Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preparation and Evaluation of Sustained-Release Matrix Tablets Based on Metoprolol and an Acrylic Carrier Using Injection Moulding

Sustained-release matrix tablets based on Eudragit RL and RS were manufactured by injection moulding. The influence of process temperature; matrix composition; drug load, plasticizer level; and salt form of metoprolol: tartrate (MPT), fumarate (MPF) and succinate (MPS) on ease of processing and drug release were evaluated. Formulations composed of 70/30% Eudragit RL/MPT showed the fastest drug release, substituting part of Eudragit RL by RS resulted in slower drug release, all following first-order release kinetics. Drug load only affected drug release of matrices composed of Eudragit RS: a higher MPT concentration yielded faster release rates. Adding triethyl citrate enhanced the processability, but was detrimental to long-term stability. The process temperature and plasticizer level had no effect on drug release, whereas metoprolol salt form significantly influenced release properties. The moulded tablets had a low porosity and a smooth surface morphology. A plasticizing effect of MPT, MPS and MPF on Eudragit RS and Eudragit RL was observed via DSC and DMA. Solubility parameter assessment, thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction demonstrated the formation of a solid solution immediately after production, in which H-bonds were formed between metoprolol and Eudragit as evidenced by near-infrared spectroscopy. However, high drug loadings of MPS and MPF showed a tendency to recrystallise during storage. The in vivo performance of injection-moulded tablets was strongly dependent upon drug loading.
Camphene, a Plant Derived Monoterpene, Exerts Its Hypolipidemic Action by Affecting SREBP-1 and MTP Expression

The control of hyperlipidemia plays a central role in cardiovascular disease. Previously, we have shown that camphene, a constituent of mastic gum oil, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides (TG) in the plasma of hyperlipidemic rats without affecting HMG-CoA reductase activity, suggesting that its hypocholesterolemic and hypotriglyceridemic effects are associated with a mechanism of action different than that of statins. In the present study, we examine the mechanism by which camphene exerts its hypolipidemic action. We evaluated the effect of camphene on the de novo synthesis of cholesterol and TG from [14C]-acetate in HepG2 cells, along with the statin mevinolin. Camphene inhibited the biosynthesis of cholesterol in a concentration-dependent manner, and a maximal inhibition of 39% was observed at 100 μM while mevinolin nearly abolished cholesterol biosynthesis. Moreover, treatment with camphene reduced TG by 34% and increased apolipoprotein AI expression. In contrast, mevinolin increased TG by 26% and had a modest effect on apolipoprotein AI expression. To evaluate the mode of action of camphene, we examined its effects on the expression of SREBP-1, which affects TG biosynthesis and SREBP-2, which mostly affects sterol synthesis. Interestingly, camphene increased the nuclear translocation of the mature form of SREBP-1 while mevinolin was found to increase the amount of the mature form of SREBP-2. The effect of camphene is most likely regulated through SREBP-1 by affecting MTP levels in response to a decrease in the intracellular cholesterol. We propose that camphene upregulates SREBP-1 expression and MTP inhibition is likely to be a probable mechanism whereby camphene exerts its hypolipidemic effect.
When Does More Money Work? Examining the Role of Perceived Fairness in Pay on the Performance Quality of Crowdworkers

This research adds to the rich discussion on whether increases in payment to crowdworkers lead to increases in performance quality by introducing the concept of perceived fairness in pay (PFP). PFP refers to the belief that one is fairly compensated for their work. We examine whether PFP mediates the impact of payment amount on the performance quality of crowdworkers. We conducted a field experiment with 152 crowdworkers performing a button-clicking (BC) task and an instructional manipulation check (IMC) task. PFP mediated the impact of payment amount on performance quality in the BC task but not in the IMC task. PFP also mediated the impact of payment amount on satisfaction and task time. Results suggest that PFP can help us better understand the relationship between payment and performance quality in crowdsourcing.
Exceptionally small balls in stable trees

The $\gamma$-stable trees are random measured compact metric spaces that appear as the scaling limit of Galton-Watson trees whose offspring distribution lies in a $\gamma$-stable domain, $\gamma \in (1, 2]$. They form a specific class of L\'evy trees (introduced by Le Gall and Le Jan in1998) and the Brownian case $\gamma= 2$ corresponds to Aldous Continuum Random Tree (CRT). In this paper, we study fine properties of the mass measure, that is the natural measure on $\gamma$-stable trees. We first discuss the minimum of the mass measure of balls with radius $r$ and we show that this quantity is of order $r^{\frac{\gamma}{\gamma-1}} (\log1/r)^{-\frac{1}{\gamma-1}}$. We think that no similar result holds true for the maximum of the mass measure of balls with radius $r$, except in the Brownian case: when $\gamma = 2$, we prove that this quantity is of order $r^2 \log 1/r$. In addition, we compute the exact constant for the lower local density of the mass measure (and the upper one for the CRT), which continues previous results.
Capital goods , measured TFP and growth : The case of Spain ∗

This paper reconciles two, apparently, contradictory facts about the Spanish economy: real GDP per working age person has grown at 2.4 percent during the period 1996-2007, on average, whereas Total Factor Productivity has been stagnant during that period. Here we argue that the Spanish economy has grown, in spite of stagnant TFP, because investment in structures has been heavily subsidized. This huge investment in structures is the main reason for the increase in hours worked observed during that period. We use a three sector model economy where we distinguish between equipment and structures to quantify the sources of changes in measured TFP in Spain. We find that measured TFP is low because Investment-Specific Technical Change in Spain is very low. A calibrated version of this model is able to reproduce very well the growth experience of Spain for the period 1970-2007. We use the model economy to quantify the cost of direct and indirect subsidies to structures and the gains of eliminating them in terms of TFP and income growth. Our three sector model economy also allows us to quantify the cost in measured TFP of the housing price boom experienced during the 2000s.
Power consumption bounds for SAR ADCs

Power consumption is an important limitation to analog-to-digital converters. The objective of this paper is to estimate a lower bound to the power consumption of successive approximation analog-to-digital converters. This is an extension of our previous work which was limited to pipelined and flash architectures. We find that the power consumption in our case is bounded by capacitor mismatch or thermal noise at high resolution and by digital switching power at low resolution. We also evaluate our methods and the estimated lower bound is compatible with experimental data.
The Evolution of Citizenship: Economic and Institutional Determinants

We investigate the evolution of the legal institution of citizenship from a political economy perspective. We first present a median‐voter model of the determination of citizenship laws. Next we test the implications of the model on a new set of data on citizenship laws across countries. We show that citizenship laws respond to economic and institutional determinants endogenously. When facing increasing immigration, countries with a jus soli regime tend to restrict their legislation, whereas countries with a jus sanguinis regime resist innovation. The welfare burden does not prove to be an obstacle to jus soli legislation, but demographic stagnation encourages it. A high degree of democracy promotes the adoption of jus soli elements, whereas instability of state borders determined by decolonization impedes it. Religion and ethnic diversity have no residual effect.
The Free Boundary SABR: Natural Extension to Negative Rates

In the current low-interest-rate environment, extending option models to negative rates has become an important issue. This paper describes one such extension of the widely used SABR model. We stress that our solution is more natural and attractive than the shifted SABR.An exact formula is derived for the option prices in the case of zero correlation between the rate and its volatility. For nonzero correlation, a mapping procedure onto a mimicking zero-correlation model is applied. Analytical results for the suggested free-boundary SABR model are compared with Monte Carlo simulations.
Ear Acupressure for Smoking Cessation: A Randomised Controlled Trial

This study investigated the efficacy and safety of ear acupressure (EAP) as a stand-alone intervention for smoking cessation and the feasibility of this study design. Adult smokers were randomised to receive EAP specific for smoking cessation (SSEAP) or a nonspecific EAP (NSEAP) intervention which is not typically used for smoking cessation. Participants received 8 weekly treatments and were requested to press the five pellets taped to one ear at least three times daily. Participants were followed up for three months. Primary outcome measures were a 7-day point-prevalence cessation rate confirmed by exhaled carbon monoxide and relief of nicotine withdrawal symptoms (NWS). Intention-to-treat analysis was applied. Forty-three adult smokers were randomly assigned to SSEAP (n = 20) or NSEAP (n = 23) groups. The dropout rate was high with 19 participants completing the treatments and 12 remaining at followup. One participant from the SSEAP group had confirmed cessation at week 8 and end of followup (5%), but there was no difference between groups for confirmed cessation or NWS. Adverse events were few and minor.
Mixture-model cluster analysis using information theoretical criteria

The estimation of mixture models has been proposed for quite some time as an approach for cluster analysis. Several variants of the Expectation-Maximization algorithm are currently available for this purpose. Estimation of mixture models simultaneously allows the determination of the number of clusters and yields distributional parameters for clustering base variables. There are several information criteria that help to support the selection of a particular model or clustering structure. However, a question remains concerning the selection of specific criteria that may be more suitable for particular applications. In the present work we analyze the relationship between the performance of information criteria and the type of measurement of clustering variables. In order to study this relationship we perform the analysis of forty-two data sets with known clustering structure and with clustering variables that are categorical, continuous and mixed type. We then compare eleven information-based criteria in their ability to recover the data sets' clustering structures. As a result, we select AIC3, BIC and ICL-BIC criteria as the best candidates for model selection that refers to models with categorical, continuous and mixed type clustering variables, respectively.
Plasma Membrane Ca2+ ATPase 2 Contributes to Short-Term Synapse Plasticity at the Parallel Fiber to Purkinje Neuron Synapse

Plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase 2 (PMCA2) is a fast, highly effective mechanism to control resting cytosolic Ca2+ and Ca2+ excursions in neurons and other excitable cells. The strong expression of PMCA2 in the cerebellum and the cerebellar behavioral deficits presented by PMCA2−/− knock-out mice all point to its importance for cerebellar circuit dynamics. Here, we provide direct functional evidence for the influence of presynaptic PMCA2-mediated Ca2+ extrusion for short-term plasticity at cerebellar parallel fiber to Purkinje neuron synapses. Dramatic structural alterations to the Purkinje neurons in the absence of PMCA2 also suggest a strong influence of this fast PMCA2 isoform for development and maintenance of cerebellar function.
Gene fusion/fission is a major contributor to evolution of multi-domain bacterial proteins

Most proteins comprise one or several domains. New domain architectures can be created by combining previously existing domains. The elementary events that create new domain architectures may be categorized into three classes, namely domain(s) insertion or deletion (indel), exchange and repetition. Using 'DomainTeam', a tool dedicated to the search for microsyntenies of domains, we quantified the relative contribution of these events. This tool allowed us to collect homologous bacterial genes encoding proteins that have obviously evolved by modular assembly of domains. We show that indels are the most frequent elementary events and that they occur in most cases at either the N- or C-terminus of the proteins. As revealed by the genomic neighbourhood/context of the corresponding genes, we show that a substantial number of these terminal indels are the consequence of gene fusions/fissions. We provide evidence showing that the contribution of gene fusion/fission to the evolution of multi-domain bacterial proteins is lower-bounded by 27% and upper-bounded by 64%. We conclude that gene fusion/fission is a major contributor to the evolution of multi-domain bacterial proteins.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu matches induced similar physiological and technical-tactical responses in gi and nogi conditions

Background and Study Aim: In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) competitions are based in two models accordingly to permitted clothing. The aim of this study was knowledge about physical and physiological responses, as well as the time-motion structure and technical-tactical actions induced by gi (traditional uniform) and nogi (where “gi” it is not permitted) simulated combats. Material and Methods: Twelve male athletes (age: 23 ±5 years, body mass: 81 ±8 kg, time of practice: 8 ±2 years) in two different conditions of simulated combats (gi and nogi). Blood lactate, heart rate, lower limbs power, strength and endurance handgrip were collected to asses physical and physiological demands. Additionally, technical-tactical and time-motion was analysed. Results: Considering the physiological responses showed significant differences between moments (p<0.001), but not between conditions (p = 0.14 for heart rate, and p = 0.57 for blood lactate). For technical-tactical variables, differences between groups were restricted to successful takedowns (p = 0.04), were nogi condition showed higher frequency. Considering time-motion, only pauses were different between conditions, in which gi condition showed higher total time of pause (p = 0.02) and in the percentage of total time (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Despite modest physiological (HRmean), technical-tactical (takedowns) and time-motion (pause time) differences, BJJ matches induced similar responses when gi and nogi conditions are compared.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Principals in K-12 LAUSD: Then and Now.

This study examined the change in conditions over time for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) principals as they pursued a career as principals in the K-12 system in Los Angeles Unified School District. I compared the perceptions, motivations, and aspirations of AAPIs who became principals from 1970-1989 and from 2000-2011 to explore the change over time in the reasons as well as factors that supported or hindered them as they negotiated their career from teachers to principals. It was hoped that the findings from this research would assist policy makers and administrative leaders in better supporting the next generation of AAPI principals in order to maintain equal representation of AAPI students to AAPI principals. The sample was comprised of five principals from 1970-1989 and 15 principals from 2000-2011. Using a qualitative research design, I collected data using a short demographic survey, writing prompts, and face-to-face interviews. My findings showed that some reasons and factors stayed the same regardless of time, some manifested themselves stronger in one group over the other, and some existed in one group while being absent in the other. Themes that emerged for reasons they pursued a career as principals included high respect and satisfaction of pay in the teaching profession, preference for humanities related majors in college, and personal confidence. Factors that were considered for either supporting or hindering their process of becoming a principal included cultural values, homophily, environment of their time, availability of resources, and pressures of family care. The findings of this study led to recommendations for supporting AAPIs in the future to maintain their representation in the district.
Using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to study the underlying neural mechanisms of human motor learning and memory

In the last two decades, there has been a rapid development in the research of the physiological brain mechanisms underlying human motor learning and memory. While conventional memory research performed on animal models uses intracellular recordings, microfusion of protein inhibitors to specific brain areas and direct induction of focal brain lesions, human research has so far utilized predominantly behavioural approaches and indirect measurements of neural activity. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a safe non‐invasive brain stimulation technique, enables the study of the functional role of specific cortical areas by evaluating the behavioural consequences of selective modulation of activity (excitation or inhibition) on memory generation and consolidation, contributing to the understanding of the neural substrates of motor learning. Depending on the parameters of stimulation, rTMS can also facilitate learning processes, presumably through purposeful modulation of excitability in specific brain regions. rTMS has also been used to gain valuable knowledge regarding the timeline of motor memory formation, from initial encoding to stabilization and long‐term retention. In this review, we summarize insights gained using rTMS on the physiological and neural mechanisms of human motor learning and memory. We conclude by suggesting possible future research directions, some with direct clinical implications.
Team Identification Model: Antecedents and Outcomes of Football Sport Sponsorship in Egypt

Football domain is the most popular sport form worldwide and it gains the majority of the sponsorship effort in Egypt. This study focuses on two antecedents team’s perceived prestige and domain involvement, and it measures sponsor’s recognition, and purchase intention as the outcomes of fan’s level of team identification. A quantitative study is conducted using self-administrated questionnaires. The results show that domain involvement has a positive relationship with fans’ level of team identification and that highly identified fans tend to recognize the sponsor of their favorite football team and to have higher purchase intention of the sponsor’s product or service. Finally, conclusion and implications are presented to improve the understanding and implementation of sports football sponsorship in Egypt.
Race as a moderator of parent and family outcomes following pediatric traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE To use data from a prospective, longitudinal study to determine whether race moderates parent and family outcomes during the first year following pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBI). METHOD Participants included 73 white and 18 black children with moderate to severe TBI and their families, and 32 white and 23 black children with orthopedic injuries only (OI) and their families. Assessments of parent and family functioning occurred shortly after injury (baseline) and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS Race was a significant moderator of group differences in parental psychological distress and perceived family burden, by and large independent of socioeconomic status. The negative consequences of TBI were relatively less pronounced for parents of black children than for parents of white children at baseline, but became more pronounced at the two follow-ups. Black and white parents differed in preferred coping strategies, which may partially account for their different reactions to their children's injuries. CONCLUSIONS The sociocultural factors associated with race may moderate the effects of pediatric TBI and OI on parents and families.
Optimized CNF Encoding for Sudoku Puzzles ?

A Sudoku puzzle can be regarded as a propositional SAT problem. Various encodings are known for encoding Sudoku as a Conjunctive Normal Form(CNF) formula. Using these encodings for large Sudoku puzzles, however, generates too many clauses, which impede the performance of state-of-the-art SAT solvers. This paper presents an optimized CNF encoding in order to deal with large instances of Sudoku puzzles. We use fixed cells in Sudoku to remove obvious redundancies during the encoding phase. This results in reducing the number of clauses in the CNF encoding and a significant speedup in the SAT solving time.
Translation and Adaption of Questionnaires: A Nursing Challenge

Background Translation of previously developed questionnaires has often been the choice when addressing research to groups whose language is not English. In the translation of health-related questionnaires, it is highly important to assure congruency between the words and their true meaning in the language to which the questionnaire is translated. Aim To describe the semantic problems encountered in translating a standardized questionnaire from English (the Identity and Experiences Scale) to Norwegian according to the World Health Organizations translation protocol. Design A mixed-method study was used with the formation of four focus groups and a postal survey. Data sources Eighteen respondents from a nursing college in Oslo, an aged community in northeast Norway, and a community organization of retired persons in southeast Norway were focus group participants. In sum, 141 persons participated in the postal survey. Findings A number of semantical challenges in relation to interpretation and understanding of the meaning and use of words in the Identity and Experiences Scale were found. Discussion Words bearing emotional weight and connected to complex operational concepts were found to be problematic. Various American-English colloquial expressions also caused semantical challenges. Other problems were related to sentence structure and grammar form. Conclusion Translation, adaptation, and validation of questionnaires or scales for practice and research are very time-consuming and require careful planning and the adoption of rigorous methodological approaches to derive a reliable and valid measure of the concept of interest in the target population. Implications for nursing Translation quality is a methodological issue that nurses need to take seriously. It is highly recommended that nurses follow and document steps in a procedure of forward translation, qualitative reviews of translated items with regard to clarity, common language and conceptual adequacy, back translation, testing on lay panels, and committee review, or a probable variation of this procedure.