Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peak Power Output Is Similarly Recovered After Three- and Five-Days’ Rest Following Sprint Interval Training in Young and Older Adults

(1) Background: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) exerts effects indicative of improved health in young and older populations. However, prescribing analogous training programmes is inappropriate, as recovery from HIIT is different between young and older individuals. Sprint interval training (SIT) is a derivative of HIIT but with shorter, maximal effort intervals. Prior to prescribing this mode of training, it is imperative to understand the recovery period to prevent residual fatigue affecting subsequent adaptations. (2) Methods: Nine older (6M/3F; mean age of 70 ± 8 years) and nine young (6M/3F; mean age of 24 ± 3 years) participants performed a baseline peak power output (PPO) test. Subsequently, two SIT sessions consisting of three repetitions of 20 s ‘all-out’ stationary cycling bouts interspersed by 3 minutes of self-paced recovery were performed. SIT sessions were followed by 3 days’ rest and 5 days’ rest on two separate occasions, in a randomised crossover design. PPO was measured again to determine whether recovery had been achieved after 3 days or after 5 days. (3) Results: Two-way repeated measure (age (older, young) × 3 time (baseline, 3 days, 5 days)) ANOVA revealed a large effect of age (p = 0.002, n2p = 0.460), with older participants having a lower PPO compared to young participants. A small effect of time (p = 0.702, n2p = 0.022), and a medium interaction between age and time (p = 0.098, n2p = 0.135) was observed. (4) Conclusions: This study demonstrates both young and older adults recover PPO following 3 and 5 days’ rest. As such, both groups could undertake SIT following three days of rest, without a reduction in PPO.
Externalities and the nucleolus

In most economic applications, externalities prevail: the worth of a coalition depends on how the other players are organized. We show that there is a unique natural way of extending the nucleolus from (coalitional) games without externalities to games with externalities. This is in contrast to the Shapley value and the core for which many different extensions have been proposed.
PTPRK Expression Is Downregulated in Drug Resistant Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines, and Especially in ALDH1A1 Positive CSCs-Like Populations

Background: Ovarian cancer is the 7th most common cancer and 8th most mortal cancer among woman. The standard treatment includes cytoreduction surgery followed by chemotherapy. Unfortunately, in most cases, after treatment, cancer develops drug resistance. Decreased expression and/or activity of protein phosphatases leads to increased signal transduction and development of drug resistance in cancer cells. Methods: Using sensitive (W1, A2780) and resistant ovarian cancer cell lines, the expression of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Type K (PTPRK) was performed at the mRNA (real-time PCR analysis) and protein level (Western blot, immunofluorescence analysis). The protein expression in ovarian cancer tissues was determined by immunohistochemistry. Results: The results showed a decreased level of PTPRK expression in ovarian cancer cell lines resistant to cisplatin (CIS), paclitaxel (PAC), doxorubicin (DOX), topotecan (TOP), vincristine (VIN) and methotrexate (MTX). Additionally, the lower PTPRK expression was observed in Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family Member A1 (ALDH1A1) positive cancer stem cells (CSCs) population, suggesting the role of PTPRK downregulation in primary as well as acquired resistance to cytotoxic drugs. Conclusions: These results provide important insights into the role of PTPRK in mechanism leading to drug resistance in ovarian cancer and has raised important questions about the role of imbalance in processes of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation.
Effects of Training Specificity on the Lactate Threshold and V̇O2 Peak

We examined the effects of training specificity on the lactate threshold (LT) and VO2peak. Sixteen male subjects completed VO2peak/LT protocols on the cycle ergometer (CE) and treadmill (TM) before and after a training program. The subjects were assigned to run training (N = 5), cycle training (N = 6), and control groups (N = 5). Subjects trained 4 day/week for 10 weeks at approximately 89% of pre-training VO2peak. Results indicated that run training increased VO2 at LT (VO2LT) within both the CE and TM protocols (17.9 to 22.5 ml/kg.min-1 for CE, 22.7 to 36.0 ml/kg.min-1 for TM, p less than 0.05) with the 58.5% increase in VO2LT for TM being greater than the 30.3% increase for CE (p less than 0.05). Cycle training resulted in a 38.7% increase in CE VO2LT (19.7 to 27.4 ml/kg.min-1, p less than 0.05) with no significant improvement in TM VO2LT (23.6 to 24.0 ml/kg.min-1). Similar increases in VO2peak were observed for CE and TM protocols for both cycle and run training groups (VO2peak increased by 11.9 to 20.7% in both CE and TM regardless of training mode). No changes were observed in the control group for any variable. The present data suggest that increases in LT resulting from training may be specific to the mode of exercise.
Implications of energy declination for speech synthesis

This paper examines whether observed phenomena in energy declination can be used to improve the naturalness of synthetic speech. In two production experiments different aspects of intensity fall-off within utterances are analysed including degree of stress, phrase length, phrase boundaries. Energy manipulation was carried out using diphone synthesis as a basis for generating stimuli for perception tests in English and Danish. The results of the listening experiments, in which different versions of a paragraph were ranked for naturalness indicate that amplitude differences can contribute to greater naturalness. However, it is apparent that fine-tuning of amplitude requires good quality synthesis at the more basic prosodic levels.
Sex-Specific Signaling in the Blood–Brain Barrier Is Required for Male Courtship in Drosophila

Soluble circulating proteins play an important role in the regulation of mating behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. However, how these factors signal through the blood–brain barrier (bbb) to interact with the sex-specific brain circuits that control courtship is unknown. Here we show that male identity of the blood–brain barrier is necessary and that male-specific factors in the bbb are physiologically required for normal male courtship behavior. Feminization of the bbb of adult males significantly reduces male courtship. We show that the bbb–specific G-protein coupled receptor moody and bbb–specific Go signaling in adult males are necessary for normal courtship. These data identify sex-specific factors and signaling processes in the bbb as important regulators of male mating behavior.
High Performance Resonant Tunneling Diode Oscillators for THz Applications

This paper presents monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) resonant tunneling diode (RTD) oscillator with high performance: high power at high frequencies. The circuit topology employs two In0.53Ga0. 47As/AlAs RTDs in parallel and each device is biased individually. These oscillators operate at 125GHz, 156GHz and 166 GHz with output power 0.34 mW, 0.24 mW and 0.17 mW respectively. These are highest power reported for RTD oscillators in D-band (110 GHz-170 GHz) frequency range. The phase noise of the RTD oscillators was characterized and is reported. This work demonstrates the circuit-based RTD oscillator design approach to increase the output power of RTD oscillators at millimeter-waves.
Analysis of landscape evolution in a vulnerable coastal area under natural and human pressure

Abstract To preserve integrity and functioning of coastal ecosystems services, monitoring and protection actions have to be realized on an ecosystem perspective and consider an integrated observing approach. We implemented a multidisciplinary study, based on remote sensing and geophysical techniques, landscape ecology tools, and geospatial data analysis for monitoring a coastal area (Basilicata Ionian coast) with a high concentration of forest ecosystems services: five Natura 2000 protected sites, intensive agriculture, and touristic infrastructures. The analysis of landscape evolution performed within five protected sites over about 30 years (1985–2013) shows the presence of different processes acting along the investigated coast. Where coniferous forests were involved in marked fragmentation processes geophysical measurements highlighted saltwater infiltrations in superficial layers. Since severe shoreline changes interested the investigated littoral, erosional processes could have increased the saltwater intrusion phenomena favoring the forest degradation and limiting its recovery after fires. Touristic activities do not seem to alter the forest evolution except for very localized segments. The implemented study suggests that the integration of remote sensing and in situ information coupled with landscape ecology perception can be a suitable support tool for planning and management activities in coastal areas (e.g. ecological interventions, and earthen block or barrage construction).
Prevalence of thalassemia in pregnant women at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of thalassemia including alpha-thalassemia-1 trait (SEA type), beta-thalassemia trait, hemoglobin E (HbE) trait, homozygous HbE, the combination of alpha-thalassemia-1 (SEA type) and beta-thalassemia trait, alpha-thalassemia-1 (SEA type) and hemoglobin E trait, and beta-thalassemia hemoglobin E disease in pregnant women. METHOD A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, from 1 August to 31 October 2001. All subjects had blood taken for diagnosis of thalassemia trait or diseases, based on quantitative electrophoresis, and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technique RESULTS 516 pregnant women were recruited 81.0% resided in Chiang Mai province, and the remainder were in other northern provinces of Thailand. The mean (+/-SD) age was 27.7+/-6.3 years old. 5.6% of cases had anemia. Overall prevalence of thalassemia trait was 25.4% which were classified as follows: alpha-thalassemia-1 (SEA type) trait 6.6%, beta-thalassemia trait 3.7%, hemoglobin E trait 11.6%, homozygous hemoglobin E 0.8%, the combination of alpha-thalassemia-1 (SEA type) and beta-thalassemia trait 1.2% and the combination of alpha-thalassemia-1 (SEA type) and hemoglobin E trait 1.5%. Additionally, the authors also found beta-thalassemia hemoglobin/E disease 0.2%. CONCLUSION The prevalence of thalassemia carriers among pregnant women at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai hospital was high, indicating the necessity of a screening thalassemia program aimed at prevention and control of this disease.
Identifying Biomarkers and Drug Targets Using Systems Biology Approaches for Pancreatic Cancer.

1Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, PR China, 233004 2University of Mississippi Cancer Institute, Jackson, MS, USA, 39216 3Department of Pathology and Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA, 48201 4Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bengbu Medical College, Anhui, PR China, 233030 5Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA, 02215
Reproducibility and Validity of a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire for Dietary Assessment in Children Aged 7–9 Years in Spain

The purpose of this study was to examine if the short semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is a reliable and valid tool to assess the diet of Spanish children aged 7–9 years. We collected data from 156 children of the birth cohort INMA (Infancia y Medio Ambiente (Environment and Childhood)). Children’s parents or care-givers completed a 46-item FFQ on two occasions over a 9–12-month period about the children’s diet. To explore the reproducibility of the FFQ, the nutrient and food group intake collected from the both FFQs were compared, while validity was examined by contrasting the nutrient values from the FFQs and the average of three 24-hour dietary recalls (24hDRs) taken in this period, and also with the concentration of several vitamins in the blood (carotenoids, vitamin D and α-tocopherol). Pearson and de-attenuated correlation coefficients were calculated. The average correlation coefficients for nutrient intake’s reproducibility was 0.41, ranging from 0.25 (calcium) to 0.65 (β-carotene), and for food group intake was 0.45, ranging from 0.18 (cereals) to 0.68 (sweetened beverages). Correlation coefficients slightly improved when we compared energy-adjusted intakes. The average correlation coefficients for validity against 24hDRs was 0.34 for energy-adjusted intakes, and 0.39 when de-attenuation coefficients were used. The validity coefficients against the blood concentrations of vitamins were 0.38 for β-cryptoxanthin, 0.26 for lycopene, 0,23 for α-carotene and 0.15 for β-carotene, all of them statistically significant (p < 0.05). This study suggests that our brief FFQ is a suitable tool for the dietary assessment of a wide range of nutrients and food groups in children 7–9 years, despite the low to moderate reproducibility and validity observed for some nutrients.
Bioavailability and Uptake of Lead by Coffeeweed (Sesbania exaltata Raf.)

Lead (Pb) is recognized as one of the most pervasive environmental health concerns in the industrialized world. While there has been a substantial reduction in the use of Pb in gasoline, water pipes, and Pb-based residential paint, residual Pb from their use is still in the environment and constitutes an important source of Pb in the atmosphere, water, and soil. Soil acts as a sink for these anthropogenic sources of Pb, accumulating the deposits over time in the upper 2 – 5 cm of undisturbed soil. Generally, Pb binds strongly to soil particles and renders a significant soil-metal fraction insoluble and largely unavailable for phytoremediation or plant uptake. A major objective of current phytoremediation research, therefore, is to induce desorption of Pb from the soil matrix into solution and increase the propensity for plant uptake. We hypothesized that the bioavailability of Pb for plant uptake can be increased through chelate amendments. To test this hypothesis, we mixed delta top soil and peat (2:1) and added lead nitrate [Pb (NO3)2] to generate a Pb-contaminated soil concentration of 2000 mg Pb/kg dry soil. After incubating the Pb-spiked soil in a greenhouse for 6 weeks, Sesbania plants were grown in the soil and harvested at 6, 8, and 10 weeks after emergence. Six days before each harvest, a chelating agent, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was applied to the root zone as an aqueous solution in a 1:1 ratio with the Pb concentration in the soil. Sequential extraction procedures were used to assess selective chemical fractions of Pb in the soil. Our results showed that a higher exchangeable fraction of Pb was available for plant uptake after chelate amendment compared to pre-chelate amendment. We also saw higher root and shoot Pb uptake after chelate amendment compared to pre-chelate amendment, especially at 10 weeks after emergence. Together, these results suggest that chelate amendments can promote the bioavailability of Pb in the soil and increased the propensity for uptake by plants into roots and shoots. Further, these results indicate that Sesbania exaltata can be grown under elevated Pb conditions and may be suitable as a potential crop rotation species for phytoextraction.
The ties that bind: genetic relatedness predicts the fission and fusion of social groups in wild African elephants

Many social animals live in stable groups. In contrast, African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) live in unusually fluid, fission–fusion societies. That is, ‘core’ social groups are composed of predictable sets of individuals; however, over the course of hours or days, these groups may temporarily divide and reunite, or they may fuse with other social groups to form much larger social units. Here, we test the hypothesis that genetic relatedness predicts patterns of group fission and fusion among wild, female African elephants. Our study of a single Kenyan population spans 236 individuals in 45 core social groups, genotyped at 11 microsatellite and one mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) locus. We found that genetic relatedness predicted group fission; adult females remained with their first order maternal relatives when core groups fissioned temporarily. Relatedness also predicted temporary fusion between social groups; core groups were more likely to fuse with each other when the oldest females in each group were genetic relatives. Groups that shared mtDNA haplotypes were also significantly more likely to fuse than groups that did not share mtDNA. Our results suggest that associations between core social groups persist for decades after the original maternal kin have died. We discuss these results in the context of kin selection and its possible role in the evolution of elephant sociality.
Herpes: Issues Under the Cold Sore

Herpes simplex virus is a widespread disease affecting about one-third of the world's population. Many individuals suffer from its painful and debilitating manifestations, which greatly impact daily living and can lower one's self-esteem and confidence. It is therefore vital to understand this disease process including its acquisition, replication, transmission, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment in order to better manage patients. While herpes can have many negative consequences, it also appears to offer some benefit to humans through a symbiotic relationship. In this review of herpes, there are three important points that need to be emphasized. First, herpes can be found in all organs throughout the human body and not just the dorsal root ganglion. Secondly, herpes has been proven to be recurrent by laboratory testing. Thirdly, hospitals should institute respiratory (not merely skin) precautions for herpes zoster due to potential airborne transmission.
Investigations on the changes in anaerobic biodegradability and biotoxicity of an industrial microbial biomass induced by a thermochemical pretreatment.

In the anaerobic digestion of solid wastes, hydrolysis is the rate limiting step and physicochemical pretreatment is often required to promote solubilization of organic matter. As an illustration, anaerobic digestion was limited by the substrate solubilization step during continuous cultures performed with an industrial microbial biomass. In optimal operating conditions determined for the hydrolysis-acidogenesis step (T = 35 degrees C; pH = 8.5; OLR = 5.4 g COD/l.d) 50.6% COD solubilization was achieved. A thermochemical pretreatment based on sodium hydroxide addition, was used in order to enhance COD solubilization. Optimal conditions for COD solubilization were pH = 12, T = 140 degrees C for 30 minutes. In these conditions, 70% COD solubilization was achieved. However, anaerobic biodegradability of the pretreated substrate was not improved and remained near 40%. The poor anaerobic biodegradability performances were attributed to the soluble molecules generated during the thermochemical pretreatment that were refractory and/or inhibitory to anaerobic microorganisms. Fractionation of the soluble pretreated microbial biomass by two methods (treatment with adsorbent resins and precipitation by pH adjustment) demonstrated that high molecular weight compounds (> 100 kDa) are involved in the poor biodegradability and in the biotoxicity observed. Partial decolorization through resin use and acid precipitation remove these compounds. The consequence of their removal was an increase of the production of biogas.
Pathogenetic Mechanisms and Cardiovascular Risk

OBJECTIVE To ascertain to which extent the use of HbA1c and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for diagnosis of glucose tolerance could identify individuals with different pathogenetic mechanisms and cardiovascular risk profile. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 844 subjects (44% men; age 49.5 ± 11 years; BMI 29 ± 5 kg/m2) participated in this study. Parameters of β-cell function were derived from deconvolution of the plasma C-peptide concentration after a 75-g OGTT and insulin sensitivity assessed by homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (IR). Cardiovascular risk profile was based on determination of plasma lipids and measurements of body weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure. Glucose regulation categories by OGTT and HbA1c were compared with respect to insulin action, insulin secretion, and cardiovascular risk profile. RESULTS OGTT results showed 42% of the subjects had prediabetes and 15% had type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), whereas the corresponding figures based on HbA1c were 38 and 11%, with a respective concordance rate of 54 and 44%. Subjects meeting both diagnostic criteria for prediabetes presented greater IR and impairment of insulin secretion and had a worse cardiovascular risk profile than those with normal glucose tolerance at both diagnostic methods. In a logistic regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, and BMI, prediabetic subjects, and even more T2DM subjects by OGTT, had greater chance to have IR and impaired insulin secretion. CONCLUSIONS HbA1c identifies a smaller proportion of prediabetic individuals and even a smaller proportion of T2DM individuals than OGTT, with no difference in IR, insulin secretion, and cardiovascular risk profile. Subjects fulfilling both diagnostic methods for prediabetes or T2DM are characterized by a worse metabolic profile.
Development of a four-body statistical pseudo-potential to discriminate native from non-native protein conformations

MOTIVATION Most scoring functions used in protein fold recognition employ two-body (pseudo) potential energies. The use of higher-order terms may improve the performance of current algorithms. METHODS Proteins are represented by the side chain centroids of amino acids. Delaunay tessellation of this representation defines all sets of nearest neighbor quadruplets of amino acids. Four-body contact scoring function (log likelihoods of residue quadruplet compositions) is derived by the analysis of a diverse set of proteins with known structures. A test protein is characterized by the total score calculated as the sum of the individual log likelihoods of composing amino acid quadruplets. RESULTS The scoring function distinguishes native from partially unfolded or deliberately misfolded structures. It also discriminates between pre- and post-transition state and native structures in the folding simulations trajectory of Chymotrypsin Inhibitor 2 (CI2).
TRMM precipitation bias in extreme storms in South America

Deep convective storms in subtropical South America are some of the most intense in the world, and the hydrological cycle plays an important role in both tropical and subtropical South America. Recent studies have suggested that the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar algorithm significantly underestimates surface rainfall in deep convection over land. This study investigates the range of the rain bias in storms containing four different types of extreme radar echoes: deep convective cores, deep and wide convective cores, wide convective cores, and broad stratiform regions over South America. Storms with deep convective cores show the greatest underestimation, and the bias is unrelated to their echo top height. The bias in wide convective cores relates to the echo top, indicating that storms with significant mixed phase and ice hydrometeors are similarly affected by assumptions in the TRMM algorithm. The relationship between storm type and rain bias remains similar in both subtropical and tropical regions.