Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A systematic review of built environment factors related to physical activity and obesity risk: implications for smart growth urban planning

Smart growth is an approach to urban planning that provides a framework for making community development decisions. Despite its growing use, it is not known whether smart growth can impact physical activity. This review utilizes existing built environment research on factors that have been used in smart growth planning to determine whether they are associated with physical activity or body mass. Searching the MEDLINE, Psycinfo and Web‐of‐Knowledge databases, 204 articles were identified for descriptive review, and 44 for a more in‐depth review of studies that evaluated four or more smart growth planning principles. Five smart growth factors (diverse housing types, mixed land use, housing density, compact development patterns and levels of open space) were associated with increased levels of physical activity, primarily walking. Associations with other forms of physical activity were less common. Results varied by gender and method of environmental assessment. Body mass was largely unaffected. This review suggests that several features of the built environment associated with smart growth planning may promote important forms of physical activity. Future smart growth community planning could focus more directly on health, and future research should explore whether combinations or a critical mass of smart growth features is associated with better population health outcomes.
Potential Black Hole Seeding of the Spiral Galaxy NGC 4424 via an Infalling Star Cluster

Galaxies can grow through their mutual gravitational attraction and subsequent union. While orbiting a regular high-surface-brightness galaxy, the body of a low-mass galaxy can be stripped away. However, the stellar heart of the infalling galaxy, if represented by a tightly bound nuclear star cluster, is more resilient. From archival Hubble Space Telescope images, we have discovered a red, tidally stretched star cluster positioned ∼5″ (∼400 pc in projection) from, and pointing toward the center of, the post-merger spiral galaxy NGC 4424. The star cluster, which we refer to as “Nikhuli,” has a near-infrared luminosity of (6.88 ± 1.85) × 106 L ⊙,F160W and likely represents the nucleus of a captured/wedded galaxy. Moreover, from our Chandra X-ray Observatory image, Nikhuli is seen to contain a high-energy X-ray point source, with L0.5−8keV=6.31−3.77+7.50×1038 erg s−1 (90% confidence). We argue that this is more likely to be an active massive black hole than an X-ray binary. Lacking an outward-pointing comet-like appearance, the stellar structure of Nikhuli favors infall rather than the ejection from a gravitational-wave recoil event. A minor merger with a low-mass early-type galaxy may have sown a massive black hole, aided an X-shaped pseudobulge, and be sewing a small bulge. The stellar mass and the velocity dispersion of NGC 4424 predict a central black hole of (0.6–1.0) × 105 M ⊙, similar to the expected intermediate-mass black hole in Nikhuli, and suggestive of a black hole supply mechanism for bulgeless late-type galaxies. We may potentially be witnessing black hole seeding by capture and sinking, with a nuclear star cluster the delivery vehicle.
Effects of restricted feeding of growing steers on performance, carcass characteristics, and composition.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of restricted feeding on performance, carcass characteristics, and composition. In Trial 1, 36 individually penned steer calves (280 +/- 13 kg BW) were fed all-concentrate diets at intake levels of ad libitum and 90 and 80% of ad libitum. Trial 2 used 36 individually penned steer calves (298 +/- 14 kg BW) fed corn silage-based growing diets for 84 d followed by 91% concentrate finishing diets. Intakes were as described for Trial 1. Compared with steers with ad libitum intake, ADG was reduced (P < .005) . 15 and . 25 kg for steers fed 90 and 80% of ad libitum intake, respectively, in Trial 1. In Trial 2, growing phase ADG was reduced (P < .005) . 15 and . 24 kg for the 90 and 80% of ad libitum feed intake, respectively. Finishing phase ADG was reduced (P < .005) . 12 and . 21 kg for the 90 and 80% of ad libitum intake, respectively. Feed efficiency was not affected by intake when all-concentrate diets were fed in Trial 1, or when a corn silage-based diet was fed in the growing phase of Trial 2. During the finishing phase of Trial 2, feed efficiency was increased when intake was restricted. Carcass quality grade and 12th rib backfat were reduced (P < .04) with decreases in daily feed intake when all-concentrate diets were fed. However, no effect on carcass characteristics was observed in Trial 2. Liver and heart weights were not affected by daily feed intake. Serum triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations tended (P = .11) to decrease for cattle receiving restricted intakes of all-concentrate diets and were decreased (P < .04) with intake restriction in Trial 2. Carcass fat content was reduced (P < .02), whereas carcass protein and water were increased (P < .06) with reductions in daily feed intake in both trials. We concluded that restrictedly feeding growing-finishing steer calves does not decrease feed efficiency and actually may improve feed efficiency. Restrictedly fed steers had reduced maintenance requirements, and lean tissue accretion represented a greater percentage of their total gain.
Visual Field Preservation after Multisession CyberKnife Radiosurgery for Perioptic Lesions

OBJECTIVE:The restricted radiation tolerance of the anterior visual pathways represents a unique challenge for ablating adjacent lesions with single-session radiosurgery. Although preliminary studies have recently demonstrated that multisession radiosurgery for selected perioptic tumors is both safe and effective, the number of patients in these clinical series was modest and the length of follow-up limited. The current retrospective study is intended to help address these shortcomings. METHODS:Forty-nine consecutive patients with meningioma (n = 27), pituitary adenoma (n = 19), craniopharyngioma (n = 2), or mixed germ cell tumor (n = 1) situated within 2 mm of a “short segment” of the optic apparatus underwent multisession image-guided radiosurgery at Stanford University Medical Center. Thirty-nine of these patients had previous subtotal surgical resection, and six had previously been treated with conventional fractionated radiotherapy (6). CyberKnife radiosurgery was delivered in two to five sessions to an average tumor volume of 7.7 cm3 and a cumulative average marginal dose of 20.3 Gy. Formal visual testing and clinical examinations were performed before treatment and at follow-up intervals beginning at 6 months. RESULTS:After a mean visual field follow-up of 49 months (range, 6–96 mo), vision was unchanged postradiosurgery in 38 patients, improved in eight (16%), and worse in three (6%). In each instance, visual deterioration was accompanied by tumor progression that ultimately resulted in patient death. However, one of these patients, who had a multiply recurrent adrenocorticotropic hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma, initially experienced early visual loss without significant tumor progression after both a previous course of radiotherapy and three separate sessions of radiosurgery. After a mean magnetic resonance imaging follow-up period of 46 months, tumor volume was stable or smaller in all other cases. Two patients died of unrelated nonbrain causes. CONCLUSION:Multisession radiosurgery resulted in high rates of tumor control and preservation of visual function in this group of perioptic tumors. Ninety-four percent of patients retained or improved preradiosurgical vision. This intermediate-term experience reinforces the findings from earlier studies that suggested that multisession radiosurgery can be a safe and effective alternative to either surgery or fractionated radiotherapy for selected lesions immediately adjacent to short segments of the optic apparatus.
The intestinal microbiome, probiotics and prebiotics in neurogastroenterology

The brain-gut axis allows bidirectional communication between the central nervous system (CNS) and the enteric nervous system (ENS), linking emotional and cognitive centers of the brain with peripheral intestinal functions. Recent experimental work suggests that the gut microbiota have an impact on the brain-gut axis. A group of experts convened by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) discussed the role of gut bacteria on brain functions and the implications for probiotic and prebiotic science. The experts reviewed and discussed current available data on the role of gut microbiota on epithelial cell function, gastrointestinal motility, visceral sensitivity, perception and behavior. Data, mostly gathered from animal studies, suggest interactions of gut microbiota not only with the enteric nervous system but also with the central nervous system via neural, neuroendocrine, neuroimmune and humoral links. Microbial colonization impacts mammalian brain development in early life and subsequent adult behavior. These findings provide novel insights for improved understanding of the potential role of gut microbial communities on psychological disorders, most particularly in the field of psychological comorbidities associated with functional bowel disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and should present new opportunity for interventions with pro- and prebiotics.
Enhancing Participation for Children with Disabilities: Application of the ICF Enablement Framework to Pediatric Physical Therapist Practice

Purpose: This paper describes how pediatric physical therapists can utilize the enablement framework, embraced by the World Health Organization in the current International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). The ICF can guide clinical reasoning related to enhancing participation in desired activities for children with disabilities. In the ICF framework, participation reflects the person’s engagement in important life situations. By emphasizing what the person can do in valued contexts, the enablement framework is a positive complement to a focus on functional limitations and disability of the disablement model. Summary of Key Points: Current conceptual frameworks and policies advocate attention to children’s participation. Legislation (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Amendments of 1991 and 1997 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990), the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice, and motor control and action perspectives all support the inclusion of children with disabilities in natural environments. These frameworks and laws can guide therapists’ clinical reasoning to focus on children’s participation in desired activities during the evaluation, goal-setting, and intervention process. A case study of a child with spastic diplegia illustrates how pediatric physical therapists can apply the enablement framework to develop meaningful goals and interventions focused on enhancing the child’s participation in desired activities. Conclusions: Adoption of an enablement perspective may help pediatric physical therapists to focus their evaluations and interventions on promoting children’s participation as well as the specific functional activities that enhance participation.
Peptide transporters and their roles in physiological processes and drug disposition

1. The peptide transporters belong to the peptide transporter (PTR) family and serve as integral membrane proteins for the cellular uptake of di- and tripeptides in the organism. By their ability also to transport peptidomimetics and other substrates with therapeutic activities or precursors of pharmacologically active agents, they are of considerable importance in pharmacology. 2. PEPT1 is the low-affinity, high-capacity transporter and is mainly expressed in the small intestine, whereas PEPT2 is the high-affinity, low-capacity transporter and has a broader distribution in the organism. 3. Targeted mouse models have revealed PEPT2 to be the dominant transporter for the reabsorption of di- and tripeptides and its pharmacological substrates in the organism, and for the removal of these substrates from the cerebrospinal fluid. Moreover, the peptide transporters undergo physiological and pharmacological regulation and, of great interest, are present in disease states where PEPT1 exhibits ectopic expression in colonic inflammation. 4. The paper reviews the structural characteristics of the peptide transporters, the structural requirements for substrates, the distribution of the peptide transporters in the organism, and finally their regulation in the organism in healthy and pathological situations.
A mixture model-based real-time audio sources classification method

Recent research on machine learning focuses on audio source identification in complex environments. They rely on extracting features from audio signals and use machine learning techniques to model the sound classes. However, such techniques are often not optimized for a real-time implementation and in multi-source conditions. We propose a new real-time audio single-source classification method based on a dictionary of sound models (that can be extended to a multi-source setting). The sound spectrums are modeled with mixture models and form a dictionary. The classification is based on a comparison with all the elements of the dictionary by computing likelihoods and the best match is used as a result. We found that this technique outperforms classic methods within a temporal horizon of 0.5s per decision (achieved 6% of errors on a database composed of 50 classes). Future works will focus on the multi-sources classification and reduce the computational load.
Functional redundancy between repair factor XLF and damage response mediator 53BP1 in V(D)J recombination and DNA repair

The classical nonhomologous DNA end-joining (C-NHEJ) double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway in mammalian cells maintains genome stability and is required for V(D)J recombination and lymphocyte development. Mutations in the XLF C-NHEJ factor or ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) DSB response protein cause radiosensitivity and immunodeficiency in humans. Although potential roles for XLF in C-NHEJ are unknown, ATM activates a general DSB response by phosphorylating substrates, including histone H2AX and 53BP1, which are assembled into chromatin complexes around DSBs. In mice, C-NHEJ, V(D)J recombination, and lymphocyte development are, at most, modestly impaired in the absence of XLF or ATM, but are severely impaired in the absence of both. Redundant functions of XLF and ATM depend on ATM kinase activity; correspondingly, combined XLF and H2AX deficiency severely impairs V(D)J recombination, even though H2AX deficiency alone has little impact on this process. These and other findings suggest that XLF may provide functions that overlap more broadly with assembled DSB response factors on chromatin. As one test of this notion, we generated mice and cells with a combined deficiency for XLF and 53BP1. In this context, 53BP1 deficiency, although leading to genome instability, has only modest effects on V(D)J recombination or lymphocyte development. Strikingly, we find that combined XLF/53BP1 deficiency in mice severely impairs C-NHEJ, V(D)J recombination, and lymphocyte development while also leading to general genomic instability and growth defects. We conclude that XLF is functionally redundant with multiple members of the ATM-dependent DNA damage response in facilitating C-NHEJ and discuss implications of our findings for potential functions of these factors.
Yield of diffusion-weighted MRI for detection of potentially relevant findings in stroke patients

Objective: To determine whether diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) could identify potentially clinically relevant findings in patients presenting more than 6 hours after stroke onset when compared with conventional MRI. Methods: MRI with both conventional (T2 and proton density images) and echoplanar imaging (DWI and apparent diffusion coefficient maps) was performed 6 to 48 hours after symptom onset (mean, 27 hours) in 40 consecutive patients with acute stroke. All acute lesions were identified first on conventional images, then on DWI, by a neuroradiologist who was provided with the suspected lesion location, based on a neurologist’s examination before imaging. Abnormalities were rated as potentially clinically relevant if they were detected only on DWI and 1) confirmed the acute symptomatic lesion to be in a different vascular territory than suspected clinically, 2) revealed multiple lesions in different vascular territories suggestive of a proximal source of embolism, or 3) clarified that a lesion, thought to be acute on conventional imaging, was not acute. Results: The initial clinical impression of lesion localization was incorrect in 12 patients (30%). Clinically significant findings were detected by DWI alone in 19 patients (48%). DWI demonstrated the symptomatic lesion in a different vascular territory than suspected clinically or by conventional MRI in 7 patients (18%) and showed acute lesions in multiple vascular distributions in 5 patients (13%). In 8 patients (20%), DWI clarified that lesions thought to be acute on conventional MRI were actually old. Conclusion: In patients imaged 6 to 48 hours after stroke onset, DWI frequently provided potentially clinically relevant findings that were not apparent on conventional MRI.
Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α) Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), Inflammation and Metabolism in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Inner Mongolia

Background Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is common all over the world. GDM women are with inflammatory and metabolisms abnormalities. However, few studies have focused on the association of IL-65–72C/G and TNF-α-857C/T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), inflammatory biomarkers, and metabolic indexes in women with GDM, especially in the Inner Mongolia population. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of IL-65–72C/G and TNF-α-857C/T SNPs, and inflammation and metabolic biomarkers in women with GDM pregnancies. Material/Methods Blood samples and placentas from 140 women with GDM and 140 women with healthy pregnancies were collected. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and MassARRAY-IPLEX were performed to analyze IL-65–72C/G and TNF-α-857C/T SNPs. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to analyze inflammatory biomarkers and adipokines. Results Distribution frequency of TNF-α-857CT (OR=3.316, 95% CI=1.092–8.304, p=0.025) in women with GDM pregnancies were obviously higher than that in women with healthy pregnancies. Women with GDM were of older maternal age, had higher BMI, were more nulliparous, and had T2DM and GDM history, compared to women with healthy pregnancies (p<0.05). Inflammatory biomarkers in serum (hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-8, IL-6/IL-10 ratio) and placental (NF-κB, IL-6, IL-8, IL-6/IL-10 ratio, IL-1β, TNF-α) were significantly different (p<0.05) between women with GDM and women with healthy pregnancies. Differences were found for serum FBG, FINS, HOMA-IR, and HOMA-β, and placental IRS-1, IRS-2, leptin, adiponectin, visfatin, RBP-4, chemerin, nesfatin-1, FATP-4, EL, LPL, FABP-1, FABP-3, FABP-4, and FABP-5. Conclusions TNF-α-857C/T SNP, hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-6/IL-10 were associated with GDM in women from Inner Mongolia, as was serious inflammation and disordered lipid and glucose metabolisms.
The risk of acquiring Q fever on farms: a seroepidemiological study.

OBJECTIVES--To determine the occupational risk of Q fever. DESIGN--Cohort study. SETTING--Community: five English local authority districts. SUBJECTS AND METHODS--Prevalence and incidence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) specific antibody to Coxiella burnetii phase II antigen was measured in a representative (study) cohort of farm workers in the United Kingdom, and detailed exposure data were collected. Also seroprevalence of Q fever in a (control) cohort of police and emergency service personnel was measured. RESULTS--Prevalence was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in the study cohort (105/385 v 43/395). During the first 12 month period after enrollment no seroconversions were found (upper 95% confidence limit: 1318/100,000/year). During the second 12 month period after enrollment two seroconversions were found, equalling an incidence of 813/100,000/year (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 98-2937/100,000/year). No association was found between seroprevalence and age. In the study cohort, extent of total contact with farm animals seemed more important than exposure to any specific animal: full time employees were more than four times more likely to be antibody positive than part time employees (P < 0.05). Exposure to cattle, but not sheep, goats, cats, raw milk, and hay (all reported sources of Q fever) was associated with being positive to Coxiella burnetii IgG by univariate analysis but this association was not independent of total farm animal contact. CONCLUSIONS--The risk of Q fever on livestock farms is related to contact with the farm environment rather than any specific animal exposure. The absence of an increasing prevalence with age suggests that exposure may occur as clusters in space and time (outbreaks).
Control of Calcium Homeostasis by Angiotensin II in Adrenal Glomerulosa Cells through Activation of p38 MAPK*

Angiotensin II-induced activation of aldosterone secretion in adrenal glomerulosa cells is mediated by an increase of intracellular calcium. We describe here a new Ca2+-regulatory pathway involving the inhibition by angiotensin II of calcium extrusion through the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger. Caffeine reduced both the angiotensin II-induced calcium signal and aldosterone production in bovine glomerulosa cells. These effects were independent of cAMP or calcium release from intracellular stores. The calcium response to angiotensin II was more sensitive to caffeine than the response to potassium, suggesting that the drug interacts with a pathway specifically elicited by the hormone. In calcium-free medium, calcium returned more rapidly to basal levels after angiotensin II stimulation in the presence of caffeine. Thapsigargin had no effect on these kinetics, but diltiazem, which inhibits the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, markedly reduced the rate of calcium decrease and abolished caffeine action. The involvement of this exchanger was supported by the effect of cell depolarization and of a reduction of extracellular sodium on the rate of calcium extrusion. We also determined the mechanism of angiotensin II action on the exchanger. Phorbol esters reduced the rate of calcium extrusion, which was increased by baicalein, an inhibitor of lipoxygenases, and by SB 203580, an inhibitor of the p38 MAPK. Finally, we showed that angiotensin II acutely activates, in a caffeine-sensitive manner, p38 MAPK in glomerulosa cells. In conclusion, in bovine glomerulosa cells, the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger plays a crucial role in extruding calcium, and, by reducing its activity, angiotensin II influences the amplitude of the calcium signal. The hormone exerts its action on the exchanger through a caffeine-sensitive pathway involving the p38 MAPK and lipoxygenase products.