Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk and protection factors for chronic non communicable diseases by telephone survey--VIGITEL-2009.

OBJECTIVE To describe the risk and protection factors for non communicable diseases with data from Telephone-based Surveillance of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases (VIGITEL) in 2009. METHODOLOGY The prevalence of main risk and protective factors was estimated in adults (>18 years old), by telephone surveys in a probabilistic sample of the population covered by landline telephones in Brazilian state capitals and the Federal District, stratified by gender, age and schooling. RESULTS Data from 54,367 adults were collected. Smokers and former smokers represented 15.5 and 22% of Brazilian adults, respectively. Excess weight affected 46.6% of adults; 33% reported the consumption of meat with visible fat and reported 18.9% alcohol abuse. These factors were more prevalent among men and, in general, young adults and people with low schooling. The prevalence of physical activity in leisure was 18.8% (95%CI 17.4-20.1) among men and 11.3% (95%CI 10.6-12.0) among women. Physical inactivity affected 15.6% of population and increased with age. Consumption of fruits and vegetables and physical activity in leisure time were more prevalent in men and women with 12 years of schooling or more. Hypertension diagnosis was reported by 21.1% (95%CI 19.6-22.5) of men, and 27.2% (95%CI 25.8-28.5) of women. Prevalence of diabetes was 5.8%. CONCLUSION The results point to different health behavior according to gender, age and schooling of the population and reinforce the decreasing smoking trend and increasing overweight trend in Brazil.
Effects of Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) Extracts Iscador on Cell Cycle and Survival of Tumor Cells

Summary The molecular and cellular mechanisms by which mistletoe (Viscum album L.) extracts exert cytotoxic and immunomodulatory anti-tumoral effects are largely unknown. In this study the hypothesis that Iscador® preparations induce tumor regression by cell cycle inhibition and/or interference with apoptotic signaling pathways in cancer cells was investigated. Also a possible effect on angiogenesis, which is a prerequisite for tumor growth in vivo, is studied in endothelial cell cultures. Furthermore, it was examined which apoptotic signaling route(s) is (are) activated by Iscador by studying specific pro-apoptotic proteins in cultured cells. To characterize these properties, 9 human cancer cell lines of different origin, one epidermis derived cell line and 2 endothelial cell cultures were incubated with different concentrations of Iscador Quercus Spezial and Iscador Malus Spezial. Cell cycle kinetic parameters were measured by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) pulse labeling and tubulin staining. Apoptotic responses were detected by M30 Cyto-Death or Annexin V/propidium iodide assays. Characterization of the apoptotic pathway(s) was performed by staining cells for amongst others active caspase 3 and cytochrome C (mitochondrial pathway), as well as active caspase 8 (death receptor pathway). The sensitivity to Iscador treatment varies strongly between different cell lines and also amongst the two different Iscador preparations. In sensitive cell lines, including those derived from small cell lung cancer, and adenocarcinoma of the lung and breast, as well as endothelial cell cultures, Iscador caused early cell cycle inhibition followed by apoptosis in a dose dependent manner. Amongst the low responders are cell lines derived from colorectal carcinoma. In general Iscador Malus exerted a stronger response than Iscador Quercus. Apoptosis was induced by activating the mitochondrial but not the death receptor dependent pathway, at least in case of Iscador Quercus. Iscador Malus also seemed to induce apoptosis via the death receptor route, which may explain the higher sensitivity of cancer and endothelial cells to this preparation.
Gravitational Goldstone fields from affine gauge theory

In order to facilitate the application of standard renormalization techniques, gravitation should be decribed, if possible, in pure connection formalism, as a Yang-Mills theory of a certain spacetime group, say the Poincare or the affine group. This embodies the translational as well as the linear connection. However, the coframe is not the standard Yang-Mills type gauge field of the translations, since it lacks the inhomogeneous gradient term in the gauge transformations. By explicitly restoring the "hidden" piece responsible for this behavior within the framework of nonlinear realizations, the usual geometrical interpretation of the dynamical theory becomes possible, and in addition one can avoid the metric or coframe degeneracy which would otherwise interfere with the integrations within the path integral. We claim that nonlinear realizations provide a general mathematical scheme clarifying the foundations of gauge theories of spacetime symmetries. When applied to construct the Yang-Mills theory of the affine group, tetrads become identified with nonlinear translational connections; the anholonomic metric does not constitute any more an independent gravitational potential, since its degrees of freedom reveal to correspond to eliminable Goldstone bosons. This may be an important advantage for quantization.
Protease inhibitor-resistant hepatitis C virus mutants with reduced fitness from impaired production of infectious virus.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Several small molecule inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural protein (NS) 3/4A protease have advanced successfully to clinical trials. However, the selection of drug-resistant mutants is a significant issue with protease inhibitors (PIs). A variety of amino acid substitutions in the protease domain of NS3 can lead to PI resistance. Many of these significantly impair the replication fitness of HCV RNA replicons. However, it is not known whether these mutations also adversely affect infectious virus assembly and release, processes in which NS3 also participates. METHODS We studied the impact of 25 previously identified PI-resistance mutations on the capacity of genotype 1a H77S RNA to replicate in cell culture and produce infectious virus. RESULTS Most PI-resistance mutations resulted in moderate loss of replication competence, although several (V36A/L/M, R109K, and D168E) showed fitness comparable to wild type, whereas others (S138T and A156V) were severely impaired both in RNA replication and infectious virus production. Although reductions in RNA replication capacity correlated with decreased yields of infectious virus for most mutations, a subset of mutants (Q41R, F43S, R155T, A156S, and I170A/T) showed greater impairment in their ability to produce virus than predicted from reductions in RNA replication capacity. Detailed examination of the I170A mutant showed no defect in release of virus from cells and no significant difference in specific infectivity of extracellular virus particles. CONCLUSIONS Replicon-based assays might underestimate the loss of fitness caused by PI-resistance mutations, because some mutations in the NS3 protease domain specifically impair late steps in the viral life cycle that involve intracellular assembly of infectious virus.
Estimate of embedded element efficiency using S-parameter measurements

S-parameter measurements are used to obtain impedance mismatch and coupling loss of radiating elements embedded in an array configuration. This paper shows how the measurements can be used independently of element pattern measurements to estimate the array element efficiency. The method is extended to the array antenna efficiency by synthesizing the active S-parameter coefficients assuming uniform excitation. Utilizing S-parameter measurements as a first estimate of the array antenna efficiency offers an efficient and cost-effective method which only requires a network analyzer.
Location using LOS range estimation in NLOS environments

We present an algorithm for mitigating the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) error that corrupts time of arrival (TOA), or range, measurements. The method uses the available data regarding the ranges and the base station (BS) layout, in conjunction with cell geometry, to adjust the measured ranges to near their true line-of-sight (LOS) values. The range adjustments are obtained by scaling the NLOS ranges using scale factors that are estimated from a constrained nonlinear optimization problem.
Internet of Things: Exploring households' intention to use smart home technology

Smart home technology, an application of Internet of Things (IoT), provides householders with e.g., comfort, control and convenience. The technology has been around for sometimes, but its prevalence is not yet widespread, and thus the potentials have largely been underestimated. This paper aims to explore the antecedent factors influencing the adoption of smart home technology through analysis of a survey data comprising of 156 households. This paper, in addition to Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), applies an analytical thinking method called "Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis" to analyse the data. The SEM results indicate that consumer perceived innovativeness, perceived newness, social influence and attitude toward using smart home technology are notable antecedents of intention to use. Moreover, the results show that the perceived cost negatively affect the intention to use. FsQCA results, while confirming SEM findings, strengthen the results by revealing that there is no single solution that lead to the outcome, but multiple configurations of conditions lead to the outcome of interest. This paper contributes to the literature of IoT, in particular to smart home research. Some practical implications and research recommendations are discussed. Keywords: Internet of Things, Smart home technology, Perceived cost, Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis
INFORMED CONSENT STATUS IN OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES WITH RETROSPECTIVE DESIGN: A POOR SHOW

ABSTRACT Objective: Informed consent is very important to protect the rights of patients and is obtained as a vital component of any clinical study. Requirement of patient consent in retrospective research continues to stir controversy even today. Some of directions of regulatory authorities even waive off the consent for retrospective studies, whereas few recommend that at least clearance from the Ethical Review Board may be taken or information to patient may be given or oral consent must be given by patient for usage of the data in any retrospective study. The aim of this study was to analyze the current status of informed consent procedures in observational studies with retrospective design. Methods: This review was intended to find out the current status of procedures involved in informed consent in India and abroad. A total of 100 retrospective studies were searched for this objective from the internet and other literature sources. Results: Data show that in 65% of studies neither informed consent/oral consent nor ethical clearance was taken. Only 1% of studies have been conducted with informed consent as well as ethical clearance. Only 14% of studies were conducted with informed consent and 21% with ethical approval. Conclusion: The study reflects very poor status of informed consent in retrospective studies and noncompliance of ICH guidelines for clinical research in relation to informed consent. Keywords: Clinical research, Informed consent, Retrospective studies.
Polarization Diversity in Ring Topology Networks

Polarization diversity is generally achieved by using two orthogonal polarizations on the same link, which enables to double the available bandwidth. In this paper, we study the possibility to connect the nodes of a line-of- sight ring topology network with one single channel for all the links, with the condition that the polarization of any link is orthogonal to the polarization of the two adjacent links. The solution proposed in this paper can improve spectrum efficiency by up to 50% in comparison with the widespread polarization multiplexing solution.
Congenital cytomegalovirus infection: management update

Purpose of review Until recently, management options in congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection have been either conservative or termination of pregnancy. However, medical therapies aimed at reducing the risk of infection and/or its severity have recently been investigated. Recent findings In a phase 2 open label, nonrandomized trial, valaciclovir (ValACV) was given to women carrying a CMV-infected fetus. ValACV was associated with a greater proportion of asymptomatic neonates when compared with a historical cohort (82 vs. 43%). However, the study design and the small number of treated women limit its applicability. Even though initial observational data suggested that hyperimmune globulin (HIG) therapy in pregnancy was associated with a significantly lower risk of cCMV, its efficacy has not been borne out in a subsequent phase 2 randomized, placebo controlled, double-blind study [cCMV 30% in the HIG group, 44% in the placebo group (P = 0.13)]. Furthermore, 11% of fetuses in the HIG group had transient or permanent abnormalities, compared with 16% in the placebo group. Summary ValACV might have a promising role in the antenatal treatment of cCMV infection, but definitive recommendations require further research. The use of HIG should currently be limited to the research setting. Video abstract http://links.lww. com/COID/A18.
PARÂMETROS BIOMÉTRICOS DO CRESCIMENTO E DESENVOLVIMENTO DA CANA-DE-AÇÚCAR (Saccharum spp.) NAS SUAS FASES INICIAIS

A necessidade por aumento na produtividade e na sustentabilidade dos sistemas de producao tem dado prioridade ao melhoramento genetico que permite um crescimento e estabelecimento mais rapidos da cultura da cana-de-acucar. Dessa forma, o foco e promover a reducao nos custos de producao, assim como no numero de operacoes realizadas nas areas produtivas, sejam elas preventivas ou curativas. Esse trabalho objetivou avaliar as caracteristicas inicias de algumas variedades de cana-de-acucar (Saccharum spp.) na regiao de Dracena-SP, nas dependencias da Usina Caete/S.A. , Unidade Pauliceia. O delineamento experimental foi realizado em Delineamento em Blocos Casualizados em seis tratamentos, sendo caracterizados pelo plantio das variedades de cana-de-acucar tais como RB966928, CTC9001, RB92579, CTC04, RB867515 e RB975201 em cinco repeticoes, totalizando 30 parcelas. A caracterizacao quimica do solo foi realizada durante a instalacao do experimento. Aos 75 dias apos o plantio foram avaliadas as seguintes caracteristicas: comprimento da parte aerea; numero de folhas; diâmetro de colmo; area foliar; materia verde da parte aerea; e materia seca da parte aerea. De maneira geral a variedade de cana-de-acucar CTC9001 apresentou melhores valores medios para os parâmetros biometricos de crescimento e desenvolvimento nas suas fases iniciais.
(4-Hydroxyphenyl)pyruvate dioxygenase from Streptomyces avermitilis: the basis for ordered substrate addition.

(4-hydroxyphenyl)pyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) catalyzes the second step in the pathway for the catabolism of tyrosine, the conversion of (4-hydroxyphenyl)pyruvate (HPP) to homogentisate (HG). This reaction involves decarboxylation, substituent migration, and aromatic oxygenation. HPPD is a member of the alpha-keto acid dependent oxygenases that require Fe(II) and an alpha-keto acid substrate to oxygenate an organic molecule. We have examined the binding of ligands to HPPD from Streptomyces avermitilis. Our data show that HPP binds to the apoenzyme and that the apo-HPPD.HPP complex does not bind Fe(II) to generate active holoenzyme. The binding of HPP, phenylpyruvate (PPA), and pyruvate to the holoenzyme produces a weak ligand charge-transfer band at approximately 500 nm that is indicative of bidentate binding of the 1-carboxylate and 2-keto pyruvate oxygen atoms to the active site metal ion. For HPPD from this organism the 4-hydroxyl group of (4-hydroxyphenyl)pyruvate is a requirement for catalysis; no turnover is observed in the presence of phenylpyruvate. The rate constant for the dissociation of Fe(II) from the holoenzyme is 0.0006 s(-)(1) and indicates that this phenomenon is not significantly relevant in steady-state turnover. The addition of HPP and molecular oxygen to the holoenzyme is formally random. The basis of the ordered bi bi steady-state kinetic mechanism previously observed by Rundgren (Rundgren, M. (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252, 5094-9) is the 3600-fold increase in oxygen reactivity when holo-HPPD is in complex with HPP. This complex reacts with molecular oxygen with a second-order rate constant of 1.4 x 10(5) M(-)(1) s(-)(1) inducing the formation of an intermediate that decays at the catalytically relevant rate of 7.8 s(-)(1).
Effect of soy protein on serum lipid profile and some lipid-metabolizing enzymes in cholesterol fed rats

The effect of soy protein on serum lipid profile and some lipid metabolizing enzymes in rats fed with cholesterol diets was examined in this study. Rats were subjected to feeding trial over a period of six weeks on formulated diets containing: 20% soy protein with 0% cholesterol (group A), 20% soy protein with 5% cholesterol (group B), 20% soy protein with 10% cholesterol (group C), 0% soy protein with 20% cholesterol (group D), and 5% soy protein with 20% cholesterol (group E). Serum total, VLDL, LDL, and HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were found to be reduced significantly in Groups B and C when compared with Groups D and E (p 0.05). Groups D and E showed significant increased levels (p < 0.01) when compared to other groups. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL), lecithin:cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT), and triglyceride lipase (TGL) activities were found to be significantly reduced (p< 0.05) in groups B and C when compared with groups D and E. Though groups B, C, D, and E rats all showed significant elevation (p < 0.05) in the enzyme activities when compared to the control.
Internal friction between solitons in near-integrable systems.

We study inelastic interactions (internal friction) between two solitons in a system described by a near-integrable generalized nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. An analytic method for calculating the radiation intensity and the rates of amplitude changes of two interacting solitons is proposed. This method shows that, in the limit of zero angle of collision, the amplitude of the smaller soliton decays so that it is inversely proportional to the cube root of the propagation distance. The radiation losses associated with the internal friction of two solitons occur at the expense of the smaller soliton. Half of the energy lost from the smaller soliton is radiated and half goes to the larger soliton. The results obtained by use of our analytic method are in excellent agreement with numerical simulations.
The Carboxyl-terminal Segment of the Adaptor Protein ALX Directs Its Nuclear Export during T Cell Activation*

The adaptor protein ALX acts downstream of CD28 to regulate the interleukin-2 (IL-2) promoter during T cell activation. Whereas ALX is predominantly localized to the cytoplasm, ALX partially resides in the nucleus, and the nuclear pool is rapidly depleted in response to T cell receptor (TCR)/CD28 signaling. Here it is shown that this depletion occurs via nuclear export of ALX, which depends on a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES) in its carboxyl segment and on the CRM-1 transport protein. Nuclear import of ALX also depends on its carboxyl-terminal segment. Blocking nuclear export of ALX, either pharmacologically, by leptomycin B, or by site-directed mutation of the ALX NES, impairs CD28-mediated phosphorylation of ALX. Additionally, upon overexpression, the ALX NES mutant was found to be impaired in inhibiting TCR/CD28-induced transcriptional up-regulation of the RE/AP composite element from the IL-2 promoter, whereas a truncated form of ALX that is a potent inhibitor of RE/AP activation was found to reside entirely in the cytoplasm. Together, these results show that ALX exerts its effect on IL-2 up-regulation in the cytoplasm and suggest an intricate relationship between the nuclear localization/export, phosphorylation, and activity of ALX in response to TCR and CD28 signaling.
Genetic predisposition to clinical tuberculosis: bridging the gap between simple and complex inheritance.

Tuberculosis, a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has reemerged as a leading public health problem. Approximately one-third of the world’s population is infected with M. tuberculosis, and a recent World Health Organization report estimated that, in 1998, there were 8 million new cases of clinical tuberculosis and 1.9 million deaths from the disease. Interestingly, not all individuals exposed to M. tuberculosis become infected. Moreover, progression toward clinical tuberculosis is far from an inevitable consequence of infection with M. tuberculosis, since only ∼10% of the vast number of infected individuals actually develop clinical disease (Bloom and Small 1998). Both M. tuberculosis infection and clinical tuberculosis result from complex interactions between the infectious agent, environmental factors, and the host.
Series-connected HV-IGBTs using active voltage control with status feedback circuit

The transient voltage unbalance is the major problem that limits the application of series-connected IGBTs in high voltage and high power converters. The asynchronous gate delay which causes that series-connected IGBTs do not turn-on and turn-off at the same time results in the most serious unbalanced voltage sharing. The active voltage control technique is proposed in this paper to solve the asynchronous gate delay problem. By sampling the feedback signal caused by unbalanced voltage, the microcontroller generates a time delay for gate driver to compensate the asynchronous gate delay. The most vital part of active voltage control is the status feedback circuit which is also given in detail in this paper. The function of the status feedback circuit and the effect of active voltage control are verified in a two series-connected HV-IGBTs platform in rated operation (5kV bus voltage and 600A load current).
Cancer Stem Cells in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Review

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). CSCs possess the ability for perpetual self-renewal and proliferation, producing downstream progenitor cells and cancer cells that drive tumor growth. Studies of many cancer types including OCSCC have identified CSCs using specific markers, but it is still unclear as to where in the stem cell hierarchy these markers fall. This is compounded further by the presence of multiple CSC subtypes within OCSCC, making investigation reliant on the use of multiple markers. This review examines the current knowledge in CSC markers OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, ALDH1, phosphorylated STAT3, CD44, CD24, CD133, and Musashi-1, specifically focusing on their use and validity in OCSCC CSC research and how they may be organized into the CSC hierarchy. OCSCC CSCs also express components of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS), which suggests CSCs may be novel therapeutic targets by modulation of the RAS using existing medications.
A C-Band Flat Lens Antenna With Double-Ring Slot Elements

A novel flat lens antenna using double-ring slot element is presented. Compared to those conventional high-gain antennas, the proposed lens antenna can realize greater flexibility in the installation with less manufacturing complexity. A prime-focus 49-element prototype lens antenna using the proposed elements has been fabricated and measured. The highest measured gain is 16.7 dBi at the center frequency of 6 GHz, and a relative bandwidth of 15% is achieved within 3-dB gain variations. All experimental results demonstrate that the proposed lens antenna can be used as an optimum airborne antenna in the future.