Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Projection of Diabetes Burden through 2025 and Contributing Risk Factors of Changing Disease Prevalence: An Emerging Public Health Problem

Background: The Middle East region is predicted to have one of the highest prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the world. This is the first study in the region to forecast the burden of diabetes. Aim: This study aims to estimate the projected prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM] among adults in Qatar over the period 2012 to 2025 using national data, and to quantify the potential effect of a suggested preventive intervention program. Design: It is an observational cohort study. Setting: The survey was based on registry at the Hamad General Hospital and Primary Health Care (PHC) centers in the State of Qatar. Subjects: This study consisted of patients above 25 years of age with diagnosed diabetes mellitus registered at Hamad General Hospital and Primary Health Care (PHC) centers during January 2006 to December 2012. Methods: We developed a dynamic model in which actual incidence, prevalence, and life expectancy data are used and alternative assumptions about future trends in these parameters can be incorporated. Linear regression model has been performed to forecast the burden of diabetes in oil - rich country. Result: According to the dynamic model, a 10% increased in the number of diabetic patients in the State of Qatar from 37000 in 2006 to 122,000 in 2012 (about 1% annually). The annual diabetes incidence rate was higher in women than in men during a period between 2006 to 2012 years. The static model forecasted as 10% increase over 10 years. The relative increase in prevalence of diabetes and number of diabetic people is higher in women than in men (16.6%; 17.5% and 18.4% in men vs. 22.6%; 23.8% and 25.1% in women). Most of the increase in prevalence of diabetes is projected to occur in younger age groups where it is estimated to increase among age groups of 50-59 years and above 60 years, respectively. Conclusion: The burden of diabetes in Qatar is markedly larger than proposed by IDF estimations- suggesting that Qatar would be one of the top ten countries worldwide in diabetes prevalence. Family history of diabetes, consanguinity marriages’, hereditary gene-environment interactions, poor nutrition in utero and in early life plus over nutrition in later life may also contribute to the current diabetes epidemic in Qatari’s Arab populations. In planning future health care, monitoring of trends in incidence, prevalence, remission, and mortality or life expectancy is a necessary prerequisite.
Neuroendocrine Control of Macrophage Development and Function

Macrophages carry out numerous physiological activities that are essential for both systemic and local homeostasis, as well as innate and adaptive immune responses. Their biology is intricately regulated by hormones, neuropeptides, and neurotransmitters, establishing distinct neuroendocrine axes. The control is pleiotropic, including maturation of bone marrow-derived myeloid precursors, cell differentiation into functional subpopulations, cytotoxic activity, phagocytosis, production of inflammatory mediators, antigen presentation, and activation of effector lymphocytes. Additionally, neuroendocrine components modulate macrophage ability to influence tumor growth and to prevent the spreading of infective agents. Interestingly, macrophage-derived factors enhance glucocorticoid production through the stimulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. These bidirectional effects highlight a tightly controlled balance between neuroendocrine stimuli and macrophage function in the development of innate and adaptive immune responses. Herein, we discuss how components of neuroendocrine axes impact on macrophage development and function and may ultimately influence inflammation, tissue repair, infection, or cancer progression. The knowledge of the crosstalk between macrophages and endocrine or brain-derived components may contribute to improve and create new approaches with clinical relevance in homeostatic or pathological conditions.
Too early or too late: What have we learned from the 30-year two-child policy experiment in Yicheng, China?

Background: In January 2016, China ended its 35-year-old one-child policy and replaced it with a nationwide two-child policy. However, it remains unclear whether a two-child policy can effectively increase the fertility level in China. Objective: We reviewed the 30-year (1985–2015) two-child policy experiment carried out in Yicheng, a county in the Shanxi province of China, to assess the impact of this policy on the crude birth rate, as compared with the one-child policy implemented in most other places in Shanxi. Methods: We adopted a synthetic control approach. Using this method, we constructed a synthetic county using counties in Shanxi that were subject to the one-child policy. The synthetic county had similar observed characteristics to Yicheng before the launch of Yicheng’s two-child policy experiment in 1985. Therefore, birth rate differences between Yicheng and the synthetic county after 1985 could be attributed only to the two-child policy. Results: We did not find any short-term impacts of the two-child policy on the Yicheng birth rate prior to the 1990s. We estimated that the two-child policy, in the long run, would lead to a maximum of two more births per 1,000 people every year in Yicheng, compared with similar areas that had a one-child policy. Conclusions: The two-child policy was not found to boost the birth rate in Yicheng and similar places. Contribution: The study identified the causal effect of a two-child policy, and was more methodologically reliable than related studies that primarily explored statistical correlations.
De la Ley de Integración Social de Minusválidos a la Ley General de Discapacidad: Retos y oportunidades

En 2013, a partir de la refundición de la legislación previa en materia de discapacidad en la nueva Ley General de Discapacidad, se da un nuevo paso en la inclusión laboral de este colectivo. El presente artículo muestra, en primer lugar, el desarrollo legislativo en materia de integración laboral en el que se basa la actual ley. En segundo lugar se explora la valoración cualificada de expertos del ámbito legal, laboral y del movimiento asociativo en relación con la evolución de dichas bases jurídicas en materia de discapacidad. Por último, se analiza el cumplimiento de la ley a partir de las actuaciones de la Inspección de Trabajo en Cataluña. Los resultados constatan como, si bien el nuevo ordenamiento jurídico es necesario, este resulta insuficiente para la plena inclusión laboral del colectivo de personas con discapacidad, requiriendo también un cambio en las actitudes estereotipadas de la sociedad hacia estas personas.
Comparison of 3D, Assist-as-Needed Robotic Arm/Hand Movement Training Provided with Pneu-WREX to Conventional Table Top Therapy Following Chronic Stroke

Objective— Robot-assisted movement training can help individuals with stroke reduce arm and hand impairment, but robot therapy is typically only about as effective as conventional therapy. Refining the way that robots assist during training may make them more effective than conventional therapy. Here we measured the therapeutic effect of a robot that required individuals with a stroke to achieve virtual tasks in three dimensions against gravity. Design— The robot continuously estimated how much assistance patients needed to perform the tasks and provided slightly less assistance than needed in order to reduce patient slacking. Individuals with a chronic stroke (n = 26, baseline upper extremity Fugl-Meyer score = 23 ± 8) were randomized into two groups and underwent 24 one hour training sessions over 2 months. One group received the assist-as-needed robot training and the other received conventional table top therapy with the supervision of a physical therapist. Results— Training helped both groups significantly reduce their motor impairment, as measured by the primary outcome measure, the Fugl-Meyer score, but the improvement was small (3.0 ± 4.9 points for robot therapy, versus 0.9 ± 1.7 for conventional therapy). There was a trend for greater reduction for the robot trained group (p = 0.07). The robot group largely sustained this gain at the three-month follow-up. The robot-trained group also experienced significant improvements in Box and Blocks score and hand grip strength, while the control group did not, but these improvements Disclosures: Financial disclosure statements have been obtained, and no conflicts of interest have been reported by the authors or by any individuals in control of the content of this article. This report summarizes work supported by NCRR M01RR00827 and under Federal Contract N01-HD-3-3352 by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and co-funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). The findings and conclusions in the report are those of the authors and do necessarily represent the views of NICHD, NIBIB, or NCRR. David Reinkensmeyer has a financial interest in Hocoma, A.G. , a company that makes robotic therapy devices. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by the University of California, Irvine, in accordance with its conflict of interest policies. were not sustained at follow-up. In addition, the robot-trained group showed a trend toward greater improvement in sensory function, as measured by the Nottingham Sensory Test (p = 0.06). Conclusions— These results suggest that, in patients with chronic stroke and moderate-severe deficits, assisting in three dimensional virtual tasks with an assist-as-needed controller may make robotic training more effective than conventional table top training.
Bomb radiocarbon and tag-recapture dating of sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus)

The sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) was the cornerstone species of western North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico large coastal shark fisheries until 2008 when they were allocated to a research-only fishery. Despite decades of fishing on this species, important life history parameters, such as age and growth, have not been well known. Some validated age and growth information exists for sandbar shark, but more comprehensive life history information is needed. The complementary application of bomb radiocarbon and tag-recapture dating was used in this study to determine valid age-estimation criteria and longevity estimates for this species. These two methods indicated that current age interpretations based on counts of growth bands in vertebrae are accurate to 10 or 12 years. Beyond these years, we could not determine with certainty when such an underestimation of age begins; however, bomb radiocarbon and tag-recapture data indicated that large adult sharks were considerably older than the estimates derived from counts of growth bands. Three adult sandbar sharks were 20 to 26 years old based on bomb radiocarbon results and were a 5- to 11-year increase over the previous age estimates for these sharks. In support of these findings, the tag-recapture data provided results that were consistent with bomb radiocarbon dating and further supported a longevity that exceeds 30 years for this species.
Evaluation of the Surface Roughness for Three Different Types of Composite Resin Materials Using (Sof–Lex) Finishing and Polishing Systems: A Comparative Study

Aim: To evaluate the surface roughness of three different types of light activated composite resin using (Sof-Lex) – polishing system, a profilometer study. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 resin composite disks were prepared from three different types of composite resin include 3 – groups. Group I: 10 specimens were prepared from light activated nano hybride (Tetric n – Ceram, Ivoclar – Vivadent – Liechtenstein). Group II: 10 specimens were prepared from light activated microhybride composite resin (Arabesk – Voco, Germany). Group III: 10 specimens were prepared from light activated polyglas composite resin (Solitaire – 2, Heraeus, Kulzer, Germany). The resin blocks finished and polished using (Sof – Lex) polishing system. The specimens were analyzed for surface roughness using “Profilometer”. Results: Tetric n – Ceram composite resin showed the lowest roughness average (0.112 μm) followed by Arabesk composite (0.150 μm), Solitaire – 2 composite resin showed the highest roughness average (0.341 μm). Conclusions: Tetric n– Ceram (nano-hybride) was the best polished composite resin, showed the least roughness average.
Les traumatismes sonores aigus : état actuel et perspectives

Les traumatismes sonores aigus (TSA) sont des altérations auditives provoquées par l’exposition de la cochlée à une pression acoustique excessive, le plus souvent de caractère impulsif ; les structures sensorielles, en particulier les cellules ciliées externes, subissent des dommages mécaniques et métaboliques de mieux en mieux connus. Les TSA représentent la première cause de morbidité dans les armées. Si les études animales montrent une effi cacité intéressante de l’association d’une corticothérapie parentérale et de l’oxygénothérapie hyperbare, le traitement actuel en pratique repose essentiellement sur la corticothérapie. Les otoémissions acoustiques permettent d’affi ner le bilan initial, d’optimiser la prédiction de la persistance ou non des acouphènes à distance ; la détection de facteurs de vulnérabilité au bruit à partir de la mesure des produits de distorsion acoustique fait actuellement l’objet d’une étude prospective qui pourrait améliorer les mesures de prévention.
Modellierung und Regelung adaptronischer Systeme

Ein groses Problem von Leichtbaustrukturen stellt die hohe Schwingungsanfalligkeit aufgrund der geringen Strukturdampfung dar. Durch ausere Einflusse angeregte Strukturschwingungen konnen zu unerwunschter Schallabstrahlung oder lastigen Vibrationen bis hin zur Zerstorung des Bauteils fuhren. Eines der Hauptziele des vom BMBF geforderten Leitprojektes ADAPTRONIK ist die Unterdruckung dieser storenden Schwingungen mittels applizierter piezokeramischer Folien und Fasern. Die Piezokeramiken erfassen dabei einerseits die auftretenden Strukturschwingungen sensorisch und wirken andererseits diesen aktorisch entgegen. In diesem Beitrag werden die Ergebnisse der Arbeiten des AP 3.2 „Adaptive Strukturen“ vorgestellt. Die Leistungsfahigkeit adaptronischer Gesamtsysteme wird an allseitig fest eingespannten Platten sowie einem CFKRohr demonstriert. Die zur Ansteuerung der Piezokeramiken verwendeten Regelungskonzepte werden dargestellt. Im Vordergrund steht dabei die Vermessung und Modellierung der untersuchten Systeme. Schlieslich werden die Ergebnisse in Hinblick auf Schwingungsreduktion und reduzierte Schallabstrahlung prasentiert.
An analysis of the shear‐transfer actions in reinforced concrete members without transverse reinforcement based on refined experimental measurements

A traditional difficulty in the understanding of the role of the various shear‐transfer actions in members without transverse reinforcement has been a lack of detailed measurements on the development of shear cracking and their associated kinematics during the process of failure. In this paper, this issue is addressed on the basis of an experimental program on 20 beams investigated by means of digital image correlation. The measurements are shown to allow a clear understanding of the mechanisms leading to shear failure and their evolution (transfer of forces between the various potential shear‐carrying actions) during the loading process. The amount of shear carried by the various potential shear‐transfer actions is estimated for varying levels of load accounting for the cracking pattern and actual kinematics on the basis of fundamental constitutive laws for concrete and steel. The results are shown to be consistent and provide a rational basis for the understanding of the phenomenon of shear transfer in reinforced concrete members without transverse reinforcement.
Molecular Characterization of a Mitochondrial Manganese Superoxide Dismutase from Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Abstract In insects, superoxide dismutases (SODs) play a critical role in the scavenging of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protecting against oxidative stress induced by various environmental stresses. The Asiatic rice borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is an economically important insect pest of rice crops. In this study, a mitochondrial manganese SOD (Cs-mMnSOD) gene was characterized in C. suppressalis.The deduced Cs-mMnSOD protein has typical highly conserved features of mitochondrial manganese SODs, including four manganese binding residues, the signature DVWEHAYY peptide, and a mitochondrial-targeting sequence at the N-terminus. Transcription of Cs-mMnSOD was detectable at all developmental stages, but highest in pupae. Furthermore, the mRNA level of Cs-mMnSOD was strongly upregulated (more than twofold increase) following exposure to low and high temperatures (4, 30 and 35°C), insecticides (chlorpyrifos and chlorantraniliprole), and chemical reagents (cumene hydroperoxide, paraquat, H2O2 and CdCl2), but slightly elevated (less than twofold increase) in response to 8°C, abamectin and CuSO4. Additionally, the Cs-mMnSOD transcription results were consistent with the enzymatic activity data of the protein product. Purified recombinant Cs-mMnSOD protein expressed in Escherichia coli displayed SOD activity and thermostability. Furthermore, E. coli cells overexpressing Cs-mMnSOD exhibited long-term resistance to the oxidative inducers cumene hydroperoxide and paraquat. Our findings indicate that Cs-mMnSOD plays an important role in protecting C. suppressalis against oxidative damage.
Near to One's Heart: The Intimate Relationship Between the Placenta and Fetal Heart

The development of the fetal heart is exquisitely controlled by a multitude of factors, ranging from humoral to mechanical forces. The gatekeeper regulating many of these factors is the placenta, an external fetal organ. As such, resistance within the placental vascular bed has a direct influence on the fetal circulation and therefore, the developing heart. In addition, the placenta serves as the interface between the mother and fetus, controlling substrate exchange and release of hormones into both circulations. The intricate relationship between the placenta and fetal heart is appreciated in instances of clinical placental pathology. Abnormal umbilical cord insertion is associated with congenital heart defects. Likewise, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, where monochorionic twins have unequal sharing of their placenta due to inter-twin vascular anastomoses, can result in cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in both fetuses. Moreover, epidemiological studies have suggested a link between placental phenotypic traits and increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adult life. To date, the mechanistic basis of the relationships between the placenta, fetal heart development and later risk of cardiac dysfunction have not been fully elucidated. However, studies using environmental exposures and gene manipulations in experimental animals are providing insights into the pathways involved. Likewise, surgical instrumentation of the maternal and fetal circulations in large animal species has enabled the manipulation of specific humoral and mechanical factors to investigate their roles in fetal cardiac development. This review will focus on such studies and what is known to date about the link between the placenta and heart development.
HABIT FORMATION, DYNASTIC ALTRUISM, AND POPULATION DYNAMICS

We study the general equilibrium properties of two growth models with overlapping generations, habit formation, and endogenous fertility. In the neoclassical model, habits modify the economy's growth rate and generate transitional dynamics in fertility; stationary income per capita is associated with either increasing or decreasing population and output, depending on the strength of habits. In the AK specification, growing population and increasing consumption per capita require that the habit coefficient lie within definite boundaries; outside the critical interval, positive growth is associated with either declining consumption due to overcrowding, or extinction paths with declining population. In both frameworks, habits reduce fertility: the trade-off between second-period consumption and spending for bequests prompts agents to decrease fertility in order to make parental altruism less costly. This mechanism suggests that status-dependent preferences may explain part of the decline in fertility rates observed in most developed economies.
ZoneMapAlt: An Alternative to the ZoneMap Metric for Zone Segmentation and Classification

This paper proposes a new evaluation metric based on the existing ZoneMap metric. The ZoneMap method, designed to perform a zone segmentation evaluation and classification, is considered in the context of OCR evaluation. Its limits are spotted, described and a new algorithm, ZoneMapAlt (ZoneMap Alternative) is proposed to solve the identified limits while keeping the properties of the original one. To validate the new metric, experiments have been made on a dataset of scientific articles. Results demonstrate that the ZoneMapAlt algorithm provides greater details on segmentation errors and is able to detect critical segmentation errors.
Gold Nanoparticles Impinge on Nucleoli and the Stress Response in MCF7 Breast Cancer Cells

Cancer cells can take up gold nanoparticles of different morphologies. These particles interact with the plasma membrane and often travel to intracellular organelles. Among organelles, the nucleus is especially susceptible to the damage that is inflicted by gold nanoparticles. Located inside the nucleus, nucleoli are specialized compartments that transcribe ribosomal RNA genes, produce ribosomes and function as cellular stress sensors. Nucleoli are particularly prone to gold nanoparticle-induced injury. As such, small spherical gold nanoparticles and gold nanoflowers interfere with the transcription of ribosomal DNA. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we examined the effects of gold nanoparticles on nucleolar proteins that are critical to ribosome biogenesis and other cellular functions. We show that B23/nucleophosmin, a nucleolar protein that is tightly linked to cancer, is significantly affected by gold nanoparticles. Furthermore, gold nanoparticles impinge on the cellular stress response, as they reduce the abundance of the molecular chaperone hsp70 and O-GlcNAc modified proteins in the nucleus and nucleoli. Together, our studies set the stage for the development of nanomedicines that target the nucleolus to eradicate proliferating cancer cells.
The Dynamics of Peer-Produced Political Information During the 2016 U.S. Presidential Campaign

Wikipedia plays a crucial role for online information seeking and its editors have a remarkable capacity to rapidly revise its content in response to current events. How did the production and consumption of political information on Wikipedia mirror the dynamics of the 2016 U.S. Presidential campaign? Drawing on systems justification theory and methods for measuring the enthusiasm gap among voters, this paper quantitatively analyzes the candidates' biographical and related articles and their editors. Information production and consumption patterns match major events over the course of the campaign, but Trump-related articles show consistently higher levels of engagement than Clinton-related articles. Analysis of the editors' participation and backgrounds show analogous shifts in the composition and durability of the collaborations around each candidate. The implications for using Wikipedia to monitor political engagement are discussed.