Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How may osteoporosis be prevented in individuals with diabetes

SUMMARY Diabetes may be linked to osteoporosis in a number of ways. General prevention may include physical activity, which may improve both metabolic control and help prevent bone loss, and good metabolic control may prevent osteoporosis by counteracting the negative effects of hyperglycemia on bone. Of the drugs available for use against diabetes, the thiazolidinediones may lead to osteoporosis by altering the balance between osteoblastogenesis and adipocytogenesis, whereas other drugs such as insulin, sulfonylureas and metformin seem to prevent osteoporosis by improving metabolic control. The thiazolidinediones thus should not be used in patients at risk of osteoporosis. Among the antiresorptive treatments, bisphosphonates have been demonstrated to increase bone mineral density but no studies with fractures as end points are available. No studies of strontium or parathyroid hormone are available. More studies on the pathogenesis and treatment of osteoporosis in patients with diabetes are needed.
Combination of ECT and clozapine in drug-resistant schizophrenia

Sir, We read the article by Kumar et al.1 with interest. The authors have described the development of delirium in a 56-year-old patient who was treated with a combination of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and clozapine, and advised caution in the use of this treatment combination. We discuss this issue based on a review of the literature and our clinical experience. We used a combination of clozapine and ECT in 3 men (21, 24 and 33 years of age) with schizophrenia resistant to treatment with conventional and atypical antipsychotic medications. They were on 350–450 mg of clozapine per day. They received a course of 8–10 ECTs each. They did not have significant cognitive deficits or delirium and completed their courses of ECT. All the 3 patients showed a 40%–50% reduction in their Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores. The literature also supports the use of a combination of ECT and clozapine in those with drug-resistant schizophrenia. Williams et al.2 have suggested the use of the term ‘neurolepticresistant schizophrenia’ as a more positive alternative to the term ‘treatment-resistant schizophrenia’ and have also examined the treatment options for patients resistant to clozapine monotherapy. Combination with ECT is quoted as a safe and clinically beneficial strategy. Other reports, barring initial concerns about the risk of spontaneous or prolonged seizures with this combination,3 also describe the combination of ECT and clozapine to be safe and clinically effective.4–8 Combining ECT and clozapine has also been advocated for achieving rapid control of disturbed behaviour, when time does not allow for dose titration with clozapine as monotherapy.9 Delirium and cognitive deficits during ECT are caused by several factors. In the study by Kumar et al., older age, the number and frequency of ECTs, the type and strength of current used, the position of the electrodes or the concomitant use of medication could have resulted in the delirium. Though current guidelines based on case reports do not proscribe the use of ECT with clozapine, 10 definite guidelines on the safety and efficacy of this combination will have to await the results of the ongoing National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)sponsored, multicentre, randomized, open-label efficacy trial comparing ECT augmentation of clozapine versus clozapine monotherapy.11 While the combination of ECT and clozapine demands caution, this approach should not be denied to patients with clozapine-resistant schizophrenia. REFERENCES
Digital documents, work and technology, three cases of Internet news publishing

The introduction of new information technology can be a rationale for reconsidering what digital products organisations produce and reconsidering how work should be organised around the production of artefacts. A pilot study covering three World Wide Web publishing cases is presented. Through a holistic view on documents, work and technology, the three cases are described. The conclusion of the article is that the promises of digital documents are far from realised in the organisations studied and that the products provided are traditionally founded. This can be related to a number of factors but the little involvement of technical skilled people, inappropriate tools and uncertainty on how WWW technology can be integrated with the existing organisation are factors contributing to the weak implementation of digital documents.
Survival and Mortality of Pumas (Puma concolor) in a Fragmented, Urbanizing Landscape

Wide-ranging large carnivores pose myriad challenges for conservation, especially in highly fragmented landscapes. Over a 13-year period, we combined monitoring of radio collared pumas (Puma concolor) with complementary multi-generational genetic analyses to inform puma conservation in southern California, USA. Our goals were to generate survivorship estimates, determine causes of mortality, identify barriers to movement, and determine the genetic and demographic challenges to puma persistence among >20,000,000 people and extensive urban, suburban, and exurban development. Despite protection from hunting, annual survival for radio collared pumas was surprisingly low (55.8%), and humans caused the majority of puma deaths. The most common sources of mortality were vehicle collisions (28% of deaths), and mortalities resulting from depredation permits issued after pumas killed domestic animals (17% of deaths). Other human-caused mortalities included illegal shootings, public safety removals, and human-caused wildfire. An interstate highway (I-15) bisecting this study area, and associated development, have created a nearly impermeable barrier to puma movements, resulting in severe genetic restriction and demographic isolation of the small puma population (n ~ 17–27 adults) in the Santa Ana Mountains west of I-15. Highways that bisect habitat or divide remaining “conserved” habitat, and associated ongoing development, threaten to further subdivide this already fragmented puma population and increase threats to survival. This study highlights the importance of combining demographic and genetic analyses, and illustrates that in the absence of effective measures to reduce mortality and enhance safe movement across highways, translocation of pumas, such as was done with the endangered Florida panther (P. c. coryi), may ultimately be necessary to prevent further genetic decline and ensure persistence of the Santa Ana Mountains population.
A flyback-CCM inverter scheme for photovoltaic AC module application

This paper presents an investigation into the use of a flyback based grid-inverter operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM) for a photovoltaic AC module application. Detailed analysis of operation, including evaluation of achievable power factor and current stresses, is presented. A design approach for the flyback-CCM inverter is presented and discussed. The performance of the proposed inverter is compared with a benchmark flyback-DCM (discontinuous conduction mode) scheme. Simulation results demonstrate the advantages and limitations of the proposed scheme. The impact of the bifurcation and subharmonics observed at low power levels are discussed. A mitigation method is proposed for this problem and its operation verified.
Global Incidence and Prevalence of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract: This systematic review examines the incidence and prevalence of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in different countries worldwide and their trends over time. The literature search of the studies published between 1950 and 2012 captured 1,871 articles of which 64 articles on incidence and 13 articles on prevalence fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The global incidence of SCI varied from 8.0 to 246.0 cases per million inhabitants per year. The global prevalence varied from 236.0 to 1,298.0 per million inhabitants. In addition to regional differences regarding the prevalence rates of SCI across the globe, there has been a trend towards increasing prevalence rates over the last decades. Our results suggest a relatively broad variation of incidence and prevalence rates of SCI among distinctive geographic regions. These results emphasize the need for further studies on incidence and prevalence of SCI, and for international standards and guidelines for reporting on SCI.
Restoration and segmentation of images by using binding processes

The method of restoration and segmentation of images by using the binding process is proposed. The restored images can keep edges. The binding process uses the relative line process. The binding method can restore multiscale image by the change of a parameter or by the use of diffusion equations. The expansion to impulse noise elimination and application to the restoration and segmentation of sparse data are shown. The advantages of the method over the line processing method are: (1) an invariable result is obtained over a wide range of scale of gray level (2) the segmentation is obtained directly (3) easy elimination of impulse noise, and (4) applicability to the segmentation of sparse data such as dot patterns. © 1998 Scripta Technica. Syst Comp Jpn, 29(4): 7985, 1998
The Pak4 Protein Kinase Plays a Key Role in Cell Survival and Tumorigenesis in Athymic Mice

Pak4 is a member of the B group of p21-activated (Pak) kinases, originally identified as an effector protein for Cdc42. Although Pak4 is expressed at low levels in most adult tissues, it is highly overexpressed in tumor cell lines. Here, we show that Pak4 is also overexpressed in primary tumors, including colon, esophageal, and mammary tumors. Overexpression of Pak4 also leads to tumor formation in athymic mice, whereas deletion of Pak4 inhibits tumorigenesis. Although a constitutively active Pak4 mutant was previously shown to promote oncogenic transformation in cultured cells, our results are the first to show that Pak4 also promotes tumorigenesis in experimental animals. Furthermore, these results show for the first time that not only constitutively active Pak4, but also wild-type Pak4, is transforming, when experimental animals are used. These results are highly significant because wild-type Pak4, rather than activated Pak4, is overexpressed in tumor cells. Our results suggest that overexpression or activation of Pak4 is a key step in oncogenic transformation, due to its ability to promote cell survival and subsequent uncontrolled proliferation. The finding that Pak4 is up-regulated in so many types of cancers indicates that Pak4 may play a vital role in a wide range of different types of cancer. This makes it an attractive candidate for drug therapy for different types of cancer. (Mol Cancer Res 2008;6(7):1215–24)
Technological, Organizational, and Environmental Factors Affecting the Adoption of Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems

Using an online survey, data were collected from individuals throughout the United States of America who identified themselves as working in an Information Technology (IT) job. Analysis from 159 respondents indicated that all the proposed TOE factors were significant predictors of Cloud ERP systems. In comparison to organizations that did not adopt Cloud ERP systems, organizations that adopted Cloud ERP systems had the following characteristics: higher level of relative advantage, higher level of compatibility, higher level of security concern, higher top management support, higher level of organization readiness, bigger sizes, more centralized, more formalized, higher competitive pressure, and perceived Cloud ERP system vendors as offering more support.
The Real Planet of the Apes: A New Story of Human Origins

PREFACE vii INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1 THE EARLY YEARS 27 CHAPTER 2 OUT OF AFRICA: AFROPITHECUS AND FRIENDS 62 CHAPTER 3 OUT IN THE WORLD: EARLY APES SPREAD IN EUROPE 73 CHAPTER 4 HOME AGAIN: THE NEW AFRO-EUROPEAN APES 97 CHAPTER 5 THE BIG EAST-WEST DIVIDE 118 CHAPTER 6 EAST SIDE STORY: OUR COUSINS SIVAPITHECUS AND THE ORANGUTANS 123 CHAPTER 7 WEST SIDE STORY: THE AFRICAN APES OF EUROPE 147 CHAPTER 8 THE DESCENDANTS OF DRYOPITHECUS 162 CHAPTER 9 BACK TO AFRICA AGAIN 187 POSTSCRIPT 227 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 231 NOTES 233 REFERENCES 237 INDEX 239
Strain and age differences in behaviour, fear response and pecking tendency in laying hens

1. Behaviours associated with a high or low tendency to feather peck could be used as predictors of feather pecking behaviour in selective breeding programmes. This study investigated how strain and age at testing influenced responses in behavioural tests. 2. Four layer-type strains (ISA Brown, Columbian Blacktail, Ixworth and a high feather pecking (HP) and a low feather pecking (LP) line of White Leghorn) were reared in 6 same-strain/line pens of 8 birds from one day old. Birds in half the pens were given an open field test, a novel object test and a test with loose feather bundles between 4 and 12 weeks of age and a tonic immobility (TI) test at 13 weeks of age. All pens were tested with fixed feather bundles at 26 weeks, and undisturbed behaviour in the home pens was videoed at 1 and 27 weeks of age. Daily records of plumage damage were used as an indicator of feather pecking activity in the home pens. 3. Strain did not influence novel object test, open field test or loose feather test behaviour, although age effects in all three tests indicated a reduction in fearfulness and/or an increase in exploratory behaviour with increasing age. 4. White Leghorns showed longer TI durations than the other strains but less pecking at fixed feather bundles than ISA Browns and Columbian Blacktails. 5. There were few associations between behaviour in the 5 different tests, indicating that birds did not have overall behavioural traits that were consistent across different contexts. This suggests hens cannot easily be categorised into different behavioural 'types', based on their test responses and casts doubt on the usefulness of tests as predictors of feather pecking.
Aerial tunes: exploring interaction qualities of mid-air displays

New types of interfaces are emerging in the form of shape changing and mid-air interfaces. However, little is known about how such interfaces are experienced and explored over time. This paper presents Aerial Tunes, a collaborative, tangible interface, based on balls hovering in mid-air, which can be manipulated individually, or collaboratively to explore and experiment with an ambient soundscape. We describe the design of Aerial Tunes and the technical challenges in constructing the prototype, Aerial Tunes exemplify how systems can be designed to support aesthetic experiences and promote enjoyment and excitement through a seemingly magical and unstable display, supporting explorative and tangible interaction coupled with sound feedback. Based on a four-week field study of the prototype at a public main library, we report how people experienced, investigated, interpreted and explored this interface. We describe the design intentions and qualities, which served to invite for exploration and resulted in multiple and diverse interpretations.
FGFR1 Expression Levels Predict BGJ398 Sensitivity of FGFR1-Dependent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancers

Purpose: FGFR1 copy-number gain (CNG) occurs in head and neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCC) and is used for patient selection in FGFR-specific inhibitor clinical trials. This study explores FGFR1 mRNA and protein levels in HNSCC cell lines, primary tumors, and patient-derived xenografts (PDX) as predictors of sensitivity to the FGFR inhibitor, NVP-BGJ398. Experimental Design: FGFR1 status, expression levels, and BGJ398 sensitive growth were measured in 12 HNSCC cell lines. Primary HNSCCs (n = 353) were assessed for FGFR1 CNG and mRNA levels, and HNSCC TCGA data were interrogated as an independent sample set. HNSCC PDXs (n = 39) were submitted to FGFR1 copy-number detection and mRNA assays to identify putative FGFR1-dependent tumors. Results: Cell line sensitivity to BGJ398 is associated with FGFR1 mRNA and protein levels, not FGFR1 CNG. Thirty-one percent of primary HNSCC tumors expressed FGFR1 mRNA, 18% exhibited FGFR1 CNG, 35% of amplified tumors were also positive for FGFR1 mRNA. This relationship was confirmed with the TCGA dataset. Using high FGFR1 mRNA for selection, 2 HNSCC PDXs were identified, one of which also exhibited FGFR1 CNG. The nonamplified tumor with high mRNA levels exhibited in vivo sensitivity to BGJ398. Conclusions: FGFR1 expression associates with BGJ398 sensitivity in HNSCC cell lines and predicts tyrosine kinase inhibitor sensitivity in PDXs. Our results support FGFR1 mRNA or protein expression, rather than FGFR1 CNG as a predictive biomarker for the response to FGFR inhibitors in a subset of patients suffering from HNSCC. Clin Cancer Res; 21(19); 4356–64. ©2015 AACR.
Comparative quantification of alcohol exposure as risk factor for global burden of disease

Alcohol has been identified as one of the most important risk factors in the burden experienced as a result of disease. The objective of the present contribution is to establish a framework to comparatively quantify alcohol exposure as it is relevant for burden of disease. Different key indicators are combined to derive this quantification. First, adult per capita consumption, composed of recorded and unrecorded consumption, yields the best overall estimate of alcohol exposure for a country or region. Second, survey information is used to allocate the per capita consumption into sex and age groups. Third, an index for detrimental patterns of drinking is used to determine the additional impact on injury and cardiovascular burden. The methodology is applied to estimate global alcohol exposure for the year 2002. Finally, assumptions and potential problems of the approach are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimization of Exopolysaccharide Overproduction by Lactobacillus confusus in Solid State Fermentation under High Salinity Stress

It is believed that high concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) suppress the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharide (EPS) in lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Nevertheless, overproduction of EPSs due to high salinity stress in solid state fermentation performed on an agar surface was demonstrated in this study using a response surface methodology via a central composite design (CCD). Under optimized conditions with NaCl 4.97% and sucrose 136.5 g/L at 40.79 h of incubation, the EPS yield was 259% (86.36 g/L of EPS), higher than the maximum yield produced with the modified MRS medium containing only 120 g/L of sucrose without NaCl (33.4 g/L of EPS). Biosynthesis of EPS by Lactobacillus confusus TISTR 1498 was independent of biomass production. Our results indicated that high salinity stress can enhance EPS production in solid state fermentation.
[Inhibition of permeability transition and myocardic reperfusion damage by cyclosporine A].

INTRODUCTION The results presented in this study indicate that the immunosuppressor cyclosporine A acts as a cardioprotective drug. METHODS This effect was analyzed during development of reperfusion-induced arrhythmias after 5 min period of coronary ligation in hearts of rats under anesthesia. RESULTS The results indicate that cyclosporine inhibits Ca(2+)-induced mitochondrial damage; furthermore, when given before coronary occlusion, at a dose of 20 mg/kg, effectively protects against the high incidence of arrhythmias and the fall in blood pressure induced by reperfusion. In addition, it inhibits the delivery of lactic dehydrogenase and creatine kinase enzymes to the plasma. CONCLUSIONS We propose that the protective effect could be related with its well documented action to restrain Ca(2+)-induced damage of mitochondrial functions.
TESTING ECOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS FOR BIOGEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES

Barriers to dispersal and resulting biogeographic boundaries are responsible for much of life's diversity. Distinguishing the contribution of ecological, historical, and stochastic processes to the origin and maintenance of biogeographic boundaries, however, is a longstanding challenge. Taking advantage of newly available data and methods—including environmental niche models and associated comparative metrics—we develop a framework to test two possible ecological explanations for biogeographic boundaries: (1) sharp environmental gradients and (2) ribbons of unsuitable habitat dividing two highly suitable regions. We test each of these hypotheses against the null expectation that environmental variation across a given boundary is no greater than expected by chance. We apply this framework to a pair of Hispaniolan Anolis lizards (A. chlorocyanus and A. coelestinus) distributed on the either side of this island's most important biogeographic boundary. Integrating our results with historical biogeographic analysis, we find that a ribbon of particularly unsuitable habitat is acting to maintain a boundary between species that initially diverged on distinct paleo‐islands, which merged to form present‐day Hispaniola in the Miocene.
In Vitro Antiretroviral Properties of S/GSK1349572, a Next-Generation HIV Integrase Inhibitor

ABSTRACT S/GSK1349572 is a next-generation HIV integrase (IN) inhibitor designed to deliver potent antiviral activity with a low-milligram once-daily dose requiring no pharmacokinetic (PK) booster. In addition, S/GSK1349572 demonstrates activity against clinically relevant IN mutant viruses and has potential for a high genetic barrier to resistance. S/GSK1349572 is a two-metal-binding HIV integrase strand transfer inhibitor whose mechanism of action was established through in vitro integrase enzyme assays, resistance passage experiments, activity against viral strains resistant to other classes of anti-HIV agents, and mechanistic cellular assays. In a variety of cellular antiviral assays, S/GSK1349572 inhibited HIV replication with low-nanomolar or subnanomolar potency and with a selectivity index of 9,400. The protein-adjusted half-maximal effective concentration (PA-EC50) extrapolated to 100% human serum was 38 nM. When virus was passaged in the presence of S/GSK1349572, highly resistant mutants were not selected, but mutations that effected a low fold change (FC) in the EC50 (up to 4.1 fold) were identified in the vicinity of the integrase active site. S/GSK1349572 demonstrated activity against site-directed molecular clones containing the raltegravir-resistant signature mutations Y143R, Q148K, N155H, and G140S/Q148H (FCs, 1.4, 1.1, 1.2, and 2.6, respectively), while these mutants led to a high FC in the EC50 of raltegravir (11- to >130-fold). Either additive or synergistic effects were observed when S/GSK1349572 was tested in combination with representative approved antiretroviral agents; no antagonistic effects were seen. These findings demonstrate that S/GSK1349572 would be classified as a next-generation drug in the integrase inhibitor class, with a resistance profile markedly different from that of first-generation integrase inhibitors.
3-D Multiple Beam Forming Lenses for Planar Arrays

Theoretical multiple beam patterns for a planar array with 4 l diameter are presented, with a three dimensional "bootlace" lens feed. The waveguide fed lens is 6 ¿ long, and provides beams scanned to ± 30° in both principal planes, with predicted sidelobes < - 23dB.
Non-conforming surface representations

Surface geometry is commonly represented by a collection of primitives. Conforming representations consist of primitives meeting at their boundaries (e.g., in a triangle mesh two triangles are incident upon an edge). Without the restriction to conforming elements there are no dependencies among primitives, leading to more degrees of freedom for each primitive. This yields more efficient and flexible algorithms for reconstruction, processing, and rendering, as well as compact and accurate representations.