Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aging, visuomotor correction, and force fluctuations in large muscles.

PURPOSE To determine the contribution of visuomotor correction to increased force fluctuations in the elbow flexor and knee extensor muscles of elderly adults. METHODS Young (N = 22, 23 +/- 3 yr) and elderly (N = 23, 74 +/- 7 yr) adults performed constant-force contractions at target forces of 2.5, 30, and 65% MVC. Visual feedback was provided (6-8 s) and then removed (6-8 s). After removal of drift (< 0.5 Hz) from the force, the standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) of force were calculated from vision and no-vision data. RESULTS Maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force was 19% lower for elbow flexors and 37% lower for knee extensors in elderly adults than in young adults. Overall, the CV of force was 27% greater in the vision condition compared with the no-vision condition. The CV of force for vision was greater for elderly adults than for young adults at the 2.5% MVC target force and lower at 30 and 65% MVC. For the 2.5% MVC target force, the decline in CV of force from vision to no vision was greater for elderly adults than for young adults. At 30 and 65% MVC, the decline was significant but similar for young and elderly adults. For elbow flexors, the change in power from vision to no vision was greater for 0- to 4-Hz (reduced power) and 8- to 12-Hz (increased power) frequencies for elderly adults compared with young adults. CONCLUSION Visuomotor correction contributed to force fluctuations in large proximal muscles. The contribution was greater for healthy elderly adults at low forces. Visuomotor processes thus contributed to the age-related increase in force fluctuations.
Thrombin- and Factor Xa–Induced DNA Synthesis Is Mediated by Transactivation of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor-1 in Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Abstract— Thrombin and factor Xa (FXa) are agonists for G protein–coupled receptors (GPRCs) and may contribute to vascular lesion formation by stimulating proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Mitogenic signaling of GPCRs requires transactivation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). In rat SMCs, thrombin transactivates the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) via a pathway that involves heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) as ligand for EGFR. The purpose of this study was to investigate in human SMCs the role of receptor transactivation in the mitogenic response to thrombin and FXa. Thrombin (10 nmol/L) and FXa (100 nmol/L) cause a 3.3- and 2.6-fold increase in DNA synthesis, respectively. In human SMCs, neither thrombin nor FXa causes EGFR phosphorylation, and blockade of EGFR kinase does not inhibit DNA synthesis. However, DNA synthesis and phosphorylation of fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 (FGFR-1) induced by thrombin or FXa are inhibited by antibodies neutralizing basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or by heparin. Hirudin inhibits thrombin-, but not FXa-induced mitogenesis, indicating that FXa acts independently of thrombin. We further demonstrate by ELISA that upon thrombin and FXa stimulation, bFGF is released and binds to the extracellular matrix. Our data suggest that in human vascular SMCs, both thrombin and FXa rapidly release bFGF into the pericellular matrix. This is followed by transactivation of the FGFR-1 and increased proliferation. Heparin may inhibit the mitogenic effects of thrombin and FXa in human SMCs by preventing bFGF binding to FGFR-1.
Decomposed and Hybridized Deep Learning Models for an Application to Stock Price Prediction

Deep learning algorithms like long short term memory and convolutional neural network models are widely used for prediction tasks including stock market data. Decomposition algorithms like empirical mode decomposition and complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition algorithms are used to decompose time series data into different frequency spectra. These methods are used to analyze financial time series data effectively. But due to lack of data pr-eprocessing and mode mixing issues, models based on these methods may not perform well. In this study, three hybridized models: CEEMD-Normalized-CNN-LSTM, VMD-CNN-LSTM and VMD-LSTM are proposed to address the above issues. The proposed hybridized models are validated using four standard stock price datasets. Comparative performance analysis between different hybridized models reveals that the proposed models perform well compared to some of the well-known existing stock price prediction models. The experimental analysis conclude that the proposed VMD-CNN-LSTM outperforms the other existing well known models.
AMP‐activated protein kinase α2 is an essential signal in the regulation of insulin‐stimulated fatty acid uptake in control‐fed and high‐fat‐fed mice

Owing to its critical role in the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism, AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) remains a central focus of research for the treatment of insulin resistance. The purpose of the present study was to determine the role of AMPKα2 activity in the regulation of glucose uptake and fatty acid (FA) metabolism in insulin‐resistant skeletal muscle. Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into groups fed a control diet (CD) or high‐fat (60%) diet (HFD) for 6 weeks and were either wild‐type (WT) or possessed an AMPKα2 dominant negative transgene (DN). After 6 weeks, hindlimbs of CD (n= 10) and HFD mice (n= 10) were perfused with or without 450 μU ml−1 insulin. Muscles of CD (n= 8) and HFD mice (n= 8) were used for measurement of basal protein expression. In CD mice, low AMPKα2 activity did not affect basal FA uptake (FAU), but it increased basal FA oxidation (FAO) by 28% and prevented the typical insulin‐mediated increase in FAU and decrease in FAO. In HFD‐fed mice, low AMPKα2 activity increased basal FAU by 147% (P < 0.05). In both WT and DN mice, HFD abolished the typical insulin‐mediated increase in FAU and decrease in FAO. In HFD‐fed mice, low AMPKα2 activity increased SIRT1 activity and decreased Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) expression and AktThr308 phosphorylation (P < 0.05). Adipose tissue protein expression of interleukin‐6 and tumour necrosis factor α was increased by HFD in WT mice but not in DN mice (P < 0.05). Skeletal muscle interleukin‐15 expression was decreased in both feeding conditions in the DN mice (P < 0.05). The data from this study suggest that in insulin‐resistant conditions low AMPKα2 activity impacts the regulation of skeletal muscle FA metabolism via changes in SIRT1 activity, PTP1B expression and Akt phosphorylation and the expression of adipose tissue pro‐inflammatory markers.
The Egalitarian Face of Islamic Orthodoxy: Support for Islamic Law and Economic Justice in Seven Muslim-Majority Nations

The authors test two theories linking religion and economic beliefs in predominantly Muslim nations using data from national surveys of Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. Moral Cosmology theory posits that because the religiously orthodox are theologically communitarian in viewing individuals as subsumed by a larger community of believers subject to timeless laws and God's greater plan, they are disposed toward economic communitarianism, whereby the state should provide for the poor, reduce inequality, and meet community needs via economic intervention. Modernists are theologically individualistic in seeing individuals as having to make moral decisions in a temporal context and as responsible for their own destinies. As such, modernists are inclined to economic individualism, whereby the poor are responsible for their fates, wider income differences promote individual initiative, and government should not interfere in the economy. An alternate hypothesis, based on Islamic scripture's discussion of economic matters, limits the effect of orthodoxy versus modernism to the one clear economic directive of Islam: the state's responsibility to care for the poor. The authors find that Islamic orthodoxy—measured as the desire to implement Islamic law (the shari'a)—is associated with the broad economic communitarianism expected by Moral Cosmology theory.
Treatment for Schistosoma japonicum, Reduction of Intestinal Parasite Load, and Cognitive Test Score Improvements in School-Aged Children

Background To determine whether treatment of intestinal parasitic infections improves cognitive function in school-aged children, we examined changes in cognitive testscores over 18 months in relation to: (i) treatment-related Schistosoma japonicum intensity decline, (ii) spontaneous reduction of single soil-transmitted helminth (STH) species, and (iii) ≥2 STH infections among 253 S. japonicum-infected children. Methodology Helminth infections were assessed at baseline and quarterly by the Kato-Katz method. S. japonicum infection was treated at baseline using praziquantel. An intensity-based indicator of lower vs. no change/higher infection was defined separately for each helminth species and joint intensity declines of ≥2 STH species. In addition, S. japonicum infection-free duration was defined in four categories based on time of schistosome re-infection: >18 (i.e. cured), >12 to ≤18, 6 to ≤12 and ≤6 (persistently infected) months. There was no baseline treatment for STHs but their intensity varied possibly due to spontaneous infection clearance/acquisition. Four cognitive tests were administered at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months following S. japonicum treatment: learning and memory domains of Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML), verbal fluency (VF), and Philippine nonverbal intelligence test (PNIT). Linear regression models were used to relate changes in respective infections to test performance with adjustment for sociodemographic confounders and coincident helminth infections. Principal Findings Children cured (β = 5.8; P = 0.02) and those schistosome-free for >12 months (β = 1.5; P = 0.03) scored higher in WRAML memory and VF tests compared to persistently infected children independent of STH infections. A decline vs. no change/increase of any individual STH species (β:11.5–14.5; all P<0.01) and the joint decline of ≥2 STH (β = 13.1; P = 0.01) species were associated with higher scores in WRAML learning test independent of schistosome infection. Hookworm and Trichuris trichiura declines were independently associated with improvements in WRAML memory scores as was the joint decline in ≥2 STH species. Baseline coinfection by ≥2 STH species was associated with low PNIT scores (β = −1.9; P = 0.04). Conclusion/Significance Children cured/S. japonicum-free for >12 months post-treatment and those who experienced declines of ≥2 STH species scored higher in three of four cognitive tests. Our result suggests that sustained deworming and simultaneous control for schistosome and STH infections could improve children's ability to take advantage of educational opportunities in helminth-endemic regions.
Mapping Academic Resistance in the Managerial University

This article explores the phenomenon of academics' resistance to managerialism in the contemporary university. Drawing on interviews with 30 academics in ten Australian universities, it employs a range of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives to map and analyse the forms of resistance to managerialism enacted by these academics. In particular, it draws on the work of James C. Scott, including his notions of the `weapons of the weak', and the `hidden transcript' of the subordinated and powerless, to frame an account of organizational resistance in higher education. It is argued here that Scott's anthropological studies of resistance make a useful contribution to an understanding of workplace resistance, complementing recent theoretical developments within this field which emphasize the importance of discursive resistance.
Thinking and Doing Ethnography in Service Design

One of the core issues for service design is to put users in the centre of design activities. Service designers use various empathic research methods, often loosely referred to as being ethnographic methods. Some of these methods should not be viewed as ethnography, whereas some should. Some of the rigour of academic ethnographic methods has been lost in the appropriation of ethnography. Practitioners often state that the requirements of rigour of the academic methods cannot be used in practice. In this paper we show that it is possible to do good and rigorous ethnographic research in design through two case studies. This is achieved without sacrificing applicability, and without radically diverging from the ideals of academic ethnography.
Emotion and Implicit Timing: The Arousal Effect

This study tested the effects of emotion on implicit time judgment. The participants did not receive any overt temporal instructions. They were simply trained to respond as quickly as possible after a response signal, which was separated from a warning signal by a reference temporal interval. In the testing phase, the inter-signal interval was shorter, equal or longer than the reference interval and was filled by emotional pictures (EP) of different arousal levels: high, moderate, and low. The results showed a U-shaped curve of reaction time plotted against the interval duration, indicating an implicit processing of time. However, this RT-curve was shifted toward the left, with a significantly lower peak time for the high-arousal than for the low-arousal EP. This emotional time distortion in an implicit timing task suggests an automatic effect of emotion on the internal clock rate.
Induction of apoptosis in peripheral blood lymphocytes following treatment in vitro with hydroxychloroquine.

OBJECTIVE Defective regulation of apoptosis may be central to the development of autoimmune disorders. This study investigated the possibility that the antirheumatic effect of hydroxycholoroquine (HCQ) may be achieved by up-regulation of apoptosis. METHODS Peripheral blood lymphocytes collected from normal controls and patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were cultured in the presence or absence of a range of concentrations of HCQ. Cells undergoing apoptosis were identified by several standard methods, including morphologic changes, DNA fragmentation, and flow cytometry. For some experiments, lymphocytes were simultaneously stained with antibodies to T cell surface markers and with propidium iodide for dual-stain flow cytometric studies. RESULTS HCQ was able to induce apoptosis in peripheral blood lymphocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. HCQ induced these changes in all T cell subpopulations studied. There was no significant difference between the controls and patients with SLE in terms of the percentage of apoptotic cells detected following treatment with HCQ. CONCLUSION The present study demonstrated that HCQ induces apoptosis in peripheral blood lymphocytes, which leads to the speculation that HCQ may exert its antirheumatic effect through this mechanism.
Beyond Travellers' Tales: Some nineteenth-century British commentators on education in Germany

This paper draws on the five stages of development in comparative education postulated by Noah and Eckstein (1969) to determine at what points in the chronology the work of three mid-19th century commentators on education in Germany might be placed. The three British observers are William Howitt (1792-1879), Henry Mayhew (1812-1887) and Matthew Arnold (1822-1888). Their work is described against the background of British interest in educational developments in Germany and the lessons to be learnt from German experience.
Professional impotence: Impact of alcoholism on secondary school teachers in Uganda

Rukundo A. & Magambo J. (2013). Professional impotence: Impact of alcohol abuse on secondary schoolteachers in Uganda. International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 2(2), 69-74. doi: 10.7895/ijadr.v2i2. 104 ( http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v2i2.104 ) Aims: We conducted this study to explore the impact of alcohol consumption on teachers’ jobs in Uganda. Specifically, we investigated the types of alcohol consumed by schoolteachers, reasons for alcohol abuse among teachers, justifications for mixing different types of drinks while drinking, and the effects of alcohol abuse on secondary schoolteachers. Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive. Participants: We involved 54 teachers (79.6% males and 20.4% females) in focus group discussions (FGDs) and four teachers (all male) in in-depth interviews. Measurement: Interviews were conducted to validate the data from FGDs as done by vanTartwijk, den Brok, Veldman and Wubbels (2008). Thematic analysis was employed to describe themes and emerging trends. Results: Data gathered from both in-depth interviews and FGDs show that teachers in Uganda drink a variety of “local” and “exotic” types of alcohol, for a variety of reasons. Results also indicate that during drinking sessions, teachers mix drinks for different reasons, but mainly to increase or decrease the potency of alcoholic drinks, depending on their types. All participants mentioned that over-consumption of alcohol negatively affects the teacher’s job and career in ways that include poor performance, neglect and loss of job. Conclusion: While teachers in Uganda drink many types of alcohol for apparently “good” reasons, those teachers who over-drink eventually fall into job inefficiency.
Delivery Practices of Traditional Birth Attendants in Dhaka Slums, Bangladesh

This paper describes associations among delivery-location, training of birth attendants, birthing practices, and early postpartum morbidity in women in slum areas of Dhaka, Bangladesh. During November 1993–May 1995, data on delivery-location, training of birth attendants, birthing practices, delivery-related complications, and postpartum morbidity were collected through interviews with 1,506 women, 489 home-based birth attendants, and audits in 20 facilities where the women from this study gave birth. Associations among maternal characteristics, birth practices, delivery-location, and early postpartum morbidity were specifically explored. Self-reported postpartum morbidity was associated with maternal characteristics, delivery-related complications, and some birthing practices. Dais with more experience were more likely to use potentially-harmful birthing practices which increased the risk of postpartum morbidity among women with births at home. Postpartum morbidity did not differ by birth-location. Safe motherhood programmes must develop effective strategies to discourage potentially-harmful home-based delivery practices demonstrated to contribute to morbidity.
Comprehension-Based Versus Production-Based Grammar Instruction: A Meta-Analysis of Comparative Studies

This article reports a meta-analysis of studies that investigated the relative effectiveness of comprehension-based instruction (CBI) and production-based instruction (PBI). The meta-analysis only included studies that featured a direct comparison of CBI and PBI in order to ensure methodological and statistical robustness. A total of 35 research projects in 30 published studies were retrieved. The studies were coded for three types of effect sizes: comparative, absolute, and pre-to-post change. The comparative effect sizes were used in a subsequent moderator analysis to test the impact of two mediator variables—CBI with and without Processing Instruction and PBI involving text creation versus text manipulation. The results showed that (1) overall, both types of instruction had large effects on both receptive and productive knowledge; (2) for receptive knowledge, CBI had a greater effect than PBI when the acquisition was measured within one week but the difference diminished in the delayed tests (i.e., posttests administered between 1 week and 75 days after the treatment); (3) for productive knowledge, CBI and PBI had similar effects in short-term measurement but PBI was more effective in the delayed tests; and (4) the initial advantage found for CBI was largely due to Processing Instruction. We discuss the theoretical and pedagogical significance of these findings.
Predictors of New-Onset Diastolic and Systolic Hypertension: The Framingham Heart Study

Background—Factors leading differentially to the development of isolated diastolic (IDH), systolic-diastolic (SDH), and isolated systolic (ISH) hypertension are poorly understood. We examined the relations of blood pressure (BP) and clinical risk factors to the new onset of the 3 forms of hypertension. Methods and Results—Participants in the Framingham Heart Study were included if they had undergone 2 biennial examinations between 1953 and 1957 and were free of antihypertensive therapy and cardiovascular disease. Compared with optimal BP (SBP <120 and DBP <80 mm Hg), the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for developing new-onset IDH over the ensuing 10 years were 2.75 for normal BP, 3.29 for high-normal BP (both P<0.0001), 1.31 (P=0.40) for SDH, and 0.61 (P=0.36) for ISH. The HRs of developing new-onset SDH were 3.32, 7.96, 7.10, and 23.12 for the normal BP, high-normal BP, ISH, and IDH groups, respectively (all P<0.0001). The HRs of developing ISH were 3.26 for normal and 4.82 for high-normal BP (both P<0.0001), 1.39 (P=0.24) for IDH, and 1.69 (P<0.01) for SDH. Increased body mass index (BMI) during follow-up predicted new-onset IDH and SDH. Other predictors of IDH were younger age, male sex, and BMI at baseline. Predictors of ISH included older age, female sex, and increased BMI during follow-up. Conclusion—Given the propensity for increased baseline BMI and weight gain to predict new-onset IDH and the high probability of IDH to transition to SDH, it is likely that IDH is not a benign condition. ISH arises more commonly from normal and high-normal BP than from “burned-out” diastolic hypertension.
EXPLORING THE PHYTOREMEDIATION POTENTIAL OF CACTUS (NOPALEA COCHENILLIFERA SALM. DYCK.) CELL CULTURES FOR TEXTILE DYE DEGRADATION

Cactaceae Nopalea cochenillifera cell cultures and intact plants (cladodes) transform various toxic textile dyes, including Red HE7B into less phytotoxic, non-hazardous metabolites. The [tentative] pathway analysis demonstrates that Red HE7B is transformed into 3-amino-5-imino-5,8-dihydronaphthalen-2-ol, 2-amino-6-(carboxycarbonyl)-3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 4-aminophenol, and phenol. The significant induction of the activities of intracellular laccase (687%), tyrosinase (219%), azoreductase (144%), and 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol reductase (167%) indicated the involvement of these enzymes in the transformation pathways of Red HE7B but these enzymes have not been definitively linked to the phytotransformation of this toxic dye. The present foundation work could add another plant candidate for phytoremediation of undesirable products from industry wastes and harmful chemicals.
A Conceptual and Analytic Critique of Student Ratings of Teachers in the USA with Implications for Teacher Effectiveness and Student Learning

There is a large literature that suggests (numerical) student ratings of teachers (SRTs) are valid measures of teacher effectiveness. Nonetheless, there are many educators and researchers who continue to insist that SRTs are fatally flawed tools for assessing teacher effectiveness. Thus, supporters and critics of SRTs continue to gather validity-invalidity evidence to support their claims, yet neither provides a common conceptual framework by which evidence can be evaluated. In this paper, I use the principles of validation as a conceptual framework for critiquing validity-invalidity evidence and arguments. The utility of SRTs, as well as implications for teacher effectiveness and student learning, are explored.