Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dietary supplement use is associated with higher intakes of minerals from food sources.

BACKGROUND Dietary supplement use is extensive in US adults. Some reports suggested that supplement users had higher nutrient intakes from the diet than did nonusers, but to our knowledge this finding has not been examined in nationally representative survey data. OBJECTIVE In this analysis, we examined mineral intakes from the diet by supplement-use categories and how these supplements contributed to meeting or exceeding Dietary Reference Intakes for selected minerals. DESIGN Data from adults (≥19 y of age; n = 8860) who participated in NHANES 2003-2006, a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey, were examined. Supplement use was defined as the participant's self-reported use of a supplement that contained one or more selected minerals. RESULTS Dietary intakes of minerals from food sources were higher for magnesium, copper, potassium, and selenium in male supplement users than in nonusers. For women, dietary intakes of minerals from food sources were higher for users than for nonusers for each mineral examined except for selenium. In women, users of calcium-containing dietary supplements were much more likely to meet the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) than were nonusers. Even after consideration of supplement use, >14% of adults had inadequate intakes for calcium and magnesium on the basis of the percentage of adults with usual intakes less than the EAR. The prevalence of adults who exceeded the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for calcium, zinc, iron, and magnesium was higher in users than in nonusers. CONCLUSIONS Individuals who used mineral-containing dietary supplements had higher mineral intakes from food sources in the diet than did nonusers. For all minerals examined, and particularly for calcium and magnesium in men and women and iron in women, supplement use decreased the prevalence of intake inadequacy for each respective mineral; however, supplements contributed to risk of potentially excessive intakes for calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium.
A Priori Error Analysis for Finite Element Approximation of Parabolic Optimal Control Problems with Pointwise Control

We consider finite element approximations of parabolic control problems with pointwise control. The state equation exhibits low regularity due to the control imposed pointwisely; this introduces some difficulties for both theoretical and numerical analysis. To discretize the optimal control problem we use variational discretization together with piecewise linear and continuous finite elements for the space discretization of the state, and we use the backward Euler scheme for time discretization. We prove a priori error estimates for the control, state, and adjoint state. Numerical experiments are provided which support the theoretical results.
Projections From the Anterior Interposed Nucleus to the Red Nucleus Diminish With Age in the Mouse

To analyse the effect of ageing on the projection of the anterior interposed nucleus to the red nucleus, we injected the retrograde tracer fluorogold in the red nucleus of 3‐, 6‐ and 12‐month‐old mice. The number of labelled neurones in the anterior interposed nucleus fell by 9% between 3 and 6 months and by another 9% between 6 and 12 months (all P < 0.001). This suggests that loss of neurones from the cerebellar nuclei starts well before old age.
Distinct hyperexcitability mechanisms underlie fast ripples and epileptic spikes

In partial epilepsies, interictal epileptic spikes (IESs) and fast ripples (FRs) represent clinically relevant biomarkers characteristic of epileptogenic networks. However, their specific significance and the pathophysiological changes leading to either FRs or IESs remain elusive. The objective of this study was to analyze the conditions in which hyperexcitable networks can generate either IESs or FRs and to reveal shared or distinct mechanisms that underlie both types of events.
The Determinants of Operational Self Sufficiency: A Research Paper on an Empirical Analysis of Sri Lankan Microfinance Institutions

This study was undertaken with the objective of asserting the significant determinants of operational self-sufficiency in Sri Lankan microfinance institutions. This study is based on eleven microfinance institutions in Sri Lanka, within the period of 2005-2010, which are practicing microfinance at present. In this study sustainability is measured by operational self-sufficiency ratio. Efficiency and productivity are measured by operating expense ratio, personal productivity ratio and cost per borrower ratio. Financing structure is measured by debt/equity ratio. Portfolio quality is measured by write-off ratio. Finally the researcher asserted that the Cost per Borrower and Debt/Equity are the statistically significant predictor variables for the operational self-sufficiency for the microfinance institutions in Sri Lanka.
Restorative dentistry for children using a hard tissue laser – A Review

The old concept “extension for prevention” is changed to “prevention of extension”. It is important to be open to new technology, by being more creative in terms of developing new techniques or modifying and improving the existing ones. A review of the potential role of laser technology in pediatric restorative dentistry in terms of cavity preparation, dental pulp response, pain perception, and the treatment time is discussed in this present paper
An algorithm to configure a large-scale monitoring network for parameter estimation of distributed systems

A computational procedure is presented for the design of a network of observation locations in a spatial domain that are supposed to be used while estimatng unknown parameters of a distributed parameter system. The problem is formulated as the determination of the density of gaged sites so as to maximize the log-determinant of the Fisher information matrix associated with the estimated parameters, subject to inequality constraints incorporating a maximum allowable sensor density in a given spatial domain. The search for the optimal solution is performed using a simplicial decomposition algorithm in which the restricted master problem reduces to an uncomplicated multiplicative weight optimization algorithm. The use of the proposed approach is illustrated by a numerical example involving sensor selection for a two-dimensional diffusion process.
COMPETENCE OF THE AFRICAN TORTOISE TICK, AMBLYOMMA MARMOREUM(ACARI: IXODIDAE), AS A VECTOR OF THE AGENT OF HEARTWATER(COWDRIA RUMINANTIUM

The ability of the African tortoise tick, Amblyomma marmoreum, to acquire and transmit Cowdria ruminantium infection was investigated experimentally with transmission trials and with a C. ruminantium-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection assay. Laboratory-reared A. marmoreum larvae and nymphs were fed on small ruminants with clinical heartwater. After molting, the resultant nymphs were fed on Cowdria ruminantium-naive sheep (n = 3), and the adults were ground and inoculated intravenously into sheep (n = 5). Fatal heartwater developed in the 5 recipient animals, demonstrating larvae–nymph transmission and nymph–adult acquisition of infection. Cowdria ruminantium infection was also detected in adult A. marmoreum by PCR analysis, although at lower frequency (10%) than in Amblyomma hebraeum ticks (43%), the major vector of C. ruminantium in southern Africa, which had been fed simultaneously on the infected animals (P < 0.0001). Amblyomma marmoreum, therefore, can be an effective vector of C. ruminantium. The potential role of this species in heartwater epidemiology and in the spread of the disease to new areas is highlighted by these results and by the fact that immature stages of this tick feed readily on domestic and wild animals susceptible to C. ruminantium.
Performance management and Executive Agencies : strategy and outcomes in Jamaica

This thesis explores the question of whether Performance Management Systems (PMS) contribute to the managing of Executive Agencies (EAs). Exploring this question empirically in the context of the Jamaican public sector, it develops a realist methodology with methods, which are applied to the study of four Jamaican Executive Agencies (JEAs). Primary research conducted in 2011 through semi-structured interviews is combined with secondary research that considers both official government and unofficial resources such as reports (official) and newspapers (unofficial). The thesis is one of very few studies to focus on JEAs, one of only two studies to explore PMS in JEAs, and the first to make a focus on PMS in JEAs the primary object of study. It therefore contributes to a very limited literature, which is, therefore, both a strength of the thesis insofar as it breaks new ground, and also a challenge. It is a challenge because the lack of available literature on JEAs with which to relate. In order to address this lack, drawing on Historical Institutionalism (HI), Path Dependency (PD) and Policy Transfer theories, it argues that it is reasonable to draw on British literature owing to the historical influences of Britain on Jamaica, their institutional and constitutional contexts and, particularly, because the agencification of the Jamaican public sector has been based on the British Next Steps Model. From reviewing the British literature an Integrative Conceptual Framework (ICF) is developed. This framework incorporates those factors deemed as critical to the development of PMS in the organisational performance management literature, (that is, both management and public management), in order to harness the structural, procedural, situational and behavioural aspects discussed in the existing literature into a single framework. The ICF is at the heart of the thesis because it influences the methods used in conducting the primary research, and the presentation of research findings. It is therefore a major contribution of the thesis, and it is recommended that this framework could be applied in other contexts (e.g. in the private sector) and locations (e.g. in countries other than Jamaica) to analyse the use of PMS for managing. By triangulating the primary research findings with secondary data, that is, existing literature on the four case studies, the ICF is applied to generate a longitudinal aspect to the study. It is also found that PMS do contribute to managing JEAs, and that the use of PMS in JEAs has evolved positively over time for managing JEAs. The research findings discuss how PMS contributes to managing the four JEAs in terms of the different components of the ICF. Based on this, the study is able to add to existing academic literature, and make recommendations to practitioners. The contribution of this thesis to literature therefore incorporates both a conceptual and theoretical aspect, and also has a practical element. Both of these, it claims, could form the basis for further research.
Application of Performance Ratios in Portfolio Optimization

The cornerstone of modern portfolio theory was established by pioneer work of Harry Markowitz. Based on his mean-variance framework, Sharpe formulated his well-known Sharpe ratio aiming to measure the performance of mutual funds. The contemporary development in computer’s computational power allowed to apply more complex performance ratios, which take into account also higher moments of return probability distribution. Although these ratios were proposed to help the investors to improve the results of portfolio optimization, we empirically demonstrated in our paper that this may not necessarily be true. On the historical dataset of DJIA components we empirically showed that both Sharpe ratio and MAD ratio outperformed Rachev ratio. However, for Rachev ratio we assumed only one level of parameters value. Different set-ups of parameters may provide different results and thus further analysis is certainly required.
Effects of Switching Frequency Modulation on the Power Converter's Output Voltage

Frequency modulation of the switching signal controlling the electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance of a switching power converter (SPC) is a quite well-known theme that has been previously discussed. Generic spread spectrum clock generation methods have been theoretically analyzed and finally applied to an SPC's emissions reduction (whereas the previous real applications were focused on digital signals operated by a clock line). From this point of view, a more general denomination of these methods is necessary and spread spectrum switching generation is here proposed. Effects on EMI emissions reduction are clearly worthy when selecting the modulation parameters in a convenient way. However, most references are focused on reducing the EMI emissions generated by the SPC without taking into account the influence of such frequency modulation methods on the output voltage of the power supply. This paper aims at this point because, in fact, this is the main purpose of a power converter: supplying energy at an ideally constant voltage. Continuous conduction mode of a buck converter is theoretically studied and compared to the practical results obtained from a real power supply. In a first approximation, open-loop configuration was selected as the operation mode before closing the loop, where influence of the modulation is also present but is much more complicated to analyze.
Lead Lag Direction and Price Discovery of the S&P/ASX 200 Share Price Index and the S&P/ASX 200 Index Options

We examined the lead-lag relationship between the S&P/ASX200 Share Price Index as the underlying security of the S&P/ASX 200 Index Options traded on the ASX. We investigated the information content of the index and option markets in the price discovery process. Based on conditional volatility models results, the long run equilibrium relationship between the share price index, the implied price of the share-price-index option was investigated. Causality was determined to show which market leads the other. Information share measures were used to gauge the contribution of the share price index and index option markets to the price discovery process. Unambiguous evidence shows the index market leads the option market and the former contributes more to price discovery than the latter.
Oncomir miR-125b regulates hematopoiesis by targeting the gene Lin28A

MicroRNA-125b (miR-125b) is up-regulated in patients with leukemia. Overexpression of miR-125b alone in mice causes a very aggressive, transplantable myeloid leukemia. Before leukemia, these mice do not display elevation of white blood cells in the spleen or bone marrow; rather, the hematopoietic compartment shows lineage-skewing, with myeloid cell numbers dramatically increased and B-cell numbers severely diminished. miR-125b exerts this effect by up-regulating the number of common myeloid progenitors while inhibiting development of pre-B cells. We applied a miR-125b sponge loss of function system in vivo to show that miR-125b physiologically regulates hematopoietic development. Investigating the mechanism by which miR-125b regulates hematopoiesis, we found that, among a panel of candidate targets, the mRNA for Lin28A, an induced pluripotent stem cell gene, was most repressed by miR-125b in mouse hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Overexpressing Lin28A in the mouse hematopoietic system mimicked the phenotype observed on inhibiting miR-125b function, leading to a decrease in hematopoietic output. Relevant to the miR-125b overexpression phenotype, we also found that knockdown of Lin28A led to hematopoietic lineage-skewing, with increased myeloid and decreased B-cell numbers. Thus, the miR-125b target Lin28A is an important regulator of hematopoiesis and a primary target of miR-125b in the hematopoietic system.
Crucial Role of FLVCR1a in the Maintenance of Intestinal Heme Homeostasis.

AIMS The maintenance of heme homeostasis, mucosa cell renewal, and redox environment in the intestine is essential to permit digestion, absorption, cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and immune response and to avoid the development of gut disorders. The feline leukemia virus, subgroup C, receptor 1a (FLVCR1a) is a heme exporter expressed in almost all cell types, including intestinal cells. This work investigates the role of FLVCR1a in the intestine, taking advantage of an intestine-specific conditional Flvcr1a-knockout mouse and of FLVCR1a-depleted Caco2 cells. RESULTS The data show that FLVCR1a does not participate in the absorption of dietary heme, whereas it is involved in the export of de novo synthesized heme from intestinal cells. The loss of Flvcr1a is associated with a decrease of intestinal cell proliferation and with alterations in the peculiar homeostasis of proliferating cells, including the maintenance of their redox status. The involvement of FLVCR1a in these processes renders this exporter crucial for the survival of mice in a model of ulcerative colitis. INNOVATION These findings shed light on the role of heme export in the dietary heme absorption process and unravel a new role for heme export in the control of mucosal renewal and in proliferating cell redox status and metabolic activity, demonstrating a crucial role for FLVCR1a in maintaining intestinal homeostasis in both physiologic and pathologic situations. CONCLUSION By exporting the excess of de novo synthesized heme from intestinal cells, FLVCR1a participates in the control of intestinal mucosa homeostasis.
Risk of cancer in patients using glucose-lowering agents: a nationwide cohort study of 3.6 million people

Objectives To study the association between exposures to glucose-lowering therapy and risk of cancer using the nationwide administrative registers in Denmark. Design Nationwide cohort study. Setting All hospitals in Denmark. Participants All individuals aged ≥35 years in 1998–2009 who were naive to glucose-lowering treatment and had no history of cancer. Primary measures outcomes: first cancer diagnosis between 1998 and 2009. The RR of cancer as dependent on exposure to individual glucose-lowering agents was assessed by multivariable Poisson regression models. Results Of 159 894 patients that initiated treatment with glucose-lowering agents, 12 789 developed cancer, incidence rate 17.4/1000 person-years. Of the remaining 3 447 904 individuals not using glucose-lowering agents, 293 878 developed cancer, incidence rate 7.9/1000 person-years. Use of different types of glucose-lowering agents including human insulin, insulin analogues, as well as sulfonylureas were associated with a quantitatively similar and significantly increased RR of cancer of 1.2–1.3 compared with unexposed individuals after multivariable adjustment. For the majority of agents, the authors identified the highest RR of cancer during the first 30 treatment days with a subsequent decline of risk approaching the cancer risk of the background population only 6–12 months after initiation of treatments. Conclusions Use of most glucose-lowering agents including sulfonylureas was associated with a comparable increased risk of cancer shortly after initiation of treatment and subsequently a decline to the risk of the background population. This suggests that the relation is not causal.
Prevalence and description of selective mutism in a school-based sample.

OBJECTIVE To examine the prevalence of selective mutism (SM) in a public school sample and compare the functioning and symptoms of children with SM to age- and gender-matched unaffected children. METHOD Kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers in a large district were asked to identify pupils who met DSM-IV criteria for SM and to complete ratings of speaking behavior, social anxiety, other internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and overall functioning for these and comparison youngsters. Teachers completed the same ratings on the SM children 6 months later. RESULTS A participation rate of 94% (125 of 133 teachers) was obtained, and the prevalence of SM was . 71% (16/2,256). Measures were completed for 12 (75%) of 16 identified children. Compared with peers, children with SM were more symptomatic on measures of frequency of speech, social anxiety, and other internalizing symptoms. As a group, children with SM had improved 6 months later but remained impaired and symptomatic when compared with the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS SM may not be as rare as previously thought. The functioning of children with SM is impaired, and although there is some improvement over time, notable impairment remains, suggesting that intervention is preferable to waiting for SM to remit spontaneously.
The role of gp130 receptor cytokines in the regulation of metabolic homeostasis

ABSTRACT It is well known that obesity is responsible, at least in part, for the increased incidence of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. Despite public education programs emphasizing lifestyle modifications to arrest this global pandemic, it is now estimated that 10–15% of the world's population are overweight or obese. As a result, new therapeutic options for the treatment of obesity-related disorders are clearly warranted. Much of the benefit of physical activity has been attributed to several mechanisms including reduced adiposity, increased cardiorespiratory fitness, reduced circulating lipids and the maintenance of muscle mass. However, the observation that the gp130 receptor cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) was released from skeletal muscle during exercise to improve metabolic homeostasis altered our understanding of the health benefits of exercise and opened avenues for research into potential novel therapeutics to treat metabolic disease. One gp130 receptor cytokine in particular, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), a pluripotent neurocytokine, showed efficacy as a potential anti-obesogenic therapy. This review examines the potential of gp130 receptor ligands, with a focus on IL-6 and CNTF as therapeutic strategies to treat obesity-related disorders. Summary: Taken together, there is a great body of evidence suggesting that novel therapeutics to treat obesity and T2D can be developed by targeting gp130 ligands.
Cooperative Management of Environmental Resources: A Case Study from Northern Ontario, Canada*

AbstractThis paper analyzes the political dynamics of a hinterland locality and a provincial government participating together in a co-management initiative to formulate environmental resource policies. The concept of “local dependency” is adapted for a hinterland setting to evaluate the efficacy of a co-management initiative to allocate access to and manage fish and wildlife resources in northern Ontario, Canada. Results of a case study located in Ignace, Ontario indicate that despite efforts to engage in cooperation, features of local hinterland dependency affected both the process and outcome of the initiative. Broad involvement at the community level was restricted because specific local actors coalesced to skew participation toward a narrow set of economic values. Selected participants in the co-management exercise maintained close control over participation within the community and effectively became a conduit to the senior government for vocal sectors at the local level. The locally dependent statu.
Product management for software product lines: an unsolved problem?

The goal of this article is to call attention to an area that is yet not sufficiently researched: product management for software product lines (SPLs). Many companies developing standardized software products have adopted product management as a function that coordinates research and development, marketing, sales, and software development. Even though this function coordinates all of these areas, it is traditionally mainly a marketing function and often organized as part of the marketing department. This may be sufficient for "normal" software products, but not in a SPL context, as we will discuss here.