Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of weight loss interventions – is there a difference between men and women: a systematic review

Effective strategies are required to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity; however, the effectiveness of current weight loss programmes is variable. One contributing factor may be the difference in weight loss success between men and women. A systematic review was conducted to determine whether the effectiveness of weight loss interventions differs between men and women. Randomized controlled trials published up until March 2014 were included. Effect sizes (Hedges' g) were used to examine the difference in weight outcomes between men and women. A total of 58 studies met the eligibility criteria with 49 studies of higher quality included in the final data synthesis. Eleven studies that directly compared weight loss in men and women reported a significant sex difference. Ten of these reported that men lost more weight than women; however, women also lost a significant amount of weight. Analysis of effect sizes found small differences in weight loss favouring men for both diet (g = 0.489) and diet plus exercise (g = 0.240) interventions. There is little evidence from this review to indicate that men and women should adopt different weight loss strategies. Current evidence supports moderate energy restriction in combination with exercise for weight loss in both men and women.
Job-Related Ethical Judgment in the Finance Profession

This article investigates the attitudes of 230 finance practitioners with respect to ethical issues in their industry. The respondents' ethical ideology is first measured on the scales of idealism and relativism. Respondents are asked to react to behavior in five scenarios relating to the financial world, ranging from advice on questionable tax avoidance techniques to illegal insider trading. Overall idealism and relativism levels are in line with those found in previous studies of businesspeople in non-financial occupations. Women tend to score higher on idealism and lower on relativism than men, and older respondents exhibit a similar pattern. Age seems to be the major determinant in responses given to professional scenarios; older respondents tend to be stricter in their views, while sex differences are less marked. This result may imply the profession would benefit from increased exposure to ethical issues integrated into academic finance courses and made a part of entry-level job orientation.
Exploring second language speakers’ linguistic identities in ELF communication: a Hong Kong study

Abstract This paper reports on a qualitative inquiry that investigated a group of Hong Kong university students’ perceptions of their linguistic identities in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) communication. The participants of the study were proficient second language (L2) speakers of English who reported to have participated in intercultural ELF communication on a regular basis. By analyzing data gathered via two rounds of in-depth interviews, the study revealed that these participants did not evaluate their “non-native” status negatively but embraced their identities as legitimate and empowered speakers of English in ELF interactions. In addition, they validated their identities as multilingual, multicompetent, and translingual speakers of English with the ability to draw upon a diverse set of multilingual resources flexibly in ELF contexts. The analysis also found that these participants’ linguistic identities were constructed and negotiated in relation to the perceived linguistic competence of other ELF speakers, especially L2 speakers of other cultural/national backgrounds. This paper sheds light on the complexity of linguistic identities in ELF contexts and contributes to the growing ELF research in the Asian context.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Diabetic Hearts Abolishes Erythropoietin-Induced Myocardial Protection by Impairment of Phospho–Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β–Mediated Suppression of Mitochondrial Permeability Transition

OBJECTIVE Alteration in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in diabetic hearts and its effect on cytoprotective signaling are unclear. Here, we examine the hypothesis that ER stress in diabetic hearts impairs phospho–glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β–mediated suppression of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening, compromising myocardial response to cytoprotective signaling. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A rat model of type 2 diabetes (OLETF) and its control (LETO) were treated with tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) (100 mg · kg−1 · day−1 for 7 days), an ER stress modulator. Infarction was induced by 20-min coronary occlusion and 2-h reperfusion. RESULTS Levels of ER chaperones (GRP78 and GRP94) in the myocardium and level of nonphoshopho–GSK-3β in the mitochondria were significantly higher in OLETF than in LETO rats. TUDCA normalized levels of GRP78 and GRP94 and mitochondrial GSK-3β in OLETF rats. Administration of erythropoietin (EPO) induced phosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3β and reduced infarct size (% risk area) from 47.4 ± 5.2% to 23.9 ± 3.5% in LETO hearts. However, neither phosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3β nor infarct size limitation was induced by EPO in OLETF rats. The threshold for mPTP opening was significantly lower in mitochondria from EPO-treated OLETF rats than in those from EPO-treated LETO rats. TUDCA restored responses of GSK-3β, mPTP opening threshold, and infarct size to EPO receptor activation in OLETF rats. There was a significant correlation between mPTP opening threshold and phospho–GSK-3β–to–total GSK-3β ratio in the mitochondrial fraction. CONCLUSIONS Disruption of protective signals leading to GSK-3β phosphorylation and increase in mitochondrial GSK-3β are dual mechanisms by which increased ER stress inhibits EPO-induced suppression of mPTP opening and cardioprotection in diabetic hearts.
Generation gaps and abelianized defects of free products

Abstract Let G be a group of the form , the free product of n subgroups, and let M be a ℤG-module of the form . We shall give formulae in various situations for dℤG (M), the minimum number of elements required to generate M. In particular if C 1, C 2 are non-trivial finite cyclic groups of coprime orders, and F/R ≅ G is the free presentation obtained from the natural free presentations of the two factors, then the number of generators of the relation module, dℤG (R/R′), is 3. It seems plausible that the minimum number of relators of G should be 4, and this would give a finitely presented group with positive relation gap. However we cannot prove this last statement.
Side‐chain flexibility in protein–ligand binding: The minimal rotation hypothesis

The goal of this work is to learn from nature about the magnitudes of side‐chain motions that occur when proteins bind small organic molecules, and model these motions to improve the prediction of protein–ligand complexes. Following analysis of protein side‐chain motions upon ligand binding in 63 complexes, we tested the ability of the docking tool SLIDE to model these motions without being restricted to rotameric transitions or deciding which side chains should be considered as flexible. The model tested is that side‐chain conformational changes involving more atoms or larger rotations are likely to be more costly and less prevalent than small motions due to energy barriers between rotamers and the potential of large motions to cause new steric clashes. Accordingly, SLIDE adjusts the protein and ligand side groups as little as necessary to achieve steric complementarity. We tested the hypothesis that small motions are sufficient to achieve good dockings using 63 ligands and the apo structures of 20 different proteins and compared SLIDE side‐chain rotations to those experimentally observed. None of these proteins undergoes major main‐chain conformational change upon ligand binding, ensuring that side‐chain flexibility modeling is not required to compensate for main‐chain motions. Although more frugal in the number of side‐chain rotations performed, this model substantially mimics the experimentally observed motions. Most side chains do not shift to a new rotamer, and small motions are both necessary and sufficient to predict the correct binding orientation and most protein–ligand interactions for the 20 proteins analyzed.
Supercritical CO2 Extraction of Oilseeds: Review of Kinetic and Equilibrium Models

Mass transfer models on supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO 2 ) extraction of vegetable oils are reviewed, that may facilitate the scale-up of laboratory data for industrial design purposes. Reviewed mechanisms of oil transport within the solid matrix include the desorption from the solid, the formation of a shrinking core of condensed oil in a non-adsorbing porous matrix, and diffusion in a homogenous medium. Analyzed simplificat ions of a general mass transfer model include external control of mass transfer rates, internal control of mass transfer rates, consideration of a linear driving force, and steady state approximations, among others. More complex two-stage models, and critical comparisons of some of the proposed models are also included. Trends for the external mass transfer coefficient and effective diffusivity in the solid matrix from studies on SC-CO 2 extraction of oil from vegetable substrates are thoroughly discussed and contrasted with those obtained using simpler model systems. The possible effect of the axial dispersion on the rate of extraction is also discussed. Finally, the high-pressure vegetable oil-CO 2 phase equilibrium is discussed in connection with its influence on the mass transfer process. Special emphasis is given to the role of the solid matrix on high-pressure phase equilibrium.
Fatalism in India: A Comparison between Hindus and Muslims

The topic with which this paper' deals first began to interest me in 1958 when I was concluding a study of Hindus' reactions to working in a large factory. I had predicted considerable strain on those workers trying to be proper Hindus on the one hand and having to adjust to the demands of industrialism on the other. To my surprise, I found little strain. Some of the chief elements easing the strain, I discovered, were various types of Hindu fatalism. One man stated, "It is my karma to work in the mill. " Another said, "God provided me with an opportunity to work in the mill; that is how I got my job. " With statements such as these, it was not very difficult for me to relate contemporary Hindu views with the teachings of the Upanishads, the Manu Dharmashastra, or the Bhagavad Gita, or to trace their relationships with the classical concepts of karma, dharma, the separation of actions from their results, and even the cycle of reincarnation. Although the fit was not perfect in every case, it was close enough so that I could argue for the view that Hindu fatalism was playing an important part in morally justifying significant social change. I had reached what I felt was a satisfactory plateau of explanation as to why Hindus in this particular factory felt so little strain in being proper Hindus and industrial laborers at the same time when suddenly I recalled that a number of Muslims also worked in the mill. Their willingness to work obviously could not stem from the Gita, karma, or the concept of reincarnation. Since the main question of my study had to do with Hindus and industrialism, I had systematically excluded Muslims from my sample. Now, at the final moment, I wished that I had interviewed a sample of Muslims as well-if only to filter out what
Identification of Ser/Thr kinase and Forkhead Associated Domains in Mycobacterium ulcerans: Characterization of Novel Association between Protein Kinase Q and MupFHA

Background Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer in humans, is unique among the members of Mycobacterium genus due to the presence of the virulence determinant megaplasmid pMUM001. This plasmid encodes multiple virulence-associated genes, including mup011, which is an uncharacterized Ser/Thr protein kinase (STPK) PknQ. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we have characterized PknQ and explored its interaction with MupFHA (Mup018c), a FHA domain containing protein also encoded by pMUM001. MupFHA was found to interact with PknQ and suppress its autophosphorylation. Subsequent protein-protein docking and molecular dynamic simulation analyses showed that this interaction involves the FHA domain of MupFHA and PknQ activation loop residues Ser170 and Thr174. FHA domains are known to recognize phosphothreonine residues, and therefore, MupFHA may be acting as one of the few unusual FHA-domain having overlapping specificity. Additionally, we elucidated the PknQ-dependent regulation of MupDivIVA (Mup012c), which is a DivIVA domain containing protein encoded by pMUM001. MupDivIVA interacts with MupFHA and this interaction may also involve phospho-threonine/serine residues of MupDivIVA. Conclusions/Significance Together, these results describe novel signaling mechanisms in M. ulcerans and show a three-way regulation of PknQ, MupFHA, and MupDivIVA. FHA domains have been considered to be only pThr specific and our results indicate a novel mechanism of pSer as well as pThr interaction exhibited by MupFHA. These results signify the need of further re-evaluating the FHA domain –pThr/pSer interaction model. MupFHA may serve as the ideal candidate for structural studies on this unique class of modular enzymes.
Improving SAT Scores: Pros, Cons, Methods

About 7000 black high school seniors score 1000 or above on the combined Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT). This places them at about the 80th percentile on these tests. The national average is about 900. About 21,000 black high school seniors score 700 or below on the SAT (about the 15th percentile) and are a cause for concern in many circles. These proportions can be made more comparable, and this paper sets forth methods by which this can be achieved. So much controversy surrounds the SAT that it is well to begin with a discussion of this dispute, including the pros and cons of making an effort to improve SAT scores in its context. A large number of individuals argue that it would be wise to use the time and effort necessary to raise SAT scores to concentrate on richer learning experiences which may or may not translate into higher SAT scores but which may serve black youths well as they grow into adulthood. Lynn Cheney, the new director of the National Endowment for the Humanities, for example, has stated flatly-on national television-that the SAT has little relationship to success in college and that students preparing for the SAT might better use their time to master the general curriculum more fully with an eye to doing well on achievement tests. The tests and their maker and progenitor, Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the College Entrance Examination Board, have been investigated by a federal legislative body and sued by a truth-in-testing organization on the same grounds, i.e., lack of power of the SAT to predict success in college. Many individuals are convinced that the tests are simply biased against minorities and women and they can point out item after item to support this contention. As a result of charges of gender bias in scholarship awards based on the SAT, for example, the New York
Courts and Banks: Effects of Judicial Enforcement on Credit Markets

The cost of enforcing contracts is a key determinant of market performance. We document this point with reference to the credit market in a model of opportunistic debtors and inefficient courts. According to the model, improvements in judicial efficiency should reduce credit constraints and increase lending, with an ambiguous effect on interest rates that depends on banking competition and on the type of judicial reform. These predictions are supported by panel data on Italian provinces. In provinces with longer trials or large backlogs of pending trials, credit is less widely available.
BRCA2 regulates DMC1-mediated recombination through the BRC repeats

Significance The function of BRCA2 (breast cancer susceptibility protein 2) in mitotic homologous recombination is well established; this role for BRCA2 includes promotion of RAD51 recombination function by regulating its assembly on DNA. However, loss of BRCA2 also leads to aberrant meiosis. Even though interaction of BRCA2 and the meiotic counterpart of RAD51, DMC1 (DNA meiotic recombinase 1), was reported, the specific role of BRCA2 in meiotic recombination is unknown. We demonstrate that the BRC repeats interact with DMC1 to stimulate both association with ssDNA and homologous DNA pairing. Furthermore, we demonstrate strong stimulation by BRCA2 of DNA strand exchange promoted by DMC1, even using ssDNA complexed with RPA (replication protein-A). These findings define BRCA2 as a mediator of meiotic recombination. In somatic cells, BRCA2 is needed for RAD51-mediated homologous recombination. The meiosis-specific DNA strand exchange protein, DMC1, promotes the formation of DNA strand invasion products (joint molecules) between homologous molecules in a fashion similar to RAD51. BRCA2 interacts directly with both human RAD51 and DMC1; in the case of RAD51, this interaction results in stimulation of RAD51-promoted DNA strand exchange. However, for DMC1, little is known regarding the basis and functional consequences of its interaction with BRCA2. Here we report that human DMC1 interacts directly with each of the BRC repeats of BRCA2, albeit most tightly with repeats 1–3 and 6–8. However, BRC1–3 bind with higher affinity to RAD51 than to DMC1, whereas BRC6–8 bind with higher affinity to DMC1, providing potential spatial organization to nascent filament formation. With the exception of BRC4, each BRC repeat stimulates joint molecule formation by DMC1. The basis for this stimulation is an enhancement of DMC1–ssDNA complex formation by the stimulatory BRC repeats. Lastly, we demonstrate that full-length BRCA2 protein stimulates DMC1-mediated DNA strand exchange between RPA–ssDNA complexes and duplex DNA, thus identifying BRCA2 as a mediator of DMC1 recombination function. Collectively, our results suggest unique and specialized functions for the BRC motifs of BRCA2 in promoting homologous recombination in meiotic and mitotic cells.
Domestic ideas, institutions or interests? Explaining governmental preferences towards global economic governance

Controversies in global economic governance are strongly shaped by domestic societal forces. In some instances, however, governmental positions reflect domestic interests, while ideas influence positions in other instances. Under which conditions do ideas prevail over interests and vice versa? How do they interact with each other and with domestic institutions? I argue that governmental positions predominantly follow interests if the governance issue at stake impacts the cost–benefit calculations of specific sectors, while ideas dominate when sectoral interests are affected in a diffuse way and fundamental questions on the role of politics in steering the economy are at stake. Furthermore, governmental positions tend to be consistent with national institutions, when the global governance issue concerned refers to questions related to domestic patterns of socio-economic regulation. In enhancing the societal approach to international political economy (IPE), the article exemplifies the relevance of these arguments in case studies on the G20 and the International Monetary Fund.
Enacted Stigma, Problem Substance Use, and Protective Factors among Asian Sexual Minority Youth in British Columbia

This study examined enacted stigma and problem substance use among Asian sexual minority youth and the buffering role of protective factors. Logistic regression analyses of a weighted sample of 5,423 Asian youth who completed the 2003 BC Adolescent Health Survey indicated that sexual minority youth were more likely to be victimized compared to heterosexual peers. Furthermore, protective factors, such as involvement in extracurricular activities or healthy connections to peers or school, reduced the likelihood of problem substance use, even among stigmatized youth. The study highlights the need to create safe, supportive school and community environments for Asian sexual minority adolescents.
Hyperthermia inhibits recombination repair of gemcitabine-stalled replication forks.

BACKGROUND Gemcitabine is a potent nucleoside analogue against solid tumors, but development of drug resistance is a substantial problem. Removal of gemcitabine incorporated into DNA by repair mechanisms may contribute to resistance in chemo-refractory solid tumors. Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is usually very chemoresistant to gemcitabine. METHODS We treated HCC in vitro and in vivo (orthotopic murine model with human Hep3B or HepG2 xenografts, 7-10 CB17SCID mice per group) with gemcitabine. The role of homologous recombination repair proteins in repairing stalled replication forks was evaluated with hyperthermia exposure and cell-cycle analysis. The Student t-test was used for two-sample comparisons. Multiple group data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS We demonstrated that Mre11-mediated homologous recombination repair of gemcitabine-stalled replication forks is crucial to survival of HCC cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated inhibition of Mre11 by an exonuclease inhibitor or concomitant hyperthermia. In orthotopic murine models of chemoresistant HCC, the Hep3B tumor mass with radiofrequency plus gemcitabine treatment (mean ± SD, 180±91mg) was statistically significantly smaller compared with gemcitabine alone (661±419mg, P = .0063). CONCLUSIONS This study provides mechanistic understanding of homologous recombination inhibiting-strategies, such as noninvasive radiofrequency field-induced hyperthermia, to overcome resistance to gemcitabine in refractory human solid tumors.
Expanding the social communication model of pain: are adult attachment characteristics associated with observers' pain-related evaluations?

OBJECTIVE Evaluations of another's pain can have important implications in medical, employment, and social settings. Influenced by the Social Communication Model of Pain, this vignette-based study investigated the potential influence of characteristics of the person being evaluated (viz., the coping strategy used by an individual with chronic pain depicted in a vignette) and characteristics of those making evaluations (viz., self-reported attachment anxiety and avoidance of the study participants). The main hypothesis was that participants higher in attachment avoidance would be more critical in their evaluations than those lower in attachment avoidance. METHOD Undergraduate students (N = 267) read 1 of 2 vignettes about an individual experiencing chronic pain, provided ratings of this individual, and completed a measure of adult attachment. The vignettes varied in terms of the pain-related coping strategy (catastrophizing vs. distraction) described. RESULTS Similar to past research, the catastrophizing vignette received more negative ratings than the distraction vignette (e.g., greater disability level), and female participants provided more positive ratings than male participants (e.g., greater deservingness of support). While the attachment variables were unrelated to some dependent variables, consistent with the main hypothesis, attachment avoidance was associated with lower ratings of perceived deservingness of support and desirability as a friend. CONCLUSIONS The current findings suggest that chronic pain patients' coping styles influence evaluations made about them, and that evaluators' gender and attachment characteristics also have important effects on such evaluations.