Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Children's Attitudes Toward Physical Activity: A Longitudinal Analysis

Attitudes toward six subdomains of physical activity were assessed across Grades 4 to 6 for a multiple longitudinal sample consisting of 58 boys and 56 girls. The children's attitudes toward physical activity (CATPA) were generally positive for both sexes; and consistent with previous research, the girls showed more favorable attitudes toward the aesthetic subdomain than the boys. However, the boys evidenced significantly more positive attitudes toward physical activity as the pursuit of vertigo and as catharsis. Neither the among-grade comparisons nor sex-by-grade comparisons attained statistical significance, indicating stability in group attitude scores. However, correlational analyses revealed the lack of stability of CATPA within individuals across the grades studied. Factor analysis provided further evidence negating the assumption of CATPA as an enduring behavioral disposition. The findings are discussed in relation to previous cross-sectional studies, and implications are derived for future research.
A Bank-Level Analysis of Regulation Q and Commercial Bank Portfolio Risks

The impact of financial regulation on commercial bank competition and portfolio risks has be en a focus of academic debate over the past three decades. This topic is increasingly relevant since the 2007-2008 financial crisis ushered in significant changes to financial regulation laws. I use bank-level data on all U.S. commercial banks from 1976 -1991 to investigate the impact of financial deregulation, in the form of the phase -out of Regulation Q, on bank portfolio risks . The results suggest that this phase-out was associated with a decrease in commercial banks’ credit and insolvency risks, as well as a slight increase in liquidity risk . An additional microeconomic analysis of individual bank characteristics suggests that the effect of financial deregulation did not vary significantly across banks of different sizes; both large and small banks assumed similar changes in portfolio risks when faced with the regulation’s phase-out. The results thus show that the deregulation of Regulation Q is associated with less risky commercial bank portfolios.
Evidence that distinct neural pathways mediate parasympathetic contractions and relaxations of guinea‐pig trachealis.

1. The guinea‐pig trachea was isolated with its extrinsic innervation intact and pinned to the bottom of a water‐jacketed dissecting dish filled with warmed, oxygenated Krebs solution. The trachea was not separated from the oesophagus. Isometric tension was measured in a segment of the rostral portion of the trachea. 2. Stimulation of the vagus nerves caudal to the nodose ganglia elicited contractions of the trachealis that were blocked by the muscarinic receptor antagonist atropine. Following addition of atropine and contraction of the trachealis with prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha), vagus nerve stimulation elicited non‐adrenergic, non‐cholinergic relaxations. Both responses elicited by stimulation of the vagi were abolished by cutting the recurrent laryngeal nerves and were considered parasympathetic in nature as they were sensitive to the autonomic ganglion blockers trimetaphan and hexamethonium. 3. Experiments were designed in which ganglionic blockers were added to the buffer bathing the entire preparation or, alternatively, added only to the buffer perfusing the tracheal lumen. When given equal access to the trachea and oesophagus, hexamethonium was 56‐fold more potent an inhibitor of vagally mediated relaxations of the trachealis than vagally mediated contractions. Selective administration of hexamethonium to the buffer perfusing the tracheal lumen did not decrease the potency of the ganglionic blocker versus vagally mediated contractions. By contrast, even at a concentration of 1 mM, intratracheally administered hexamethonium failed to inhibit vagally mediated relaxations by 50%. Comparable results were obtained using trimetaphan. 4. Consistent with previous observations, removing the portion of the oesophagus contiguous with the region of the trachea at which isometric tension was measured abolished parasympathetic relaxations of the trachealis. Oesophagus removal was without effect on parasympathetic nerve‐induced contractions. Removing the dorsal half of the oesophagus or the mucosa and submucosa of the oesophagus did not affect the parasympathetic relaxant innervation. 5. The compound action potential of guinea‐pig recurrent laryngeal nerves evoked by vagus nerve stimulation consisted of three distinct peaks representing populations of axons with fast, intermediate and slow conduction velocities. The voltage‐response characteristics of vagally mediated contractions were identical to those of the compound action potential peak representing fibres with intermediate (10 m/s) conduction velocities. By contrast, the voltage‐response characteristics of the vagally mediated relaxations were best correlated with the compound action potential peak representing fibres with slow (0.4‐3 m/s) conduction velocities. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Burning Issues

frustrating fires in which cargo airline pilots narrowly escape from a freighter burning on an airport runway — and intense flames ultimately can rob accident investigators of causal evidence — have rekindled calls for wide-ranging reforms in the United States. With freighter traffic growth projections by Boeing Commercial Airplanes averaging 6.2 percent annually from 2006 to 2026 (Figure 1), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have joined freighter manufacturers, U.S. cargo airlines, aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) officials and pilot organizations in revisiting core assumptions about how to protect people, airplanes and cargo when freighter fires occur. Debates about the reforms have not included much data on the incidence of these fires or formal risk analyses. But the sense of stakeholders expressing opinions at recent meetings is that the effectiveness of ARFF firefighters in these scenarios does make a difference in whether occupants are rescued, the aircraft and cargo are saved or adverse economic consequences from temporary closure of an airport are minimized. Several vocal advocates of change — the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), the ARFF Working Group, the Independent Pilots Association1 and the NTSB — acknowledge that ongoing research and development by freighter manufacturers, individual airlines, fire departments and the FAA are advancing cargo fire safety on several fronts (ASW, 11/06, p. 28). They argue, however, that ARFF capability to handle freighter fires no longer should depend
Tunneling in PSII

With available high resolution structures of PSII and a collection of reported redox midpoint potentials for most of the cofactors, it is possible to compare the expected electron tunneling rates with experimental rates to determine which electron transfer reactions are likely to reflect simply engineered electron tunneling, and which are more sophisticated and associated with large product rearrangements or the making and breaking of bonds. Reliable reorganization energies are largely lacking in this photosystem compared to PSI and purple bacteria and contribute about an order of magnitude uncertainty in tunneling rate estimates. Nevertheless it seems clear that as in purple bacterial reaction centers and PSI, with the notable exception of the oxygen evolving center, the majority of electron transfers within PSII are electron-tunneling limited at room temperature. Tunneling simulations also suggest that the short circuit between pheophytin and the adjacent chlorophyll cation may be fast enough to challenge triplet decay as the principle means of charge recombination from Q_A^− at room temperature.
Usefulness of a tilt training program for the prevention of refractory neurocardiogenic syncope in adolescents: A controlled study.

BACKGROUND Recurrent syncope represents a debilitating disorder and quality of life deteriorates as a function of recurrence of symptoms. Although the administration of beta-blockers, vasoconstrictors, fludrocortisone, and serotonin reuptake inhibitors may be helpful in preventing episodes, many patients are intolerant of or respond poorly to these agents. Orthostatic training has been reported to be effective in preventing refractory syncope. Thus, to determine whether a tilt training program could prevent symptoms in adolescents, the following controlled study was undertaken. METHODS AND RESULTS Forty-seven consecutive adolescents (18 male and 29 female, mean age 16.0+/-2.2 years) with recurrent syncope and positive head-up tilt test refractory to previous traditional therapies were distributed between 2 groups, depending on their consent (24 patients) or refusal (controls, 23 patients) to enter the program. Orthostatic training was started, in the presence of a family member, with a series of 5 in-hospital sessions. The 24 patients and their relatives were then instructed to perform the tilt training at home by standing against a wall twice a day for a planned duration of up to 40 minutes, depending on the in-hospital orthostatic tolerance. Head-up tilt response was reevaluated after 1 month, and the clinical effect was noted over a mean follow-up of 18. 2+/-5.3 months (range 15 to 23); 26.1% of patients in the control group and 95.8% of patients in the training group became tilt-negative (P<0.0001). Spontaneous syncope was observed in 56.5% versus 0% in the control and training group, respectively (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Orthostatic training was found to significantly improve symptoms of adolescents with neurocardiogenic syncope unresponsive to or intolerant of traditional medications. Twice-a-day training sessions of 40 minutes were well accepted by patients.
An extract of the Chinese herbal root kudzu reduces alcohol drinking by heavy drinkers in a naturalistic setting.

BACKGROUND Of the available medications for treating alcohol-related problems, none are universally effective, and all have side effects that may limit their use. Extracts of kudzu containing a variety of isoflavones have been shown to reduce alcohol drinking in rats and hamsters. METHODS The present study was designed to test the efficacy of a kudzu extract in a clinical population. Male and female "heavy" alcohol drinkers were treated with either placebo or a kudzu extract for 7 days and then given an opportunity to drink their preferred brand of beer while in a naturalistic laboratory setting. Participants served as their own controls, and order of treatment exposure was counterbalanced. Drinking behavior was monitored by a digital scale that was located in the top of an end table. RESULTS Kudzu treatment resulted in significant reduction in the number of beers consumed that was paralleled by an increase in the number of sips and the time to consume each beer and a decrease in the volume of each sip. These changes occurred in the absence of a significant effect on the urge to drink alcohol. There were no reported side effects of kudzu treatment. CONCLUSION These data suggest that an extract of this leguminous plant may be a useful adjunct in reducing alcohol intake in a naturalistic setting.
Effect of Site-Specific Mutations in Different Phosphotransfer Domains of the Chemosensory Protein ChpA on Pseudomonas aeruginosa Motility

ABSTRACT The virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other surface pathogens involves the coordinate expression of a wide range of virulence determinants, including type IV pili. These surface filaments are important for the colonization of host epithelial tissues and mediate bacterial attachment to, and translocation across, surfaces by a process known as twitching motility. This process is controlled in part by a complex signal transduction system whose central component, ChpA, possesses nine potential sites of phosphorylation, including six histidine-containing phosphotransfer (HPt) domains, one serine-containing phosphotransfer domain, one threonine-containing phosphotransfer domain, and one CheY-like receiver domain. Here, using site-directed mutagenesis, we show that normal twitching motility is entirely dependent on the CheY-like receiver domain and partially dependent on two of the HPt domains. Moreover, under different assay conditions, point mutations in several of the phosphotransfer domains of ChpA give rise to unusual “swarming” phenotypes, possibly reflecting more subtle perturbations in the control of P. aeruginosa motility that are not evident from the conventional twitching stab assay. Together, these results suggest that ChpA plays a central role in the complex regulation of type IV pilus-mediated motility in P. aeruginosa.
General Anesthetic Actions on GABAA Receptors

General anesthetic drugs interact with many receptors in the nervous system, but only a handful of these interactions are critical for producing anesthesia. Over the last 20 years, neuropharmacologists have revealed that one of the most important target sites for general anesthetics is the GABAA receptor. In this review we will discuss what is known about anesthetic – GABAA receptor interactions.
Lipids and lipid changes with synthetic and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy in rheumatoid arthritis: implications for cardiovascular risk

Purpose of review To highlight recently published studies addressing lipid changes with disease-modifying antirheumatic drug use and outline implications on cardiovascular outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recent findings Growing evidence suggests lower lipid levels are present in patients with active RA vs. general population, and significant modifications of lipid profile with inflammation suppression. Increase in lipid levels in patients with RA on synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs may be accompanied by antiatherogenic changes in lipid composition and function. The impact of lipid changes on cardiovascular outcomes in RA is a subject of active research. The role of lipids in cardiovascular risk in RA may be overpowered by the benefits of inflammation suppression with antirheumatic medication use. Recommendations on lipid management in RA are evolving but uncertainty exists regarding frequency of lipid testing and goals of treatment. Summary Knowledge about quantitative and qualitative lipid changes in RA is expanding. The relative role of lipids in cardiovascular risk in the context of systemic inflammation and antirheumatic therapy remains uncertain, delaying development of effective strategies for cardiovascular risk management in RA. Studies are underway to address these knowledge gaps and may be expected to inform cardiovascular risk management in RA and the general population.
A Delphi Process to Optimize Quality and Performance of Drug Evaluation in Neonates

Background Neonatal trials remain difficult to conduct for several reasons: in particular the need for study sites to have an existing infrastructure in place, with trained investigators and validated quality procedures to ensure good clinical, laboratory practices and a respect for high ethical standards. The objective of this work was to identify the major criteria considered necessary for selecting neonatal intensive care units that are able to perform drug evaluations competently. Methodology and Main Findings This Delphi process was conducted with an international multidisciplinary panel of 25 experts from 13 countries, selected to be part of two committees (a scientific committee and an expert committee), in order to validate criteria required to perform drug evaluation in neonates. Eighty six items were initially selected and classified under 7 headings: “NICUs description - Level of care” (21), “Ability to perform drug trials: NICU organization and processes (15), “Research Experience” (12), “Scientific competencies and area of expertise” (8), “Quality Management” (16), “Training and educational capacity” (8) and “Public involvement” (6). Sixty-one items were retained and headings were rearranged after the first round, 34 were selected after the second round. A third round was required to validate 13 additional items. The final set includes 47 items divided under 5 headings. Conclusion A set of 47 relevant criteria will help to NICUs that want to implement, conduct or participate in drug trials within a neonatal network identify important issues to be aware of. Summary Points 1) Neonatal trials remain difficult to conduct for several reasons: in particular the need for study sites to have an existing infrastructure in place, with trained investigators and validated quality procedures to ensure good clinical, laboratory practices and a respect for high ethical standards. 2) The present Delphi study was conducted with an international multidisciplinary panel of 25 experts from 13 countries and aims to identify the major criteria considered necessary for selecting neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) that are able to perform drug evaluations competently. 3) Of the 86 items initially selected and classified under 7 headings - “NICUs description - Level of care” (21), “Ability to perform drug trials: NICU organization and processes (15), “Research Experience” (12), “Scientific competencies and area of expertise” (8), “Quality Management” (16), “Training and educational capacity” (8) and “Public involvement” (6) - 47 items were selected following a three rounds Delphi process. 4) The present consensus will help NICUs to implement, conduct or participate in drug trials within a neonatal network.
Optimal estimation in functional linear regression for sparse noise‐contaminated data

In this article, we propose a novel approach to fit a functional linear regression in which both the response and the predictor are functions. We consider the case where the response and the predictor processes are both sparsely sampled at random time points and are contaminated with random errors. In addition, the random times are allowed to be different for the measurements of the predictor and the response functions. The aforementioned situation often occurs in longitudinal data settings. To estimate the covariance and the cross‐covariance functions, we use a regularization method over a reproducing kernel Hilbert space. The estimate of the cross‐covariance function is used to obtain estimates of the regression coefficient function and of the functional singular components. We derive the convergence rates of the proposed cross‐covariance, the regression coefficient, and the singular component function estimators. Furthermore, we show that, under some regularity conditions, the estimator of the coefficient function has a minimax optimal rate. We conduct a simulation study and demonstrate merits of the proposed method by comparing it to some other existing methods in the literature. We illustrate the method by an example of an application to a real‐world air quality dataset. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 47: 524–559; 2019 © 2019 Statistical Society of Canada
Biproportional Techniques in Input-Output Analysis: Table Updating and Structural Analysis

This paper introduces the rest of this issue of Economic Systems Research, which is dedicated to the contributions of Sir Richard Stone, Michael Bacharach, and Philip Israilevich. It starts out with a brief history of biproportional techniques and related matrix balancing algorithms. We then discuss the RAS algorithm developed by Sir Richard Stone and others. We follow that by evaluating the interpretability of the product of the adjustment parameters, generally known as R and S. We then move on to discuss the various formal formulations of other biproportional approaches and discuss what defines an algorithm as 'biproportional'. After mentioning a number of competing optimization algorithms that cannot fall under the rubric of being biproportional, we reflect upon how some of their features have been included into the biproportional setting (the ability to fix the value of interior cells of the matrix being adjusted and of incorporating data reliability into the algorithm). We wind up the paper by pointing out some areas that could use further investigation.
The middle Pleistocene extinction of bathyal benthic foraminifera in the South Atlantic (ODP sites 1082 and 1088) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Earth Science at Massey University

The youngest major turnover in deep-sea benthic foraminifcra (termed the Stilostomella extinction) is documented in two ODP s ites in the South Atlantic Ocean. This study is the first detailed investigation of its kind in this region, and reveals the pulsed decline and eventual extinction of 33 species of e longate, cylindrical benthic foraminifcra belonging to the families Stilostomellidac, Pleurostomellidae, and part of the Nodosariidae during the mid-Pleistocene climatic transition (MPT, ~ 1200 600 ka). Furthermore, the Stilostomella extinction is limited to elongate spec ies with highly specific apertural characteristics (e.g. cribrate, s lit lunate, and hooded with secondary teeth) , such as Chrysalogonium, Ellipsoglandulina , and Pleurostomella spec ies, respectively. Micropaleontolog ical and sedimentological data from lower bathyal Sites I 082 and I 088 ( 1290 m and 2082 m water depth, respectively) provide a proxy record of oceanographic changes in the South Atlantic Ocean through the MPT. This study compares the timing and causes of the Stilostomella extinction between two highly contrasting environmental settings in relation to paleoceanographic history, sediment regime and paleoproductivity. In the South Atlantic, the abundance and accumulation rate of Ext inction Group (EG) taxa began to decline between ~ I 070 and I 000 ka at both core sites. The rate of decline was pulsed, with major declines usual ly associated with cool periods, and partial recoveries during intervening warm periods. The timing of highest occurrences (HOs) was diachronous between sites, and the final Stilostomella extinction datum is marked by the uppermost occurrence of Myllostomella matanzana and Siphonodosaria sagrinensis at ~ 705 ka in Site 1082, and Myllostomelfa matanzana and Pleurostomella alternans at ~600 ka in Site I 088 . This corresponds with the previously documented global Stilostomella extinction datum within the period of 700 and 570 ka. Detailed comparisons with North Atlantic and Southwest Pacific studies confirm the highly diachronous nature of HOs of EG species, a nd furthermore, revea l that there is a lead time of ~ I 00 kyr between HOs of the same species in the North Atlantic, compared with the South Atlantic.
An architectural framework for supporting heterogeneous instruction-set architectures

An architectural framework that allows software applications and operating system code written for a given instruction set to migrate to different, higher performance architectures is described. The framework provides a hardware mechanism that enhances application performance while keeping the same program behavior from a user perspective. The framework is designed to accommodate program exceptions, self-modifying code, tracing, and debugging. Examples are given for IBM System/390 operating-system code and AIX utilities, showing the performance potential of the scheme using a very long instruction word (VLIW) machine as the high-performance target architecture. <<ETX>>