Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Eight Weeks of Aerobic Training on Some Myocardial Fibrosis Indices in Cardiac Muscle of Diabetic Rats

Background. Myocardial fibrosis is identified as a major side effect of Diabetes Mellitus on the heart. Some biomarkers including the ratio of matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in collagen synthesis and collagen degradation are clinically useful in the diagnosis and identification of myocardial fibrosis. In addition, regular aerobic exercise training is one of the major and non-pharmacological solutions for preserving and promoting cardiovascular health. Objectives. Thus, the current research aims at investigating the effect of aerobic training on levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1) in diabetic rats. Methods. 30 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (healthy control, diabetic control, and exercise diabetic). Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin at 55 mg/kg per body weight. The exercise program comprised eight weeks of running on a bar for 60 minutes at a speed of 25 m/min. Biopsy was carried out 48 h after the last exercise session, and cardiac levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 values were measured by the ELISA sandwich method. Results. The findings of the current research indicated that diabetes induction caused significant increase in cardiac levels of MMP-9 and significant reduction of TIMP-1 compared to the healthy group. In addition, it was revealed that the implementation of 8 weeks-aerobic exercise significantly reduced cardiac levels of MMP-9 and significantly increased TIMP-1 compared to the group without exercise. Conclusions. The execution of aerobic training in diabetic rats inhibited progressive factors of myocardial fibrosis and thus fibrosis risk in diabetic heart is
Stellar Structure of Dark Stars: A First Phase of Stellar Evolution Resulting from Dark Matter Annihilation

Dark stars are the very first phase of stellar evolution in the history of the universe: the first stars to form (typically at redshifts z ∼ 10–50) are powered by heating from dark matter (DM) annihilation instead of fusion (if the DM is made of particles which are their own antiparticles). We find equilibrium polytropic configurations for these stars; we start from the time DM heating becomes important (M ∼ 1–10 M☉) and build up the star via accretion up to 1000 M☉. The dark stars, with an assumed particle mass of 100 GeV, are found to have luminosities of a few times 106 L☉, surface temperatures of 4000-10,000 K, radii ~1014 cm, and lifetimes of at least 0.5 Myr and are predicted to show lines of atomic and molecular hydrogen. Dark stars look quite different from standard metal-free stars without DM heating: they are far more massive (e.g., ~800 M☉ for 100 GeV WIMPs), cooler, and larger and can be distinguished in future observations, possibly even by JWST or TMT.
Teaching Students and Teaching Each Other: The Importance of Peer Learning for Teachers

Using longitudinal elementary school teacher and student data, we document that students have larger test score gains when their teachers experience improvements in the observable characteristics of their colleagues. Using within-school and within-teacher variation, we further show that a teacher's students have larger achievement gains in math and reading when she has more effective colleagues (based on estimated value-added from an out-of-sample pre-period). Spillovers are strongest for less-experienced teachers and persist over time, and historical peer quality explains away about twenty percent of the own-teacher effect, results that suggest peer learning.
Regulatory Tradeoffs in Designing Concession Contracts for Infrastructure Networks

This paper studies the joint effect of economic and political inequalities on redistributive taxation and institutional quality. The theoretical model suggests that income inequality, coupled with political bias in favor of the rich, decreases redistribution and lowers institutional quality. The effect of the former is to increase productive investment, and the effect of the latter is to decrease it—with resulting ambiguous implications for economic growth. Testing these predictions empirically in a panel of countries, the paper finds that inequality has a negative effect on both institutional quality and redistribution, especially in non-democratic countries.
Machine Authorship In Situ

News-writing bots have been applied in news production. However, findings remain equivocal about how machine authorship is received by readers. To understand the inconsistency in past findings, this study conducted a 2 (purported writer: human vs. machine) × 2 (news organization: the New York Times vs. Fox News) × 2 (news type: spot news vs. interpretive news) between-subjects online experiment (N = 355) to examine how the identity of news writers, human vs. machine, would impact the processing and evaluation of the news writer and the news as context varies. Findings suggest that machine-written news induced less emotional involvement and was perceived as more objective. However, machine writer was perceived as of less expertise compared with its human counterpart. On the selected issues (Obamacare, LGBT rights, and refugee admission), news purported to be released by Fox News was less trusted by the participants than the New York Times. For a media organization whose news was more trusted, utilizing news-writing bots enhanced perceived news objectivity. Otherwise, employing bots further reduced perception of the writer’s trustworthiness and expertise. Furthermore, machine authorship enhanced perceived news credibility more prominently when writing a genre that demanded more information processing. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Theory of Mind and the Whole Brain Functional Connectivity: Behavioral and Neural Evidences with the Amsterdam Resting State Questionnaire

A topic of common interest to psychologists and philosophers is the spontaneous flow of thoughts when the individual is awake but not involved in cognitive demands. This argument, classically referred to as the “stream of consciousness” of James, is now known in the psychological literature as “Mind-Wandering. ” Although of great interest, this construct has been scarcely investigated so far. Diaz et al. (2013) created the Amsterdam Resting State Questionnaire (ARSQ), composed of 27 items, distributed in seven factors: discontinuity of mind, theory of mind (ToM), self, planning, sleepiness, comfort, and somatic awareness. The present study aims at: testing psychometric properties of the ARSQ in a sample of 670 Italian subjects; exploring the neural correlates of a subsample of participants (N = 28) divided into two groups on the basis of the scores obtained in the ToM factor. Results show a satisfactory reliability of the original factional structure in the Italian sample. In the subjects with a high mean in the ToM factor compared to low mean subjects, functional MRI revealed: a network (48 nodes) with higher functional connectivity (FC) with a dominance of the left hemisphere; an increased within-lobe FC in frontal and insular lobes. In both neural and behavioral terms, our results support the idea that the mind, which does not rest even when explicitly asked to do so, has various and interesting mentalistic-like contents.
Essays on Entrepreneurship

The wettability of rocks and minerals significantly affects the safety and efficiency of energy-related subsurface operations. However, the interplays between chemical reactions and wettability alterations have received only limited attention until now. To address this knowledge gap, in this chapter, we describe our study of the effects of salinityinduced chemical reactions on biotite’s wettability changes under relevant subsurface conditions. Biotite was reacted at 95 °C and 102 atm of CO2 for 70 h in solutions with salinities of 0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 M NaCl. Then, static and dynamic water contact angles on the reacted biotite basal surfaces were measured using a captive drop method. As a result of enhanced biotite dissolution at higher salinities, increased roughness, more negatively charged surfaces, and higher densities of hydroxyl groups on the biotite surfaces made biotite basal surface more hydrophilic. These results provide new information about the
Abnormal breathing of sudden cardiac arrest victims described by laypersons and its association with emergency medical service dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction

Background Current guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) emphasise that emergency medical service (EMS) dispatchers should identify sudden cardiac arrest (CA) with abnormal breathing and assist lay rescuers performing CPR. However, lay rescuers description of abnormal breathing may be inconsistent, and it is unclear how EMS dispatchers provide instruction for CPR based on the breathing status of the CA victims described by laypersons. Methods and results To investigate the incidence of abnormal breathing and the association between the EMS dispatcher-assisted CPR instruction and layperson CPR, we retrospectively analysed 283 witnessed CA cases whose information regarding breathing status of CA victims was available from population-based prospective cohort data. In 169 cases (59.7%), laypersons described that the CA victims were breathing in various ways, and that the victims were ‘not breathing’ in 114 cases (40.3%). Victims described as breathing in various ways were provided EMS dispatch-instruction for CPR less frequently than victims described as ‘not breathing’ (27.8% (47/169) vs 84.2% (96/114); p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression showed that EMS dispatch-instruction for CPR was associated significantly with layperson CPR (adjusted OR, 11.0; 95% CI, 5.72 to 21.2). Conclusions This population-based study indicates that 60% of CA victims showed agonal respiration, which was described as breathing in various ways at the time of EMS call. Although EMS dispatch-instruction was associated significantly with an increase in layperson CPR, abnormal breathing was associated with a much lower rate of CPR instruction and, in turn, was related to a much lower rate of bystander CPR.
A self-adaptive mesh method for the Camassa-Holm equation

A self-adaptive mesh method is proposed for the numerical simulations of the Camassa-Holm equation based on its integrable semi-discretization. It is an integrable scheme, possessing the N-soliton solution (see J. Phys. A, 41 355205). Moreover, it is called a self-adaptive mesh method, because the non-uniform mesh is driven and adapted automatically by the solution. Once the non-uniform mesh is evolved, the solution is determined by solving a tridiagonal linear system. Due to these two superior features of the method, the numerical results of the propagation and interactions of soliton and cuspons agree with exact ones very well even by a small number of grid points.
GENERALIZED SCALAR–TENSOR THEORY AND THE COSMIC ACCELERATION

In this paper it is shown that a simple functional form of ω(ϕ) in a generalized scalar–tensor theory can drive the present cosmic acceleration without any quintessence field or the cosmological constant Λ. Furthermore, it ensures a smooth transition from a decelerated to an accelerated phase of expansion in the matter-dominated regime.
Financial Reform: What Shakes it? What Shapes it?

What accounts for the worldwide advance of financial reforms in the last quarter century? Using a new index of financial liberalization, we find that influential events shook the policy status quo. Balance-of-payments crises spurred reforms, but banking crises set liberalization back. Falling global interest rates strengthened reformers, while new governments went both ways. The overall trend toward liberalization, however, reflected pressures and incentives generated by initial reforms that raised the likelihood of additional reforms, stimulated further by the need to catch up with regional reform leaders. In contrast, ideology and country structure had limited influence.
Neospora caninum and Leishmania infantum Co-Infection in Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) in Meshkin-Shahr District, Northwestern Iran

Background: Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis (MVL) is an infectious disease that affects both human and animals. Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are principal reservoir hosts of MVL caused by Leishmania infantum. Dogs are definitive hosts for Neospora caninum and a risk factor for infecting intermediate hosts. The immunosuppression caused by visceral leishmaniasis (VL) can promote the occurrence of co-infections with other agents such as neosporosis. This study aimed to determine the frequency of co-infection of the both protozoan parasites in the endemic areas of VL from Meshkin-Shahr District, north-west of Iran. Methods: Altogether, 171 serum samples were collected from domestic dogs of Meshkin-Shahr District by multistage cluster sampling from October 2008 to August 2009. The collected serum samples were tested for the detection of simultaneous infection of L. infantum and N. caninum using direct agglutination test (DAT) and indirect ELISA, respectively. Results: Of the 171 domestic dogs, 27 (15.8%) and 52 (30.4%) were showed antibodies against L. infantum and N. caninum, respectively. Simultaneous infections of N. caninum and L. infantum was found in 16 (9.4%) of the dogs. In VL-positive and VL-negative dogs, N. caninum infection was found in 59.3% and 25.0%, respectively. A statistically significant difference was found between VL-positive and VL-negative dogs with N. caninum infection (P= 0.001). Conclusion: These findings indicate that Meshkin-Shahr District in northwestern Iran is an active focus of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL). Neospora caninum and L. infantum co-infection is prevalent in the area and infection by L. infantum seems to enhance susceptibility to N. caninum infection in domestic dogs.
Kinematic Calibration for Redundantly Actuated Parallel Mechanisms

In this paper we present simulation and experimental results for kinematic calibration algorithms using a planar seven-bar 2-d.o. f. redundantly actuated parallel mechanism. Although simple in appearance and identical to the non-redundant case, random joint errors due to the internal forces generated by the additional actuators make kinematic calibration more difficult. With a few exceptions, previous works in kinematic calibration ignored this issue and concentrated on the common non-redundant situation. Force redundancy aspects in closed chain mechanisms have also been extensively presented in the scientific community, however calibration related concerns have not been specifically addressed. Kinematic calibration for our mechanism is performed in state of redundant actuation within the enlarged workspace of the mechanism. Tool plate information is acquired using a laser ball bar and the mechanism’s kinematic calibration parameters are identified using an optimization algorithm. For the constant joint offsets case introduced by internal forces the accuracy of the tool plate after kinematic calibration improved by 25%. © 2002 ASME
Apoptosis in Cardiovascular Diseases: Mechanism and Clinical Implications

Apoptosis is a tightly regulated, cell deletion process that plays an important role in various cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction, reperfusion injury, and heart failure. Since cardiomyocyte loss is the most important determinant of patient morbidity and mortality, fully understanding the regulatory mechanisms of apoptotic signaling is crucial. In fact, the inhibition of cardiac apoptosis holds promise as an effective therapeutic strategy for cardiovascular diseases. Caspase, a critical enzyme in the induction and execution of apoptosis, has been the main potential target for achieving anti-apoptotic therapy. Studies suggest, however, that a caspase-independent pathway may also play an important role in cardiac apoptosis, although the mechanism and potential significance of caspase-independent apoptosis in the heart remain poorly understood. Herein we discuss the role of apoptosis in various cardiovascular diseases, provide an update on current knowledge about the molecular mechanisms that govern apoptosis, and discuss the clinical implications of anti-apoptotic therapies.
HYPERCOMPETITIVE PERFORMANCE: ARE THE BEST OF TIMES GETTING SHORTER?

Hypercompetition has been theorized to make competitive advantage increasingly more difficult to sustain in a wide range of industries. Further, sustained competitive advantage is now held to be less a matter of a single advantage maintained over time and more a matter of concatenating over time a sequence of advantages. This research examines 6772 firms in 40 industries over 25 years to discover which industries, if any, exhibit performance that is consonant with hypercompetitive behavior.
Analisis Faktor-Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Minat Berwirausaha Pada Mahasiswa Program Studi Manajemen Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Kadiri

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui minat berwirausaha dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi minat berwirausaha pada mahasiswa Prodi Manajemen Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Kadiri. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif kuantitatif. Populasi penelitian ini diambil dari mahasiswa Prodi Manajemen dengan sampel penelitian sebanyak 74 mahasiswa. Teknik penentuan sampel yang digunakan adalah Purposive Sampling . Teknik analisis data yang digunakan menggunakan SEM ( Structural Equation Model ) dimana alat yang dgunakan untuk mengembangkan model memakai Smart PLS3. Sedangkan untuk mencari faktor yang memengaruhi minat berwirausaha menggunakan analisis faktor yang disebut Exploratory Factor Analysis. Berdasarkan hasil analisis data dan pembahasan dapat ditarik kesimpulan bahwa minat berwirausaha mahasiswa prodi Manajemen Fakultas Ekoonomi Universitas Kadiri sangat tinggi dan dari hasil uji statistik dari beberapa faktor yang mempengaruhi minat berwirausaha mahasiswa pada mahasiswa adalah faktor inovasi dan kreatifitas serta lingkungan teknologi. Sedangkan faktor-faktor yang lain seperti lingkungan sosial dan keluarga serta memiliki modal tidak signifikan, karena nilai t-statistiknya dibawah dari nilai kritis ±1,96. Kata kunci : Minat berwirausaha, faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi minat berwirausaha
Detection and Characterization of Metabolites in Biological Matrices Using Mass Defect Filtering of Liquid Chromatography/High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Data

An improved mass defect filter (MDF) method employing both drug and core structure filter templates was applied to the processing of high resolution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) data for the detection and structural characterization of oxidative metabolites with mass defects similar to or significantly different from those of the parent drugs. The effectiveness of this approach was investigated using nefazodone as a model compound, which is known to undergo multiple common and uncommon oxidative reactions. Through the selective removal of all ions that fall outside of the preset filter windows, the MDF process facilitated the detection of all 14 nefazodone metabolites presented in human liver microsomes in the MDF-filtered chromatograms. The capability of the MDF approach to remove endogenous interferences from more complex biological matrices was examined by analyzing omeprazole metabolites in human plasma. The unprocessed mass chromatogram showed no distinct indication of metabolite peaks; however, after MDF processing, the metabolite peaks were easily identified in the chromatogram. Compared with precursor ion scan and neutral loss scan techniques, the MDF approach was shown to be more effective for the detection of metabolites in a complex matrix. The comprehensive metabolite detection capability of the MDF approach, together with accurate mass determination, makes high resolution LC/MS a useful tool for the screening and identification of both common and uncommon drug metabolites.
Universally meager sets

We study category counterparts of the notion of a universal measure zero set of reals. We say that a set A C R1 is universally meager if every Borel isomorphic image of A is meager in IR. We give various equivalent definitions emphasizing analogies with the universally null sets of reals. In particular, two problems emerging from an earlier work of Grzegorek are solved.
LARGE-SCALE KALMAN FILTERING USING THE LIMITED MEMORY BFGS METHOD

The standard formulations of the Kalman filter (KF) and exten ded Kalman filter (EKF) require the storage and multiplication of matrices of size , where is the size of the state space, and the inversion of matrices of size , where is the size of the observation space. Thus when both and are large, implementation issues arise. In this paper, we advocate the use of the limited memory BFGS method (LBFGS) to address these issues. A detailed description of how to use LBFGS within both the KF and EKF methods is given. The methodology is then tested on two examples: the first is la rge-scale and linear, and the second is small scale and nonlinear. Our results indicate that the resulting methods , which we will denote LBFGS-KF and LBFGS-EKF, yield results that are comparable with those obtained using KF and EKF, respectively, and can be used on much larger scale problems.
Progress of cancer research on astrocyte elevated gene-1/Metadherin (Review)

Tumor development is initiated by an accumulation of numerous genetic and epigenetic alterations that promote tumor initiation, invasion and metastasis. Astrocyte elevated gene-1 [AEG-1; also known as Metadherin (MTDH) and Lysine-rich CEACAM1 co-isolated (LYRIC)] has emerged in recent years as a potentially crucial mediator of tumor malignancy, and a key converging point of a complex network of oncogenic signaling pathways. AEG-1/MTDH has a multifunctional role in tumor development that has been found to be involved in the following signaling cascades: i) The Ha-Ras and PI3K/Akt pathways; ii) the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway; iii) the ERK/mitogen-activated protein kinase and Wnt/β-catenin pathways; and iv) the Aurora-A kinase signaling pathway. Studies have established that AEG-1/MTDH is crucial in tumor progression, including transformation, the evasion of apoptosis, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis. In addition, recent clinical studies have convincingly associated AEG-1/MTDH with tumor progression and poor prognosis in a number of cancer types, including hepatocellular, esophageal squamous cell, gallbladder and renal cell carcinomas, breast, non-small cell lung, prostate, gastric and colorectal cancers, and glioma, melanoma, neuroblastoma and osteosarcoma. AEG-1/MTDH may be used as a biomarker to identify subgroups of patients who require more intensive treatments and who are likely to benefit from AEG-1/MTDH-targeted therapies. The therapeutic targeting of AEG-1/MTDH may simultaneously block metastasis, suppress tumor growth and enhance the efficacy of chemotherapeutic treatments.
Emotions and failure in academic life: Normalising the experience and building resilience

Abstract While a wealth of evidence exists about failure in organisational settings and the emotions evoked by failure, researchers have paid less attention to failure and its related emotional consequences in academic life. Given that failure is often a cause of significant stress, which in turn can lead to damaging consequences, we argue that this is an issue deserving of greater consideration. In this article, we adopt Ashkanasy’s five-level model of emotion in organisations, and explore the potential role of emotions in academics’ experiences of failure at five levels: within-person, between-persons, interpersonal interactions, groups and teams (and leadership), and organisation-wide. In doing so, we draw on findings from scholarly literature, anecdotal evidence, and our own experiences as academics to build arguments. Following discussion of the model, we suggest how academics might begin to normalise the experience of failure in academia and to build resilience in the coming generations of young scholars.