Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a Measure of the Motives Underlying the Selection of Food: the Food Choice Questionnaire

A number of factors are thought to influence people's dietary choices, including health, cost, convenience and taste, but there are no measures that address health-related and non-health-related factors in a systematic fashion. This paper describes the development of a multidimensional measure of motives related to food choice. The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) was developed through factor analysis of responses from a sample of 358 adults ranging in age from 18 to 87 years. Nine factors emerged, and were labelled health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, familiarity and ethical concern. The questionnaire structure was verified using confirmatory factor analysis in a second sample (n = 358), and test-retest reliability over a 2- to 3-week period was satisfactory. Convergent validity was investigated by testing associations between FCQ scales and measures of dietary restraint, eating style, the value of health, health locus of control and personality factors. Differences in motives for food choice associated with sex, age and income were found. The potential uses of this measure in health psychology and other areas are discussed.
Interventions Shown to Aid Executive Function Development in Children 4 to 12 Years Old

To be successful takes creativity, flexibility, self-control, and discipline. Central to all those are executive functions, including mentally playing with ideas, giving a considered rather than an impulsive response, and staying focused. Diverse activities have been shown to improve children’s executive functions: computerized training, noncomputerized games, aerobics, martial arts, yoga, mindfulness, and school curricula. All successful programs involve repeated practice and progressively increase the challenge to executive functions. Children with worse executive functions benefit most from these activities; thus, early executive-function training may avert widening achievement gaps later. To improve executive functions, focusing narrowly on them may not be as effective as also addressing emotional and social development (as do curricula that improve executive functions) and physical development (shown by positive effects of aerobics, martial arts, and yoga).
Analysis of capacity improvement by directional antennas in wireless sensor networks

In this article we analyze capacity improvement by directional antennas over omni antennas in wireless sensor networks. The capacity in our analysis is the end-to-end per-node throughput. We analyze the typical traffic pattern for sensor networks, where traffics are destined to or originated from the sink. The main results of our analysis are summarized as follows. (1) The network capacity is O(1/N) for both omni and directional antennas, where N is the number of sensor nodes in the network. (2) In the case of line deployment, the capacity ratio of directional antennas over omni antennas is bounded by (2q+3)/(2q-1), where q is the ratio of the interference radius to the transmission radius. (3) In the case of two-dimensional deployment, the capacity for using directional antennas is O(1/θ) for m = 2, and O(lgm/θ2lg(1/θ)) for m > 2, where m is the number of radios (antennas) on each node and θ is the beamwidth of antennas. (4) When there are n > 1 sinks, the capacity has a non-monotonic relationship with the transmission radius. The optimal transmission radius depends on the ratio of n/q. (5) The capacity ratio of directional antennas over omni antennas in multi-channel networks decreases as the channel number/radio number ratio c/m increases.
Pharmacokinetic interaction between corticosteroids and tacrolimus after renal transplantation.

BACKGROUND Tacrolimus is an immunosuppressive drug that is a substrate of cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) enzymes and P-glycoprotein (P-gp). After transplantation, many pharmacological interactions have been described. Corticosteroids induce both CYP3A and P-gp activity. This study was designed to investigate the presence of a clinically significant interaction between steroids and tacrolimus after renal transplantation. METHODS We studied 83 renal transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus after transplantation. Patients were divided into three groups, according to steroid dose (low: 0-0.15 mg/kg/day; intermediate: 0.16-0.25 mg/kg/day; and high: >0.25 mg/kg/day). All other medications, including those known to interact with CYP3A and/or P-gp, were recorded. Steroid dosage, tacrolimus dosage, tacrolimus trough concentration (C0) and tacrolimus concentration/dose ratio [C0 divided by the 24 h dosage (mg/kg)] were assessed for each dosage group after 1 and 3 months of tacrolimus treatment. RESULTS The three groups were not different as regards the use of non-immunosuppressive treatments or clinical events. At 1 and 3 months, the tacrolimus doses and concentration/dose ratios differed significantly in the three steroid dosage groups. With the higher doses, higher tacrolimus doses were needed to achieve the blood tacrolimus targeted trough level. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that pharmacokinetic interaction occurs between steroids and tacrolimus in renal transplant patients. The higher the steroid dosage, the higher the dosage of tacrolimus needed to achieve target trough levels in these patients. The most likely interaction mechanism is specific enzymatic induction of CYP3A and/or P-gp. Interaction is present, even when the steroid dosage is low. The clinical events liable to occur during steroid sparing or tapering must be taken into account because it may be associated with episodes of tacrolimus-related nephrotoxicity.
Co‐occurring grazing and climate stressors have different effects on the total seed bank when compared to the persistent seed bank

Questions: (1) Does climate amelioration in semi-arid ecosystems increase seed bank richness and seed density in both total and persistent seed banks? (2) Does herbivory modulate climate effects on soil seed banks? (3) Is this effect mediated by changes in the above-ground vegetation? (4) To what extent do environmental conditions affect similarity between the total and persistent seed banks, and between above-ground (vegetation) vs below-ground (seed bank) community compartments? Location: Ecuadorian Dry Mountain Scrub Ecosystem. Methods: Our study was conducted along a climatic gradient (altitude) under two different management conditions: undisturbed and grazed. The effect of grazing,altitudeandtheirinteractiononseedabundanceandrichnessofthetotal andpersistentsoilseedbankswereevaluatedwithnon-linearmixedmodels. Results: Altitude, grazing and their interaction exerted a significant effect on richness and abundance of the total seed bank, but not on the persistent seed bank. At highly stressful climate conditions, differences in species richness between the total and persistent seed banks were small or absent, while at milder environmental conditions the total seed bank showed greater seed species richness and abundance than the persistent one. However, under grazing conditions, species richness in both seed banks was rather similar along the climatic gradient. Relationships in terms of species richness between above-ground vs below-ground compartments, shifted from being dominated by the aboveground component at low altitudes (more stress) to being dominated by the seed bank component at higher elevations (milder conditions). In grazed locations, vegetation and seed bank showed similar species richness throughout the altitudinal gradient. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that not only climate acted as a key environmental filter on soil seed bank properties, but also that grazing greatly modulated the primary effect of climate. Nevertheless, the effect of climate and grazing was restricted to the total seed bank (the fertility compartment) and no effect was observed in the persistent seed bank (longevity compartment). In this tropical dry scrub, richness and abundance of seeds increased upwards along the altitudinal gradient, most likely because at higher altitudes environmental conditions improve and become more benign for plant development.
Migratory Connectivity of the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus): Patterns of Spring Re-Colonization in Eastern North America

Each year, millions of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) migrate up to 3000 km from their overwintering grounds in central Mexico to breed in eastern North America. Malcolm et al. (1993) articulated two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses to explain how Monarchs re-colonize North America each spring. The ‘successive brood’ hypothesis proposes that monarchs migrate from Mexico to the Gulf Coast, lay eggs and die, leaving northern re-colonization of the breeding range to subsequent generations. The ‘single sweep’ hypothesis proposes that overwintering monarchs continue to migrate northward after arriving on the Gulf coast and may reach the northern portion of the breeding range, laying eggs along the way. To examine these hypotheses, we sampled monarchs throughout the northern breeding range and combined stable-hydrogen isotopes (δD) to estimate natal origin with wing wear scores to differentiate between individuals born in the current vs. previous year. Similar to Malcolm et al. (1993), we found that the majority of the northern breeding range was re-colonized by the first generation of monarchs (90%). We also estimated that a small number of individuals (10%) originated directly from Mexico and, therefore adopted a sweep strategy. Contrary to Malcolm et al. (1993), we found that 62% of monarchs sampled in the Great Lakes originated from the Central U.S., suggesting that this region is important for sustaining production in the northern breeding areas. Our results provide new evidence of re-colonization patterns in monarchs and contribute important information towards identifying productive breeding regions of this unique migratory insect.
A Comparison of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine and Oral Midazolam for Premedication in Pediatric Anesthesia: A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND:Midazolam is the most commonly used premedication in children. It has been shown to be more effective than parental presence or placebo in reducing anxiety and improving compliance at induction of anesthesia. Clonidine, an &agr;2 agonist, has been suggested as an alternative. Dexmedetomidine is a more &agr;2 selective drug with more favorable pharmacokinetic properties than clonidine. We designed this prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial to evaluate whether intranasal dexmedetomidine is as effective as oral midazolam for premedication in children. METHODS:Ninety-six children of ASA physical status I or II scheduled for elective minor surgery were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Group M received midazolam 0.5 mg/kg in acetaminophen syrup and intranasal placebo. Group D0.5 and Group D1 received intranasal dexmedetomidine 0.5 or 1 &mgr;g/kg, respectively, and acetaminophen syrup. Patients’ sedation status, behavior scores, blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation were recorded by an observer until induction of anesthesia. Recovery characteristics were also recorded. RESULTS:There were no significant differences in parental separation acceptance, behavior score at induction and wake-up behavior score. When compared with group M, patients in group D0.5 and D1 were significantly more sedated when they were separated from their parents (P < 0.001). Patients from group D1 were significantly more sedated at induction of anesthesia when compared with group M (P = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS:Intranasal dexmedetomidine produces more sedation than oral midazolam, but with similar and acceptable cooperation.
Coated‐platelet levels may explain some variability in clinical phenotypes observed with severe hemophilia

surgical intervention [4]. Recent studies have shown that patients with von Willebrand disease may, paradoxically, experience thrombotic events due to prothrombotic risk factor interactions [3,4]. Despite its originality, our study has several limitations. The study was a single-center trial, with a small sample size, involving mainly patients with hemophilia A. Patients were evaluated in the immediate post-operative period, and imaging techniques were not repeated 4–5 weeks after surgery to rule out delayed DVT. Ultrasonography study was performed on the operated side only in nearly half the cases. Ideally, the study should have included more older patients and patients with hemophilia B. As no thrombophilia screening was performed, we do not know whether the three patients who developed DVT had a genetic predisposition. It is also uncertain whether thrombophilic work-up might help identify hemophilic patients at higher risk of VTE. Our findings show that subclinical DVT occurred in up to 10% of hemophilic patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery. Thrombotic events were distal and resolved spontaneously or with a short course of low-dose LMWH, without any bleeding complications. Based on these findings, routine pharmacological thromboprophylaxis may not be indicated in all hemophilic patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery. Yet, despite the absence of evidence-based studies, half of the hemophilia comprehensive centers in Europe reported using pharmacological antithrombotic prophylaxis after major orthopedic surgery [5]. In conclusion, further studies involving larger sample sizes are necessary to clearly establish whether or not systematic pharmacological thromboprophylaxis is required in the post-operative setting. Should this be the case, appropriate timing, dosage and duration of treatment must be clearly defined.
Morphology and physical properties of binary blend based on PVDF and multi-walled carbon nanotube

Semicrystalline Poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF) was melt blended by multi- walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) at various contents (0.01 ∼ 5 wt%) using internal mixer. The relationships between morphology and physical properties based on PVDF and MWNT were investigated. As the MWNT content is increased, the apparent supercooling required for PVDF crystallization and the size of spherulites in PVDF decrease. In the WAXD profiles, the incorporation of MWNT produced a large shoulder at 2θ = 20.7° with increasing the MWNT content, corresponding to the polar β-form crystal of PVDF. The experimental percolation threshold for the electrical conductivity in PVDF was estimated and clearly occured between 2 and 2.5 wt%. Similar tendency was also observed in thermal conductivity and permittivity.
Distribution of Glycine/GABA Neurons in the Ventromedial Medulla with Descending Spinal Projections and Evidence for an Ascending Glycine/GABA Projection

The ventromedial medulla (VM), subdivided in a rostral (RVM) and a caudal (CVM) part, has a powerful influence on the spinal cord. In this study, we have identified the distribution of glycine and GABA containing neurons in the VM with projections to the cervical spinal cord, the lumbar dorsal horn, and the lumbar ventral horn. For this purpose, we have combined retrograde tracing using fluorescent microspheres with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for glycine transporter 2 (GlyT2) and GAD67 mRNAs to identify glycinergic and/or GABAergic (Gly/GABA) neurons. Since the results obtained with FISH for GlyT2, GAD67, or GlyT2+GAD67 mRNAs were not significantly different, we concluded that glycine and GABA coexisted in the various projection neurons. After injections in the cervical cord, we found that 29%±1 (SEM) of the retrogradely labeled neurons in the VM were Gly/GABA (RVM: 43%; CVM: 21%). After lumbar dorsal horn injections 31%±3 of the VM neurons were Gly/GABA (RVM: 45%; CVM: 12%), and after lumbar ventral horn injections 25%±2 were Gly/GABA (RVM: 35%; CVM: 17%). In addition, we have identified a novel ascending Gly/GABA pathway originating from neurons in the area around the central canal (CC) throughout the spinal cord and projecting to the RVM, emphasizing the interaction between the ventromedial medulla and the spinal cord. The present study has now firmly established that GABA and glycine are present in many VM neurons that project to the spinal cord. These neurons strongly influence spinal processing, most notably the inhibition of nociceptive transmission.
Computation of Vortex Shedding and Radiated Sound for a Circular Cylinder

The Lighthill acoustic analogy approach combined with Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes is used to predict the sound generated by unsteady viscous flow past a circular cylinder assuming a correlation length of ten cylinder diameters. The two-dimensional unsteady flow field is computed using two Navier-Stokes codes at a low Mach number over a range of Reynolds numbers from 100 to 5 million. Both laminar flow as well as turbulent flow with a variety of eddy viscosity turbulence models are employed. Mean drag and Strouhal number are examined, and trends similar to experiments are observed. Computing the noise within the Reynolds number regime where transition to turbulence occurs near the separation point is problematic: laminar flow exhibits chaotic behavior and turbulent flow exhibits strong dependence on the turbulence model employed. Comparisons of far-field noise with experiment at a Reynolds number of 90,000, therefore, vary significantly, depending on the turbulence model. At a high Reynolds number outside this regime, three different turbulence models yield self-consistent results.
Nosocomial bloodstream infections caused by Acinetobacter species in United States hospitals: clinical features, molecular epidemiology, and antimicrobial susceptibility.

We examined the clinical and epidemiological features of nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by Acinetobacter species and observed from 1 March 1995 through 28 February 1998 at 49 United States hospitals (SCOPE National Surveillance Program). Acinetobacter species were found in 24 hospitals (49%) and accounted for 1.5% of all nosocomial BSIs reported. One hundred twenty-nine isolates were identified either as A. baumannii (n=111) or other Acinetobacter species (n=18). Patients with A. baumannii BSI, compared with patients with nosocomial BSI caused by other gram-negative pathogens, were more frequently observed in the intensive care unit (69% vs. 47%, respectively; P<.001; odds ratio [OR] 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-3.7) and were more frequently receiving mechanical ventilation (58% vs. 30%, respectively; P<.001; OR 3.2; 95% CI 2.1-4.8). Crude mortality in patients with A. baumannii BSI was 32%. Molecular relatedness of strains was studied by use of polymerase chain reaction-based fingerprinting. Clonal spread of a single strain occurred in 5 hospitals. Interhospital spread of epidemic A. baumannii strains was not observed. The most active antimicrobial agents against A. baumannii (90% minimum inhibitory concentration values) were imipenem (1 mg/L; 100% of isolates susceptible), amikacin (8 mg/L; 96%), tobramycin (4 mg/L; 92%), and doxycycline (4 mg/L; 91%). Thirty percent of isolates were resistant to > or =4 classes of antimicrobials and were considered to be multidrug resistant.
CFPC material characteristics and SLS prototyping process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to characterize the material properties of carbon fiber polyamide composite (CFPC) used in a 3D rapid prototyping process based upon selective laser sintering (SLS) and demonstrate that the SLS process introduces a bias in the micro‐fiber orientation such that the CFPC solid is an orthotropic structural material.Design/methodology/approach – Material coupons for tensile tests from each of the orthogonal planes are created using the SLS process. After tensile testing, the coupons are examined under scanning electron microscopy to verify the micro‐fiber orientation bias. A complex 3D structure developed utilizing the CFPC material is subjected to modal testing to extract the natural frequencies. These frequencies are compared to predictive numerical analysis results from computer‐aided engineering (CAE) software to validate the coupon test results.Findings – This paper proves that the CFPC solid material is orthotropic after the SLS process and that the process itself .
Objective Methods for Reliable Detection of Concealed Depression

Recent research has shown that it is possible to automatically detect clinical depression from audio-visual recordings. Before considering integration in a clinical pathway, a key question that must be asked is whether such systems can be easily fooled. This work explores the potential of acoustic features to detect clinical depression in adults both when acting normally and when asked to conceal their depression. Nine adults diagnosed with mild to moderate depression as per the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were asked a series of questions and to read a excerpt from a novel aloud under two different experimental conditions. In one, participants were asked to act naturally and in the other, to suppress anything that they felt would be indicative of their depression. Acoustic features were then extracted from this data and analysed using paired t-tests to determine any statistically significant differences between healthy and depressed participants. Most features that were found to be significantly different during normal behaviour remained so during concealed behaviour. In leave-one-subject-out automatic classification studies of the 9 depressed subjects and 8 matched healthy controls, an 88% classification accuracy and 89% sensitivity was achieved. Results remained relatively robust during concealed behaviour, with classifiers trained on only non-concealed data achieving 81% detection accuracy and 75% sensitivity when tested on concealed data. These results indicate there is good potential to build deception-proof automatic depression monitoring systems.
Introducing a Multithread and Multistage Mechanism for the Global Load Balancing Library of X10

Load balancing is a major concern in massively parallel computing. X10 is a partitioned global address space language for scale-out computing and provides a global load balancing (GLB) library that shows high scalability over ten thousand CPU cores. This study proposes a multistage mechanism for GLB to assign execution stages to tasks and introduces a multithread design into GLB to allow efficient data sharing between CPU cores. The system gives high priority to tasks that are assigned to earlier stages and then proceeds with subsequent stage tasks. When a computing node runs out of tasks at the earliest stage, it requests tasks at the earliest stage from other nodes and awaits responses by processing subsequent stage tasks. When the system identifies the task termination at a certain stage, it executes a reduction operation over nodes. Programmers can define their reduction operations to gather or exchange results of completed tasks. This study provides the implementation method of the extended library and evaluates its runtime overhead using the K computer to a maximum of 256 nodes.