Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parental knowledge, perceptions and consumption of milk and alternatives relates to intakes of young children 2–8 y of age

A low intake of milk and alternatives is concerning for children, since vitamin D, calcium and other nutrients in these foods are important for growth and development. Canadian research is ambiguous on how parental nutrition knowledge impacts the dietary intake of their children. Because of this, the objective was to assess the relationship between parental knowledge/perceptions of milk and alternatives and the intake of their child. This was a cross sectional analysis, during April and May 2015, of healthy participants (BMI z‐score > −2 and < 2), 2–8 y (n= 49) from a 6 month randomized vitamin D trial (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02387892) in Montreal, Canada. The self‐reported parental knowledge and perceptions survey had 2 sections, one about general knowledge and perceptions and the second had specific questions about their child. Milk and alternatives and vitamin D intake were assessed using a validated 30 day food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Pearson partial correlations, Bland‐Altman plots of agreement and mixed model ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc testing were used. The participants (5.6 ± 1.9 y) were 59% (29/49) male, had mean BMI z‐scores of 0.65 ± 0.84, and only 2% (1/49) of children did not reach the recommended 2 servings/day of milk and alternatives by Canada's Food Guide (CFG). Sixty seven percent of families had incomes above $65,000 Canadian and 70% of parents had university level education. There was a significant partial correlation between parental milk and alternatives intake and FFQ child milk and alternatives intake (r = 0.59, p = 0.001). Also, when parents consumed milk and alternatives at meals with their child, children consumed significantly more servings of this food group throughout the day ( Figure 1A ). There was a small bias (0.314, 95% CI: −2.56 to 3.19) between the FFQ milk product intake and the perceived milk and alternatives intakes ( Figure 1B ). Though 82% of parents correctly identified CFG serving sizes of fluid milk, less than 25% correctly identified the serving sizes of yogurt and cheese ( Table 1 ). Sixty three percent of parents thought the number of servings of milk and alternatives that children needed per day was higher than the CFG recommendations. Non‐white children consumed significantly more (p < 0.05) milk and alternatives than white children. Age and sex however, did not associate with milk and alternatives intake. These results suggest that parental milk and alternatives intake as well as knowledge of CFG may have a significant impact on the amount of milk and alternatives served to children. Future longitudinal research should test whether educating parents about milk and alternatives significantly changes the amount of these products they serve to their young children.
Skeletal muscle metaboreflex overactivity is mediated by the TRPv1 receptor in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Evidence suggests the skeletal muscle metaboreflex (SMM) is overactive in hypertension contributing to the exaggerated cardiovascular response to exercise in this disease. However, the mechanism underlying SMM overactivity remains undetermined. In normotensive rats, stimulation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPv1) receptor, primarily localized to group IV afferent neurons associated with the SMM, has been shown to contribute to the circulatory response to exercise. Thus, we hypothesized that the TRPv1 receptor mediates the enhanced SMM activity manifest in hypertension. To test this hypothesis, the SMM was supra‐stimulated by electrically inducing hindlimb muscle contraction during circulatory occlusion of the limb in decerebrate normotensive Wistar‐Kyoto (WKY, n = 12) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR, n = 12) rats. Supra‐stimulation of the SMM evoked significantly larger increases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in SHR compared to WKY. Local administration of the TRPv1 receptor antagonist capsazepine significantly attenuated these responses in both groups. However, the magnitudes of the capsazepine‐induced reductions in MAP and RSNA were significantly greater in SHR compared to WKY. The results suggest that SMM overactivity in hypertension is mediated, in part, by stimulation of the TRPv1 receptor. Supported by NIH HL‐088422
Thermal Modeling of Hollow Conductors for Direct Cooling of Electrical Machines

A direct cooling design using hollow conductors with the coolant flowing inside can significantly improve the heat dissipation in an electrical machine. To predict the thermal performances of an electrical machine with such cooling configuration, this paper proposes a computationally efficient thermal model of hollow conductors with direct cooling features. The hollow conductor is modeled using four equivalent solid cuboidal elements with a three-dimensional thermal network and internal heat generation. The heat transfer coefficient between the coolant and conductors is determined by an empirical model considering fluid dynamics behaviors. Axial discretization is performed to take into account the nonuniform temperature distribution along the axial direction. Experimental validation is performed with a U-shaped hollow conductor test rig. Compared to computational fluid dynamics analysis, the proposed thermal model is much more computationally efficient, and thus can be incorporated into design optimization process and electrothermal simulations of the electrical machine over a driving cycle.
Motion Artifact Identification and Removal From Wearable Reflectance Photoplethysmography Using Piezoelectric Transducer

Accurate heart rate estimation from reflectance photoplethysmography (PPG) during intense physical activity is difficult given unpredictable motion artifacts (MAs). Recent research has focused on the removal of MAs in PPG signals by considering acceleration signals as noise references. However, this approach does not always effectively remove MAs, as they can be associated with other noise sources. For instance, finger or hand motion reflects upon the wrist, corrupting the PPG signals, but an accelerometer cannot capture this type of MA. Hence, we propose adding a piezoelectric transducer on the wrist to identify noise originated from finger and hand motion. We first detail the developed wearable device that simultaneously measures PPG, acceleration, and piezoelectric pressure signals from the wrist. Then, the effectiveness of piezoelectric pressure signals for MA removal is verified from PPG signals collected under finger tapping and hand folding/unfolding, and from data of 17 healthy subjects undergoing physical activity. MA removal using both acceleration and piezoelectric pressure signals exhibits a mean absolute error of 1.58 beats per minute (bpm), considerably below the error of 3.75 bpm obtained using only acceleration signals. Therefore, measuring piezoelectric pressure signals on the wrist can improve heart rate estimation by providing more information of MAs corrupting PPG signals.
Mechanosensing by KATP channels and PECAM‐1 contributes to superoxide generation in mouse model of lung ischemia

Vascular responses to shear stress arising from blood flow entail the involvement of mechanosensors on endothelial cells. We showed earlier that the KATP channel is an important component of the flow sensing machinery in the pulmonary endothelium. Based on previous studies (E. Tzima, Nature, 2005), we posited that the platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM‐1), by virtue of its junctional location and cytoskeletal linkage, could serve as a mechanosensor that senses loss of blood flow. Using an isolated perfused mouse lung and confocal imaging of ROS probes in the pulmonary microvasculature, we detected ROS generation upon loss of shear (ischemia) in wild type lungs that was significantly attenuated both in KATP and PECAM‐1 knockout (KO) mouse lung. By image analysis, KATP KO and PECAM‐1 KO were capable of generating only 62% and 51% of the ROS level detected in wild type (WT), respectively. High‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of dihydroethidium extracted from the ischemic lung was used to detect superoxide (SO). In agreement with the imaging data, HPLC analysis showed a partial attenuation of SO in the PECAM‐1 KO, indicating SO as the parent oxidant species and reinforcing the confocal imaging method. These results indicate that KATP channel and PECAM‐1 may be a part of a mechanosensing machinery that contributes to the generation of SO in a shear‐dependent manner. NHLBI‐T32‐S54932
Qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde de pacientes com câncer avançado: uma revisão integrativa

Esta revisao integrativa da literatura objetivou caracterizar artigos abordando a qualidade de vida relacionada a saude — QVRS — de pacientes com câncer avancado nas literaturas nacional e internacional e sumarizar os fatores contribuintes para a melhora ou a piora da QVRS de pacientes com câncer avancado, evidenciados na literatura pesquisada. A busca foi realizada nas bases eletronicas CINHAL, EMBASE, PUBMED, SCIELO e LILACS. Dentre os 21 artigos que compuseram a amostra, 13 evidenciaram melhora da QVRS de pacientes com câncer avancado mediante a realizacao de intervencoes fisicas, emocionais e espirituais. Em oito estudos, foram identificados sinais e sintomas preditores de baixa QVRS, como dor, fadiga, disturbio do sono, depressao, alteracoes nutricionais, entre outros. Os resultados mostram que manifestacoes clinicas inerentes ao câncer sao fatores que podem rebaixar a QVRS do paciente, enquanto os beneficios fisicos, psicologicos e espirituais resultantes de intervencoes terapeuticas, podem promover a melhora.
Identification of ALDOA as a new Lung adeonocarcinoma predict gene involve cancer metabolism and tumor metastasis

The metabolic alterations in cancer progression remain unknown. In this study, we identified Aldolase A (ALDOA), a glycolytic enzyme that regulates glycolysis process, as the most significant marker in lung cancer by comparative microarray and prognosis database analysis. We observed overexpression of ALDOA mRNA was significantly associated with poor overall survival rate with the hazard ratio of (HR=3.0, P<0.01). Microarray datasets also showed high ALDOA expression in tumor compared with corresponding normal tissue in 27 lung cancer patient (p<0.01). Strong expression of ALDOA protein by IHC was further detected in 94.3% cases (99/105) and the expression level was higher compared to non‐tumor lung parenchyma (p<0.01). High ALDOA expression was found associated with poor survival (p<0.01) of lung cancer patients. ALDOA overexpression promoted invasion and migration in vitro. These complementary function expression consequences were also validated in metastasis colony forming assay in vivo and in‐situ invasion assay. Furthermore, overexpression of ALDOA induces upregulation of GAP1, and MMP2. Knockdown of GAP or MMP2 inhibited ALDOA induced invasion and migration in vitro, suggesting that ALDOA may promote lung cancer cell matastasis by the activation of GAP and MMP2. Our finding may implicate the possibility of targeting ALDOA as a novel therapeutic strategy to inhibit lung cancer metastasis.
New Trends in Electrical Vehicle Powertrains

Development of electric vehicle (EV) conversion process can be implemented in a low-cost and time-saving manner, along with the design of actual components. Model-based system design is employed to systematically compute the power flow of the electric vehicle propulsion and dynamic load. Vehicle specification and driving cycles were the two main inputs for the simulation. As a result, the approach is capable of predicting various EV characteristics and design parameters, such as EV performance, driving range, torque speed characteristics, motor power, and battery power charge/discharge, which are the necessity for the design and sizing selection of the main EV components. Furthermore, drive-by-wire (DBW) ECU function can be employed by means of model-based design to improve drivability. For the current setup, the system components are consisted of actual ECU hardware, electric vehicle models, and control area network (CAN) communication. The EV component and system models are virtually simulated simultaneously in real time. Thus, the EV functionalities are verified corresponding to objective requirements. The current methodology can be employed as rapid design tool for ECU and software development. Same methodology can be illustrated to be used for EV tuning and reliability model test in the future.
Visual fidelity of 3D regular sampling and reconstruction

For generic 3D sampling, the Body Centered Cubic (BCC) lattice and the Face Centered Cubic (FCC) lattice are significantly superior to the traditionally popular Cartesian Cubic (CC) lattice. Motivated by the goal of high visual fidelity in the visualization community, this thesis investigates the relative perceptual merits of high quality reconstruction filters for CC, BCC, and FCC sampled data. We recruited 24 participants and gave them pairs of images to discriminate. For each pair, a participant is asked to choose the better of the two images: one image rendered from data sampled on the CC lattice, and one image rendered from data sampled on the BCC or FCC lattice. We used both synthetic and Computed Tomography (CT) volumetric data, and report that by using approximately 30 – 35% fewer samples, BCC and FCC reconstructed data result in images that exhibit comparable visual quality to their CC counterparts.
Early life stress induces endothelial dysfunction in a mouse model of maternal separation

Early life stress (ELS) is linked to cardiovascular disease in adulthood. We used a mouse model of maternal separation with early weaning (MSEW) to study ELS‐mediated adult cardiovascular pathology. We hypothesized that MSEW induces vascular dysfunction, and sensitizes adult male C57BL/6 mouse to vasoactive factors. MSEW litters were subjected to maternal separation 4h/day (postnatal days (PD) 2–5) and 8h/day (PD6‐16), and weaned at PD17. Control litters were undisturbed until weaning at PD21. We performed wire myography on thoracic aortas of 12‐week‐old mice. MSEW blunted maximum acetylcholine‐induced vasorelaxation (49.8±30.8% vs 72.2±18.4%, p=0.02). Pretreatment (20 min) with apocynin (300μM) and superoxide dismutase (PEG‐SOD, 100 units/ml) reversed this effect. Sodium nitroprusside‐induced vasorelaxation was unaltered by MSEW. Aortas from MSEW mice were hyper‐responsive to phenylephrine‐induced vasoconstriction (61.9±27.0% KCl vs 38.6±18.9% KCl, p=0.04). Baseline SBP (tail‐cuff plethysmography) of MSEW mice was not different from control (109.3±10.9 vs 116.7±20.8mmHg, respectively). Chronic infusion of norepinephrine (7.6μg/kg/min) led to an attenuated hypertensive response in MSEW mice (p≤0.001, main effect). ELS induces classical endothelial dysfunction through an NADPH oxidase‐mediated increase in reactive oxygen species, and a pathological vascular phenotype.
Identifying Driver Behavior in Preturning Maneuvers Using In-Vehicle CANbus Signals

Our objective in this contribution is to categorize driver behavior in terms of preturning maneuvers. We analyze driving behavior in an urban environment prior to turns using data obtained from the CANbus of an instrumented vehicle during a one-hour driving period for 12 different individuals. CANbus data streams such as vehicle speed, gas pedal pressure, brake pedal pressure, steering wheel angle, and acceleration are collected and analyzed for 5, 10, and 15 seconds of driving prior to each turn. We consider all turns for each driver and extract statistical features from the signals and use cluster analysis to categorize drivers into groups reflecting different driving styles. The results show that using this approach we can effectively cluster drivers into two groups. The results show consistency in the membership within a cluster throughout the different timeframes. We conclude that driver behavior classification from such data streams is possible and we hope in the near future to devise driver descriptors that include additional maneuvers.
Calcium‐calmodulin Dependent Protein Kinase II: An Unforgettable Story

According to the National Institutes of Health, 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease (AD), which affects memory and the ability to learn. In long‐term potentiation (LTP), a correlate of learning and memory, the number of receptors at the synapse increases. Calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), a large dodecameric enzyme comprising 1–2% of all proteins in the brain, is part of a signaling pathway implicated in LTP. In this pathway, Ca+2 binds calmodulin (CaM) and the Ca+2/CaM complex activates CaMKII, which then phosphorylates other proteins in the cell, like α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors. To investigate the role of CaMKII, the Cedarburg SMART (Students Modeling A Research Topic) Team used 3D printing technology to design a CamKII model, highlighting the catalytic, self‐association, and autoinhibitory domains. The Ca+2/CaM complex activates CaMKII by displacing a portion of the autoinhibitory domain that blocks the active site of the enzyme, exposing both the catalytic base and Thr286, the residue involved in autophosphorylation. When CaMKII phosphorylates AMPA receptors, their numbers increase in the post synaptic neuron and they are more sensitive to glutamate. Impaired LTP may lead to the cognitive decline seen in AD. Funded by a grant from NIH‐SEPA 1R25OD010505–01 from NIH‐CTSA UL1RR031973.
HIV‐1 Tat Sensitizes Enteric Neurons to Bacterial Proteins

HIV infection is characterized by intestinal mucosal damage leading to increased translocation of bacteria and viruses into the gut wall. This exposes enteric neurons to bacterial and viral proteins. Previously, we showed that HIV‐1 Tat, an early HIV protein, increases enteric neuronal excitability and significantly alters gastrointestinal (GI) motility. In this study, we examined cytokine expression by Tat and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in enteric neurons and its effect on GI transit. Tat sensitized enteric neuron/glia cultures (isolated from adult mouse ileum) to LPS‐induced cytokine release. Neither 10 nM Tat nor 10 ng/ml LPS induced TNF‐ α release, however, they significantly up‐regulated TNF‐ α when treated in combination. This effect was time dependent with the highest sensitization occurring at 6 h Tat treatment. This sensitization effect was also seen in transgenic mice in which LPS (50 µg/kg) treated Tat+ (Tat expressing) mice had robust increases in TNF‐α (7 fold) and IL‐1β (3 fold) mRNA compared to Tat‐ (litter mates) which showed 1.9 and 1.5 fold increases respectively. Tat (100 nM) significantly increased LPS receptor, TLR4, expression by 3 fold. Pellet propulsion was measured using the gastrointestinal motility monitor. Tat+ mice were significantly more sensitive to LPS induced decrease in colonic transit than Tat‐ mice. LPS (50 µg/kg p.o.) reduced colonic transit by 80% in Tat+ mice compared to 35% in Tat‐ mice. These findings suggest that Tat exacerbates the effects of bacterial proteins and enhances opportunistic infections in HIV AIDS. Supported by F31NS087952, DA024009
Growth Associated Protein‐43 Modulates Dopamine Transporter Function

Dopamine transporters (DAT) are integral membrane proteins that regulate re‐uptake of released dopamine from the synapse and its efflux in response to drugs such as amphetamine (AMPH). Our laboratory has demonstrated that protein kinase C β (PKC β) can regulate AMPH‐induced DAT‐mediated DA efflux. Further, AMPH increases phosphorylation of the growth associated protein‐43 (GAP‐43) at its PKC substrate site (ser‐41) in rat synaptosomes. Our aim in this study was to determine whether GAP‐43 is involved in AMPH‐stimulated DA efflux, using HEK 293 cells stably expressing hDAT. We found that in transfected cells, GAP‐43 caused a 67% enhancement of AMPH mediated DA efflux. There was no concomitant increase in DA uptake in these cells. Phosphorylation of GAP‐43 at its PKC phosphorylation site was enhanced in the presence of AMPH in cells transfected with GAP‐43. We have previously shown that PKC β is associated with the dopamine transporter. Preliminary studies using immpunoprecipitations in GAP‐43 transfected HEK‐hDAT cells indicate that GAP‐43 may not be associated with DAT in these cells. Our studies establish a functional role for GAP‐43 in AMPH‐mediated DA efflux through DAT. Funded by DA011697.
TRPC1, STIM1 and Orai1 Mediate Capacitative Calcium Entry Activated by Acute Hypoxia in Mouse Pulmonary Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells

Previous studies in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) showed that acute hypoxia activates capacitative Ca2+ entry (CCE) but the molecular channel(s) and the molecular signal(s) mediating CCE caused by acute hypoxia remain unclear. The present study aimed to determine if TRPC1, STIM1 and Orai1 mediate CCE caused by acute hypoxia in mouse PASMCs. In primary cultured PASMCs loaded with fura‐2, acute hypoxia caused a transient followed by a sustained rise in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). The transient but not sustained rise in [Ca2+]i was partially inhibited by nifedipine. In addition, acute hypoxia increased the rate of Mn2+ quench of fura‐2 fluorescence that was inhibited by SKF 96365, Ni2+, La3+ and Gd3, exhibiting pharmacological properties characteristic of CCE. The nifedipine‐insensitive rise in [Ca2+]i and the increase in Mn2+ quench rate were both inhibited in cells pretreated with antibodies raised against extracellular epitopes of TRPC1, in cells transfected with STIM1 siRNA and in cells transfected with Orai1 siRNA. Taken together, acute hypoxia causes activation of voltage‐operated Ca2+ entry and CCE. These data suggest that TRPC1, STIM1 and Orai1 mediate CCE activated by acute hypoxia in mouse PASMCs. [Supported by HL49254, NCRR P20RR15581 (JR Hume) and AHA Scientist Development Grant (LC Ng)]
DC-Link Capacitor Voltage Imbalance Compensation Method Based Injecting Harmonic Voltage for Cascaded Multi-Module Neutral Point Clamped Inverter

In a three-level (NPC) converter, the voltage imbalance problem in the DC-link capacitors is major issue. This paper proposes the DC-link capacitor voltage imbalance compensation method, where a common offset voltage is injected for a multi-module NPC inverter. The offset voltage consists of a harmonic voltage and a voltage difference between the upper and lower capacitors. The proposed method does not require any hardware modification, so that it is easily implemented. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed balancing method, theoretical analysis is provided to balance the voltages, and both the simulations and the experiments were carried out to show that the voltage difference of the DC-link was decreased by the proposed method.
Measurement of Cole–Davidson Diffusion Through Padé Approximations for (Bio)Impedance Spectroscopy

Throughout various engineering applications, measurement science faces the problem that parameters of interest are not directly measurable with a specifically designed instrument. As such, one relies on indirect measurement which is mapped through a mathematical model to the parameters of interest. The parameters of interest are consequently estimated statistically through analyzing the measurements. This field is known as system identification and serves applications in control, mechanical, and biomedical engineering among others. Anomalous diffusion pops up in impedance and dielectric spectroscopy such that the application of system identification techniques in electrochemical, microwave, and biomedical engineering may be affected by diffusion. The presence of diffusion may introduce systematic errors or bias when applying system identification techniques of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems. In this paper, we revisit classical LTI identification in the presence of Cole–Davidson (CD) diffusion wherein we accomplish: 1) detecting the CD diffusion component; 2) discriminating the diffusion from the remaining dynamics; and 3) modeling the CD diffusion through a fractional-order model, in particular, a pole of fractional-order multiplicity.