Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coronary Heart Disease Knowledge Test: Developing a Valid and Reliable Tool

This study tested the validity and reliability of a written test designed to assess knowledge of coronary heart disease (CHD) and its risk factors. The subjects were 93 males diagnosed with CHD. Subjects were classified into a treatment group (n = 48) or a control group (n = 45) based on whether or not they participated in a cardiac rehabilitation program (CRP). An additional 38 subjects were used to pilot test the original form of the knowledge test, which consisted of 80 multiple-choice questions. Content validity was established by a five-member jury of cardiac rehabilitation experts. Each question was rated using a Likert-type scale. Questions that did not receive an average rating of at least four were eliminated. The revised form was pilot tested for validity and internal consistency with the discrimination index (point biserial correlation coefficient) and the Kuder-Richardson formula 20 (KR-20). Questions with a discrimination index of less than 0.14 were eliminated; thus, the final form of the test consisted of 40 questions. Validation of this test yielded difficulty ratings (DRs) between 0 percent and 98 percent, with an average DR of 63 percent. Construct validation indicated that the average test score of subjects participating in a CRP was significantly higher than that of non-participants (t = 3.51, df = 91, p ≤ 0.01). The internal-consistency reliability of the test was 0.84. The results indicate that this test is a valid and reliable tool for assessing patients' knowledge of CHD and its risk factors.
Effects of HRM practices, lean production practices and lean duration on performance

Abstract The purpose of this research is to investigate the structural relationships between HRM practices, lean production practices, operational performance and firm performance of manufacturing firms that have implemented lean production. The data were collected from the firms operating in Sri Lanka, which fulfilled the selection criteria set for the study. Statistical techniques were used to test the hypothesized relationships. It was found that lean production practices and operational performance mediate the relationship between HRM practices and firm performance; lean duration moderates the relationship between HRM practices and lean production practices in such a way that the longer the duration, the greater would be the adoption of lean production practices. The essential contribution of the findings lie in presenting empirical data valuable for the advancement of research in HRM as well as for making decisions on people management when implementing advanced manufacturing technologies.
Preliminary Reports and the Rates of Publication of Follow‐up Reports in Peer‐reviewed, Indexed Journals

Purpose To test the hypothesis that articles published as “preliminary” or “pilot” reports are followed by more definitive publications in only a minority of cases. Method A survey of Medline was performed for reports pubished in 1992 in journals listed in the Abridged Index Medicus that had the word “preliminary” or “pilot” in the title. For identified reports, a Medline search of publications in 1992 through 1999 was performed, using lead author's name, second author's name, and senior (last) author's name, and at least one keyword based on the publication title. Preliminary and pilot publications were subdivided by type of study (controlled clinical study, case series, laboratory or nonclinical) and by the report of either positive or negative results. Rates of publication based on study design and publication bias were compared using the chi-square test for statistical significance. Results The rate of publication of follow-up reports within seven years of the initial publication was 27%. Follow-up studies of controlled clinical studies (40%) were published more frequently than were those of laboratory or nonclinical studies (31%) or case series (22%), but these differences were not significant (p > .10). There was no statistically significant difference in follow-up publication rates based on publication bias. Conclusion Only 27% of studies published as preliminary or pilot reports were subsequently followed by a more definitive publication. While the words preliminary and pilot suggest that publication of further, refined work is pending, this is often not the case.
The Hyper‐Pract Study: A multicentre survey on the accuracy of the echocardiographic assessment of hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy in clinical practice

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) assessed by echocardiography has a relevant impact in clinical decision making in hypertensive patients. We investigated the precision and accuracy of hypertensive LVH determination in current clinical practice by a regional‐based survey. The study included 211 patients with essential hypertension consecutively attending six hospital outpatient hypertension clinics in the northern Italian region of Lombardy; all subjects had undergone an echocardiographic examination for hypertension‐related problems in a non‐academic or research ultrasound laboratory within 2 years. The original echocardiographic report was examined to ascertain whether the diagnosis of LVH was based on calculation of left ventricular (LV) mass according to validated formulae and indexed to body size (primary outcome) and whether LV geometrical patterns and indices of diastolic function were provided (secondary outcome). A total of 211 echocardiograms performed by 120 physicians operating in 73 different hospital and out‐of‐hospital ultrasound laboratories were collected. Absolute LV mass, LV mass index and relative wall thickness were calculated in 45.5%, 24.6% and 12.3% of the cases, respectively. Parameters of LV diastolic filling were measured in two‐thirds of the cases and estimation of E/A ratio was provided by less than 20% of the examinations. This study shows that a large majority of echocardiographic examinations, routinely performed in hypertensive subjects in order to detect cardiac damage, do not report qualifying data on LV mass, LV geometry and diastolic function. These results indicate that a quantitative assessment of LVH and LV function is rarely provided in clinical practice.
SEN virus infection

The SEN virus (SEN‐V) belongs to a recently discovered group of DNA viruses whose members (SEN‐V‐D and SEN‐V‐H) are associated with post‐transfusion hepatitis. It is a single‐stranded circular, non‐enveloped DNA virus of ∼3600 to ∼3800 nucleotides with at least three open reading frames (ORFs). Eight different strains of SEN‐V have been identified and provisionally classified as members of the Circoviridae family, a group of small, single‐stranded, non‐enveloped circular DNA viruses that includes the TT virus (TTV), TUS01, SANBAN, PMV and YONBAN. Prevalences in different populations show great variability with marked differences between different countries and groups. Although parenteral transmission is very likely, other routes of transmission cannot be excluded. Mother to infant transmission has been demonstrated. The effect of SEN‐V on chronic liver diseases has been studied. The influence of SEN‐V on the response to HCV therapy was investigated in three studies, with contradictory results. Data for other acute and chronic liver diseases are sparse. Further studies are needed to define the pathogenesis and clinical importance of SEN‐V infection. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tunable Multi-Tap Bandpass Microwave Photonic Filter Using a Windowed Fabry-Pérot Filter-Based Multi-Wavelength Tunable Laser

A center frequency-tunable multi-tap bandpass microwave photonic filter (MPF) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A specially designed multi-wavelength fiber ring laser, in which a windowed Fabry-Pérot (FP) filter is used as the wavelength selection and power control component, has been developed to serve as the optical source for the MPF. By adjusting the windowed FP filter, both the wavelength spacing and power profile of the multi-wavelength laser can be changed. The output of the optical source is phase modulated by a microwave signal. 25 km of single-mode fiber (SMF) is then used to act as a dispersive medium to introduce time delays between taps. Thus, a tunable bandpass response is obtained at the output of a high-speed photodetector (PD). In addition, the passband centered at DC is removed due to the use of phase modulation. The experimental results show that more than 45 wavelengths can be generated in the multi-wavelength ring laser. With the electronic tuning of the wavelength spacing, tuning of the passband center frequency of the MPF by 3 GHz is achieved.
Optimal Risk-Sharing in Pension Funds When Stock and Labor Markets are Co-Integrated

A well established believe in the pension industry is that collective pension funds should take more stock market risk (compared to individual retirement accounts) since risk may be shared with future generations. We extend the OLG model of Gollier (2008) by adding labor income risk in the spirit of Benzoni, Collin-Dufresne, and Goldstein (2007) and show that this idea may be misguided. For the empirical range of parameter values reported by Benzoni et. al., we find that optimal risk-sharing actually implies that collective pension funds should take less stock market risk, not more. If labor income and dividend income are co-integrated, efficient risk-sharing policies should transfer risk from future generations to current generations instead of the other way around. Furthermore, we find that the potential welfare gains from intergenerational risk-sharing are significantly lowered.
The ClpC ATPase of Listeria monocytogenes is a general stress protein required for virulence and promoting early bacterial escape from the phagosome of macrophages

Under stress conditions, the facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes produces a ClpC ATPase, which is a general stress protein encoded by clpC and belonging to the HSP‐100/Clp family. A ClpC‐deficient mutant was obtained by gene disruption in strain LO28, which became highly susceptible to stress conditions in vitro. Intracellular growth of this mutant was restricted within macrophages, one of the major target cells of L. monocytogenes, during the infectious process. A quantitative electron microscope study showed that, contrary to wild‐type bacteria that rapidly gain access to the cytoplasm of macrophages, mutant bacteria remained confined to membrane‐bound phagosomes. Only a few mutant bacteria disrupted the phagosome membrane after 4 h of incubation, then polymerized actin filaments and multiplied within the cytoplasm. The ClpC ATPase, therefore, promotes early bacterial escape from the phagosome of macrophages, thus enhancing intracellular survival. The ClpC ATPase was produced in vivo during experimental infection by wild‐type bacteria. The virulence of the ClpC‐deficient mutant was severely attenuated in mice, with a three‐log decrease in its 50% lethal dose compared with wild‐type bacteria. Bacterial growth of mutant bacteria was strongly restricted in organs, presumably because of an impairment of intracellular survival in host tissues. Our results provide evidence that a general stress protein is required for the virulence of L. monocytogenes, which behaves as a virulence factor promoting intracellular survival of this pathogen.
Chemical and Sensorial Characteristics of Olive Oil Produced from the Lebanese Olive Variety ‘Baladi’

The olive oil quality, nutritional and sensorial characteristics are associated with the chemical composition, which is the result of a complex interaction between several environmental, agronomical and technological factors. The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of the geographical origin, harvesting time and processing system on the chemical composition and sensorial characteristics of olive oils produced from the Lebanese olive ‘Baladi’. Samples (n = 108) were collected from North and South Lebanon, at three different harvesting times and from four processing systems. Results showed a strong effect of origin, processing system and harvest time on oil quality, fatty acid composition, total phenols and OSI. The early harvest showed higher total phenols content (220.02 mg GAE/Kg) and higher OSI (9.19 h). Moreover, samples obtained from sinolea and 3-phases recorded the lowest free acidity (0.36% and 0.64%), and the highest OSI (9.87 and 9.84 h). Consumers were not unanimous regarding the studied factors, although samples recording high ranks were mostly from South using sinolea, 3-phases and press systems at early and intermediate harvest. The overall findings suggest that the selection of the harvesting time and of the processing system could have significant influence on the characteristics of the olive oil.
Expression of the Type 1 Pneumococcal Pilus Is Bistable and Negatively Regulated by the Structural Component RrgA

ABSTRACT The pneumococcal type 1 pilus, which is present in 25 to 30% of clinical isolates, has been associated with increased adherence and inflammatory responses and is being evaluated as a potential vaccine candidate. Here we show that expression of the pilus is bistable as a result of the molecular interaction between the transcription activator RrlA and a structural component of the pilus called RrgA. Sampling various clinical pneumococcal isolates that harbor the type 1 pilus-encoding islet, we show that distinct populations of cells can be identified with either undetectable or prominent pilus expression. When these two populations are separated and regrown in liquid medium, they are phenotypically different: the nonexpressing population reverts to the previous bimodal distribution, whereas the expressing population retains the same high level of pilus expression. Controlled exogenous expression of the regulatory pilus gene rlrA in a strain from which the endogenous version has been deleted increases pilus expression steadily, suggesting that the bistable expression of the pilus observed in wild-type cells is dependent on the native rlrA promoter. Finally, we demonstrate that RrgA is a negative regulator of pilus expression and that this repression is likely mediated through direct interaction with RlrA. We conclude that type 1 pilus expression in pneumococcus exhibits a bistable phenotype, which is dependent upon the molecular interplay between the RlrA and RrgA proteins. We suggest that this flexibility in expression may assist adaptation to a range of immune conditions, such as evasion of antipilus antibodies, within potential hosts.
Subtle Immunodeficiency in Severe Asthma: IgA and IgG2 Correlate with Lung Function and Symptoms

Background: Atopy, increased serum IgE and eosinophilic airway inflammation are common in asthma and may indicate aberrant immune responses, but the cause(s) are unknown. It was hypothesized that differences in serum immunoglobulins, immunoglobulin free light chains (FLC) and secretory IgA (sIgA) would exist between subjects with asthma of varying severity and normal subjects, and the levels would correlate with lung function, symptoms and airway inflammation. Methods: Serum IgG, IgA, IgE and IgM, IgG subclasses and FLC, and bronchoalveolar lavage sIgA were evaluated from 15 normal subjects, 9 mild and 22 severe asthmatics with similar atopic status. Asthma symptoms were obtained by questionnaire, and airway inflammation was assessed by immunostaining for five inflammatory cell types. Results: Immunoglobulin levels in all groups were generally within the normal range. However, IgA and IgG were lower in severe asthmatics than normal subjects (overall p = 0.006 and 0.02, respectively). IgA, but not IgG, correlated with lung function and asthma symptoms (r-values >0.58; p-values <0.009). Although similar among the groups, higher sIgA and IgG2 also positively correlated with lung function and negatively with asthma symptoms (r-values >0.63; p-values <0.009). IgA and IgG/IgG1 positively correlated with tissue mast cells. Conclusions: Subtle alterations in IgA- and IgG2-mediated responses in asthma may be disease-related. As their levels are generally normal, it is possible that the quality/repertoire of immune protection provided by these isotypes, perhaps against carbohydrate epitopes, may be altered in asthma.
"Then What Am I Paying You For?" Student Attitudes Regarding Pre-Class Activities for the Flipped Classroom.

Existing research on student acceptance of the flipped classroom in higher education is somewhat equivocal: some students appreciate the opportunities for active learning that a flipped classroom affords, whereas others expect their learning to occur via in-class lectures. The current study sought to disentangle some of these mixed results by manipulating aspects of hypothetical flipped and traditional classroom environments through a vignette comparison approach. In the first study, a third of the participants reported a preference for a flipped classroom that utilized video lectures as the primary pre-class preparation activity, in comparison to a traditional classroom characterized by at-home reading and in-class lecture. In contrast, the second study demonstrated that half of the sample preferred the flipped approach when the pre-class participation activity was presented as a menu of choices including, but not limited to, video lectures. Across both studies and class preferences, quantitative and qualitative analyses indicated that participants believed they would learn more in their chosen class environment, and they attributed more positive personal characteristics to their preferred instructor. Implications for instructors contemplating a switch to the flipped classroom from a more traditional approach are discussed.
The Medal War in Peacetime: Examining Nationalistic Notions Embedded in CCTV’s Coverage of Gymnastics in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics

Abstract The development of modern sports in China, to a large extent, has been motivated by nationalism. This study examines the Chinese Central Television’s (CCTV) full gymnastics broadcast (over 14 hours) of the 2016 Rio Olympics by content analysis, uncovering that CCTV held clear favoritism toward home athletes, particularly in a context in which Chinese gymnasts were largely unsuccessful. CCTV’s evident preference toward home athletes echoes an “us vs. them” dichotomy in which the network is inclined to seek superiority over other countries by enthusiastically complimenting in-group members. This study sheds light on sports nationalism in Chinese sports cultures, with theoretical and practical implications provided.
Changes of gray matter volume and amplitude of low-frequency oscillations in amnestic MCI: An integrative multi-modal MRI study

Background Numerous studies have reported that the amnestic-type mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients have impaired brain structural integrity and functional alterations separately. Purpose To investigate the changes of gray matter and amplitude of low-frequency oscillations in patients with aMCI by combining structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Material and Methods Thirty-four patients with aMCI and 34 controls were recruited. We adopted optimized voxel-based morphometry to detect regions with gray matter volume (GMV) loss induced by aMCI. Then regional differences in amplitude of slow-4 band (0.027–0.073 Hz) oscillations among these regions between patients and healthy controls were examined. Both slow-4 amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and slow-4 fractional ALFF (fALFF; the relative amplitude that resides in the low frequencies) were employed. Results Patients with aMCI demonstrated significant GMV loss in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), bilateral hippocampus, right superior parietal gyrus, left insula and left middle temporal gyrus (P < 0.01). The patients exhibited significant decreases of slow-4 ALFF in the left hippocampus (P = 0.05) and PCC (P = 0.02), while the decreased slow-4 fALFF was detected in PCC (P = 0.01) and increased slow-4 fALFF in vMPFC (P = 0.03). In PCC, aMCI and controls exhibited significant different GMV-fALFF correlation (P < 0.05), with opposite correlation trend. Conclusion The correlates between anatomical deficits and functional alterations in aMCI suggest that anatomical and functional deficits are linked to each other. The differences of GMV-fALFF correlations demonstrated altered anatomical-functional relationship in aMCI.
Immunochemical localization of calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase I

Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase I (CaM kinase I) was originally identified in rat brain based on its ability to phosphorylate site 1 of synapsin I. Recently a cDNA for the rat brain enzyme has been cloned and the primary structure elucidated [Picciotto et al. (1993), J. Biol. Chem., 268:26512–26521]. The rat cDNA encoded a protein of 374 amino acids with a calculated Mr of 41,636. Antibodies have now been raised against the recombinant kinase expressed in E. coli as a glutathione‐S‐transferase fusion protein. Immunoblot analysis of rat cortex lysates revealed two major immunoreactive bands of ∼Mr 38,000 and 42,000. Minor immunoreactive species of slightly lower Mr were also detected. Two distinct CaM kinase I activities were partially purified from rat brain and shown to correspond to the two major immunoreactive species. A variety of immunoreactive species of Mr 35–43,000 were detected in “brain” tissue from cow, zebra finch, goldfish, Xenopus, lamprey, and Drosophila. In rat brain, immunocytochemistry revealed strong staining in cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, brain stem, and choroid plexus. The labelling was mainly observed in neuropil but clusters of intensely labelled neuronal cell bodies were also detected all along the neuraxis. Neuronal nuclei and glial cells did not appear to be stained. Subcellular fractionation studies confirmed the cytosolic localization of the kinase in the brain. In various rat non‐neuronal tissues and in a number of cell lines, immunoreactive species of ∼Mr 38,000 and ∼42,000 were detected at lower levels than that detected in brain. The Mr 38,000 and 42,000 species were also found in different ratios and at different levels in the non‐neuronal tissues. These results support a role for CaM kinase I in the regulation of multiple neuronal processes. Furthermore, the widespread cell and tissue distribution suggests that CaM kinase I may function as a ubiquitous multi‐functional protein kinase. Finally, the multiple immunoreactive species may represent isoforms of CaM kinase I. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dynamic profiles of volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath as determined by a coupled PTR-MS/GC-MS study

In this phenomenological study we focus on dynamic measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath under exercise conditions. An experimental setup efficiently combining breath-by-breath analyses using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) with data reflecting the behaviour of major hemodynamic and respiratory parameters is presented. Furthermore, a methodology for complementing continuous VOC profiles obtained by PTR-MS with simultaneous SPME/GC-MS measurements is outlined. These investigations aim at evaluating the impact of breathing patterns, cardiac output or blood pressure on the observed breath concentration and allow for the detection and identification of several VOCs revealing characteristic rest-to-work transitions in response to variations in ventilation or perfusion. Examples of such compounds include isoprene, methyl acetate, butane, DMS and 2-pentanone. In particular, both isoprene and methyl acetate exhibit a drastic rise in concentration shortly after the onset of exercise, usually by a factor of about 3–5 within approximately 1 min of pedalling. These specific VOCs might also be interpreted as potentially sensitive indicators for fluctuations of blood or respiratory flow and can therefore be viewed as candidate compounds for future assessments of hemodynamics, pulmonary function and gas exchange patterns via observed VOC behaviour.