Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
School‐based interventions for childhood and adolescent obesity

The purpose of this article was to review population‐based interventions for preventing childhood obesity carried out in school settings published between 1999 and 2004. A total of 11 such interventions were found from USA and UK. The grade of the interventions was from kindergarten, primary grades, middle school to high school. Most of these interventions targeted both physical activity and nutrition behaviours although there were some interventions that focused on only one dimension such as TV watching or restricting drinking of carbonated drinks or increasing physical education time in the school. Most of the interventions were based on some behavioural theory and the most popular theory was social cognitive theory. Most of the interventions focused on individual level behaviour change approaches. Most of the interventions focused on short‐term changes right after the intervention. On the whole, interventions resulted in modest changes in behaviours and mixed results with indicators of obesity. TV watching seems to be most modifiable behaviour, followed by physical activity and nutrition behaviours. The outcome measures such as lowered BMI (body mass index), triceps skin‐fold thickness and waist circumference have not been measured by all studies. Recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of school‐based childhood obesity interventions are presented.
HDL cholesterol subclasses, myocardial infarction, and mortality in secondary prevention: the Lipoprotein Investigators Collaborative.

AIMS High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is highly heterogeneous and the link of its subclasses to prognosis remains controversial. We aimed to rigorously examine the associations of HDL subclasses with prognosis in secondary prevention. METHODS AND RESULTS We collaboratively analysed data from two, complementary prospective cohorts: the TRIUMPH study of 2465 acute myocardial infarction patients, and the IHCS study of 2414 patients who underwent coronary angiography. All patients had baseline HDL subclassification by vertical-spin density gradient ultracentrifugation. Given non-linearity, we stratified by tertiles of HDL-C and its two major subclasses (HDL2-C, HDL3-C), then compared multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for mortality and mortality/myocardial infarction. Patients were middle-aged to elderly (TRIUMPH: 58.2 ± 12.2 years; IHCS: 62.6 ± 12.6 years), and the majority were men (TRIUMPH: 68.0%; IHCS: 65.5%). IHCS had lower mean HDL-C levels (34.6 ± 10.1 mg/dL) compared with TRIUMPH (40 ± 10.6 mg/dL). HDL3-C accounted for >3/4 of HDL-C (mean HDL3-C/HDL-C 0.78 ± 0.05 in both cohorts). During 2 years of follow-up in TRIUMPH, 226 (9.2%) deaths occurred, while death/myocardial infarction occurred in 401 (16.6%) IHCS patients over 5 years. No independent associations with outcomes were observed for HDL-C or HDL2-C. In contrast, the lowest tertile of HDL3-C was independently associated with >50% higher risk in each cohort (TRIUMPH: with middle tertile as reference, fully adjusted HR for mortality of HDL3-C, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.13-2.18; IHCS: fully adjusted HR for mortality/myocardial infarction, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.20-2.00). CONCLUSION In secondary prevention, increased risk for long-term hard clinical events is associated with low HDL3-C, but not HDL2-C or HDL-C, highlighting the potential value of subclassifying HDL-C.
Transcranial color coded sonography: advanced approach using ultrasound fusion imaging

Background: Transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCS) is a well established method to study intracranial parenchymal and vascular structures. It is, however, limited by the need to insonate through available bone windows, resulting in oblique imaging planes, which can hinder easy allocation, particularly within the brain parenchyma and limit the opportunity for direct comparison with other imaging techniques. The objective of this study was to analyze the diagnostic yield of the ultrasound fusion imaging (UFI) technique using standard diagnostic approaches.
Allelopathy, an alternative tool to improve cropping systems. A review

Known since ancient times, the phenomenon of allelopathy has recently received greater attention from researchers and farmers worldwide. Crop failures and low yields caused by the reseeding, overseeding, crop rotation and replanting of fruit trees in orchards are believed to be caused by allelopathic activity. Moreover, the expensive and environmentally impacting herbicides for weed control have motivated studies directed at developing cheaper, environmentally-friendly alternatives. Despite the difficulties in separating chemical interference from other mechanisms, more modern approaches have produced consistent and conclusive data on this topic. The release and dynamics of allelochemicals in the soil are discussed herein. Examples of allelopathic crops, the allelochemicals produced and their uses in cropping systems are also presented along with current research trends regarding allelopathy.
Characteristics of Submacular Hemorrhages in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

PURPOSE The aims of this research are to report the incidence and characteristics of submacular hemorrhage secondary to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to compare the detailed morphologic features of hemorrhages between typical neovascular AMD and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). METHODS This retrospective observational study included 791 eyes of 791 patients who had newly diagnosed neovascular AMD at a single institution. The incidence and extent of submacular hemorrhage of one disc area or greater were estimated and compared between typical neovascular AMD and PCV. In addition, submacular hemorrhages were classified into groups according to location (location of fovea at the center of the hemorrhage versus at the periphery of the hemorrhage) and morphology (circular versus irregular margin). The proportion of each subtype of neovascular AMD was evaluated according to the aforementioned classification. RESULTS Among those included, 129 (16.3%) eyes exhibited submacular hemorrhage at initial presentation. Among the 627 eyes with available indocyanine green angiography findings, the incidence of submacular hemorrhage was greater in PCV (23.6%, 78 of 330 eyes) than in typical neovascular AMD (9.4%, 28 of 297 eyes; χ test, P < .001). When divided into four groups according to hemorrhage shape and location (central and circular, central and irregular, peripheral and circular, and peripheral irregular), the proportion of eyes in these groups was significantly different between the two disease groups (χ test, P = .018). CONCLUSIONS The incidence of submacular hemorrhage was greater in PCV than in typical neovascular AMD. The morphology and location of submacular hemorrhage may provide useful clues to differentiate PCV from typical neovascular AMD.
Use of haemolysis index to estimate potassium concentration in in-vitro haemolysed serum samples

Abstract Background: It has been advocated that measuring the haemoglobin concentration in a haemolysed sample can be used to correct the potassium concentration. However, estimation of the degree of potassium adjustment has not been validated with patient-derived data. This study aimed to ascertain the relationship between haemolysis and potassium increment using patient samples. Methods: A total of 35 hospital patients (16 male, 19 female; median age 73years, inter-quartile range 45–83years) for whom haemolysed samples were repeated within 24h were included in the study. The difference between potassium in the haemolysed and non-haemolysed repeat sample was correlated with the serum haemolysis index measured on a Beckman Synchron LX20PRO. Results: The linear relationship derived for patient samples showed a potassium increase of approximately 0.16mmol/L for each increment in the haemolysis index. However, Bland-Altman statistics in the patient-derived model showed the variability (95% limit of agreement) in predicted potassium concentration to be ±0.4mmol/L. Conclusions: The magnitude of the relationship using authentic patient data with the Beckman LX20PRO haemolysis index is in keeping with previously described relationships. Use of the haemolysis index on the Beckman LX20PRO to predict potassium concentration in haemolysed samples is not sufficiently accurate to obviate the need for repeat analysis, but can be used to prioritise the need for urgent repeat analysis. Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:877–9.
La satisfaction des patients et de leur famille vis-à-vis de l’information relative au cancer : une recension des écrits

Les individus et les familles qui font face a l’experience du cancer ont des besoins d’apprentissage a la fois nombreux et varies. L’enseignement relatif au cancer constitue un aspect important de leurs soins. Pourtant, au cours des trois dernieres decennies, il est regulierement question, dans la litterature, de l’insatisfaction d’un grand nombre de patients et de proches vis-a-vis de l’enseignement qui leur est fourni dans ce domaine. Cet article examine les ecrits relatifs a un aspect de la satisfaction vis-a-vis de l’enseignement lie au cancer et a la satisfaction des patients et des proches vis-a-vis de l’information liee au cancer, et ce, en fonction de facteurs lies aux patients, aux prestataires et a l’information. Les lacunes au niveau des recherches sont degagees et discutees dans le cadre des recommandations pour de futurs travaux de recherche. Cet article se termine par des applications a la pratique clinique.
Bayesian detection and MMSE frequency estimation of sinusoidal signals via adaptive importance sampling

A novel solution for the problem of detecting the number of complex exponentials embedded in Gaussian noise and estimating their frequencies is proposed. In contrast to standard techniques, the marginalized posterior density is utilized to evaluate a model selection criterion and compute the MMSE estimates. To compute the required integrals, a numerically efficient procedure, termed adaptive importance sampling (AIS), is introduced. This procedure can naturally handle parameter constraints and it greatly improves convergence as compared to standard Monte Carlo approaches. Our method has the benefit of not only outperforming the standard techniques, but it also sidesteps the pitfalls associated with multidimensional optimization. <<ETX>>
Strict nonblockingness of reduced shuffle‐exchange networks

The shuffle‐exchange network is one of the most well‐studied multistage interconnection networks. Whether a (2n − 1)‐stage shuffle‐exchange network is rearrangeable has been a challenging conjecture for some 30 years, and only recently a proof was claimed. In this article, we use the analysis method developed for EGSN networks to show that the shuffle‐exchange network can be strictly nonblocking by deleting some inputs and outputs. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 45(1), 4–8 2005
Fixed point property and the Fourier algebra of a locally compact group

We establish some characterizations of the weak fixed point property (weak fpp) for noncommutative (and commutative) L 1 spaces and use this for the Fourier algebra A(G) of a locally compact group G. In particular we show that if G is an IN-group, then A(G) has the weak fpp if and only if G is compact. We also show that if G is any locally compact group, then A(G) has the fixed point property (fpp) if and only if G is finite. Furthermore if a nonzero closed ideal of A(G) has the fpp, then G must be discrete.
Phase I study combining treatment with temsirolimus and sunitinib malate in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE Concurrent inhibition of multiple oncogenic signaling pathways might improve the efficacy of anticancer agents and abrogate resistance mechanisms. This phase I study evaluated temsirolimus in combination with sunitinib in patients with advanced RCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eligibility included advanced RCC and <or= 2 previous systemic regimens. At the starting dose, temsirolimus 15 mg was administered by intravenous (I.V.) infusion once weekly, and sunitinib 25 mg was administered orally once daily for 4 weeks, followed by a 2-week rest period. RESULTS In the first cohort, dose-limiting toxicities (grade 3 treatment-related toxicities that lasted >or= 7 days) were observed in 2 of 3 patients. One patient experienced grade 3 rash during week 3, which led to treatment discontinuation. A second patient had grade 3 thrombocytopenia (platelet count, 48,000/microL), cellulitis, and gout during week 3 and was hospitalized; platelets recovered to 109,000/microL 4 days after discontinuation of protocol therapy. A third patient experienced rash, asthenia, diarrhea, stomatitis, constipation, fever, and rectal hemorrhage, all of which were mild in severity. The study was terminated because of dose-limiting toxicity observed at low starting doses of both agents. CONCLUSION Concomitant use of I.V. temsirolimus 15 mg weekly and oral sunitinib 25 mg daily (4 weeks on, 2 weeks off) is not recommended.
Who owns the roads? How motorised traffic discourages walking and bicycling

Objective: To examine the impact of traffic on levels of walking and bicycling. Method: Review of the literature of medical, public health, city planning, public administration and traffic engineering. Results: The real and perceived danger and discomfort imposed by traffic discourage walking and bicycling. Accurately or not, pedestrians and bicyclists judge injury risk and respond accordingly. Although it can be difficult to measure these effects, observed behaviour provides good evidence for these effects, with the strongest association being an inverse correlation between volumes and speeds of traffic and levels of walking and cycling. Conclusion: Interventions to reduce traffic speed and volume are likely to promote walking and bicycling and thus result in public health gains.
A passivity-based approach for HIV-1 treatment scheduling

This paper explores the theoretical possibilities for applying a globally defined passivity-based control for a dynamical model of the HIV-1. This control law will define a treatment scheduling scheme for the anti-retroviral therapy. The controller structure is divided into two parts, the purpose of the first is to render passive the HIV-1 model while the second exploits the properties associated to passive systems to achieve the stability requirements. The presented control scheme guarantees that the objectives established by the highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) are fulfilled. From a systems theoretic perspective, the presented result states a first attempt in solving the problem using passivity arguments since the controller exhibits a state-feedback structure and assumes knowledge of the parameters model. Nevertheless, considering the remarkable performances achieved in numerical simulations, the importance of the contribution lies in the establishment of solid bases for continuing the research under the considered approach.
The AdS/CFT correspondence and applications to QCD

In this dissertation, an introduction into the the subject of the AdS/CFT correspondence is presented. As a concrete example, we explore Maldacena’s original conjecture of a duality between N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory and Type IIB supergravity on AdS5×S. The ingredients of both theories necessary for establishing the correspondence are reviewed and the connection at the level of correlation functions is explained. Several existing methods for modifying the setup in which the correspondence takes place, in order to extend it to theories more similar to QCD, are described.
Multinucleated Giant Cell Formation and Apoptosis in Infected Host Cells Is Mediated by Burkholderia pseudomallei Type III Secretion Protein BipB

Here we have assessed the role of a type III translocator protein, BipB, in the cell biology and virulence of Burkholderia pseudomallei. Genetic inactivation of bipB reduced multinucleated giant cell formation, cell-to-cell spreading of bacteria, and induction of apoptosis of J774A.1 macrophages. The bipB mutant was also significantly attenuated following intranasal challenge of BALB/c mice, whereas virulence was fully restored by complementation with a functional bipB gene. Burkholderia pseudomallei, the etiological agent of melioidosis in humans and animals, is a gram-negative bacterium. Melioidosis is endemic in southeast Asia and tropical Australia and has been reported sporadically elsewhere (6). Currently, there is no vaccine against melioidosis. Uniquely among intracellular bacterial pathogens, B. pseudomallei induces host cell fusion leading to multinucleated giant cell (MNGC) formation in tissue culture models of infection (14). This novel phenotype may be relevant to pathogenesis, since granuloma formation and generation of MNGC are also found in tissues of humans with melioidosis (23). In addition to inducing MNGC formation, B. pseudomallei is able to spread from cell to cell and induce apoptotic death in infected host cells (14). The molecular mechanisms of these pathogenic characteristics have not been elucidated. Analysis of the B. pseudomallei genome and several other studies have demonstrated the presence of a type III secretion system (TTSS) (for reviews, see references 3, 12, 17, 20, and 22). A knockout mutant of B. pseudomallei lacking a functional bipD gene, a homologue of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium sipD, on the TTSS3/bsa cluster of TTSS exhibited reduced replication in murine macrophage-like cells (20), was significantly attenuated in BALB/c mice and gave partial protection against subsequent challenge with wild-type B. pseudomallei (19). These data correlated with the recent report that the TTSS3/bsa cluster is required for the pathogenicity of B. pseudomallei (21). In addition to BipD, B. pseudomallei BipB and BipC (46 and 30% amino acid identity to Salmonella SipB and SipC, respectively) have been identified in the TTSS3/bsa cluster (3). Here, we report on the role of BipB in the pathogenesis of infection with B. pseudomallei. With Salmonella organisms, purified SipB integrates into artificial membranes and induces liposome fusion (10), and it is required for inducing apoptosis in murine macrophages (11). By analogy with SipB, therefore, we investigated the role of BipB for MNGC formation, cell-to-cell spreading, and induction of apoptosis in infected host cells. We also examined the virulence of a B. pseudomallei bipB mutant in a murine model of melioidosis.
A shape-space-based approach to tracking myocardial borders and quantifying regional left-ventricular function applied in echocardiography

Presents a new semi-automatic method for quantifying regional heart function from two-dimensional echocardiography. In the approach, we first track the endocardial and epicardial boundaries using a new variant of the dynamic snake approach. The tracked borders are then decomposed into clinically meaningful regional parameters, using a novel interpretational shape-space motivated by the 16-segment model used in clinical practice for qualitative assessment of heart function. We show how a quantitative and automatic scoring scheme for the endocardial excursion and myocardial thickening can be derived from this. Results illustrating our approach on apical long-axis two-chamber-view data from a patient with a myocardial infarct in the apical anterior/inferior region of the heart are presented. In a case study (five patients, nine data sets) the performance of the tracking and interpretation techniques are compared with manual delineations of borders using a number of quantitative measures of regional comparison.
Scalable RAN Virtualization in Multitenant LTE-A Heterogeneous Networks

Cellular communications are evolving to facilitate the current and expected increasing needs of quality of service, high data rates, and diversity of offered services. Toward this direction, radio access network (RAN) virtualization aims at providing solutions of mapping virtual network elements onto radio resources of the existing physical network. This paper proposes the Resources nEgotiation for NEtwork Virtualization (RENEV) algorithm, which is suitable for application in heterogeneous networks in Long-Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) environments, consisting of a macro evolved Node B overlaid with small cells (SCs). By exploiting radio resource management principles, RENEV achieves slicing and on-demand delivery of resources. Leveraging the multitenancy approach, radio resources are transferred in terms of physical radio resource blocks among multiple heterogeneous base stations, which are interconnected via the X2 interface. The main target is to deal with traffic variations in geographical dimension. All signaling design considerations under the current Third-Generation Partnership Project LTE-A architecture are also investigated. Analytical studies and simulation experiments are conducted to evaluate RENEV in terms of the network's throughput and additional signaling overhead. Moreover, we show that RENEV can be applied independently on top of already proposed schemes for RAN virtualization to improve their performance. The results indicate that significant advantages are achieved both from the network's and users' perspective and that it is a scalable solution for different numbers of SCs.
Performance and mood during and after gradual sleep reduction.

Long-term gradual sleep reduction effects were investigated on 4 young adult collegiate couples. The battery of assessment tools included a sleep log, Stanford Sleepiness Scale, Profile of Mood States, Feeling Tone Checklist, a measure of circadian oral temperature, Williams Word Memory test, Digit Span test, Wilkinson Auditory Vigilance task, Wilkinson Addition task, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Rapid Alternation task, psychiatric and medical examinations, and a subjective effects questionnnaire. It was concluded that 6–8 months of gradual sleep restriction, down to 4.5–5.5 hrs per night, does not result in behavioral effects measurable by the instruments used. Subjective fatigue appears to be the limiting factor in determining tolerability of gradual sleep restriction. At the end of an additional 12-month follow-up period, total sleep time was still 1–2.5 hrs below baseline, but measures of well-being had returned to baseline levels.
FREQUÊNCIA DE ANTICORPOS ANTI- Leptospira spp EM REBANHOS BOVINOS DA BACIA LEITEIRA DO CAPARAÓ, ESTADO DO ESPÍRITO SANTO

Fueron recogidos 330 muestras del suero de ganado a partir de 55 granjas lecheras en el lavabo Caparao, estado de Espirito Santo, probado por el metodo de Soroaglutinacao microscopico (SAM) para ocho serovars, encontro una frecuencia de 12.42% (41) del positivo por lo menos uno de los animales serovar. Hardjobovis se presento como el mas frecuente entre las muestras positivas (12.42%), seguidas por la muestra del hardjo de Bolivia (9.69%), la muestra de la laguna del hardjo (9.09%), el estandar del hardjo (6.36%), el hardjo del WHO (6.06%) y Wolff (2.42%), ninguna cualquier reaccion positiva a los serovars pomona y hebdomadis. Los resultados demostraron que el problema de la prioridad de los hardjobovis es la capacidad de la leptospirosis en los ganados lecheros en la region del sur del Estado. Palabras claves: Leptospira spp , anticuerpos, bovidos, Espirito Santo
Bending moments in free-swimming flagella.

The bending of a flagellum, such as the flagellum which forms the tail of a sea-urchin spermatozoon, is the result of active mechanochemical processes occurring within the flagellum itself, which cause it to bend actively throughout its length (Gray, 1955; Machin, 1958). To understand how flagella operate, we must understand not only the mechanisms which generate bending, but also the control mechanisms which initiate and coordinate the active bending of different parts of the flagellum in order to generate smoothly propagated bending waves which will efficiently propel a cell.