Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Physical Activity, and Arterial Stiffness: The Northern Ireland Young Hearts Project

Poor cardiorespiratory fitness and low physical activity have been identified as determinants of greater arterial stiffness, a mechanism that can partially explain the association of both variables with increased cardiovascular disease. However, the nature of these associations are not clear because cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity can both mediate and confound the associations of one another with arterial stiffness. This issue was therefore examined in a population-based cohort of young adults. Subjects included 405 young men and women participating in an ongoing longitudinal study, the Northern Ireland Young Hearts Project. Pulse wave velocity was used to determine arterial stiffness in 2 arterial segments (aortoiliac and aortodorsalis pedis) using a noninvasive optical method. Cardiovascular fitness was estimated with a submaximal cycle test of physical work capacity and physical activity was estimated using a modified Baecke questionnaire. Associations were investigated with the use of multiple linear regression models with adjustment for potential confounders and/or intermediate variables. Cardiorespiratory fitness and sports-related physical activity (but not leisure- and work-related physical activity) were inversely associated with arterial stiffness in young adults. The associations between sports-related physical activity and arterial stiffness were strongly mediated by cardiorespiratory fitness, whereas physical activity levels did not disturb the associations between cardiopulmonary fitness and arterial stiffness. These findings suggest that arterial stiffness-related benefits of exercise are most likely to accrue if exercise prescription in young adults targets improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness.
Vascular permeability in a human tumour xenograft: molecular charge dependence

Molecular charge is one of the main determinants of transvascular transport. There are, however, no data available on the effect of molecular charge on microvascular permeability of macromolecules in solid tumours. To this end, we measured tumour microvascular permeability to different proteins having similar size but different charge. Measurements were performed in the human colon adenocarcinoma LS174T transplanted in transparent dorsal skinfold chambers in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and IgG were fluorescently labelled and were either cationized by conjugation with hexamethylenediamine or anionized by succinylation. The molecules were injected i.v. and the fluorescence in tumour tissue was quantified by intravital fluorescence microscopy. The fluorescence intensity and pharmacokinetic data were used to calculate the microvascular permeability. We found that tumour vascular permeability of cationized BSA (pI-range: 8.6–9.1) and IgG (pI: 8.6–9.3) was more than two-fold higher (4.25 and 4.65 × 10–7cm s–1) than that of the anionized BSA (pI ≈ 2.0) and IgG (pI: 3.0–3.9; 1.11 and 1.93 × 10–7cm s–1, respectively). Our results indicate that positively charged molecules extravasate faster in solid tumours compared to the similar-sized compounds with neutral or negative charges. However, the plasma clearance of cationic molecules was ~2 × faster than that of anionic ones, indicating that the modification of proteins enhances drug delivery to normal organs as well. Therefore, caution should be exercised when such a strategy is used to improve drug and gene delivery to solid tumours. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign
Conformational Transitions upon Ligand Binding: Holo-Structure Prediction from Apo Conformations

Biological function of proteins is frequently associated with the formation of complexes with small-molecule ligands. Experimental structure determination of such complexes at atomic resolution, however, can be time-consuming and costly. Computational methods for structure prediction of protein/ligand complexes, particularly docking, are as yet restricted by their limited consideration of receptor flexibility, rendering them not applicable for predicting protein/ligand complexes if large conformational changes of the receptor upon ligand binding are involved. Accurate receptor models in the ligand-bound state (holo structures), however, are a prerequisite for successful structure-based drug design. Hence, if only an unbound (apo) structure is available distinct from the ligand-bound conformation, structure-based drug design is severely limited. We present a method to predict the structure of protein/ligand complexes based solely on the apo structure, the ligand and the radius of gyration of the holo structure. The method is applied to ten cases in which proteins undergo structural rearrangements of up to 7.1 Å backbone RMSD upon ligand binding. In all cases, receptor models within 1.6 Å backbone RMSD to the target were predicted and close-to-native ligand binding poses were obtained for 8 of 10 cases in the top-ranked complex models. A protocol is presented that is expected to enable structure modeling of protein/ligand complexes and structure-based drug design for cases where crystal structures of ligand-bound conformations are not available.
The Perceptual Window: Head Motion as a New Input Stream

We introduce a novel interaction technique using head motions to control the location of a window viewpoint within its document space. Head motion is acquired by a non-intrusive head-tracker using computer vision. The tracking technique used in the system, namely correlation matching, is described in order to exhibit its strengths and weaknesses in the context of tightly coupled interaction. The output of the tracker is used in both a rate control interaction and a position control interaction. The benefit is demonstrated by two user studies built around two common GUI tasks: navigating in a two-dimensional document space, and moving an object from one place to another in a document. Our system, The Perceptual Window, allows significant improvements in task completion time after a short learning period.
Codes for writing on dirty paper

We have investigated coding methods that aim at achieving the Costa capacity. First we have considered the uncoded case to determine what can be gained from coding. After that we have designed codes with a trellis structure that are combined with a two-level quantizer at the transmitter side. Simulations are carried out to determine the coding gains of these methods. We have focussed on vector quantization instead of on scalar quantization to achieve a good performance. 1 System description
Developing elementary school children’s water conversation action competence: a case study in China

ABSTRACT There is a ‘green gap’ between environmental education policy and practice in China due to the lack of localised environmental programmes and the dominance of a lecture-based approach. In order to close this green gap, this study attempted to help elementary school children develop action competence (AC) by involving them in a water conservation educational programme (WCEP), which was designed to meet the challenges arising from water scarcity and pollution in mainland China. A total of 69 children (aged 6–8) in a Shanghai primary school participated in the WCEP for 7 consecutive weeks. The data obtained using the ‘drawing and telling’ approach and pre-survey revealed that the participants appeared to have superficial understanding of water, low awareness of saving water, and limited knowledge of water conservation methods before they joined the programme. The comparison between pre-suryey and post-survey data indicated that the children’s water conservation AC in the four aspects of knowledge, willingness, self-efficacy, and behaviour was significantly improved in a holistic way after completing the programme. Girls outperformed boys in changing their pro-environmental behaviours. The implications of improving young children’s AC in environmental education in China and other developing countries are also discussed.
Towards the Development of an Adoption Model for E-Government Services in Developing Countries

E-government services have become powerful tools in government organizations by offering different information instantly and effectively. Specifically, information and communication technologies have become very useful tools in developing the ability of staff to accomplish jobs effectively and efficiently. Unlike developed countries which face only few issues in the adoption of e-government services, developing countries encounter several adoption problems from the stakeholders’ point of view. Government-to-employee (G2E) is one aspect of e-government that covers activities and services that transpire between government units and their workers. This paper identifies the factors that improve the adoption of e-government services by employees in developing countries. The selected success factors (website quality, awareness, computer-self-efficiency, IT workforce capability and training) extended with Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) – an extensively used model. The final conceptual model is proposed and presented in this paper.
Decremental Response to High-Frequency Trains of Acetylcholine Pulses but Unaltered Fractional Ca2+ Currents in a Panel of “Slow-Channel Syndrome” Nicotinic Receptor Mutants

The slow-channel congenital myasthenic syndrome (SCCMS) is a disorder of the neuromuscular junction caused by gain-of-function mutations to the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptor (AChR). Although it is clear that the slower deactivation time course of the ACh-elicited currents plays a central role in the etiology of this disease, it has been suggested that other abnormal properties of these mutant receptors may also be critical in this respect. We characterized the kinetics of a panel of five SCCMS AChRs (αS269I, βV266M, εL221F, εT264P, and εL269F) at the ensemble level in rapidly perfused outside-out patches. We found that, for all of these mutants, the peak-current amplitude decreases along trains of nearly saturating ACh pulses delivered at physiologically relevant frequencies in a manner that is consistent with enhanced entry into desensitization during the prolonged deactivation phase. This suggests that the increasingly reduced availability of activatable AChRs upon repetitive stimulation may well contribute to the fatigability and weakness of skeletal muscle that characterize this disease. Also, these results emphasize the importance of explicitly accounting for entry into desensitization as one of the pathways for burst termination, if meaningful mechanistic insight is to be inferred from the study of the effect of these naturally occurring mutations on channel function. Applying a novel single-channel–based approach to estimate the contribution of Ca2+ to the total cation currents, we also found that none of these mutants affects the Ca2+-conduction properties of the AChR to an extent that seems to be of physiological importance. Our estimate of the Ca2+-carried component of the total (inward) conductance of wild-type and SCCMS AChRs in the presence of 150 mM Na+, 1.8 mM Ca2+, and 1.7 mM Mg2+ on the extracellular side of cell-attached patches turned out be in the 5.0–9.4 pS range, representing a fractional Ca2+ current of ∼14%, on average. Remarkably, these values are nearly identical to those we estimated for the NR1-NR2A N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), which has generally been considered to be the main neurotransmitter-gated pathway of Ca2+ entry into the cell. Our estimate of the rat NMDAR Ca2+ conductance (using the same single-channel approach as for the AChR but in the nominal absence of extracellular Mg2+) was 7.9 pS, corresponding to a fractional Ca2+ current of 13%.
Blueberries’ Impact on Insulin Resistance and Glucose Intolerance

Blueberries are a rich source of polyphenols, which include anthocyanin bioactive compounds. Epidemiological evidence indicates that incorporating blueberries into the diet may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2DM). These findings are supported by pre-clinical and clinical studies that have shown improvements in insulin resistance (i.e., increased insulin sensitivity) after obese and insulin-resistant rodents or humans consumed blueberries. Insulin resistance was assessed by homeostatic model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), insulin tolerance tests, and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps. Additionally, the improvements in glucose tolerance after blueberry consumption were assessed by glucose tolerance tests. However, firm conclusions regarding the anti-diabetic effect of blueberries cannot be drawn due to the small number of existing clinical studies. Although the current evidence is promising, more long-term, randomized, and placebo-controlled trials are needed to establish the role of blueberries in preventing or delaying T2DM.
ASNC IMAGING GUIDELINES FOR NUCLEAR CARDIOLOGY PROCEDURES Single photon-emission computed tomography

The current document is an update of an earlier version of single photon emission tomography (SPECT) guidelines that was developed by the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. Although that document was only published a few years ago, there have been significant advances in camera technology, imaging protocols, and reconstruction algorithms that prompted the need for a revised document. This publication is designed to provide imaging guidelines for physicians and technologists who are qualified to practice nuclear cardiology. While the information supplied in this document has been carefully reviewed by experts in the field, the document should not be considered medical advice or a professional service. We are cognizant that SPECT technology is evolving rapidly and that these recommendations may need further revision in the near future. Hence, the imaging guidelines described in this publication should not be used in clinical studies until they have been reviewed and approved by qualified physicians and technologists from their own particular institutions. 2. INSTRUMENTATION QUALITY ASSURANCE AND PERFORMANCE
Acute and Sub-acute Toxicity Evaluation of Methanolic Leaf Extract of Corchorus olitorius in Experimental Animal Models

In this study, the oral toxicity potential of Corchorus olitorius leaf extract was evaluated in rats. Acute and sub-acute toxicity studies were carried out on different sets of rats treated with graded doses of the extract. In the acute toxicity study, forty five albino mice assigned to nine groups of five mice each were administered different doses of the extract ranging from 500 mg/kg body weight to 8000 mg/kg body weight and were observed for toxicity signs and mortalities. For the sub-acute toxicity study, four groups of rats were assigned treatments. While group 1 rats served as the control, groups 2, 3 and 4 were the test groups and were administered 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg body weight of the extract respectively for 28 days. The results of acute toxicity evaluation indicated an LD 50 value of 7100 mg/kg. In the sub-acute toxicity study, no significant difference was observed between relative organ weights for test groups at lower dose treatments (P>0.05). Basal Metabolic Index values were significantly lower in all test groups (P<0.05). RBC count, PCV values and haemoglobin concentrations were significantly increased following treatment except in the 1000 mg/kg treated group where a decline was observed with a concurrent increase in white blood cell count. Platelet count was also significantly lowered in the 1000 mg/kg body weight treatment group (P<0.05). Serum urea, creatinine, AST, ALT, ALP, total protein and serum electrolyte concentrations were all significantly elevated in the 1000 mg/kg extract treated group (P<0.05). Liver sections showed some degree of liver damage when compared with control, while kidney sections were intact in all test groups. Hence, low to moderate consumption of Corchorus olitorius leaves extract may cause no toxic effects to the blood, liver or kidney. However, high dose administrations over a long period of time may pose threats of toxicity to the blood and liver.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) Findings Following Pediatric Non-Penetrating TBI: A Meta-Analysis

This study meta-analyzed research examining Diffusion Tensor Imaging following pediatric non-penetrating traumatic brain injury to identify the location and extent of white matter changes. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) data from 20 studies were analyzed. FA increased and ADC decreased in most white matter tracts in the short-term (moderate-to-large effects), and FA decreased and ADC increased in the medium- to long-term (moderate-to-very-large effects). Whole brain (short-term), cerebellum and corpus callosum (medium- to long-term) FA values have diagnostic potential, but the impact of age/developmental stage and injury severity on FA/ADC, and the predictive value, is unclear.
Sexual selection and the sex ratio: An ESS analysis

Should attractive fathers have more sons? According to widespread verbal arguments, the answer is in the affirmative, but formal models are lacking. We investigate the question by means of an ESS analysis of sexual selection and sex ratio selection. The purpose of this paper is twofold: firstly, we show how an ESS approach can be used to model the coevolution of female mate choice and male secondary sexual traits. In the ESS approach, the genetic covariances of traditional genetic models of sexual selection are replaced by covariances between strategies. In comparison with population genetic and quantitative genetic models of sexual selection, the ESS approach is simpler and yields more insight in the underlying selective forces. Secondly, we show that whether attractive fathers should have more sons depends on the mechanism of sexual selection: sexual selection driven by the Fisherian runaway process alone, without costs of choosiness, does not select for sex ratio specialization according to paternal attractiveness, but the good-genes process causes selection to favor such specialization.
An Empirical Investigation of Net-Enabled Business Value

Many traditional organizations have undertaken major initiatives to leverage the Internet to transform how they coordinate value activities with customers, suppliers, and other business partners with the objective of improving firm performance. This paper addresses processes through which business value is created through such Internet-enabled value chain activities. Relying on the resource-based view of the firm, we propose a model positing that a firm's abilities to coordinate and exploit firm resources (processes, information technology, and readiness of customers and suppliers) create online informational capabilities (a higher order resource) which then leads to improved operational and financial performance. The outcome of a firm's online informational capabilities is reflected in superior operational performance through customer and supplier-side digitization efforts, which reflect the extent to which transactions and external interactions occur electronically. We also hypothesize that increased customer and supplier-side digitization leads to better financial performance. The model is tested with data from over 1,000 firms in the manufacturing, retail, and wholesale sectors. The analysis suggests that while most firms are lagging in their supplier-side initiatives relative to the customer-side, supplier-side digitization has a strong positive impact on customer-side digitization, which, in turn, leads to better financial performance. Further, both customer and supplier readiness to engage in digital interactions are shown to be as important as a firm's internal digitization initiatives, implying that a firm's transformation-related decisions should include its customers' and suppliers' resources and incentives.
Early Evolution of the Galactic Halo Revealed from Hipparcos Observations of Metal-poor Stars

The kinematics of 122 red giant and 124 RR Lyrae stars in the solar neighborhood are studied using accurate measurements of their proper motions obtained by the Hipparcos astrometry satellite, combined with their published photometric distances, metal abundances, and radial velocities. A majority of these sample stars have metal abundances of [Fe/H] ≤ -1 and thus represent the old stellar populations in the Galaxy. The halo component, with [Fe/H] ≤ -1.6, is characterized by a lack of systemic rotation [(⟨U⟩, ⟨V⟩, ⟨W⟩) = (16 ± 18, -217 ± 21, -10 ± 12) km s-1] and a radially elongated velocity ellipsoid [(σU, σV, σW) = (161 ± 10, 115 ± 7, 108 ± 7) km s-1]. About 16% of such metal-poor stars have low orbital eccentricities (e < 0.4), and we see no evidence of a correlation between [Fe/H] and e. Based on the model for the e-distribution of orbits, we show that this fraction of low-e stars for [Fe/H] ≤ -1.6 is explained by the halo component alone, without introducing the extra disk component claimed by recent workers. This is also supported by the absence of a significant change in the e-distribution with height from the Galactic plane. In the intermediate-metallicity range (-1.6 < [Fe/H] ≤ -1), we find that stars with disklike kinematics have only modest effects on the distributions of rotational velocities and e for the sample at |z| < 1 kpc. This disk component appears to constitute only ∼10% for -1.6 < [Fe/H] ≤ -1 and ∼20% for -1.4 < [Fe/H] ≤ -1. It is also verified that this metal-weak disk has a mean rotation of ∼195 km s-1 and a vertical extent of ∼1 kpc, which is consistent with the thick disk's dominating at [Fe/H] = –0.6 to –1. We find no metallicity gradient in the halo, whereas there is an indication of a metallicity gradient in the metal-weak tail of the thick disk. The implications of these results for the early evolution of the Galaxy are also presented.
STERN–BROCOT PRESSURE AND MULTIFRACTAL SPECTRA IN ERGODIC THEORY OF NUMBERS

In this note we apply the general multifractal analysis for growth rates derived in [10], and show that this leads to some new results in ergodic theory and the theory of multifractals of numbers. Namely, we consider Stern–Brocot growth rates and introduce the Stern–Brocot pressure P. We then obtain the results that P is differentiable everywhere and that its Legendre transformation governs the multifractal spectra arising from level sets of Stern–Brocot rates.
Assumptions of multiple regression: Correcting two misconceptions

Permission is granted to distribute this article for nonprofit, educational purposes if it is copied in its entirety and the journal is credited. PARE has the right to authorize third party reproduction of this article in print, electronic and database forms. Volume 18, Number 11, September 2013 ISSN 1531-7714