Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anthropometric Measures and Lipid Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors in Korean Immigrants With Type 2 Diabetes

Objectives:The purposes of this study were to (1) describe anthropometric measures among Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and (2) examine the relationships between measures of obesity with several forms of dyslipidemia in this group. Background:Obesity and dyslipidemia are commonly associated with T2DM, and they are risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD), the leading cause of death for people with diabetes. Asians are predisposed to abdominal obesity and experience significant CHD risk at lower body mass index (BMI) levels. Despite high prevalence of diabetes among Korean immigrants, relationships among anthropometric measures and lipid-related CHD risk factors have not been examined. Methods:A convenience sample of 143 adult Korean immigrants with T2DM between the ages of 30 and 80 years participated in the study. Body mass index, waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were obtained using standardized procedures. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were assessed using a fingerstick blood test. Hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to identify which of the anthropometric measures was significantly related to individuals' cholesterol levels. Results:Central obesity measures, not BMI, were significantly associated with dyslipidemia in Korean immigrants with T2DM independent of potential confounds such as hemoglobin A1C, cigarette smoking, age, and cholesterol medication. Different central obesity measures were associated with different cholesterol types for diabetic Korean men and women. In men, WHR was positively associated with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol levels. In women, WC was negatively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Conclusions:Central obesity measures (WC and WHR) are better indicators for assessing lipid-related CHD risk factor among Korean immigrants with T2DM than BMI. Gender difference in the association between central obesity measures and lipid types should be considered in CHD risk assessment of Korean immigrants with T2DM.
Crystal Structure of Enterovirus 71 RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Complexed with Its Protein Primer VPg: Implication for a trans Mechanism of VPg Uridylylation

ABSTRACT Picornavirus RNA replication is initiated by VPg uridylylation, during which the hydroxyl group of the third tyrosine residue of the virally encoded protein VPg is covalently linked to two UMP molecules by RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp; also known as 3Dpol). We previously identified site 311, located at the base of the palm domain of the enterovirus 71 (EV71) RdRp, to be the site for EV71 VPg binding and uridylylation. Here we report the crystal structure of EV71 3Dpol complexed with VPg. VPg was anchored at the bottom of the palm domain of the 3Dpol molecule and exhibited an extended V-shape conformation. The corresponding interface on 3Dpol was mainly formed by residues within site 311 and other residues in the palm and finger domains. Mutations of the amino acids of 3Dpol involved in the VPg interaction (3DL319A, 3DD320A, and 3DY335A) significantly disrupted VPg binding to 3Dpol, resulting in defective VPg uridylylation. In contrast, these mutations did not affect the RNA elongation activity of 3Dpol. In the context of viral genomic RNA, mutations that abolished VPg uridylylation activity were lethal for EV71 replication. Further in vitro analysis showed that the uridylylation activity was restored by mixing VPg-binding-defective and catalysis-defective mutants, indicating a trans mechanism for EV71 VPg uridylylation. Our results, together with previous results of other studies, demonstrate that different picornaviruses use distinct binding sites for VPg uridylylation.
Linear free energy relationships for the adsorption of volatile organic compounds onto multiwalled carbon nanotubes at different relative humidities: comparison with organoclays and activated carbon.

Accurate prediction of the sorption coefficients of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is of major importance for developing an effective VOC removal process and risk assessment of released nanomaterial-carrying contaminants. The linear free energy relationship (LFER) approach was applied to investigate the adsorption mechanisms of VOCs on multiwalled CNTs (MWCNTs). The gas-solid partition coefficients (log Kd) of 17 VOCs were determined at 0%, 55%, and 90% relative humidity (RH). The cavity/dispersion interaction is generally the most influential adsorption mechanism for all RH cases. The hydrogen-accepting interactions declined but with constant hydrogen-donating interactions during the increase of RH, suggesting that the acidity of VOC was important in forming sorptive interaction with the MWCNT surface. Moreover, the comparison of log Kd of VOCs on MWCNTs and other sorbents revealed that the sorption performance of MWCNTs is much more stable over a wider range of RHs due to better site availability and site quality. Furthermore, for all 6 adsorbents in all RHs, the positive contribution of hydrogen bonding ability was found as compared to the negative one found for sorbents completely in water, indicating that the hydrogen-bond donor and acceptor on the sorbent surface contribute to the sorption in the gas phase. In conclusion, the LFER-derived coefficients can be useful in predicting the performance of VOC adsorption on adsorbents and in facilitating the design of efficient VOC removal systems.
A comprehensive assessment of geographic variation in heat tolerance and hardening capacity in populations of Drosophila melanogaster from eastern Australia

We examined latitudinal variation in adult and larval heat tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster from eastern Australia. Adults were assessed using static and ramping assays. Basal and hardened static heat knockdown time showed significant linear clines; heat tolerance increased towards the tropics, particularly for hardened flies, suggesting that tropical populations have a greater hardening response. A similar pattern was evident for ramping heat knockdown time at 0.06 °C min−1 increase. There was no cline for ramping heat knockdown temperature (CTmax) at 0.1 °C min−1 increase. Acute (static) heat knockdown temperature increased towards temperate latitudes, probably reflecting a greater capacity of temperate flies to withstand sudden temperature increases during summer in temperate Australia. Larval viability showed a quadratic association with latitude under heat stress. Thus, patterns of heat resistance depend on assay methods. Genetic correlations in thermotolerance across life stages and evolutionary potential for critical thermal limits should be the focus of future studies.
Basal glucose metabolism and peripheral insulin sensitivity in equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction

Background: Glucocorticoids are suggested to precipitate laminitis and induce insulin resistance in horses. Hypothesis/Objectives: To assess insulin sensitivity and the basal amount of glucose metabolized in equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Animals and methods: The euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp (EHC) technique was performed in seven horses with a diagnosis of PPID based on the presence of hypertrichosis and positive dexamethasone suppression-test results comprising one gelding and six mares with a mean age of 21.1 ± 5.8 (SD; range 15–34) years. Results were compared with those from five negative (healthy) controls comprising two geldings and two mares with a mean age of 10.0 ± 2.5 (range 7–13) years and six positive (diseased) controls comprising two geldings and four mares with a mean age of 12.5 ± 4.5 (range 8–21) years examined during the same period. Differences were assessed by means of the Mann–Whitney U test. Results: Mean basal rate of glucose metabolism (9.0 ± 4.2 versus 16.0 ± 5.2 µmol/kg BW/min; p = 0.030) and mean glucose metabolism rate-to-plasma insulin concentration ratio (2.9 ± 1.6 versus 6.2 ± 2.7 × 10−6; p = 0.048) were significantly lower in PPID horses than in negative controls, respectively. No differences were found between both control groups. Conclusions and clinical importance: In horses suffering from PPID it seems important to reduce the insulin resistance, thereby potentially decreasing the risk of laminitis as being a major complication of equine PPID. Plasma glucose concentration following fasting might be considered in the screening of horses for PPID.
Thermo-mechanical assessment of copper and graphite heat spreaders for compact packages

Graphite-based materials have been proved to be an enhancement over copper heat spreaders when directly integrated at the silicon level. However, not only they outdo copper in terms of thermal performance, but their in-plane CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) is much closer to that of silicon. As a result, mechanical stress due to deformation mismatches is reduced during thermal cycling. Thus, thermal interface thickness can be reduced to optimize the heat flow from the hotspot. Heat management of 3D structures implies several challenges. The silicon die and intertier thickness are limited by the vertical connexions height in these heterogeneous stacks. These constraints will also imply strongly thinned heat spreaders and thermal interfaces in a future intertier implementation. This work investigates the thermo-mechanical constraints of integrating a heat spreader at the die level. Copper and PGS (pyrolytic graphite sheet) heat spreaders are compared. Their deformation subjected to thermal cycling is measured experimentally via Thermo-Moiré measurements. The differences in the deformation between the silicon die, molding and the substrate are also measured.
Targeted JAM-C deletion in germ cells by Spo11-controlled Cre recombinase

Meiosis is a crucial process for the production of functional gametes. However, the biological significance of many genes expressed during the meiotic phase remains poorly understood, mainly because of the lethal phenotypes of the knockout mice. Functional analysis of such genes using the conditional knockout approach is hindered by the lack of suitable Cre transgenic lines. We describe here the generation of transgenic mice expressing Cre recombinase under the control of the meiotic Spo11 gene. Using LacZ-R26loxP and EYFP-R26loxP reporter mice, we show the specific expression and activity of Cre during meiosis in males and females. Spo11Cre mice were then crossed with floxed Nbs1 and JAM-C mice to produce conditional knockouts. A strong reduction of Nbs1 and JAM-C protein levels was found in the testis. Although Nbs1-deleted mice developed minor gonadal abnormalities, JAM-C-knockout mice showed a spermiogenetic arrest, as previously described for the null mice. These results provide strong evidence that Spo11Cre transgenic mice represent a powerful tool for deleting genes of interest specifically in meiotic and/or in postmeiotic germ cells.
Stroke in young women: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Stroke among adults of working age is increasing. We aimed to explore the experience of stroke among young women in Ireland. In total, 12 women (aged between 18 and 50 years) participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Four super-ordinate themes were identified: stroke as an illness of later life (‘obviously it’s for older people’), post-stroke selves, a desire for peer support and the impact of stroke on relationships. Findings indicate the importance of addressing the specific needs of younger stroke patients from admission to recovery through provision of inclusive all-age acute stroke services with tailored rehabilitation.
What is the factor that most influences QOL among rheumatoid arthritis patients?

Abstract We attempted to elucidate the factors which affect the quality of life (QOL) among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Ninety-five patients who satisfied the American Rheumatism Association criteria for RA were asked to fill in a modified arthritis impact measurement scale, version 2 (AIMS2) and complete a Lorish's face scale (FS) test. The same questionnaire and FS test were completed by 75 healthy persons as controls. We used Lorish's FS for our assessment of QOL. The investigation was undertaken to analyze the relationship between FS and each item on the questionnaire. For average FS score, there was no significant difference between the RA group and the controls. However, RA group scores covered a wider range than those of the controls. From the correlation analysis, physical stress, pain factors, and some of the activities of daily living (ADL) factors showed a strong correlation with FS. ADL factors which strongly correlated with FS were those related to activities of the lower limbs. Other ADL factors were moderately correlated with FS. Socioeconomic factors were not significantly correlated with FS. There was no significant difference between the QOL of RA patients and that of healthy controls. The QOL was correlated with pain and stress factors rather than with ADL factors among patients with RA.
A systematic assessment of benefits and risks to guide breast cancer screening decisions.

IMPORTANCE Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among US women. Mammography screening may be associated with reduced breast cancer mortality but can also cause harm. Guidelines recommend individualizing screening decisions, particularly for younger women. OBJECTIVES We reviewed the evidence on the mortality benefit and chief harms of mammography screening and what is known about how to individualize mammography screening decisions, including communicating risks and benefits to patients. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION We searched MEDLINE from 1960-2014 to describe (1) benefits of mammography, (2) harms of mammography, and (3) individualizing screening decisions and promoting informed decision making. We also manually searched reference lists of key articles retrieved, selected reviews, meta-analyses, and practice recommendations. We rated the level of evidence using the American Heart Association guidelines. RESULTS Mammography screening is associated with a 19% overall reduction of breast cancer mortality (approximately 15% for women in their 40s and 32% for women in their 60s). For a 40- or 50-year-old woman undergoing 10 years of annual mammograms, the cumulative risk of a false-positive result is about 61%. About 19% of the cancers diagnosed during that 10-year period would not have become clinically apparent without screening (overdiagnosis), although there is uncertainty about this estimate. The net benefit of screening depends greatly on baseline breast cancer risk, which should be incorporated into screening decisions. Decision aids have the potential to help patients integrate information about risks and benefits with their own values and priorities, although they are not yet widely available for use in clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE To maximize the benefit of mammography screening, decisions should be individualized based on patients' risk profiles and preferences. Risk models and decision aids are useful tools, but more research is needed to optimize these and to further quantify overdiagnosis. Research should also explore other breast cancer screening strategies.
QRP01-3: Experimental Validation of SLAs in Operational Networks through Hash-based Packet Sampling

In operational networks, services are delivered according to specific service level agreements (SLAs). To ensure the SLAs stipulated with the users, providers make use of traffic monitoring and measurement tools controlling their highspeed IP networks. In order to improve the scalability of the measurement systems, techniques which allow to reduce the total amount of data to be collected and processed are currently being standardized in the IETF packet sampling (PSAMP) Working Group. Among packet sampling techniques, hash-based one is the only capable of providing a feasible framework to monitor one-way delays (OWDs). This paper is focused on the experimental validation of SLAs conformance in operational networks using hash-based packet sampling techniques. The results presented hereafter are obtained from the analysis of traffic traces collected at two different points of operational networks. Such results are fundamental to validate the whole hash-based packet sampling framework, because they complement the already available results on the uniformity of distribution, computation speed and statistical properties of the hash functions calculated by using single point traces.
Some new results from TEQ design for maximum bit rate ADSL modem

The paper presents examples of the successful application of a new mathematical SNR model to bit rate evaluation of asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) modem. Contrary to other methods, the present design of a time domain equalizer (TEQ) additionally takes into account nonideal frequency response of demodulation filters. Also strong demodulation filters influence on achievable modem bit rate is shown. Different types of disturbances (such as AWGN, NEXT, narrow band interference) are considered. The verified model can be very useful during design and optimization of the TEQ filters for general multicarrier DMT/OFDM transceivers. As an example presented in the paper clearly shows, application of the new model in a cost function during TEQ filter optimization leads to an increase in the ADSL modem bit rate. It is also demonstrated that this improvement is not directly SSNR (SNR of the shortened impulse response of the channel) dependent.
Similarity to the Self Affects Memory for Impressions of Others in Younger and Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES Similarity to the self has been shown to affect memory for impressions in younger adults, suggesting a self-reference effect in person memory. Because older adults show comparable self-reference effects, but prioritize memory for positive over negative information relative to young adults, we examined age differences in self-similarity effects on memory for positive and negative impressions. METHOD Younger and older adults formed positive and negative impressions of others differing in the degree of similarity to the self (high, medium, low). RESULTS For positive impressions, both groups showed enhanced memory for self-similar others relative to dissimilar others, whereas for negative impressions, memory was poorer for those similar to the self. When collapsed across similarity to the self, younger adults remembered negative impressions better than older adults, but interestingly, older adults exhibited a trend for better memory for the positive impressions. DISCUSSION Results suggest that self-reference effects in impression memory are preserved with age and that older adults exhibit positivity effects in person memory consistent with previous findings.
Optimizing Intracranial Metastasis Detection for Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Background and Purpose: The authors characterize the detection of additional intracranial metastases in cancer patients at the time of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) using a specialized high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol. Methods: A retrospective review of 150 consecutive radiosurgical procedures for patients with ≤5 known metastatic intracranial tumors diagnosed using MRI was undertaken at a single center. On the day of SRS, all patients underwent rigid head fixation in a stereotactic frame followed by a specialized MRI using a 3-dimensional fast spoiled-gradient sequence on a 1.5-tesla magnet with double-dose gadolinium. Axial imaging was performed using 2-mm cuts and no gap. Results: Additional metastases were detected in 29.3% of patients. The number of known tumors before SRS was predictive of additional metastases being found (p = 0.014). In multivariate analysis, we more frequently found additional metastases at radiosurgery in patients with 3–5 previously known metastases (p = 0.005), in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (p = 0.012) and in patients with a longer time interval between their diagnostic MRI and their stereotactic MRI (p = 0.030). Age, sex and prior fractionated radiation therapy were not predictive factors. Conclusion:Our specialized protocol of high-resolution, double-dose contrast-enhanced MRI is a reliable method to evaluate the extent of intracranial disease in patients with known brain metastasis. Treatment planning for radiosurgery, radiation therapy and open surgical therapy are all impacted by improved metastasis detection.
Identification of Human H1N2 and Human-Swine Reassortant H1N2 and H1N1 Influenza A Viruses among Pigs in Ontario, Canada (2003 to 2005)

ABSTRACT Since 2003, three novel genotypes of H1 influenza viruses have been recovered from Canadian pigs, including a wholly human H1N2 virus and human-swine reassortants. These isolates demonstrate that human-lineage H1N2 viruses are infectious for pigs and that viruses with a human PB1/swine PA/swine PB2 polymerase complex can replicate in pigs.
Quantitative analysis of phospholipids containing arachidonate and docosahexaenoate chains in microdissected regions of mouse brain[S]

Phospholipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acyl chains are prevalent among brain lipids, and regional differences in acyl chain distribution appear to have both functional and pathological significance. A method is described in which the combined application of GC and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) MS yielded precise relative quantitation and approximate absolute quantitation of lipid species containing a particular fatty acyl chain in milligram-sized tissue samples. The method uses targeted MRM to identify specific molecular species of glycerophosphocholine lipids, glycerophospho-ethanolamine lipids, glycerophosphoinositol lipids, glycerophosphoserine lipids, glycero-phosphoglycerol lipids, and phosphatidic acids that contain esterified arachidonate (AA) and docosahexaenoate (DHA) separated during normal phase LC/MS/MS analysis. Quantitative analysis of the AA and DHA in the LC fractions is carried out using negative ion chemical ionization GC/MS and stable isotope dilution strategies. The method has been applied to assess the glycerophospholipid molecular species containing AA and DHA in microdissected samples of murine cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Results demonstrate the potential of this approach to identify regional differences in phospholipid concentration and reveal differences in specific phospholipid species between cortex and hippocampus. These differences may be related to the differential susceptibility of different brain regions to neurodegenerative disorders.
Differential CSIT Acquisition Based on Compressive Sensing for FDD Massive MIMO Systems

To fully exploit advantages of massive MIMO, channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) is essential to obtain the system performance gains. By far, both channel estimation and channel feedback have been proposed for FDD massive MIMO by exploiting the sparsity of CSI, but they are usually separately discussed, which may impair the CSIT acquisition performance and lead to unnecessary complex computation for users. In this paper, we propose the structured-CS based differential CSIT acquisition scheme for massive MIMO systems, where the downlink channel training and uplink channel feedback are jointly considered. Specifically, we first exploit the temporal correlation of time- varying channels to propose the differential CSIT acquisition scheme, which can reduce both the overhead for downlink training and uplink feedback. Then, we propose the structured compressive sampling matching pursuit (S-CoSaMP) algorithm to further reduce overhead by leveraging the structured sparsity of wireless MIMO channels. Moreover, the proposed differential operation and S-CoSaMP can also be used at users for better channel estimation performance if channel state information at the receiver is needed. Simulation results have demonstrated that the proposed scheme can achieve better CSIT acquisition performance than its counterparts.