris, but its use is still controversial in preventing, treating or stopping the progression of the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia [6–8]. It induces cell differentiation, inhibits cell proliferation, stimulates host immune reaction, inhibits the oncogene expression, augments cellmediated cytotoxicity, and induces apoptosis [5]. The isotretinoin has many side effects including teratogenicity. There is no previous report of developing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) after introducing oral isotretinoin to a patient. We are reporting a 37-year-old female with no risk factors for cervical cancer who had developed CIN-I and VIN-I during a 6-month treatment period of oral isotretinoin for her severe acne vulgaris. Interestingly, the patient had complete spontaneous pathologic-proven remission after stopping the isotretinoin. Further case reports are warranted to support this incidence.
A Push-Pull CORF Model of a Simple Cell with Antiphase Inhibition Improves SNR and Contour Detection

We propose a computational model of a simple cell with push-pull inhibition, a property that is observed in many real simple cells. It is based on an existing model called Combination of Receptive Fields or CORF for brevity. A CORF model uses as afferent inputs the responses of model LGN cells with appropriately aligned center-surround receptive fields, and combines their output with a weighted geometric mean. The output of the proposed model simple cell with push-pull inhibition, which we call push-pull CORF, is computed as the response of a CORF model cell that is selective for a stimulus with preferred orientation and preferred contrast minus a fraction of the response of a CORF model cell that responds to the same stimulus but of opposite contrast. We demonstrate that the proposed push-pull CORF model improves signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and achieves further properties that are observed in real simple cells, namely separability of spatial frequency and orientation as well as contrast-dependent changes in spatial frequency tuning. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed push-pull CORF model in contour detection, which is believed to be the primary biological role of simple cells. We use the RuG (40 images) and Berkeley (500 images) benchmark data sets of images with natural scenes and show that the proposed model outperforms, with very high statistical significance, the basic CORF model without inhibition, Gabor-based models with isotropic surround inhibition, and the Canny edge detector. The push-pull CORF model that we propose is a contribution to a better understanding of how visual information is processed in the brain as it provides the ability to reproduce a wider range of properties exhibited by real simple cells. As a result of push-pull inhibition a CORF model exhibits an improved SNR, which is the reason for a more effective contour detection.