Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systematic review of studies comparing 24-hour and spot urine collections for estimating population salt intake.

OBJECTIVE To examine the usefulness of urine sodium (Na) excretion in spot or timed urine samples to estimate population dietary Na intake relative to the gold standard of 24-hour (h) urinary Na. METHODS An electronic literature search was conducted of MEDLINE (from 1950) and EMBASE (from 1980) as well as the Cochrane Library using the terms "sodium," "salt," and "urine. " Full publications of studies that examined 30 or more healthy human subjects with both urinary Na excretion in 24-h urine and one alternative method (spot, overnight, timed) were examined. RESULTS The review included 1 380 130 participants in 20 studies. The main statistical method for comparing 24-h urine collections with alternative methods was the use of a correlation coefficient. Spot, timed, and overnight urine samples were subject to greater intra-individual and interindividual variability than 24-h urine collections. There was a wide range of correlation coefficients between 24-h urine Na and other methods. Some values were high, suggesting usefulness (up to r = 0.94), while some were low (down to r = 0.17), suggesting a lack of usefulness. The best alternative to collecting 24-h urine (overnight, timed, or spot) was not clear, nor was the biological basis for the variability between 24-h and alternative methods. CONCLUSIONS There is great interest in replacing 24-h urine Na with easier methods to assess dietary Na. However, whether alternative methods are reliable remains uncertain. More research, including the use of an appropriate study design and statistical testing, is required to determine the usefulness of alternative methods.
International Journal of Nanomedicine Dovepress Novel Stable Cytokine Delivery System in Physiological Ph Solution: Chitosan Oligosaccharide/ Heparin Nanoparticles

Background: Cell therapy is a promising strategy for tissue regeneration. Key to this strategy is mobilization and recruitment of exogenous or autologous stem/progenitor cells by cytokines. However, there is no effective cytokine delivery system available for clinic application, in particular for myocardial regeneration. The aim of this study was to develop a novel cytokine delivery system that is stable in solution at physiological pH. Methods: Four groups of self-assembled chitosan oligosaccharide/heparin (CSO/H) nanopar-ticles were prepared with various volume ratios of chitosan oligosaccharide to heparin (5:2, 5:4, 4:15, 1:5) and characterized by laser diffraction, particle size analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The encapsulation efficiency and loading content of two cytokines, ie, stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were quantified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The biological activity of the loaded SDF-1α and VEGF was evaluated using the transwell migration assay and MTT assay. The dispersion profiles for the cytokine-loaded nanoparticles were quantified using fluorescence molecular tomography. Results: CSO/H nanoparticles were prepared successfully in solution with physiological pH. The particle sizes in the four treatment groups were in the range of 96.2–210.5 nm and the zeta potential ranged from-29.4 mV to 24.2 mV. The loading efficiency in the CSO/H nanoparticle groups with the first three ratios was more than 90%. SDF-1α loaded into CSO/H nanoparticles retained its migration activity and VEGF loaded into CSO/H nanoparticles continued to show proliferation activity. The in vivo dispersion test showed that the CSO/H nanoparticles enabled to VEGF to accumulate locally for a longer period of time. Conclusion: CSO/H nanoparticles have a high cytokine loading capacity and allow cytokines to maintain their bioactivity for longer, are stable in an environment with physiological pH, and may be a promising cytokine delivery system for tissue regeneration.
A self-interacting partially directed walk subject to a force

We consider a directed walk model of a homopolymer (in two dimensions) which is self-interacting and can undergo a collapse transition, subject to an applied tensile force. We review and interpret all the results already in the literature concerning the case where this force is in the preferred direction of the walk. We consider the force extension curves at different temperatures as well as the critical-force temperature curve. We demonstrate that this model can be analysed rigorously for all key quantities of interest even when there may not be explicit expressions for these quantities available. We show which of the techniques available can be extended to the full model, where the force has components in the preferred direction and the direction perpendicular to this. Whilst the solution of the generating function is available, its analysis is far more complicated and not all the rigorous techniques are available. However, many results can be extracted including the location of the critical point which gives the general critical-force temperature curve. Lastly, we generalize the model to a three-dimensional analogue and show that several key properties can be analysed if the force is restricted to the plane of preferred directions.
Treatment options for refractory and difficult to treat seizures: focus on vigabatrin

Complex partial seizures are often refractory to current pharmacological therapies. These difficult to treat seizures are typically managed using multiple antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). AEDs as a group are frequently associated with significant adverse drug effects, multiple drug interactions, and numerous potential clinical complications due to their individual pharmacokinetic profiles and unique drug properties. Recently, the approval of vigabatrin by the US Food and Drug Administration has necessitated that clinicians re-evaluate these risk-benefit relationships and determine where the drug fits within the treatment scheme for the management of complex partial seizures. This review will facilitate that re-evaluation through a brief review of AEDs used in the treatment of complex partial seizures, followed by a focused discussion on vigabatrin.
Algebraic Distance on Graphs

Measuring the connection strength between a pair of vertices in a graph is one of the most important concerns in many graph applications. Simple measures such as edge weights may not be sufficient for capturing the effects associated with short paths of lengths greater than one. In this paper, we consider an iterative process that smooths an associated value for nearby vertices, and we present a measure of the local connection strength (called the algebraic distance; see [D. Ron, I. Safro, and A. Brandt, Multiscale Model. Simul., 9 (2011), pp. 407-423]) based on this process. The proposed measure is attractive in that the process is simple, linear, and easily parallelized. An analysis of the convergence property of the process reveals that the local neighborhoods play an important role in determining the connectivity between vertices. We demonstrate the practical effectiveness of the proposed measure through several combinatorial optimization problems on graphs and hypergraphs.
Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase by cholinergic agonists and EGF in human compared with rat cultured conjunctival goblet cells.

PURPOSE To compare activation of the p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) by cholinergic agonists and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in cultured human and rat goblet cells. METHOD . Conjunctiva was removed from either humans during ocular surgery or male Sprague-Dawley rats and cultured in RPMI medium. These cells were incubated with the cholinergic agonist carbachol (10(-4) M) or EGF (10(-8) M) for various times. Before stimulation, cells were incubated with the EGF receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, AG1478 (10(-7) M) or the muscarinic M(3) receptor inhibitor, 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-(2-chloroethyl)-piperidine hydrochloride (4-DAMP; 10(-5) M) for 10 minutes. Proteins were analyzed by Western blot analysis, using antibodies specific to phosphorylated (activated) p42/44-MAPK or total p42-MAPK. Immunoreactive bands were quantified, and data were expressed as percentage of increase over basal. RESULTS Carbachol (10(-4) M) increased MAPK activity in human and rat cultured goblet cells in a time-dependent manner, increasing pMAPK with a maximum at 10 minutes. EGF (10(-8) M) activated MAPK in human and rat goblet cells in a time-dependent manner with a maximum at 5 minutes. Carbachol- and EGF-induced activation of pMAPK was completely inhibited by AG1478 in cultured conjunctival goblet cells from both species. Carbachol-induced MAPK activity was also completely inhibited by 4-DAMP in both species. CONCLUSIONS In human and rat cultured conjunctival goblet cells, cholinergic agonists and EGF activate MAPK with a similar time dependency, this activation is receptor mediated, and cholinergic agonists transactivate the EGF receptor. Thus, rat cultured conjunctival goblet cells can be used as a model to study human conjunctival goblet cells.
Accuracy of Bicycle Counting with Pneumatic Tubes in Oregon

Interest in counting bicycles and establishing nonmotorized counting programs is increasing, but jurisdictions still struggle with how to integrate bicycle counting into standard practice. In this paper, the authors share findings and recommendations for how to minimize error for bicycle counting from tests conducted in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Transportation. This research studied three types of off-the-shelf pneumatic tube counters for counting bicycles, including equipment from five manufacturers: two bicycle-specific counters, three varieties of motor vehicle classification counters, and one volume-only motor vehicle counter. Tests were conducted both in a controlled environment and in on-road mixed traffic to better identify problems in accuracy. Equipment studied generally undercounted cyclists, especially those in groups. Results from the controlled test with standard bicycles showed that within 10 ft of the counter, the undercounting error ranged from 0% to −12%. In the mixed-traffic test, all the equipment tested tended to undercount with mean percent error ranging from −10% to −73%. Each counter type has pros and cons, but in general, counting accuracy decreased with increases in bicycle and motor vehicle traffic and longer tube lengths. Higher accuracy can be achieved by careful selection of equipment type, classification scheme, and tube configuration. Bicycle speeds given by off-the-shelf pneumatic counting equipment were accurate.
Energy-Efficient Integration of Continuous Context Sensing and Prediction into Smartwatches

As the availability and use of wearables increases, they are becoming a promising platform for context sensing and context analysis. Smartwatches are a particularly interesting platform for this purpose, as they offer salient advantages, such as their proximity to the human body. However, they also have limitations associated with their small form factor, such as processing power and battery life, which makes it difficult to simply transfer smartphone-based context sensing and prediction models to smartwatches. In this paper, we introduce an energy-efficient, generic, integrated framework for continuous context sensing and prediction on smartwatches. Our work extends previous approaches for context sensing and prediction on wrist-mounted wearables that perform predictive analytics outside the device. We offer a generic sensing module and a novel energy-efficient, on-device prediction module that is based on a semantic abstraction approach to convert sensor data into meaningful information objects, similar to human perception of a behavior. Through six evaluations, we analyze the energy efficiency of our framework modules, identify the optimal file structure for data access and demonstrate an increase in accuracy of prediction through our semantic abstraction method. The proposed framework is hardware independent and can serve as a reference model for implementing context sensing and prediction on small wearable devices beyond smartwatches, such as body-mounted cameras.
Transformation and decolonisation of mathematics education for sustainable development: a case study of its learning trend in Nigeria

the quest to contextualise education in Africa has been on-going for a while and many countries have been making efforts towards it. During this time of educational review, conscious efforts should be made to identify problematic levels of some subjects that are dreadful to the learners to pave the way for curriculum re-design for context appropriateness. Mathematics learning in African countries has been a source of concern to all educational stakeholders despite several efforts towards its deconstruction. An examination of performance trend in the subject might reveal at what point the learning started declining and this will suggest intervention towards decolonisation of its content. This study measured the academic performance of pupils from preschool level up to the end of primary education (VI class). A descriptive survey research design was adopted and 720 Primary VI pupils were selected through multi-stage sampling technique in a state in Nigeria. Primary School Mathematics Performance Record Sheet (PSM_PRS) was used to collect mathematics scores from preschool through Primary VI class. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and graphs. Pupils started experiencing major declines in mathematics from Primary III class. Results also indicate no significant difference in the class where male and female pupils’ performances started declining. Therefore, there is the need to review and contextualise mathematics content from third year in primary/elementary school for effective learning. Activity-based and exploratory strategies using contextual experiences and resources to deliver mathematics lessons were recommended for third year in primary/elementary schools and beyond.
Prairie voles as a novel model of socially facilitated excessive drinking

Social relationships strongly affect alcohol drinking in humans. Traditional laboratory rodents do not exhibit social affiliations with specific peers, and cannot adequately model how such relationships impact drinking. The prairie vole is a socially monogamous rodent used to study social bonds. The present study tested the prairie vole as a potential model for the effects of social affiliations on alcohol drinking. Same‐sex adult sibling prairie voles were paired for five days, and then either separated into individual cages, or housed in pairs. Starting at the time of separation, the voles received unlimited access to alcohol in a two‐bottle choice test versus water. Pair‐housed siblings exhibited higher preference for alcohol, but not saccharin, than singly housed voles. There was a significant correlation between the amount of alcohol consumed by each member of a pair when they were housed together (r = 0.79), but not when housed apart (r = 0.20). Following automated analysis of circadian patterns of fluid consumption indicating peak fluid intake before and after the dark phase, a limited access two‐hour two‐bottle choice procedure was established. Drinking in this procedure resulted in physiologically relevant blood ethanol concentrations and increased Fos immunoreactivity in perioculomotor urocortin containing neurons (but not in nucleus accumbens or central nucleus of the amygdala). The high ethanol preference and sensitivity to social manipulation indicate that prairie voles can serve to model social influences on excessive drinking.
Individual Differences, Student Satisfaction and Performance in Supplemental On-line Activities in a Postsecondary Music Course

This study is an extension of our previous research on the infusion of technology into a postsecondary music course to promote the skill of close listening of music. In-class hindrances in higher education classrooms, such as time, equipment, acoustics, and class size, limit student experiences of quality listening and thereby reduce their capacity for learning fundamental features important to hearing differences in musical styles. For this study, we developed on-line, supplemental listening activities using Articulate Storyline, Adobe Connect and the virtual world Open Sim. We pretested students on music experience, computer experience and self-regulation. At the end of each course, students answered a survey on their enjoyment, tendency to recommend, their engagement and perceived increase in understanding of material, and whether or not the activities were worthwhile. In a comparison of 2014 and 2015 results, we found that students with high self-regulation levels rated these items more positively when the content included more advanced musical concepts. We also found that students who thought the on-line activities had increased their understanding of the material engaged more intensively with all the on-line activities than students who praised the convenience or aesthetic experience of the on-line activities.
Interannual variability in the NCEP Reanalysis 1948–1999

We examine horizontally and vertically distributed climate fields in Northern Hemisphere NCEP reanalysis data (1948–1999) for joint modes of spatiotemporal variation. Our analysis is based on the “MTM‐SVD” methodology to isolate significant spatially‐coherent variability with narrowband, oscillatory character. Interannual tropospheric climate variability associated with the ENSO signal is identified in distinct quasibiennial (2–3 yr) and quasiquadrennial (4–6 yr) frequency bands, with evidence of evolution in amplitude over time. From this dataset, there is no clear evidence to support the existence of any other significant oscillatory signal in the troposphere.
Stroke Volume Estimation by Thoracocardiography is Better When Glottis is Closed

Thoracocardiography approach pretends to non- invasively monitor stroke volume by inductive plethysmographic recording of ventricular volume curves by a transducer placed on the chest. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of thoracocardiography to estimate stroke volumes while apnea with open glottis. We hypothesized that, when glottis is open, stroke volumes would be better estimated if airways flow curves were taken into account.
Can Australian medical students’ predictions of peers’ responses assist with gaining reliable results on course evaluations?

Introduction: Student feedback is integral to continuous improvement of medical programmes. A key challenge with student course evaluations is gaining large enough response rates for results to be reliable. This study investigated whether student predictions of peer, rather than personal, responses could address this challenge. Method: An anonymous paper-based student experience of learning and teaching (SELT) survey was distributed to the Year 1–3 medical student cohorts. Students responded to 20 survey statements, using a 6-option Likert-type scale. Ten statements evaluated students’ personal perspectives of the course, while the other 10 statements asked students to predict the most common response by their year cohort. Mean scores between the individual opinion-based and prediction-based statements were compared. An iterative process involving random subsampling was conducted to enable calculation of the minimum required number of responses for a stable outcome for each statement. Results: Two hundred and fifty-nine students participated (response rate 81.7%). Three out of the 10 paired statements in the prediction-based survey accurately predicted the group opinion-based mean. For the remaining seven statement pairs, there were statistically significant (although small) differences in mean. The calculation of mean number of responses required for a stable outcome found that the prediction-based SELT required significantly fewer (189) responses than the opinion-based SELT (215) (95% CI 15.3–35.7, p < 0.001). Conclusions: A prediction-based style of course evaluation using a 6-option Likert-type scale approximated the results gained when asking for individual opinion and required fewer responses to achieve a stable outcome.
Progressive Neural Networks

Learning to solve complex sequences of tasks--while both leveraging transfer and avoiding catastrophic forgetting--remains a key obstacle to achieving human-level intelligence. The progressive networks approach represents a step forward in this direction: they are immune to forgetting and can leverage prior knowledge via lateral connections to previously learned features. We evaluate this architecture extensively on a wide variety of reinforcement learning tasks (Atari and 3D maze games), and show that it outperforms common baselines based on pretraining and finetuning. Using a novel sensitivity measure, we demonstrate that transfer occurs at both low-level sensory and high-level control layers of the learned policy.
A structurational analysis of how course management systems are used in practice

An understanding of the role of e-learning needs to be accompanied by a realisation of the variety of social dimensions in the innovation process. As most studies in this domain are typically context-independent, this research, building on structuration theory, seeks to investigate different interpretations and uses of course management systems (CMSs) in an academic context. For the purpose of this research, a case study has been conducted on the introduction of a CMS in a higher education institution. Findings from this empirical study have been drawn on to illuminate how this system is employed in disparate manners by different groups of academics and what are the reasons behind this discrepancy. The study also demonstrates that the practice lens (Orlikowski, W.J., 2000. Using technology and constituting structures: a practice lens for studying technology in organizations. Organization Science, 11 (4), 404–428), viewing the use of technology as a process of enactment, presents a useful insight for explanation and synthesis of the variations in usage patterns.
Catalytic properties of Al13TM4 complex intermetallics: influence of the transition metal and the surface orientation on butadiene hydrogenation

ABSTRACT Complex intermetallic compounds such as transition metal (TM) aluminides are promising alternatives to expensive Pd-based catalysts, in particular for the semi-hydrogenation of alkynes or alkadienes. Here, we compare the gas-phase butadiene hydrogenation performances of o-Al13Co4(100), m-Al13Fe4(010) and m-Al13Ru4(010) surfaces, whose bulk terminated structural models exhibit similar cluster-like arrangements. Moreover, the effect of the surface orientation is assessed through a comparison between o-Al13Co4(100) and o-Al13Co4(010). As a result, the following room-temperature activity order is determined: Al13Co4(100) < Al13Co4(010) < Al13Ru4(010) < Al13Fe4(010). Moreover, Al13Co4(010) is found to be the most active surface at 110°C, and even more selective to butene (100%) than previously investigated Al13Fe4(010). DFT calculations show that the activity and selectivity results can be rationalized through the determination of butadiene and butene adsorption energies; in contrast, hydrogen adsorption energies do not scale with the catalytic activities. Moreover, the calculation of projected densities of states provides an insight into the Al13TM4 surface electronic structure. Isolating the TM active centers within the Al matrix induces a narrowing of the TM d-band, which leads to the high catalytic performances of Al13TM4 compounds. Graphical abstract