Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding Physical Activity Behavior of Type 2 Diabetics Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and Structural Equation Modeling

Understanding patient factors related to physical activity behavior is important in the management of Type 2 Diabetes. This study applied the Theory of Planned Behavior model to understand physical activity behavior among sampled Type 2 diabetics in Kenya. The study was conducted within the diabetic clinic at Kisii Level 5 Hospital and adopted sequential mixed methods design beginning with qualitative phase and ending with quantitative phase. Qualitative data was analyzed using grounded theory analysis method. Structural equation modeling using maximum likelihood was used to analyze quantitative data. The common fit indices revealed that the theory of planned behavior fitted the data acceptably well among the Type 2 diabetes and within physical activity behavior {χ 2 = 213, df = 84, n=230, p = . 061, χ 2 /df = 2.53; TLI = . 97; CFI =. 96; RMSEA (90CI) = . 073(.029, .08)}. This theory proved to be useful in understanding physical activity behavior among Type 2 diabetics.
Application of Collagenolytic Proteases from Bacillus
 subtilis B13 and Bacillus siamensis S6 for
 Tenderizing Goat Meat during Wet Aging

This research aimed to assess the effect of collagenolytic proteases from Bacillus subtilis B13 and Bacillus siamensis S6 for tenderizing goat meat during wet aging. Collagenolytic proteases B13 and S6 were prepared at 5 U/mL of collagenolytic activity before injecting into goat meat with 10% (v/w) of initial weight. The control sample was injected with distilled water and used as a negative control. The injected meats were placed in vacuum-sealed bags and wet aged at 4℃ for 0, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 days. Thereafter, total aerobic count and physicochemical quality were elucidated. Both enzyme-treated samples from B13 and S6 aged for 5 days showed an acceptable microbial quality with lower than 5.7 Log CFU/g. These conditions produced the tender meats by the reduction in shear force accounting for 30% for B13 and 26% for S6 as compared to the control. Moreover, the enzyme-treated samples showed lower values of hardness, gumminess, and chewiness, with higher springiness and trichloroacetic acid-soluble peptides than the control (p<0.05). The detrimental impact on cooking loss and lipid oxidation was not found. Enzyme-injected meat had a lower cooking loss than the control (p<0.05) with no significant difference in lipid oxidation (p>0.05). Notably, meats treated with B13 and S6 were lower in CIE L* value as compared to the control (p<0.05) with no significant impact on CIE a* and CIE b* (p>0.05). These results suggested that these two collagenolytic proteases could enhance the quality of goat meat in terms of tenderness and reduce the aging time for meat tenderization.
TMEM16A/ANO1 Channels Contribute to the Myogenic Response in Cerebral Arteries

Rationale: Pressure-induced arterial depolarization and constriction (the myogenic response) is a smooth muscle cell (myocyte)-specific mechanism that controls regional organ blood flow and systemic blood pressure. Several different nonselective cation channels contribute to pressure-induced depolarization, but signaling mechanisms involved are unclear. Similarly uncertain is the contribution of anion channels to the myogenic response and physiological functions and mechanisms of regulation of recently discovered transmembrane 16A (TMEM16A), also termed Anoctamin 1, chloride (Cl−) channels in arterial myocytes. Objective: To investigate the hypothesis that myocyte TMEM16A channels control membrane potential and contractility and contribute to the myogenic response in cerebral arteries. Methods and Results: Cell swelling induced by hyposmotic bath solution stimulated Cl− currents in arterial myocytes that were blocked by TMEM16A channel inhibitory antibodies, RNAi-mediated selective TMEM16A channel knockdown, removal of extracellular calcium (Ca2+), replacement of intracellular EGTA with BAPTA, a fast Ca2+ chelator, and Gd3+ and SKF-96365, nonselective cation channel blockers. In contrast, nimodipine, a voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel inhibitor, or thapsigargin, which depletes intracellular Ca2+ stores, did not alter swelling-activated TMEM16A currents. Pressure-induced (−40 mm Hg) membrane stretch activated ion channels in arterial myocyte cell–attached patches that were inhibited by TMEM16A antibodies and were of similar amplitude to recombinant TMEM16A channels. TMEM16A knockdown reduced intravascular pressure-induced depolarization and vasoconstriction but did not alter depolarization-induced (60 mmol/L K+) vasoconstriction. Conclusions: Membrane stretch activates arterial myocyte TMEM16A channels, leading to membrane depolarization and vasoconstriction. Data also provide a mechanism by which a local Ca2+ signal generated by nonselective cation channels stimulates TMEM16A channels to induce myogenic constriction.
Effect of phenylpropanolamine and pseudoephedrine on the urethral pressure profile and continence scores of incontinent female dogs.

BACKGROUND Traditionally, treatment of urinary incontinence in spayed female dogs has been to increase urethral sphincter tone with estrogen compounds or alpha-agonists. Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) is the most frequently used alpha-agonist for this condition, but increased cost and decreased availability of PPA as an over-the-counter medication have prompted interest in alternative therapies that may provide the same degree of efficacy. Pseudoephedrine (PD), an alpha-agonist and stereoisomer of ephedrine, is more cost-effective and available without a prescription. HYPOTHESIS PD will not differ from PPA in its effects on urodynamic variables and owner-reported continence scores or in observed adverse effects. ANIMALS Nine spayed female dogs with a history of urinary incontinence drawn from the clinical patient population at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at The Ohio State University. METHODS A randomized, double-blind crossover study evaluating changes in urodynamic variables, owner-reported continence score, and adverse effects in dogs treated with 1.5 mg/kg PO q8h PPA or PD. RESULTS Changes in maximum urethral closure pressure and functional area after PPA therapy were significantly higher than after PD therapy. There was no change in the functional profile length after either treatment. There was a significant increase in the continence score after PPA therapy, but not after PD therapy. More adverse effects were observed in dogs treated with PD than with PPA. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Although some dogs clinically improved, lack of statistically significant changes in urodynamic variables and owner perception of continence as well as the increased incidence of adverse effects make PD a less satisfactory alternative to PPA for the treatment of urinary incontinence in female dogs.
Evaluation of water genotoxicity using comet assay in two freshwater fish species, Wallago attu and Ompok bimaculatus in Kabul River, Pakistan

The investigation determines the pollution status of river Kabul and its effects on the DNA of Wallago attu and Ompok bimaculatus. River Kabul gets pollutants from Amanghar industries and sewages from Mardan, Nowshera and Peshawar. Water and fish samples are taken to study heavy metals and physical parameters. The overall sequence of physical parameters in water samples was TDS>TSS>EC>TA>Cl>Na>pH>K, and that of heavy metals was Zn>Cr>Mn> Fe>Cu>Pb>Ni>Cd. The studied parameters in all the water samples except TSS are within the proposed limits of national environmental quality standards. The overall trend of analysed water samples was C>B>A. The study determines the effects of water pollution on the DNA of Ompok bimaculatus and Wallago attu tissues. Therefore, degrees of DNA damage such as TCS and comet class are studied in gills, liver, muscles, and intestines of Wallago attu and Ompok bimaculatus. The trend of DNA damage in examined tissues was intestine>skin>liver>gills>muscle, and in studied fish species, it was Ompok bimaculatus>Wallago attu. More significant DNA damage was observed in the intestine and smaller in the muscle. More DNA damage was found in Ompok bimaculatus and less in Wallago attu. The investigation recommended detoxifying the effluents and sewages before discharging them in River Kabul.
Repertoire of Human Antibodies against the Polysaccharide Capsule of Streptococcus pneumoniaeSerotype 6B

ABSTRACT We examined the repertoire of antibodies to Streptococcus pneumoniae 6B capsular polysaccharide induced with the conventional polysaccharide vaccine in adults at the molecular level two ways. In the first, we purified from the sera of seven vaccinees antipneumococcal antibodies and determined their amino acid sequences. Their VH regions are mainly the products of VH3 family genes (candidate genes, 3-23, 3-07, 3-66, and 3-74), but the product of a VH1 family gene (candidate gene, 1-03) is occasionally used. All seven individuals have small amounts of polyclonal κ+antibodies (Vκ1 to Vκ4 families), although κ+antibodies are occasionally dominated by antibodies formed with the product of the A27 Vκ gene. In contrast, λ+ anti-6B antibodies are dominated by the antibodies derived from one of 3 very similar Vλ2 family genes (candidate genes, 2c, 2e, and 2a2) and Cλ1 gene product. The Vλ2+ antibodies express the 8.12 idiotype, which is expressed on anti-double-stranded-DNA antibodies. In one case, Vλ is derived from a rarely expressed Vλ gene, 10a. In the second approach, we studied a human hybridoma (Dob1) producing anti-6B antibody. Its VH region sequence is closely related to those of the 3-15 VH gene (88% nucleotide homology) and JH4 (92% homology). Its VL region is homologous to the 2a2 Vλ2 gene (91%) and Jλ1/Cλ1. Taken together, the V region of human anti-6B antibodies is commonly formed by a VH3 and a Vλ2 family gene product.
Lifelong Multi-Agent Path Finding for Online Pickup and Delivery Tasks

The multi-agent path-finding (MAPF) problem has recently received a lot of attention. However, it does not capture important characteristics of many real-world domains, such as automated warehouses, where agents are constantly engaged with new tasks. In this paper, we therefore study a lifelong version of the MAPF problem, called the multi-agent pickup and delivery (MAPD) problem. In the MAPD problem, agents have to attend to a stream of delivery tasks in an online setting. One agent has to be assigned to each delivery task. This agent has to first move to a given pickup location and then to a given delivery location while avoiding collisions with other agents. We present two decoupled MAPD algorithms, Token Passing (TP) and Token Passing with Task Swaps (TPTS). Theoretically, we show that they solve all well-formed MAPD instances, a realistic subclass of MAPD instances. Experimentally, we compare them against a centralized strawman MAPD algorithm without this guarantee in a simulated warehouse system. TP can easily be extended to a fully distributed MAPD algorithm and is the best choice when real-time computation is of primary concern since it remains efficient for MAPD instances with hundreds of agents and tasks. TPTS requires limited communication among agents and balances well between TP and the centralized MAPD algorithm.
Polymorphus Minutus Affects Antitoxic Responses of Gammarus Roeseli Exposed to Cadmium

The acanthocephalan parasite Polymorphus minutus is a manipulator of its intermediate host Gammarus roeseli, which favours its transmission to the final host, a water bird. In contaminated environments, G. roeseli have to cope with two stresses, i.e. P. minutus infection and pollutants. As P. minutus survival relies on its host's survival, we investigated the influence of P. minutus on the antitoxic defence capacities and the energy reserves of G. roeseli females after cadmium exposure. In parallel, malondialdehyde, a toxic effect biomarker, was measured in G. roeseli females and in P. minutus. The results revealed that infected females displayed higher cell damage than uninfected ones, despite an apparent increase in reduced glutathione and metallothionein production. In fact, the increase of these antitoxic systems could be counterbalanced by carotenoid intake by the parasite, so that the overall defence system seemed less efficient in infected females than in uninfected ones. In addition, we demonstrated that cadmium induced cell damage in P. minutus, probably linked with cadmium accumulation in the parasite. Altogether, we observed a paradoxical pattern of responses suggesting that P. minutus increases cadmium toxicity in G. roeseli females although (i) it tends to increase several host antitoxic defence capacities and (ii) it bears part of the pollutant, as reflected by cell damage in the parasite.
Achievement goals in adult learners: evidence from distance education.

BACKGROUND There is evidence that learners may adopt different kinds of achievement goals: mastery approach, mastery avoidance, performance approach, and performance avoidance. In higher education, this evidence has mainly come from young people who have recently gone straight from secondary education to higher education. However, higher education is increasingly populated by older students, and it has been theorised that the relationship between goals and achievement might be very different for adult learners. AIMS The aim of the present study was to examine whether the relationships between achievement, drop-out rate, and goal orientation observed for non-adult populations are mirrored in adult learners. METHOD The Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ) was administered to adult learners taking courses by distance learning. SAMPLE Respondents were 195 men and 586 women between the ages of 19 and 87. RESULTS The results confirmed the reliability of the 2 × 2 version of the AGQ for this distinctive population. As in previous studies of younger students, mastery-approach goals were unrelated to attainment, performance-approach goals tended to facilitate attainment, and performance-avoidance goals tended to impair attainment. In addition, mastery-avoidance goals tended to impair students' attainment and also increased the likelihood that they would drop out of their course altogether. CONCLUSION The achievement-goal framework is as appropriate for understanding influences on attainment in adult learners as it is in younger students. Adult learners may be more sensitive to the deleterious effects of adopting mastery-avoidance achievement goals.
Correlation of p16 and pRb expression with HPV detection in Bowen’s disease

Background: Bowen’s disease is a form of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma which may be caused by ultraviolet radiation, human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, or other causes. Although p16 over‐expression is a surrogate marker of HPV E7‐mediated catabolism of pRb in premalignant and malignant lesions of the cervical mucosa, the correlation of p16 and pRb expression with HPV detection in Bowen’s disease has not been well characterized.
Preinduction sonographic measurement of cervical length in the prediction of successful induction of labor

Induction of labor is carried out in approximately 20% of pregnancies. However, approximately 20% of women having induction of labor end up having a Cesarean delivery. The traditional method of predicting whether an induced labor will result in successful vaginal delivery is based on the preinduction ‘favorability’ of the cervix as assessed by the Bishop score. However, this assessment is subjective and several studies have shown a poor predictive value for the outcome of induction.
The Protective Role of Aegle Marmelos on Aspirin–Induced Gastro-Duodenal Ulceration in Albino Rat Model: A Possible Involvement of Antioxidants

Background/Aim: Gastro duodenal ulcer is a common disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Several Indian medicinal plants have been traditionally and extensively used to prevent different diseases. In the present research studies, Bael fruit (Aegle marmelos (AM), family: Rutaceae) which are also called as Bilva in ancient Sanskrit was used as a herbal drug and its antioxidative role in aspirin- induced gastroduodenal ulceration in albino rat was evaluated using essential biochemical parameters. Patients and Methods: Mucosal thickness (MT), ulcer index (UI), different biochemical parameters, such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were measured in all the groups, to study the possible involvement of antioxidants with gastroduodenal protection. Results: A significant decrease in MT, SOD and CAT activities and GSH level and a significant increase in UI, AST, ALT, and ALP activities and LPO level were observed in aspirin treated stomach and duodenum of albino rats. Conclusions: Pretreatment with AM fruit pulp extract for 14 consecutive days showed the reverse effects of aspirin suggesting gastro-duodenal protective and anti- ulcerogenic properties of AM through its antioxidant mechanism.
Realtime Aesthetic Image Retargeting

Humans have always sought to achieve aesthetics in art. In this paper, we present a novel approach for retargeting images to different aspect ratios while improving the composition aesthetics of the results. A simpler computational aesthetic energy is proposed and used to drive the salient objects and prominent lines to move towards their corresponding optimal positions. A mesh-based warping scheme is presented to transform the images while protecting the visual appearance of salient objects. The objective function is quadratic and thus it can be quickly minimized by solving a sparse linear system. The retargeting results are generated in realtime while the user changes the aspect ratios of the target images. A variety of experiments have shown the applicability and effectiveness of our algorithm.
Mathematical Ecology Analysis of Geographical Distribution of Soybean-Nodulating Bradyrhizobia in Japan

We characterized the relationship between the genetic diversity of indigenous soybean-nodulating bradyrhizobia from weakly acidic soils in Japan and their geographical distribution in an ecological study of indigenous soybean rhizobia. We isolated bradyrhizobia from three kinds of Rj-genotype soybeans. Their genetic diversity and community structure were analyzed by PCR-RFLP analysis of the 16S–23S rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region with 11 Bradyrhizobium USDA strains as references. We used data from the present study and previous studies to carry out mathematical ecological analyses, multidimensional scaling analysis with the Bray-Curtis index, polar ordination analysis, and multiple regression analyses to characterize the relationship between soybean-nodulating bradyrhizobial community structures and their geographical distribution. The mathematical ecological approaches used in this study demonstrated the presence of ecological niches and suggested the geographical distribution of soybean-nodulating bradyrhizobia to be a function of latitude and the related climate, with clusters in the order Bj123, Bj110, Bj6, and Be76 from north to south in Japan.
Comment on "Human-Specific Gain of Function in a Developmental Enhancer"

Prabhakar et al. (Reports, 5 September 2008, p. 1346) argued that the conserved noncoding sequence HACNS1 has undergone positive selection and contributed to human adaptation. However, the pattern of substitution in HACNS1 is more consistent with the neutral process of biased gene conversion (BGC). The reported human-specific gain of function is likely due to the accumulation of deleterious mutations driven by BGC, not positive selection.
Ranking document clusters using markov random fields

An important challenge in cluster-based document retrieval is ranking document clusters by their relevance to the query. We present a novel cluster ranking approach that utilizes Markov Random Fields (MRFs). MRFs enable the integration of various types of cluster-relevance evidence; e.g., the query-similarity values of the cluster's documents and query-independent measures of the cluster. We use our method to re-rank an initially retrieved document list by ranking clusters that are created from the documents most highly ranked in the list. The resultant retrieval effectiveness is substantially better than that of the initial list for several lists that are produced by effective retrieval methods. Furthermore, our cluster ranking approach significantly outperforms state-of- the-art cluster ranking methods. We also show that our method can be used to improve the performance of (state-of- the-art) results-diversification methods.
Effect of Different Loads on Stroke and Coordination Parameters During Freestyle Semi-Tethered Swimming

Effect of Different Loads on Stroke and Coordination Parameters During Freestyle Semi-Tethered Swimming The aim of this study was to analyse to what extent the use of different loads modifies freestyle stroke and coordination parameters during semi-tethered swimming, and to examine whether those changes are positive or negative to swimming performance. First, behaviour of swimming speed (v), stroke rate (SR) and stroke length (SL) with increasing loads was examined. Secondly, mean and peak speed of propulsive phases (propvmean and propvpeak) were analysed, as well as the relative difference between them (%v). Finally, index of coordination (IdC) was assessed. Eighteen male swimmers (22.10±4.31years, 1.79±0.07m, 76.74±9.00kg) performed 12.5m maximal sprints, pulling a different load each trial (0, 1.59, 2.21, 2.84, 3.46, 4.09, 4.71, 5.34, 5.96, 6.59, 7.21 and 7.84kg). Rest between repetitions was five minutes. Their feet were tied together, keeping a pull-buoy between legs and isolating the upper limb action. A speedometer was used to measure intra-cycle speed and the test was recorded by a frontal and a lateral underwater cameras. Variables v and SL decreased significantly when load increased, while SR remained constant (p<0.05). Propvmean and propvpeak decreased significantly with increasing loads (p<0.05). In contrast, %v grew when load rose (r = 0.922, p<0.01), being significantly different from free swimming above 4.71kg. For higher loads, swimmers did not manage to keep a constant velocity during a complete trial. IdC was found to increase with loads, significantly from 2.84kg (p<0.05). It was concluded that semi-tethered swimming is one training method useful to enhance swimmers' performance, but load needs to be individually determined and carefully controlled.
Rapid Detection of Leishmania infantum Infection in Dogs: Comparative Study Using an Immunochromatographic Dipstick Test, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, and PCR

ABSTRACT Current zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) control programs in Brazil include the culling of Leishmania infantum-infected reservoir dogs, a strategy that has failed to prevent a rise of canine and human ZVL cases over the past decade. One of the main reasons this strategy has failed is because of a long delay between sample collection, sample analysis, and control implementation. A rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnostic tool would be highly desirable, because it would allow control interventions to be implemented in situ. We compared an immunochromatographic dipstick test to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and PCR for detecting L. infantum infections in dogs from an area of ZVL endemicity in Brazil. The dipstick test was shown to have 61 to 75% specificity and 72 to 77% sensitivity, compared to 100% specificity for both ELISA and PCR and 71 to 88% and 51 to 64% sensitivity for ELISA and PCR, respectively. Of the field samples tested, 92 of 175 (53%), 65 of 175 (37%), and 47 of 175 (27%) were positive by dipstick, ELISA, and PCR, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values for the tested dipstick were 58 to 77% and 75%, respectively. Efforts should be made to develop a more specific dipstick test for diagnosis of leishmaniasis, because they may ultimately prove more cost-effective than currently used diagnostic tests when used in mass-screening surveys.