Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can exercise training rescue the adverse cardiometabolic effects of low birth weight and prematurity?

Being born preterm and/or small for gestational age are well‐established risk factors for cardiometabolic disease in adulthood. Physical activity has the potential to mitigate against the detrimental cardiometabolic effects of low birth weight from two perspectives: (i) maternal exercise prior to and during pregnancy; and (ii) exercise during childhood or adulthood for those born small or prematurely. Evidence from epidemiological birth cohort studies suggests that the effects of moderate‐intensity physical activity during pregnancy on mean birth weight are small, but reduce the risk of either high or low birth weight infants. In contrast, vigorous and/or high‐intensity exercise during pregnancy has been associated with reduced birth weight. In childhood and adolescence, exercise ability is compromised in extremely low birth weight individuals (< 1000 g), but only marginally reduced in those of very low to low birth weight (1000–2500 g). Epidemiological studies show that the association between birth weight and metabolic disease is lost in physically fit individuals and, consistently, that the association between low birth weight and metabolic syndrome is accentuated in unfit individuals. Physical activity intervention studies indicate that most cardiometabolic risk factors respond to exercise in a protective manner, independent of birth weight. The mechanisms by which exercise may protect low birth weight individuals include restoration of muscle mass, reduced adiposity and enhanced β‐cell mass and function, as well as effects on both aerobic and anaerobic muscle metabolism, including substrate utilization and mitochondrial function. Vascular and cardiac adaptations are also likely important, but are less well studied.
Estimating the Effect of School Indoor Air Quality on Academic Outcomes

4. Abstract: This paper examines the effect that indoor air quality has on academic outcomes. Understanding this relationship is important for two key reasons: first, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental health risks (EPA 1987); and second, almost 20% of U.S. schools, with more than eight million attending students, have reported having unsatisfactory indoor air quality (GAO 1995). While a number of studies have examined the effect of indoor environmental conditions in schools on students' health, test performance, and absenteeism, many were poorly designed, lacked credibility, or obtained ambiguous results. This paper uses difference-indifference estimation on a large sample of recently renovated schools in a U.S. school district. This robust estimation technique allows me to control for many of the confounding variables that may also affect academic outcomes. Preliminary results suggest that improved indoor air quality has a sizably positive and statistically significant effect on both attendance rates and academic performance.
Chemical identification and evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of fixed oil extracted from Rhinella jimi

Abstract Context: The toad Rhinella jimi (Stevaux, 2002) (Bufonidae) is used in traditional medicine to treat a number of illnesses (inflammation, infections, and wounds) in humans as well as animals. Objectives: The present work examined the antimicrobial actions of the extracted oils from the body fat of R. jimi (ORJ) against fungi and standard and multi-resistant lines of bacteria, as well as their effects when combined with aminoglycosides. Materials and methods: The toads were collected in the municipality of Exu in Pernambuco State, Brazil, and their body fat oils extracted in a Soxhlet apparatus using hexane. A gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer was used to identify the fatty acids, based on their methyl esters. The antimicrobial activities of the oil were analyzed against standard and multi-resistant lines of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as against fungal lines of Candida albicans and Candida krusei using the broth micro-dilution method. Results: The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of ORJ were 512 µg/mL for Candida krusei and ≥1024 µg/mL for the other microorganisms. When associated with amikacin, ORJ demonstrated an increase in its ability to inhibit E. coli growth (from 156.25 to 39.06 µg/mL), indicating synergistic interaction. In the same way, when allied with amikacin, gentamicin, and neomycin, the ORJ reduced the MICs meaningly, against P. aeruginosa. Conclusions: These data will enable searches to be made to obtain new products in combination with antibiotics, enhancing the efficacy of these drugs against drug-resistant microorganisms.
Role of Fosinopril and Valsartan on Klotho Gene Expression Induced by Angiotensin II in Rat Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells

Background/Aims: Klotho gene, a new anti-aging gene, is mainly expressed in the kidney tubules. Several studies have found the relationship between klotho and emergence and development of renal diseases. This study set out to explore the role of fosinopril (Fos) and valsartan (Val) on klotho expression induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) in rat renal tubular epithelial cells (NRK-52E). Methods: NRK-52E cells were divided into five groups according to the treatment of Ang II, Fos and Val. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), p38, phospho-p38 (p-p38), p53, and Sp1 protein expression were determined by immunohistochemical and Western blotting analysis. Klotho expression was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting analysis. Results: Ang II upregulated TGF-β1, p-p38 and p53 expression, and inhibited Sp1 and klotho expression in NRK-52E cells. After the intervention of Fos and/or Val, TGF-β1, p-p38 and p53 expression were downregulated, Sp1 and klotho expression were upregulated. TGF-β1 and p53, Sp1 and klotho expression exhibited a positive linear correlation, respectively. Conclusion: We conclude that Fos and Val have a protective role in Ang II-induced renal damage, and it may be through mechanism of inhibiting TGF-β1, p-p38 and p53 expression, thus upregulating Sp1 and klotho expression.
Eye‐ and head movements in freely moving rabbits.

1. Eye‐ and head movements were recorded in unrestrained, spontaneously behaving rabbits with a new technique, based upon phase detection of signals induced in implanted coils by a rotating magnetic field. 2. Movements of the eye in space were exclusively saccadic. In the intersaccadic intervals the eyes were stabilized in space, even during vigorous head movements. Most of this stability was maintained in darkness, except for the occurrence of slow drift. 3. Many saccades were initiated while the head was stationary. They were accompanied by a similar, but slower head rotation with approximately the same amplitude. The displacement of the eye in space was a pure step without appreciable under‐ or over‐shoot. The deviation of the eye in the head was mostly transient. 4. Other saccades were started while the head was moving and were possibly fast phases of a vestibulo‐ocular reflex. The time course of the eye movement in space was identical for all saccades, whether the head was moving prior to the saccade or not. Eye movements without any head movement were not observed. 5. Saccades were mostly large (average 20‐6 +/‐ 12‐4 degrees S.D.) and never smaller than 1 degree. The relations of maximal velocity and duration to amplitude were similar to those reported for man. 6. Visual pursuit of moving objects, when elicited, was only saccadic and never smooth. 7. It is concluded that the co‐ordination and dynamics of the rabbit's head‐ and eye movements are similar to those of primates. In the absence of foveal specilization, the eye movements are restricted to a rather global redirection of the visual field, possibly in particular of the binocular area.
Renal Functional Outcomes after Surgery, Ablation, and Active Surveillance of Localized Renal Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Management strategies for localized renal masses suspicious for renal cell carcinoma include radical nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy, thermal ablation, and active surveillance. Given favorable survival outcomes across strategies, renal preservation is often of paramount concern. To inform clinical decision making, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing renal functional outcomes for radical nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy, thermal ablation, and active surveillance. DESIGN, SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from January 1, 1997 to May 1, 2015 to identify comparative studies reporting renal functional outcomes. Meta-analyses were performed for change in eGFR, incidence of CKD, and AKI. RESULTS We found 58 articles reporting on relevant renal functional outcomes. Meta-analyses showed that final eGFR fell 10.5 ml/min per 1.73 m2 lower for radical nephrectomy compared with partial nephrectomy and indicated higher risk of CKD stage 3 or worse (relative risk, 2.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.97 to 3.32) and ESRD for radical nephrectomy compared with partial nephrectomy. Overall risk of AKI was similar for radical nephrectomy and partial nephrectomy, but studies suggested higher risk for radical nephrectomy among T1a tumors (relative risk, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.13 to 1.66). In general, similar findings of worse renal function for radical nephrectomy compared with thermal ablation and active surveillance were observed. No differences in renal functional outcomes were observed for partial nephrectomy versus thermal ablation. The overall rate of ESRD was low among all management strategies (0.4%-2.8%). CONCLUSIONS Renal functional implications varied across management strategies for localized renal masses, with worse postoperative renal function for patients undergoing radical nephrectomy compared with other strategies and similar outcomes for partial nephrectomy and thermal ablation. Further attention is needed to quantify the changes in renal function associated with active surveillance and nephron-sparing approaches for patients with preexisting CKD.
Towards an Unbiased Comparison of CC, BCC, and FCC Lattices in Terms of Prealiasing

In the literature on optimal regular volume sampling, the Body‐Centered Cubic (BCC) lattice has been proven to be optimal for sampling spherically band‐limited signals above the Nyquist limit. On the other hand, if the sampling frequency is below the Nyquist limit, the Face‐Centered Cubic (FCC) lattice was demonstrated to be optimal in reducing the prealiasing effect. In this paper, we confirm that the FCC lattice is indeed optimal in this sense in a certain interval of the sampling frequency. By theoretically estimating the prealiasing error in a realistic range of the sampling frequency, we show that in other frequency intervals, the BCC lattice and even the traditional Cartesian Cubic (CC) lattice are expected to minimize the prealiasing. The BCC lattice is superior over the FCC lattice if the sampling frequency is not significantly below the Nyquist limit. Interestingly, if the original signal is drastically undersampled, the CC lattice is expected to provide the lowest prealiasing error. Additionally, we give a comprehensible clarification that the sampling efficiency of the FCC lattice is lower than that of the BCC lattice. Although this is a well‐known fact, the exact percentage has been erroneously reported in the literature. Furthermore, for the sake of an unbiased comparison, we propose to rotate the Marschner‐Lobb test signal such that an undue advantage is not given to either lattice.
The generational scalability of single-cell replicative aging

Specific mathematical forms can explain survival probability and generation-duration dynamics of replicatively aging cells. Despite the identification of numerous genes able to modulate lifespan, it remains unknown whether these genes interact to form a regulatory network that governs aging. Here we show that genetic interventions that extend or shorten replicative lifespan in Saccharomyces cerevisiae elicit proportional scaling of survival curve dynamics. The scalable nature of replicative lifespan distributions indicates that replicative aging is governed by a global state variable that determines cell survival by integrating effects from different risk factors. We also show that the Weibull survival function, a scale-invariant mathematical form, is capable of accurately predicting experimental survival distributions. We demonstrate that a drift-diffusion model of aging state with random challenge arrival effectively captures mortality risk. Measuring single-cell generation durations during aging, we uncover power-law dynamics with strain-specific speeds of increase in generation durations. Our application of quantitative modeling approaches to high-precision replicative aging data offers novel insights into aging dynamics and lifespan determinants in single cells.
Factors underlying probabilistic and deterministic stimulus-response learning performance in medicated and unmedicated patients with Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE Prior studies have not tested individual differences or effects of medication dosage on stimulus-response learning in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In the current study, we investigated the effects of motor variables (including tremor, akinesia, and disease duration) as well as dopaminergic medication dosage on learning in unmedicated PD patients, medicated PD patients, and healthy controls. METHOD We tested all subjects on probabilistic and deterministic learning tasks, and also collected awareness measures data using postexperimental questionnaires. Importantly, we tested learning performance in tremor-dominant and akinesia-dominant PD patients, and further correlated learning performance with disease duration and medication dosage. RESULTS Results show that akinesia-dominant patients were more impaired than tremor-dominant patients at probabilistic reward- but not punishment-based learning, which is in agreement with prior studies of the relationship between akinesia and basal ganglia dysfunction. We also found no difference between medicated and unmedicated PD patients in reward- or punishment-based deterministic learning, but medicated patients were better than unmedicated patients at reward-based probabilistic learning. Our results show that awareness measures explain differences among probabilistic and deterministic learning performance. Moreover, we found that disease duration and motor severity are inversely correlated, and medication dosage is positively correlated, with reward-based probabilistic learning. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that stimulus-response learning performance in patients with PD depends on the type of learning (probabilistic vs. deterministic), medication status (on vs. off medication, dopaminergic medication dosage), disease duration as well as motor severity and subtype in PD patients (tremor- vs. akinesia-dominant).
Secure Data Deduplication with Dynamic Ownership Management in Cloud Storage

In cloud storage services, deduplication technology is commonly used to reduce the space and bandwidth requirements of services by eliminating redundant data and storing only a single copy of them. Deduplication is most effective when multiple users outsource the same data to the cloud storage, but it raises issues relating to security and ownership. Proof-of-ownership schemes allow any owner of the same data to prove to the cloud storage server that he owns the data in a robust way. However, many users are likely to encrypt their data before outsourcing them to the cloud storage to preserve privacy, but this hampers deduplication because of the randomization property of encryption. Recently, several deduplication schemes have been proposed to solve this problem by allowing each owner to share the same encryption key for the same data. However, most of the schemes suffer from security flaws, since they do not consider the dynamic changes in the ownership of outsourced data that occur frequently in a practical cloud storage service. In this paper, we propose a novel server-side deduplication scheme for encrypted data. It allows the cloud server to control access to outsourced data even when the ownership changes dynamically by exploiting randomized convergent encryption and secure ownership group key distribution. This prevents data leakage not only to revoked users even though they previously owned that data, but also to an honest-but-curious cloud storage server. In addition, the proposed scheme guarantees data integrity against any tag inconsistency attack. Thus, security is enhanced in the proposed scheme. The efficiency analysis results demonstrate that the proposed scheme is almost as efficient as the previous schemes, while the additional computational overhead is negligible.
A Perspective on Knowledge Compilation

We provide a perspective on knowledge compilation which calls for analyzing different compilation approaches according to two key dimensions: the succinctness of the target compilation language, and the class of queries and transformations that the language supports in polytime. We argue that such analysis is necessary for placing new compilation approaches within the context of existing ones. We also go beyond classical, flat target compilation languages based on CNF and DNF, and consider a richer, nested class based on directed acyclic graphs, which we show to include a relatively large number of target compilation languages.
Functional analysis of the sortase YhcS in Bacillus subtilis

Sortases of Gram‐positive bacteria catalyze the covalent C‐terminal anchoring of proteins to the cell wall. Bacillus subtilis, a well‐known host organism for protein production, contains two putative sortases named YhcS and YwpE. The present studies were aimed at investigating the possible sortase function of these proteins in B. subtilis. Proteomics analyses revealed that sortase‐mutant cells released elevated levels of the putative sortase substrate YfkN into the culture medium upon phosphate starvation. The results indicate that YfkN required sortase activity of YhcS for retention in the cell wall. To analyze sortase function in more detail, we focused attention on the potential sortase substrate YhcR, which is co‐expressed with the sortase YhcS. Our results showed that the sortase recognition and cell‐wall‐anchoring motif of YhcR is functional when fused to the Bacillus pumilus chitinase ChiS, a readily detectable reporter protein that is normally secreted. The ChiS fusion protein is displayed at the cell wall surface when YhcS is co‐expressed. In the absence of YhcS, or when no cell‐wall‐anchoring motif is fused to ChiS, the ChiS accumulates predominately in the culture medium. Taken together, these novel findings show that B. subtilis has a functional sortase for anchoring proteins to the cell wall.
Identifying molecular phenotype of nucleus pulposus cells in human intervertebral disc with aging and degeneration

Previous study claimed that disc degeneration may be preceded by structure and matrix changes in the intervertebral disc (IVD) which coincide with the loss of distinct notochordally derived nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. However, the fate of notochordal cells and their molecular phenotype change during aging and degeneration in human are still unknown. In this study, a set of novel molecular phenotype markers of notochordal NP cells during aging and degeneration in human IVD tissue were revealed with immunostaining and flow cytometry. Furthermore, the potential of phenotype juvenilization and matrix regeneration of IVD cells in a laminin‐rich pseudo‐3D culture system were evaluated at day 28 by immunostaining, Safranin O, and type II collagen staining. Immunostaining and flow cytometry demonstrated that transcriptional factor Brachyury T, neuronal‐related proteins (brain abundant membrane attached signal protein 1, Basp1; Neurochondrin, Ncdn; Neuropilin, Nrp‐1), CD24, and CD221 were expressed only in juvenile human NP tissue, which suggested that these proteins may be served as the notochordal NP cell markers. However, the increased expression of CD54 and CD166 with aging indicated that they might be referenced as the potential biomarker for disc degeneration. In addition, 3D culture maintained most of markers in juvenile NP, and rescued the expression of Basp1, Ncdn, and Nrp 1 that disappeared in adult NP native tissue. These findings provided new insight into molecular profile that may be used to characterize the existence of a unique notochordal NP cells during aging and degeneration in human IVD cells, which will facilitate cell‐based therapy for IVD regeneration. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:1316–1326, 2016.
OPEN BOOK ACCOUNTING AND COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES IN A SUPPLIER NETWORK

Purpose of the paper and literature addressed. This paper contributes to the increasing field within the IMP literature that is concerned with the role of accounting and control in business relationships and networks (Håkansson et al 2010, Dubois 2003; Lind and Strömsten 2006). The purpose of this paper is to extend our knowledge about the use of open book accounting (OBA) in industrial networks. Research method. We build our argument on an in-depth single and embedded case study of procurement in a large food retailer. Data is collected mainly by interviews but also by observations. Further, access to the company’s internal documents as explicit open book calculations has increased our understanding of the role accounting plays in interorganizational relationships. Research findings. From the case study we can observe that in the context of interdependency and relatedness, effects of open book accounting are not limited to coordination of activities in focal supplier relationships. By introducing open book practice with a meat supplier, the activities both in the focal supplier relation and in connected relationships were affected. Main contribution. Our analysis shows that the use of accounting information in a supplier relationship has direct effects on other relations in the network. The accounting information is translated into changes in activity links and resource combinations. These findings stress the important acknowledgement of interdependency and resource heterogeneity and the impact accounting has on it as a visualizer. From an IMP perspective, this study illustrates the importance to acknowledge the role that accounting and control play in embedded industrial relationships. Thereby this study adds to the existing understanding of interaction processes in embedded relationships.