Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Gardening and a Gardener Support Program in Detroit Influence Participants’ Diet, Food Security, and Food Values

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived dietary impacts of gardening among members of a gardener support program in Detroit, Michigan. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 28 racially diverse members of the program. Participants reported increasing their consumption of vegetables, trying new vegetables, and decreasing their processed food and meat consumption. Gardeners described factors that contributed to these dietary changes, including knowing that their produce was grown without synthetic chemicals, preferring the taste and freshness of the produce they grew and an emotional connection to their vegetables. Gardening was also associated with some aspects of food security, with most interviewees reporting savings on food due to gardening, and many preserving produce to last beyond the growing season. Gardeners demonstrated strong values towards food, including a distrust of the industrial food system and a desire to make food choices that were beneficial to humans and the environment. This study describes how and why gardening can contribute to dietary change.
Astrocytes induce manganese superoxide dismutase in brain capillary endothelial cells

Astrocytes induce blood–brain barrier (BBB) properties in brain endothelial cells (EC). O2. , generated in blood and EC, opens the BBB. Hence, high activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a prerequisite for normal BBB function. Therefore, the influence of rat astrocytes on the expression of manganese (Mn)SOD in rat EC was investigated in two coculture models of the BBB, allowing either exchange of soluble factors or additionally cellular contacts. Activity, protein content and mRNA expression of endothelial MnSOD were significantly increased in both coculture models in comparison to monoculture by soluble astrocytic factors, such as cytokines. High activity of endothelial MnSOD may be considered as a further essential property of the BBB, which is induced and maintained by astrocytes.
Action of the chemical agent fipronil (active ingredient of acaricide Frontline®) on the liver of mice: An ultrastructural analysis

Fipronil, active ingredient of the acaricide Frontiline®, is a phenyl‐pyrazolic derivative, and its efficacy in the elimination of several plagues, even in low concentrations, has already been demonstrated; however, its effect on nontarget organisms has not been thoroughly explained. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different dosages of fipronil on the liver of mice in artificial conditions. Results showed that the animals exposed to fipronil present significant ultrastrucutural changes in hepatic cells with evident cellular and cytoplasm disorganization in hepatocytes characterized by an increase in the number of organelles, mainly mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum, organelles that, in the case of the exposed animals, were probably responsible for the enzymes' synthesis that have the function of inactivating the toxic metabolites. A fat accumulation in the hepatocytes' cytoplasm (steatosis) was observed, in addition to extended vacuolated areas, mainly in regions next to the cell nucleus. Alterations observed in the nuclei of the hepatocytes pointed out cell death processes. Moreover, Kupffer cells increased in number (hyperplasia) suggesting an increase in the phagocytic activity of the liver in the exposed animals. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Kelch-repeat proteins interacting with the Gα protein Gpa2 bypass adenylate cyclase for direct regulation of protein kinase A in yeast

The cAMP–PKA pathway consists of an extracellular ligand-sensitive G protein-coupled receptor, a G protein signal transmitter, and the effector, adenylate cyclase, of which the product, cAMP, acts as an intracellular second messenger. cAMP activates PKA by dissociating the regulatory subunit from the catalytic subunit. Yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) contain a glucose/sucrose-sensitive seven-transmembrane domain receptor, Gpr1, that was proposed to activate adenylate cyclase through the Gα protein Gpa2. Consistently, we show here that adenylate cyclase binds only to active, GTP-bound Gpa2. Two related kelch-repeat proteins, Krh1/Gpb2 and Krh2/Gpb1, are associated with Gpa2 and were suggested to act as Gβ mimics for Gpa2, based on their predicted seven-bladed β-propeller structure. However, we find that although Krh1 associates with both GDP and GTP-bound Gpa2, it displays a preference for GTP-Gpa2. The strong down-regulation of PKA targets by Krh1 and Krh2 does not require Gpa2 but is strictly dependent on both the catalytic and the regulatory subunits of PKA. Krh1 directly interacts with PKA by means of the catalytic subunits, and Krh1/2 stimulate the association between the catalytic and regulatory subunits in vivo. Indeed, both a constitutively active GPA2 allele and deletion of KRH1/2 lower the cAMP requirement of PKA for growth. We propose that active Gpa2 relieves the inhibition imposed by the kelch-repeat proteins on PKA, thereby bypassing adenylate cyclase for direct regulation of PKA. Importantly, we show that Krh1/2 also enhance the association between mouse R and C subunits, suggesting that Krh control of PKA has been evolutionarily conserved.
Capsule Endoscopy - Diagnostic Role in Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding accounts for over 5% of the total gastrointestinal bleedings. Due to the nature of the lesions and to the fact that about 5% are located in the small bowel, it is one of the most important indications of capsule endoscopy. Capsule endoscopy is a safe, non invasive diagnostic tool, mainly used to investigate small bowel lesions. It has a very high diagnostic yield especially if the bleeding is ongoing. Several studies prove this technique to be superior to other methods for the detection of suspected lesions and the source of bleeding. Capsule endoscopy has been shown to change the outcome in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleedings, especially if used in conjunction with double balloon enteroscopy.
Trends in socioeconomic mortality inequalities in a southern European urban setting at the turn of the 21st century

Objective: To analyse trends in mortality inequalities by educational level for main causes of death among men and women in Barcelona, Spain, at the turn of the 21st century (1992–2003). Methods: The population of reference was all Barcelona residents older than 19 years. All deaths between 1992–2003 were included. Educational level was obtained through record linkage between the mortality register and the municipal census of Barcelona city. Variables studied were age, sex, educational level, period of death (four periods of 3 years) and cause of death. Age-standardised mortality rates for each educational level, sex and period were calculated. Poisson regression models were fitted to obtain relative index of inequality (RII) for educational level, adjusted for age for the time-periods. Results: RII for all causes of death was constant (around 1.5), but rate differences were higher in 1995–7 (715.6 per 100 000 in men and 352.8 in women) than in other periods and tended to decrease in men over the periods. Analysis of inequality trends by specific causes of death shows a stable trend for the majority of causes, with higher mortality among those with less education for all causes of death except lung cancer and breast cancer among women having RII below 1. Conclusions: Relative inequalities in total mortality by sex in Barcelona did not change during the 12 years studied, whereas absolute inequalities tended to decrease in men. Our study fills an important gap in southern Europe and Spanish literature on trends during this period.
Measurement and analysis of UWB radio channel for indoor localization in a hospital environment

This paper focuses on accurate localization of patients in a hospital environment. To reduce power consumption and increase privacy, the localization of patients is only activated in case of an emergency. To evaluate the performance of `single-shot' localization, ultra-wideband (UWB) radio channel measurements are performed in a modern hospital between a `mobile agent' and 9 `anchors'. The anchors are placed at existing infrastructure, to allow for easy future integration. The agent is moved over a distance of 40 m at 460 points and spans several furnished rooms and a corridor. The channel is measured from 5 to 10 GHz with a link-budget of 120dB. Using post-processing, the impact of system parameters, like bandwidth and link-budget reduction, on the localization accuracy is evaluated. Our results show that a model based on the logistic distribution yields a higher accuracy, as it more resilient against outliers. The `single-shot' localization has a mean error of 8.7 cm for a link budget of 110 dB, a bandwidth of 500 MHz, and a carrier frequency of 8.0 GHz. Results show that increasing the bandwidth does not improve the mean localization accuracy. However, reducing the link budget results in a considerably larger mean error.
A new Schizosaccharomyces pombe base excision repair mutant, nth1, reveals overlapping pathways for repair of DNA base damage

Endonuclease III (Nth) enzyme from Escherichia coli is involved in base excision repair of oxidised pyrimidine residues in DNA. The Schizosaccharomyces pombe Nth1 protein is a sequence and functional homologue of E. coli Nth, possessing both DNA glycosylase and apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) lyase activity. Here, we report the construction and characterization of the S. pombe nth1 mutant. The nth1 mutant exhibited no enhanced sensitivity to oxidising agents, UV or γ‐irradiation, but was hypersensitive to the alkylating agent methyl methanesulphonate (MMS). Analysis of base excision from DNA exposed to [3H]methyl‐N‐nitrosourea showed that the purified Nth1 enzyme did not remove alkylated bases such as 3‐methyladenine and 7‐methylguanine whereas methyl‐formamidopyrimidine was excised efficiently. The repair of AP sites in S. pombe has previously been shown to be independent of Apn1‐like AP endonuclease activity, and the main reason for the MMS sensitivity of nth1 cells appears to be their lack of AP lyase activity. The nth1 mutant also exhibited elevated frequencies of spontaneous mitotic intrachromosomal recombination, which is a phenotype shared by the MMS‐hypersensitive DNA repair mutants rad2, rhp55 and NER repair mutants rad16, rhp14, rad13 and swi10. Epistasis analyses of nth1 and these DNA repair mutants suggest that several DNA damage repair/tolerance pathways participate in the processing of alkylation and spontaneous DNA damage in S. pombe.
Equine performance genes and the future of doping in horseracing.

A horse's success on the racetrack is determined by genetics, training and nutrition, and their translation into physical traits such as speed, endurance and muscle strength. Advances in genetic technologies are slowly explaining the roles of specific genes in equine performance, and offering new insights into the development of novel therapies for diseases and musculoskeletal injuries that cause early retirement of many racehorses. Gene therapy approaches may also soon provide new means to artificially enhance the physical performance of racehorses. Gene doping, the misuse of gene therapies for performance enhancement, is predicted to be the next phase of doping faced by horseracing. The risk of gene doping to human sports has been recognised for almost 15 years, and the introduction of the first gene doping detection tests for doping control in human athletes is imminent. Gene doping is also a threat to horseracing, but there are currently no methods to detect it. Efficient and accurate detection methods need to be developed to deter those looking to use gene doping in horses and to maintain the integrity of the sport. Methods developed for human athletes could offer an avenue for detection in racehorses. Development of an equine equivalent test will first require identification of equine genes that will likely be targeted by gene doping attempts. This review focuses on genes that have been linked to athletic performance in horses and, therefore, could be targeted for genetic manipulation. The risks associated with gene doping and approaches to detect gene doping are also discussed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Management of acute urinary retention

Acute urinary retention (AUR) is a common urological emergency, characterized by a sudden and painful inability to pass urine. There is high variability within and among countries in its management, which can be explained not only by differences in access to care but also by a lack of harmonization and consensus on the best way to proceed. Immediate treatment consists of bladder decompression, usually by a urethral catheter, although a suprapubic catheter offers several advantages not often exploited by urologists. Until recently, secondary management consisted almost exclusively of prostatic surgery within a few days (emergency surgery) or a few weeks (elective surgery) after a first AUR episode. The greater morbidity and mortality associated with emergency surgery, and the potential morbidity associated with prolonged catheterization, has led to the increasing use of a trial without catheter; this involves catheter removal after 1–3 days, allowing the patient to void in 23–40% of cases, and surgery, if needed, at a later stage. α1‐adrenergic blockers given before catheter removal improve the chances of success. A high prostate‐specific antigen level and postvoid residual urine volume, and response to alfuzosin treatment after a first AUR episode managed conservately, may help to identify patients at risk of an unfavourable outcome.
Novel band-pass filter model for multi-receiver wireless power transfer via magnetic resonance coupling and power division

Recently medium range wireless power transfer had been extensively researched for applications such as consumer electronics products, portable devices, robotics and electric vehicles. Coupled-mode theory and equivalent circuit model representations are the more recognized models used to describe and design the system mathematically. Band-pass filter model is relatively new, using this model the physical wireless power transfer system is representable in relatively simpler equations compared to coupled-mode theory and equivalent circuit model. Methodology for multi-receiver is derived using band-pass filter model and impedance matching is achieved. Newly proposed methodology allows controllable power division among receivers. Controllable power division is a very important feature for an effective wireless power transfer system in real applications. When powering multiple devices, the devices nearer to the transmitter tend to absorb more power compared to the farther devices, past literature had never addressed this issue of wireless power transfer system. With this new methodology, not only impedance matching is achieved, but also the ratio of power delivered to each receiver end is controllable.
The Formation of Desethyl‐Piperacillin from Piperacillin by Human Liver S9 in vitro

Piperacillin (PIPC) has been used as one of the most useful β‐lactam antibiotics over the past 10 years. The metabolism of PIPC has been thoroughly investigated and it has been recognized that PIPC gives few metabolites in laboratory species or humans. Recently, an active metabolite, desethyl‐piperacillin (DEt‐PIPC), was detected in human plasma and urine after PIPC administration. In the current study, human tissues were obtained from organ donors (n = 3) and subcellular fractions (S9) were prepared. The time course of metabolism by S9 mix from liver, kidney cortex, and kidney medulla was then determined using 0·5 mM PIPC. For comparative purposes, rat liver S9 were also prepared and incubated with PIPC under the same conditions. DEt‐PIPC was formed by human liver S9 mix from all three specimens studied, with the rate varying approximately eightfold. No DEt‐PIPC was detected in any of the incubations with rat liver S9 mix (n = 3) and kidney S9 mix (n = 3) prepared from either the cortex or medulla. In summary, these data suggest that the formation of the unique human metabolite, DEt‐PIPC, can be predicted by in vitro studies with human tissues and that this metabolite is formed predominantly by the liver. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Vorapaxar and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Coincidence or Adverse Association?

Background: Vorapaxar, a novel antiplatelet thrombin PAR-1 inhibitor, is currently approved for post myocardial infarction and peripheral artery disease indications with concomitant use of clopidogrel and/or aspirin. The vorapaxar safety profile was acceptable. However, aside from heightened bleeding risks, excesses of solid cancers and diplopia, there were more amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnoses after vorapaxar. Study Question: To assess the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews on the potential association of vorapaxar with ALS. Study Design: The review the public FDA records on reported adverse events after vorapaxar. Measures and Outcomes: Incidence of ALS after vorapaxar and placebo. Results: The ALS risk appears very small, about 1 case per 10,000 treated subjects, but quite probable. Indeed, there were overall 2 placebo and 4 vorapaxar ALS incidences in the Phase III clinical trials. Conclusions: Potential adverse association of vorapaxar with ALS risks may be related to off-target neuronal PAR receptor(s) blockade beyond platelet inhibition.
Clinical characteristics and genetic diversity of noroviruses in adults with acute gastroenteritis in Beijing, China in 2008–2009

Norovirus (NoV) infections that cause acute gastroenteritis are commonly observed during colder months. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical features and molecular epidemiology of NoVs in adult outpatients with acute gastroenteritis in Beijing, China from August 2008 to July 2009. Five hundred nineteen patients were enrolled, their stool specimens were collected, and 136 (26.2%) were positive for NoV. The elderly were found to be more susceptible to NoVs than other age groups. The greatest number of gastroenteritis cases associated with occurred in October. Six GI and eleven GII NoV genotypes were isolated; among these, the GII.4 genotype was most prevalent (70/140 and 50% were the 2006b variant). The elderly were more susceptible to the GII.4 genotype than to other genotypes. Greater numbers of neutrophils in the peripheral blood were observed in the NoV infected group than in uninfected control group. However, the levels of neutrophils and leukocytes in the non‐GII.4 patients infected with NoV were higher than those of the GII.4‐infected patients. The data highlight the role of NoV as a primary agent responsible for gastroenteritis in adults in Beijing, China. J. Med. Virol. 86:1235–1242, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Relation between phylogeny of African green monkey CD4 genes and their respective simian immunodeficiency virus genes

Abstract: An apparent species‐specific relatedness of SIVagm suggests a coevolution with their natural hosts. However, the exact species or subspecies classification of African green monkeys, AGM, is uncertain because current classification schemes rely on phenotype markers, while more definitive genetic data are lacking. In this study, the CD4 protein involved in tissue type recognition was genetically cloned and sequenced from PBMC RNA from all AGM species, including Barbados green monkeys (BGM). Phylogenetic trees were constructed that also included genomic CD4 nucleotide sequences from patas, sooty mangabeys, rhesus and pig‐tail macaques, chimpanzees, and humans. Chimpanzees and humans consistently clustered together. Monkeys within the Cercopithecus genus formed a separate cluster which included pata monkeys, supporting its grouping as a member of Cercopithecus. Surprisingly, sooty mangabeys were genetically more closely related to Asian macaques than to other African species, which might explain why macaques are more susceptible to infection by the SIVsm group than to infection by SIVagm or HIV‐1 and why patas, on the other hand, are highly susceptible to SIVagm infection. Based on CD4 genetic data, tantalus, vervets, grivets, and sabaeus formed separate subgroups with BGM grouping closely with vervets. The branching order of the AGM species was related to that of their respective SIVagm env sequences. The study suggests a strong correlation between CD4 phylogeny and the susceptibility of the host species to infection by a specific lentivirus and supports the assumption of a coevolution of SIVagm and AGM. CD4 sequencing is suggested as a relevant method for genetic determination of primate species.
Comparative study on shear wave speed estimation algorithms in ARFI for improving its reliability

Quantitatively assessing the tissue stiffness with acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) method has proved its worth in clinical trials. Much attention has been focused on the research of the displacement estimation algorithm in ARFI. However, the subsequent shear wave speed estimation part can also affect the accuracy and reliability of the results. In this study, several algorithms for shear wave speed estimation were designed and compared using the ultrasound radio-frequency data collected from a self-developed ARFI system. These RT based algorithms were classified as two types: the transformation being performed on the time-location displacement matrix or on the time-depth displacement matrix. The algorithms in Type I attempt to find the best trajectory of the shear wave propagation in one depth, while those in Type II try to directly find the time points when the wavefront passed each lateral location in the whole depth range. Experiments were performed on soft tissue mimicking phantom and ex vivo pork tissue sample. The reliability of repeated measurements and the computation time of these algorithms were compared to find the most stable and time-saving one for ARFI. The results can give us inspiration on how to design a better algorithm for shear wave speed estimation and help to improve the measurement reliability of ARFI.
Semantic similarity between Turkish and European languages using word embeddings

Representation of words coming from vocabulary of a language as real vectors in a high dimensional space is called as word embeddings. Word embeddings are proven to be successful in modelling semantic relations between words and numerous natural language processing applications. Although developed mainly for English, word embeddings perform well for many other languages. In this study, semantic similarity between Turkish (two different corpora) and five basic European languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian) is calculated using word embeddings over a fixed vocabulary, obtained results are verified using statistical testing. Also, the effect of using different corpora, and additional preprocess steps on the performance of word embeddings on similarity and analogy test sets prepared for Turkish is studied.