Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of remnant lipoprotein levels with impairment of endothelium-dependent vasomotor function in human coronary arteries.

BACKGROUND It remains undetermined whether triglyceride-rich lipoproteins are an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS The correlation of responses of coronary arterial diameter (quantitative coronary angiography) and coronary blood flow (intracoronary flow wire technique) to intracoronary infusion of acetylcholine (10 and 50 microg/min) with coronary risk factors including remnant lipoprotein levels was statistically analyzed in 106 consecutive subjects with normal coronary angiograms. Remnant lipoproteins were isolated from fasting blood with an immunoaffinity mixed gel containing anti-apolipoprotein (apo) A-1 and anti-apoB-100 monoclonal antibodies. In multivariate stepwise regression analysis, remnant lipoprotein levels had the most significant correlation with abnormal epicardial coronary vasomotor responses to acetylcholine infusion, reflected by impaired dilation or constriction of the epicardial coronary arteries, and the levels also had an inverse and independent correlation with the coronary blood flow increase in response to acetylcholine. In a subgroup of 53 consecutive subjects, constrictor responses of epicardial coronary diameters to intracoronary infusion of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (50 micromol/min for 4 minutes) at baseline, reflecting the presence of coronary nitric oxide bioactivity, had an inverse and independent correlation with remnant lipoprotein levels by use of multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Remnant lipoprotein levels were independently associated with abnormal endothelium-dependent vasomotor function in large and resistance coronary arteries in humans, indicating that remnant lipoproteins may impair endothelial vasomotor function in human coronary arteries. The decrease in coronary nitric oxide bioactivity may be responsible in part for the inhibitory effects of remnant lipoproteins.
On a Class of Minimax Stochastic Programs

For a particular class of minimax stochastic programming models, we show that the problem can be equivalently reformulated into a standard stochastic programming problem. This permits the direct use of standard decomposition and sampling methods developed for stochastic programming. We also show that this class of minimax stochastic programs is closely related to a large family of mean-risk stochastic programs where risk is measured in terms of deviations from a quantile.
pH-sensitive Au–BSA–DOX–FA nanocomposites for combined CT imaging and targeted drug delivery

Albumin-based nanoparticles (NPs) as a drug delivery system have attracted much attention owing to their nontoxicity, non-immunogenicity, great stability and ability to bind to many therapeutic drugs. Herein, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was utilized as a template to prepare Au–BSA core/shell NPs. The outer layer BSA was subsequently conjugated with cis-aconityl doxorubicin (DOX) and folic acid (FA) to create Au–BSA–DOX–FA nanocomposites. A list of characterizations was undertaken to identify the successful conjugation of drug molecules and targeted agents. In vitro cytotoxicity using a cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay indicated that Au–BSA NPs did not display obvious cytotoxicity to MGC-803 and GES-1 cells in the concentration range of 0–100 μg/mL, which can therefore be used as a safe drug delivery carrier. Furthermore, compared with free DOX, Au–BSA–DOX–FA nanocomposites exhibited a pH-sensitive drug release ability and superior antitumor activity in a drug concentration-dependent manner. In vivo computed tomography (CT) imaging experiments showed that Au–BSA–DOX–FA nanocomposites could be used as an efficient and durable CT contrast agent for targeted CT imaging of the folate receptor (FR) overexpressed in cancer tissues. In vivo antitumor experiments demonstrated that Au–BSA–DOX–FA nanocomposites have selective antitumor activity effects on FR-overexpressing tumors and no adverse effects on normal tissues and organs. In conclusion, the Au–BSA–DOX–FA nanocomposite exhibits selective targeting activity, X-ray attenuation activity and pH-sensitive drug release activity. Therefore, it can enhance CT imaging and improve the targeting therapeutic efficacy of FR-overexpressing gastric cancers. Our findings suggest that Au–BSA–DOX–FA nanocomposite is a novel drug delivery carrier and a promising candidate for cancer theranostic applications.
Project Networks and Changing Industry Practices Collaborative Content Production in the German Television Industry

Changing industry practices and forms of production organization are the medium and result of co-evolutionary processes of change. The disruptive event of transforming the German TV industry into a dual system triggered a change in content production from in-house to collaborative forms in project networks which are not only highly sensitive to previous and anticipated project practices, but also to industry practices. In turn, the change in the production organization recursively influences the reproduction of industry practices. The co-evolutionary analysis is based on structuration theory.
Putting rational constraints on divergent thought : the development of scientific reasoning

The purpose of this study was to investigate how students in Grades Five and Six generate explanations for scientific phenomena and how they evaluate the quality of these explanations. In part, this was done by analyzing the in-class explanations that the students gave in response to questions sternming from two topics in the 1996 Alberta program of studies for Grade Five Science. In addition, the students shared their own perceptions of the sources of their questions and ideas and the methods by which they evaluated them. Analysis of in-class discussions and activities occurred on an ongoing basis between January and June 1998. In addition, five students who vary in their ability to generate and evaluate scientific ideas were selected for more in-depth interviewing outside of class time. These students were interviewed once during each ofthe main units of study. Their interviews focused on the manner in which their thoughts and ideas had progressed during previous class discussions and activities, how they evaluated these ideas, the manner in which they were able to generate new ideas, and their continued evaluation of these ideas. This involved reflection stimulated by requests to summarize their findings as well as on-the-spot reflection as the students continued to evaluate and develop their ideas. Attention was paid to possible effects that the metacognitive activity encouraged during class discussions and during the interviews may have had on methods that the students used to construct meaning. Each of the students who participated in individual interviews pertaining to specific content areas also participated in a narrative interview that focused on their general interests and habits. The individual interviews and class discussions were fully transcribed, analyzed and compared to generate broad themes which were then able to guide further analysis of student work.
Relationship of Perceived Environmental Characteristics to Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Meeting Recommendations for Physical Activity in Texas

Introduction We investigated the relationship of perceived environmental characteristics to self-reported physical activity in Texas adults using 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Methods The 2 research questions were, "Are perceived neighborhood characteristics and reported use of facilities associated with self-reported leisure-time physical activity for male and female Texas residents aged 18 to 64 years? " and "Are perceived neighborhood characteristics and reported use of facilities related to meeting recommendations for moderate to vigorous physical activity for Texas men and women aged 18 to 64 years? " Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression were used for the analyses. Results Multiple logistic regression analyses controlling for sociodemographic factors showed that for women, perceptions of neighbors being physically active, pleasantness of the neighborhood, lighting, safety, and feelings of neighbor trustworthiness were associated with leisure-time physical activity. Several of these variables were also related to meeting recommendations for physical activity. Reports of use of several types of neighborhood facilities were related to men's and women's leisure-time physical activity and with meeting recommendations for physical activity for women. Conclusion Perceptions of neighborhood characteristics and reported use of facilities were related to physical activity and to meeting recommendations for physical activity, with stronger associations for women than for men. Interventions to increase levels of physical activity among Texans should be informed by multilevel assessments including environmental characteristics and by attention to important subpopulations.
Homologous and heterologous reconstitution of Golgi to chloroplast transport and protein import into the complex chloroplasts of Euglena

Euglena complex chloroplasts evolved through secondary endosymbiosis between a phagotrophic trypanosome host and eukaryotic algal endosymbiont. Cytoplasmically synthesized chloroplast proteins are transported in vesicles as integral membrane proteins from the ER to the Golgi apparatus to the Euglena chloroplast. Euglena chloroplast preprotein pre-sequences contain a functional N-terminal ER-targeting signal peptide and a domain having characteristics of a higher plant chloroplast targeting transit peptide, which contains a hydrophobic stop-transfer membrane anchor sequence that anchors the precursor in the vesicle membrane. Pulse-chase subcellular fractionation studies showed that 35S-labeled precursor to the light harvesting chlorophyll a/b binding protein accumulated in the Golgi apparatus of Euglena incubated at 15°C and transport to the chloroplast resumed after transfer to 26°C. Transport of the 35S-labeled precursor to the chlorophyll a/b binding protein from Euglena Golgi membranes to Euglena chloroplasts and import into chloroplasts was reconstituted using Golgi membranes isolated from 15°C cells returned to 26°C. Transport was dependent upon extra- and intrachloroplast ATP and GTP hydrolysis. Golgi to chloroplast transport was not inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide indicating that fusion of Golgi vesicles to the chloroplast envelope does not require N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF). This suggests that N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) are not utilized in the targeting fusion reaction. The Euglena precursor to the chloroplast-localized small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase was not imported into isolated pea chloroplasts. A precursor with the N-terminal signal peptide deleted was imported, indicating that the Euglena pre-sequence has a transit peptide that functions in pea chloroplasts. A precursor to the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase with the hydrophobic membrane anchor and the pre-sequence region C-terminal to the hydrophobic membrane anchor deleted was imported localizing the functional transit peptide to the Euglena pre-sequence region between the signal peptidase cleavage site and the hydrophobic membrane anchor. The Euglena precursor to the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase and the deletion constructs were not post-translationally imported into isolated Euglena chloroplasts indicating that vesicular transport is the obligate import mechanism. Taken together, these studies suggest that protein import into complex Euglena chloroplasts evolved by developing a novel vesicle fusion targeting system to link the host secretory system to the transit peptide-dependent chloroplast protein import system of the endosymbiont.
Comparative and Interactive Effects of Reduced Precipitation Frequency and Volume on the Growth and Function of Two Perennial Grassland Species

Premise of research. Water deficits are a common limiting factor of plant growth. Many studies have looked at the effects of drought, but few have compared the independent and interactive effects of multiple dimensions of changing precipitation patterns (e.g., reduced rainfall frequency and reduced rainfall volume) on overall plant growth of individuals with snapshots of growth-related plant performance. Methodology. In this greenhouse experiment, we investigated responses of the legume Lupinus perennis and the C3 grass Agropyron repens to a factorial combination of 50% reductions in watering frequency and watering volume. Watering treatments were designed based on 10-yr climate records from where these species co-occur. For both species, we measured leaf senescence, above- and belowground biomass accumulation, leaf net photosynthesis, and stomatal conductance. The leaf water potential and the proportion of N derived from symbiotic N2 fixation of L. perennis were also measured. Pivotal results. Reduced watering frequency had similar effects on both A. repens and L. perennis, including a 21% reduction in total biomass. However, effects of the reduced-volume treatment were largely species specific. For example, total biomass accumulation decreased and leaf senescence increased only in L. perennis. The proportion of N from symbiotic fixation in L. perennis was reduced only when water volume was also reduced, but overall leaf N remained constant in all treatments. Instantaneous prewatering gas exchange measurements showed that species maintained leaf net photosynthesis but with reduced stomatal conductance across all water availability manipulations. Conclusions. This study provides new insights into differential and species-specific effects of changes in water frequency and volume. Moreover, it suggests that trying to understand plant responses to changing or heterogeneous precipitation regimes based solely on a single parameter of water availability (often mean annual rainfall) might mask important dynamics governing these phenomena.
High-Velocity Cloud Complex C: Galactic Fuel or Galactic Waste?

We present HST Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations of five quasi stellar objects that probe the prominent high-velocity cloud (HVC) Complex C, covering ∼10% of the northern sky. Based upon a single sight-line measurement (Mrk 290), a metallicity [S/H] = -1.05 ± 0.12 has been associated with Complex C by Wakker et al. When coupled with its inferred distance (5 ≲ d ≲ 30 kpc) and line-of-sight velocity (v ∼ -100 to -200 km s-1), Complex C appeared to represent the first direct evidence for infalling low-metallicity gas onto the Milky Way, which could provide the bulk of the fuel for star formation in the Galaxy. We have extended the abundance analysis of Complex C to encompass five sight lines. We detect S II absorption in three targets (Mrk 290, 817, and 279); the resulting [S II/H I] values range from -0.36 (Mrk 279) to -0.48 (Mrk 817) to -1.10 (Mrk 290). Our preliminary O I FUSE analysis of the Mrk 817 sight line also supports the conclusion that metallicities as high as 0.3 times solar are encountered within Complex C. These results complicate an interpretation of Complex C as infalling low-metallicity Galactic fuel. Ionization corrections for H II and S III cannot easily reconcile the higher apparent metallicities along the Mrk 817 and Mrk 279 sight lines with that seen toward Mrk 290, since Hα emission measures preclude the existence of sufficient H II. If gas along the other lines of sight has a similar pressure and temperature to that sampled toward Mrk 290, the predicted Hα emission measures would be ∼900 mR. It may be necessary to reclassify Complex C as mildly enriched Galactic waste from the Milky Way or processed gas torn from a disrupted neighboring dwarf, as opposed to low-metallicity Galactic fuel.
Metabolic Effects of Exercise Training Among Fitness Nonresponsive Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus : The HART-D Study

We studied participants with T2DM participating in the Health Benefits of Aerobic and Resistance Training in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes (HART-D) trial that were randomized to a control group or one of three supervised ET groups for 9 months. Fitness response to ET was defined as a change in measured peak absolute oxygen uptake (DVO2peak, in liters per minute) from baseline to follow-up. ET participants were classified based on DVO2peak into fitness responders (DVO2peak ‡5%) and nonresponders (DVO2peak <5%), and changes in metabolic profiles were compared across control, fitness responder, and fitness nonresponder groups.
Don't Stack Your Log On My Log

Log-structured applications and file systems have been used to achieve high write throughput by sequentializing writes. Flash-based storage systems, due to flash memory’s out-of-place update characteristic, have also relied on log-structured approaches. Our work investigates the impacts to performance and endurance in flash when multiple layers of log-structured applications and file systems are layered on top of a log-structured flash device. We show that multiple log layers affects sequentiality and increases write pressure to flash devices through randomization of workloads, unaligned segment sizes, and uncoordinated multi-log garbage collection. All of these effects can combine to negate the intended positive affects of using a log. In this paper we characterize the interactions between multiple levels of independent logs, identify issues that must be considered, and describe design choices to mitigate negative behaviors in multi-log configurations.
MENAKAR TRADISI KAWIN PAKSA DI MADURA DENGAN BAROMETER HAM

There is a tradition of forced marriage (kawin/nikah paksa) in Madurese society in which young females are paired up with and married off to young males of their parents choosing. Young women may be promised in marriage when they are still in their mothers’ wombs or in childhood, and the marriage age for girls is generally under the age of 18 years, though there are those who marry between 12-15 years. Regeneration of the ancestral lineage can be seen in several areas in Madura including Bangkalan, Sampang, Pamekasan and Sumenep. Instead of the following the prescriptions of Muhammad, girl children have become ‘victims’ of a culture that discriminates against them. If seen from a human rights perspective, the tradition of kawin paksa breaches the ethics related to humanity, justice and equality.
Rosmarinic acid attenuates D-galactose induced behavior impairment in mice and its mechanism

The aim is to study the protective effects of Rosmarinic acid (RosA),on age-related behavior in senescent mice induced by consecutive injection of D-galactose (D-gal) and to explore in-brain mechanism of its effects. In the present study, Female BALB/c mice randomly divided into the control group, model group and 3 doses of RosA treatment groups, and the oral administration of RosA (100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg) started with subcutaneous injection of D-gal (100 mg/kg). Two behavior models, passive avoidance test and beam walking task, were used to research the process of learning-memory and Sensorimotor activity. The results showed that mice treated with RosA could significantly increased the step-down latency and decreased the number of mitakes in passive avoidance test compared with the mice of the model group, and increased balance time and decreased the struggle time in beam walking test remarkably, too. In addition, there was a significant increase in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and decrease in the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) in brain of RosA-treated mice. So the improvement of the antioxidase activity of brain in the aging mice may be one of the reasons of RosA could improve the age-related behavior dysfunction produced by D-gal.
Reference line extraction from form documents with complicated backgrounds

Form document analysis is one of the most essential tasksin document analysis and recognition. One of the most fundamentaland crucial tasks is the extraction of the referencelines which are contained in almost all form documents.This paper presents an efficient methodology for the complicatedgrey-level form image processing. We construct anon-orthogonal wavelet with adjustable rectangle supportsand offer algorithms for the extraction of the reference linesbased on the strip growth method using the multiresolutionwavelet sub images. We have compared this system with thepopular Hough transform (HT) based and the novel orthogonalwavelet based methods. As shown in the experiments,the proposed algorithmdemonstrates high performance andfast speed for the complicated form images. This system isalso effective for the form images with slight skew.
Clinical and Laboratory Diagnosis of Buruli Ulcer Disease: A Systematic Review

Background. Buruli ulcer (BU) is a necrotizing cutaneous infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Early diagnosis is crucial to prevent morbid effects and misuse of drugs. We review developments in laboratory diagnosis of BU, discuss limitations of available diagnostic methods, and give a perspective on the potential of using aptamers as point-of-care. Methods. Information for this review was searched through PubMed, web of knowledge, and identified data up to December 2015. References from relevant articles and reports from WHO Annual Meeting of the Global Buruli Ulcer initiative were also used. Finally, 59 articles were used. Results. The main laboratory methods for BU diagnosis are microscopy, culture, PCR, and histopathology. Microscopy and PCR are used routinely for diagnosis. PCR targeting IS2404 is the gold standard for laboratory confirmation. Culture remains the only method that detects viable bacilli, used for diagnosing relapse and accrued isolates for epidemiological investigation as well as monitoring drug resistance. Laboratory confirmation is done at centers distant from endemic communities reducing confirmation to a quality assurance. Conclusions. Current efforts aimed at developing point-of-care diagnostics are saddled with major drawbacks; we, however, postulate that selection of aptamers against MU target can be used as point of care.
Win Friends and Influence People

Organizational culture research has primarily focused on organizations characterized by permanent, full-time employment relationships. The workplace is increasingly characterized by multiple employment relationships. It is not clear that current understandings of culture capture what occurs in these organizations. Employing participant observation and survey methods, the authors use a grounded theory approach to explore the transmission of cultural values and practices in a temporary placement agency, an organization characterized by multiple employment relationships. The authors find that successful purveyors of cultural values are characterized by how well they are liked and their perceived importance to their coworkers' success rather than traditional means of culture management, such as policy and hierarchical authority.
AB INITIO FREE ENERGY CALCULATIONS OF THE SOLUBILITY OF SILICA IN METALLIC HYDROGEN AND APPLICATION TO GIANT PLANET CORES

By combining density functional molecular dynamics simulations with a thermodynamic integration technique, we determine the free energy of metallic hydrogen and silica, SiO2, at megabar pressures and thousands of degrees Kelvin. Our ab initio solubility calculations show that silica dissolves into fluid hydrogen above 5000 K for pressures from 10 and 40 Mbars, which has implications for the evolution of rocky cores in giant gas planets like Jupiter, Saturn, and a substantial fraction of known extrasolar planets. Our findings underline the necessity of considering the erosion and redistribution of core materials in giant planet evolution models, but they also demonstrate that hot metallic hydrogen is a good solvent at megabar pressures, which has implications for high-pressure experiments.