Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
α2-Heremans-Schmid Glycoprotein/ Fetuin-A Is Associated With Insulin Resistance and Fat Accumulation in the Liver in Humans

OBJECTIVE —The α 2 -Heremans-Schmid glycoprotein (AHSG; fetuin-A in animals) impairs insulin signaling in vitro and in rodents. Whether AHSG is associated with insulin resistance in humans is under investigation. In an animal model of diet-induced obesity that is commonly associated with hepatic steatosis, an increase in Ahsg mRNA expression was observed in the liver. Therefore, we hypothesized that the AHSG plasma protein, which is exclusively secreted by the liver in humans, may not only be associated with insulin resistance but also with fat accumulation in the liver. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —Data from 106 healthy Caucasians without type 2 diabetes were included in cross-sectional analyses. A subgroup of 47 individuals had data from a longitudinal study. Insulin sensitivity was measured by a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp, and liver fat was determined by 1 H magnetic resonance spectroscopy. RESULTS —AHSG plasma levels, adjusted for age, sex, and percentage of body fat, were higher in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance compared with subjects with normal glucose tolerance ( P = 0.006). AHSG plasma levels were negatively associated with insulin sensitivity ( r = −0.22, P = 0.03) in cross-sectional analyses. Moreover, they were positively associated with liver fat ( r = 0.27, P = 0.01). In longitudinal analyses, under weight loss, a decrease in liver fat was accompanied by a decrease in AHSG plasma concentrations. Furthermore, high AHSG levels at baseline predicted less increase in insulin sensitivity ( P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS —We found that high AHSG plasma levels are associated with insulin resistance in humans. Moreover, AHSG plasma levels are elevated in subjects with fat accumulation in the liver. This is consistent with a potential role of AHSG as a link between fatty liver and insulin resistance.
Longitudinal trends in cervical histological lesions (CIN 2–3 +): A 25‐year overview

Background. Trends in CIN 2–3+ lesions affect the choice of target age group and screening interval. Methods. The following analyses were performed for CIN 2_/3_/ following 1st to 5th screening visits in the 20–34/35–69 age groups during 1979–2002: a) the relative risk of age and calendar year; b) the cumulative incidence rate after normal or low or higher grade cytology; c) the proper screening interval to detect these lesions at a fixed risk level after normal screening visits; d) the predictive power of these lesions for diagnosis of cancer after first biopsy; e) the prevalence rates in the 20–24/25–29 year age groups at first and at al1 subsequent screening visits. Results. The cumulative rate decreased with the number of screening visits and advancing age. After normal and low‐grade cytology the cumulative rate increased linearly but slowly with time but after higher grade cytology the rate was relatively stable within one year. Age and calendar year are important risk factors in younger women. The prevalence of CIN 2–3+ increased significantly at 1st visit in the 20–24 age group at the same time as the population prevalence in the 25–29 age group decreased significantly. CIN 2 was at lower risk than CIN 3 of being diagnosed with cancer. Conclusions. The results indicate that screening should preferably start before age 25 with a maximum interval of 3 years, whereas the interval can be extended to 4–/5 years at age 35–40. CIN 2 have a different risk profile compared to CIN 3.
Institutional analysis of the contemporary regional labour market in the Czech Republic

Public institutions are key players in the regional labour markets in the Czech Republic. Their activities are constrained by economic policies, which are aimed at increasing employment and the effi ciency of the labour markets. Our analysis uses a questionnaire to collect data from the institutions and evaluate their perception of the regional labour market. The results suggest that active employment policy instruments and passive policy instruments are perceived as ineffi cient and inappropriate. The unemployed usually have no previous job experience, completed only primary education and are not willing to travel to work. The pressing problem is the quality of education and the generous social benefi ts that makes employment policy ineffi cient for the least skilled unemployed.
Integrated Face Analytics Networks through Cross-Dataset Hybrid Training

Face analytics benefits many multimedia applications. It consists of a number of tasks, such as facial emotion recognition and face parsing, and most existing approaches generally treat these tasks independently, which limits their deployment in real scenarios. In this paper we propose an integrated Face Analytics Network (iFAN), which is able to perform multiple tasks jointly for face analytics with a novel carefully designed network architecture to fully facilitate the informative interaction among different tasks. The proposed integrated network explicitly models the interactions between tasks so that the correlations between tasks can be fully exploited for performance boost. In addition, to solve the bottleneck of the absence of datasets with comprehensive training data for various tasks, we propose a novel cross-dataset hybrid training strategy. It allows "plug-in and play'' of multiple datasets annotated for different tasks without the requirement of a fully labeled common dataset for all the tasks. We experimentally show that the proposed iFAN achieves state-of-the-art performance on multiple face analytics tasks using a single integrated model. Specifically, iFAN achieves an overall F-score of 91.15% on the Helen dataset for face parsing, a normalized mean error of 5.81% on the MTFL dataset for facial landmark localization and an accuracy of 45.73% on the BNU dataset for emotion recognition with a single model.
Self-correcting online navigation via leveraged Gaussian processes

In this paper, a novel online learning navigation algorithm is proposed to incorporate negative data generated from failure in an online manner. While existing methods require additional knowledge about what to do at failed situations, the proposed method alleviates this by utilizing failures as a clue of what not to do without requiring additional knowledge of what to do. By combining the benefits of leveraged Gaussian processes and sparse online Gaussian processes, we proposed an online learning framework for navigation and its update rule which instantly learns which actions to avoid from the failures while navigating. Our navigation method is successfully validated on a static planar world and dynamic worlds on both simulation and real-world dataset.
The Private Enforcement of Law: Materials from China

From the perspective of the economic theory of law enforcement, this article systematically analyzes the private enforcement of law, including informal debt-collection, private detectives, private wanted circulars, the "frisking" of suspected shoplifters, private fines, and lynching, with a focus on the case of China. The author then proceeds to analyze self-help remedies. Finally, the article argues that private individuals and non-state organizations should play a more important role in law enforcement in China.
Tolerability and Safety of High Daily Doses of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Healthy Young Men

Abstract: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an experimental technology that involves a powerful magnetic pulse applied to the scalp, which is sufficient to cause neuronal depolarization. Transcranial magnetic stimulation has been used in treatment studies for psychiatric disorders, primarily unipolar depression, and as a tool to map brain function. Although thousands of rTMS sessions have been given with few side effects, rTMS can produce serious adverse effects such as an unintended seizure. Safety guidelines for frequency, duration, and intensity of rTMS have aided in the prevention of such adverse side effects. However, the total dose (number of stimuli) able to be delivered safely to human subjects within a day or within a week has not been established. For example, previous rTMS studies as a treatment for depression consisted of delivering 800 to 3000 magnetic pulses per day, with 8000 to 30,000 magnetic pulses over 2 to 3 weeks. This study examined whether high doses of rTMS within a day or over a week would produce significant side effects. As part of a study to examine rTMS effects in sleep deprivation, we exposed healthy men to 12,960 magnetic pulses a day for up to 3 days in 1 week. This equals 38,880 magnetic pulses over 1 week, which is likely one of the largest exposures of TMS to date. Despite this intense treatment regimen, we failed to produce significant side effects. Doses of up to 12,960 pulses per day appear safe and tolerable in healthy young men.
Self-calibrated MEMS gyroscope with AM/FM operational modes, dynamic range of 180 dB and in-run bias stability of 0.1 deg/hr

This paper reports our cumulative progress toward the development of a gyroscope with two interchangeable modes of operation: an Amplitude Modulated (AM) mode, for a precision measurement in more conventional ranges (~300 deg/sec) and a Frequency Modulated (FM) mode, for an expanded range of operation (over 300 deg/sec and as high as 18,000 deg/sec). We demonstrate that the implemented self-calibration algorithms for AM detection effectively remove the rate random walk, allowing for a highly stable in-run bias. The FM approach is based on tracking the resonant frequency split between two, high Q-factor mechanical modes of a gyroscope, providing a frequency-based measurement of the input angular rate. Temperature characterization of the FM gyroscope exhibited less than 0.2 % variation of the angular rate response between a temperature range of 25 °C and 70 °C. This characteristics is shown to be enabled by the self-calibration capability of differential frequency detection. Measured Allan deviation of the FM gyroscope demonstrated a bias instability of 0.5 7hr and an Angle Random Walk (ARW) of 0.08 °/√hr. Rate table characterization of the gyroscope in FM operational mode demonstrated a linear range of 18,000 7s, representing a dynamic range of 160 dB. In the conventional AM mode, the gyroscope experimentally demonstrated a 0.1 7hr bias instability after implementation of the temperature self-sensing calibration algorithm. Thus, the interchangeable operation of the QMG transducer provides a measured 176 dB dynamic range, making the same high-Q mechanical structure suitable for demanding high precision and wide input range applications.
Evaluation of commercial adjuncts for use in cheese ripening: 2. Ripening aspects and flavor development in cheese curd slurries prepared with adjunct lactobacilli

study was conducted to fractionate, tentatively identify and semi-quantitate the major proteins in the 3 SCW residual lipid fractions by sodiumdodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and densitometry. SCW, LDLF, MDLF, and HDLF contained 7, 3, 5, and 8 protein components, respectively. a-lactalbumin and 13-lactoglobulin accounted for 44.6 to 80.8% of the total proteins in the sew residual lipid fractions. Bovine serum albumin accounted for 4.4 to 8.5% of the total proteins in the 3 residual lipid fractions. HDLF contained the highest percentages of all protein components with molecular weights of 2:::31 kilo Daltons, except xanthine oxidase.
Shielding Properties of a Wire-Medium Screen

The shielding performance of a planar metamaterial wire-medium (WM) screen under plane-wave illumination is studied. The screen consists of a finite number of periodic layers of thin conducting cylinders embedded in a dielectric matrix; in the low-frequency limit and for waves with the electric field polarized along the wire direction, such a screen can be modeled as a homogeneous slab with a plasma-like dispersive permittivity. In particular, well below the plasma frequency, the effective relative permittivity is negative and very large in absolute value, giving rise to high values of the shielding effectiveness. A comparison with a conventional planar metal screen is reported, showing how the proposed structure can be designed to be advantageous in terms of low density and weight saving. In order to be effective against arbitrarily polarized waves, the original structure is modified, adding a second WM screen with wires orthogonally oriented with respect to the first one. Numerical results are provided that illustrate the validity of the homogenized model in predicting field levels both near to and far from the screen and show the shielding performance attainable with the proposed metamaterial screen in both single- and double-layer configurations at normal incidence.
TAZ Promotes Cell Proliferation and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Is Inhibited by the Hippo Pathway

ABSTRACT TAZ is a WW domain containing a transcription coactivator that modulates mesenchymal differentiation and development of multiple organs. In this study, we show that TAZ is phosphorylated by the Lats tumor suppressor kinase, a key component of the Hippo pathway, whose alterations result in organ and tissue hypertrophy in Drosophila and contribute to tumorigenesis in humans. Lats phosphorylates TAZ on several serine residues in the conserved HXRXXS motif and creates 14-3-3 binding sites, leading to cytoplasmic retention and functional inactivation of TAZ. Ectopic expression of TAZ stimulates cell proliferation, reduces cell contact inhibition, and promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Elimination of the Lats phosphorylation sites results in a constitutively active TAZ, enhancing the activity of TAZ in promoting cell proliferation and EMT. Our results elucidate a molecular mechanism for TAZ regulation and indicate a potential function of TAZ as an important target of the Hippo pathway in regulating cell proliferation tumorigenesis.
Bacteriological assessment of smoked game meat in Lubumbashi, D.R.C.

La qualite bacteriologique de la viande boucanee de gibier n'etait pas bien connue a Lubumbashi jusqu'a present. Pour cette etude, 182 echantillons de viande boucanee provenant de trois especes de gibier, a savoir Syncerus caffer (n = 63), Phacochoerus aethiopicus (n = 60) et Sylvicapra grimmia (n = 59) ont ete achetes au detail dans les marches de Lubumbashi et analyses. Le denombrement de Escherichia coli (en moyenne 4,87 ± 0,6 log10 CFU·g-1 d'echantillon) dans 81,3 % d'echantillons montre une contamination fecale significative de viandes boucanees de gibier. Pour l'ensemble de l'echantillonnage, nous avons determine par culture des prevalences de 0,0 %, 4,3 % [IC95 % 1,4-7,4], 3,8 % [IC95 % 1,1-6,6] et 14,2 % [IC95 % 9,2-19,4] respectivement pour Escherichia coli producteur de Shiga toxine (STEC), Salmonella spp. , Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. Par contre, a l'aide de la PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), ces prevalences ont ete de 2,2 % [IC95 % 0,1-4,3], 6,0 % [IC95 % 2,6-9,5], 3,8 % [IC95 % 1,1-6,6] et 15,9 % [IC95 % 10,6-21,3] respectivement pour STEC, Salmonella spp. , C. jejuni et C. coli. Syncerus caffer a ete etabli comme vecteur potentiel de STEC portant les genes stx1 (3,2 %), stx2 (1,6 %) et la combinaison des genes stx2 et eae (1,6 %). Sur base de ces donnees, nous avons suggere la necessite de developper des plans de surveillance pour la production, la preparation et la distribution des viandes boucanees de gibier a Lubumbashi.
Occupational exposure in dentistry and miscarriage

Background: Information on the reproductive effects of chemical exposures in dental work is sparse or inconsistent. Aim: To investigate whether dental workers exposed to acrylate compounds, mercury amalgam, solvents or disinfectants are at an increased risk of miscarriage. Methods: The study was conducted among women dental workers and a comparison group of workers occupationally unexposed to dental restorative materials. Information on pregnancies was obtained from national registers and outpatient units of hospitals. Data on occupational exposure were obtained using postal questionnaires. The final study population included 222 cases of miscarriage and 498 controls (births). An occupational hygienist assessed exposure to acrylate compounds, disinfectants and solvents. Exposure to other agents was assessed on the basis of the questionnaire data. Odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Results: The ORs adjusted for confounding factors were increased for moderate-exposure and high-exposure categories of mercury amalgam (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0 to 4.1 and OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.6 to 2.5, respectively). The risk was slightly increased for the highest-exposure category of 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.7 to 2.6) and polymethylmethacrylate dust (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.8 to 2.4). A slightly increased risk was also detected for likely exposure to organic solvents (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.8 to 2.3) and disinfectants (OR 1.5, 95% CI 0.9 to 2.7). Conclusions: No strong association or consistent dose–response relationship was observed between exposure to chemical agents in dental work and the risk of miscarriage. A slightly increased risk was found for exposure to mercury amalgam, some acrylate compounds, solvents and disinfectants. These findings indicate that the possibility of a weak association between exposure to these agents and an increased risk of miscarriage cannot be excluded.
The mitochondrial KATP channel opener BMS-191095 induces neuronal preconditioning

BMS-191095, reportedly a selective mitoKATP channel opener which is free from the known side effects of the prototype mitoKATP channel opener diazoxide, induced acute and delayed preconditioning against glutamate excitotoxicity and delayed preconditioning against oxygen–glucose deprivation in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons. BMS-191095 dose dependently depolarized the mitochondria, increased the phosphorylation of PKC isoforms, but had no detectable effects on the activation of MAP kinases and did not influence the expressions of HSP70 and Mn-SOD. In BMS-191095-preconditioned neurons the glutamate-induced free-radical production was abolished. Our data give the first evidence that selective opening of mitoKATP channels with BMS-191095 leads to remarkable neuroprotection via mechanisms that involve mitochondrial depolarization, PKC activation and attenuated free radical production during neuronal stress.
Evaluation of Methodology for Serotyping Invasive and Nasopharyngeal Isolates of Haemophilus influenzae in the Ongoing Surveillance in Brazil

ABSTRACT To assess the magnitude of discrepant results obtained by routine Haemophilus influenzae serotyping, 258 isolates, collected by the epidemiological surveillance system in Brazil from individuals with invasive diseases or carriage, were evaluated by two slide agglutination (SlAg) methods: SlAg method 1, by which strains were initially screened with a serotype b-specific antiserum, and SlAg method 2, by which strains were tested against all serotype-specific antisera in parallel. Investigators comparing results of the two SlAg methods with those obtained by capsule type-specific PCR were blinded to the method used. The serotype prevalence rates found by the three methods were significantly different, involving discrepancies mainly between serotype b and noncapsulated (NC) isolates. For invasive isolates (n = 131), the overall agreement rate between SlAg method 1 or 2 and PCR was 68.0 or 88.3%, respectively, whereas for colonizing isolates (n = 127) the corresponding rate was 46.5 or 94.2%, respectively. SlAg method 2 improved the ascertainment of serotypes over that obtained with SlAg method 1, demonstrating good correlation with PCR. Use of the polyvalent antiserum as a screening reagent for SlAg for invasive and colonizing isolates showed poor discriminatory power, with a sensitivity of 65.8% and a specificity of 91.7%. We stress the importance of using a well-standardized SlAg methodology and suggest that reference laboratories should utilize PCR routinely to confirm SlAg results and to check all nonspecific SlAg reactions and apparent NC isolates by SlAg in order to provide reliable data on the prevalence of H. influenzae serotypes in the H. influenzae type b vaccine era.
Comments on “An Analytical Solution for Tracking Photovoltaic Module MPP”

In the paper “An Analytical Solution for Tracking Photovoltaic Module MPP” by Farivar et al. (IEEE J. Photovolt., vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 1053-1061, Jul. 2013), a new method for approximating the maximum power point of a solar panel that is based on a single-diode equivalent circuit characteristic equation was proposed. The technique was shown to be computationally efficient and capable of retrieving the maximum power point in one step. The purpose of this note is complementing the method proposed by Farivar et al. by analytically demonstrating its validity.
Pharmacodynamics of intravenous ciprofloxacin in seriously ill patients

Seventy-four acutely ill patients were treated with intravenous ciprofloxacin at dosages ranging between 200 mg every 12 h and 400 mg every 8 h. A population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analysis relating drug exposure (and other factors) to infectious outcome was performed. Plasma samples were obtained and assayed for ciprofloxacin by high-performance liquid chromatography. Samples from patients were frequently cultured so that the day of bacterial eradication could be determined. The pharmacokinetic data were fitted by iterative two-stage analysis, assuming a linear two-compartment model. Logistic regression was used to model ciprofloxacin exposure (and other potential covariates) versus the probabilities of achieving clinical and microbiologic cures. The same variables were also modelled versus the time to bacterial eradication by proportional hazards regression. The independent variables considered were dose, site of infection, infecting organism and the MIC for it, percent time above the MIC, peak, peak/MIC ratio, trough, trough/MIC ratio, 24-h area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), AUC/MIC ratio (AUIC), presence of other active antibacterial agents, and patient characteristics. The most important predictor for all three measures of ciprofloxacin pharmacodynamics was the AUIC. A 24-h AUIC of 125 SIT-1.h (inverse serum inhibitory titer integrated over time) was found to be a significant breakpoint for probabilities of both clinical and microbiologic cures. At an AUIC below 125 (19 patients), the percent probabilities of clinical and microbiologic cures were 42 and 26%, respectively. At an AUIC above 125 (45 patients), the probabilities were 80% (P < 0.005) and 82% (P < 0.001), respectively. There were two significant breakpoints in the time-to-bacterial-eradication data. At an AUIC below 125 (21 patients), the median time to eradication exceeded 32 days; at an AUIC of 125 to 250 (15 patients), time to eradication was 6.6 days: and at AUIC above 250 (28 patients), the median time to eradication was 1.9 days (groups differed; P < 0.005). These findings, when combined with pharmacokinetic data reported in the companion article, provide the rationale and tools needed for targeting the dosage of intravenous ciprofloxacin to individual patients' pharmacokinetics and their bacterial pathogens' susceptibilities. An a priori dosing algorithm (based on MIC, patient creatine clearance and weight, and the clinician-specified AUIC target) was developed. This approach was shown, retrospectively, to be more precise than current guidelines, and it can be used to achieve more rapid bacteriologic and clinical responses to ciprofloxacin, as a consequence of targeting the AUIC.