Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectral characteristics of velocity and vorticity fluxes in an unstratified turbulent boundary layer

Wavenumber spectral characteristics of the velocity and vorticity fluxes in an unstratified turbulent boundary layer are presented. The observed vertical and streamwise velocity spectra agree with empirical forms found in the atmospheric boundary layer. Spectral ratios of 4/3 between the vertical and streamwise velocity spectra and the agreement between the observed vorticity flux quad spectrum and that of isotropic turbulence suggest local isotropy at scales smaller than Z. The normalized cospectrum of the momentum flux agrees remarkably well with the empirical form found in the atmospheric boundary layer. In the inertial subrange the momentum flux cospectrum shows a clear spectral slope of −7/3. The observed composite vorticity flux cospectrum has most of its variance at the streamwise wavenumber kx = (1–10) Z−1 and has a spectral slope of −7/3 in the inertial subrange. The −7/3 spectral slope is consistent with a dimensional argument, assuming that the vorticity flux cospectrum is proportional to the gradient of the mean vorticity, and depends on the turbulence kinetic energy dissipation rate ϵ and the wavenumber. A model turbulent vorticity flux cospectrum is constructed based on the shape of observed spectra, a −7/3 spectral slope in the inertial subrange, and the similarity scaling of the vorticity flux in an unstratified turbulent boundary layer. The turbulence vorticity flux is directly related to the divergence of turbulence momentum flux, the force exerted by turbulence on the mean flow. Therefore our proposed empirical cospectral form of the vorticity fluxes might be useful for turbulence parameterization in numerical models.
Front Squat Data Reproducibility Collected With a Triple-Axis Accelerometer

Caruso, JF, Olson, NM, Taylor, ST, McLagan, JR, Shepherd, CM, Borgsmiller, JA, Mason, ML, Riner, RR, Gilliland, L, and Griswold, S. Front squat data reproducibility collected with a triple-axis accelerometer. J Strength Cond Res 26(1): 40–46, 2012—The purpose of our study was to assess data reproducibility from 2 consecutive front squat workouts, spaced 1 week apart, performed by American college football players (n = 18) as they prepared for their competitive season. For each workout, our methods entailed the performance of 3–6 front squat repetitions per set at 55, 65, and 75% of subject's 1 repetition maximum (1RM) load. In addition, a fourth set was done at a heavier load, with a resistance equal to 80 and 83% of their 1RM values, for the first and second workouts, respectively. A triple-axis accelerometer was affixed to a barbell to quantify exercise performance. Per load, the accelerometer measures peak values for the following indices: force, velocity, and power. To assess data reproducibility, inter–workout comparisons were made for 12 performance indices with 4 statistical test-retest measures: intraclass correlation coefficients, coefficients of variation (CVs), and the SEM expressed in both absolute and relative terms. Current results show that the majority of performance indices exceeded intraclass correlation (0.75–0.80) and CV (10–15%) values previously deemed as acceptable levels of data reproducibility. The 2 indices with the greatest variability were power and velocity values obtained at 55% of the 1RM load; thus, it was concluded that higher movement rates at the lightest load were the most difficult aspect of front squat performance to repeat successfully over time. Our practical applications imply lighter loads, with inherently higher rates of barbell movement, yield lower data reproducibility values.
Application of Karasek's Model on Job Satisfaction of Malaysian Workers

The present study investigates the relationship between psychosocial work environment, namely, job demands, job control and social support and job satisfaction involving 1125 manufacturing workers in Malaysia. Specifically, the study aims at testing the hypotheses of the Job Demand-Control (JDC) model (Karasek, 1979) and Job Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model (Johnson & Hall, 1988; Karasek & Theorell, 1990). Using hierarchical regression, this study finds that both job demands and social support are related to workers’ job satisfaction. The result reveals that job control neither related nor moderated the relationship between job demands and job satisfaction. Contrary to the prediction of JDCS, the joint three-way interaction effect between job demands, job control and social
Discovering Image Semantics in Codebook Derivative Space

The sparse coding based approaches for image recognition have recently shown improved performance than traditional bag-of-features technique. Due to high dimensionality of the image descriptor space, existing systems usually require very large codebook size to minimize coding error in order to get satisfactory accuracy. While most research efforts try to address the problem by constructing a relatively smaller codebook with stronger discriminative power, in this paper, we introduce an alternative solution by enhancing the quality of coding. Particularly, we apply the idea similar to Fisher kernel to the coding framework, where we use the image-dependent codebook derivative to represent the image. The proposed idea is generic across multiple coding criteria, and in this paper, it is applied to enhance the locality-constraint linear coding (LLC). Experiments show that, the extracted new feature, called “LLC+,” achieved significantly improved accuracy on several challenging datasets even with a small codebook of 1/20 the reported size used by LLC. This obviously adds to LLC+ the modeling accuracy, processing speed and codebook training advantages.
Comparison of two immunoassays for measurement of faecal calprotectin in detection of inflammatory bowel disease: (pre)-analytical and diagnostic performance characteristics

Abstract Background: Symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can overlap. Faecal calprotectin has recently been established to be a non-invasive marker for neutrophilic intestinal inflammation. We compared two devices for extraction of faecal calprotectin. Based on these results, two immunoassays for measurement of faecal calprotectin were evaluated. Methods: Samples were extracted using the Thermo Fisher extraction device (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and Smart Pep extraction device (Roche Diagnostics) and measured with the EliA Calprotectin immunoassay (Thermo Fisher Scientific) on ImmunoCAP 250. The performance of both assays was investigated by enrolling 183 consecutive patients (79 males, 104 females; median age 32 years) with clinical suspicion of IBD. Faecal calprotectin was measured using a recently launched immunoassay, EliA Calprotectin in comparison with an established immunochomatographic point-of-care-test (POCT, Quantum Blue Calprotectin; Bühlmann). Results were compared with endoscopic and histological findings. Results: The use of the Thermo Fisher extraction device resulted in an underestimation of faecal calprotectin concentrations, especially in liquid stool samples. IBD was diagnosed in 51/183 patients (27.9%) [Crohn’s disease (CD, n=37), ulcerative colitis (UC, n=14)]. After adjusting the optimal cut-off for detection of IBD using receiver operating curve analysis, a sensitivity of 94.1% and 90.2% and specificity of 87.9% and 90.9% for the EliA and POCT assay, respectively, were obtained. Conclusions: The Thermo Fisher device is not reliable for extraction of faecal calprotectin. The performance characteristics of the EliA Calprotectin assay are statistically equivalent to the Bühlmann POCT.
The Prevalence of Cutaneous Manifestations in IDDM Patients and Their Association With Diabetes Risk Factors and Microvascular Complications

OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to evaluate the frequency of skin manifestations, including the diabetic hand syndrome, in young IDDM patients. In addition, we studied the relation of the cutaneous manifestations to diabetes duration, glycemic control, and microvascular complications. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The frequency of skin manifestations, including the diabetic hand syndrome, were examined in 238 IDDM patients (disease duration >5 years) and 122 healthy control subjects in a cross-sectional study. In addition, we studied the relation of the cutaneous manifestations with diabetes duration, glycemic control, BMI, microvascular complications, and stratum corneum hydration using a stepwise logistic regression. RESULTS Diabetic skin manifestations were detected in 168 of 238 (71%) IDDM patients and in 18 of 122 (14%) of the control subjects. Ichthyosiform skin changes of the shins, scleroderma-like skin changes, tinea pedis, and dry scaly palms were detected in 48 vs. 7%, 39 vs. 0%, 32 vs. 7%, and 21 vs. 0.8% of the patients and control subjects, respectively. In the diabetic patients, a significant association was found between ichthyosis of the shins and sclerodermalike skin changes of the hand (P < 0.001) and between scleroderma-like skin changes and the skin dryness of the palms (P < 0.0001). When diabetic risk factors were considered, diabetes duration was significantly associated with scleroderma-like skin changes and ichthyosis of the shins (P < 0.0001). The latter was also found to be related to diabetic retinopathy (P < 0.0001). Keratosis pilaris was present in 21% of the patients versus 9% in control subjects and was found to be exclusively associated with high BMI. CONCLUSIONS Acquired ichthyosis is a common finding and the most prevalent skin manifestation in young IDDM patients. The development of several skin manifestations in insulin-dependent patients seems to be related to duration of diabetes and to development of diabetic microvascular complications.
The delta opioid receptor antagonist, SoRI‐9409, decreases yohimbine stress‐induced reinstatement of ethanol‐seeking

A major problem in treating alcohol use disorders (AUDs) is the high rate of relapse due to stress and re‐exposure to cues or an environment previously associated with alcohol use. Stressors can induce relapse to alcohol‐seeking in humans or reinstatement in rodents. Delta opioid peptide receptors (DOP‐Rs) play a role in cue‐induced reinstatement of ethanol‐seeking; however, their role in stress‐induced reinstatement of ethanol‐seeking is not known. The objective of this study was to determine the role of DOP‐Rs in yohimbine‐stress‐induced reinstatement of ethanol‐seeking. Male, Long‐Evans rats were trained to self‐administer 10% ethanol in daily 30‐minute operant self‐administration sessions using a FR3 schedule of reinforcement, followed by extinction training. Once extinction criteria were met, we examined the effects of the DOP‐R antagonist, SoRI‐9409 (0–5 mg/kg, i.p.) on yohimbine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) stress‐induced reinstatement. Additionally, DOP‐R‐stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding was measured in brain membranes and plasma levels of corticosterone (CORT) were determined. Pre‐treatment with SoRI‐9409 decreased yohimbine stress‐induced reinstatement of ethanol‐seeking but did not affect yohimbine‐induced increases in plasma CORT levels. Additionally, yohimbine increased DOP‐R‐stimulated 35[S]GTPγS binding in brain membranes of ethanol‐trained rats, an effect that was inhibited by SoRI‐9409. This suggests that the DOP‐R plays an important role in yohimbine‐stress‐induced reinstatement of ethanol‐seeking behavior, and DOP‐R antagonists may be promising candidates for further development as a treatment for AUDs.
The bacterial meta-cleavage hydrolase LigY belongs to the amidohydrolase superfamily, not to the α/β-hydrolase superfamily

Strain SYK-6 of the bacterium Sphingobium sp. catabolizes lignin-derived biphenyl via a meta-cleavage pathway. In this pathway, LigY is proposed to catalyze the hydrolysis of the meta-cleavage product (MCP) 4,11-dicarboxy-8-hydroxy-9-methoxy-2-hydroxy-6-oxo-6-phenyl-hexa-2,4-dienoate. Here, we validated this reaction by identifying 5-carboxyvanillate and 4-carboxy-2-hydroxypenta-2,4-dienoate as the products and determined the kcat and kcat/Km values as 9.3 ± 0.6 s−1 and 2.5 ± 0.2 × 107 m−1 s−1, respectively. Sequence analyses and a 1.9 Å resolution crystal structure established that LigY belongs to the amidohydrolase superfamily, unlike previously characterized MCP hydrolases, which are serine-dependent enzymes of the α/β-hydrolase superfamily. The active-site architecture of LigY resembled that of α-amino-β-carboxymuconic-ϵ-semialdehyde decarboxylase, a class III amidohydrolase, with a single zinc ion coordinated by His-6, His-8, His-179, and Glu-282. Interestingly, we found that LigY lacks the acidic residue proposed to activate water for hydrolysis in other class III amidohydrolases. Moreover, substitution of His-223, a conserved residue proposed to activate water in other amidohydrolases, reduced the kcat to a much lesser extent than what has been reported for other amidohydrolases, suggesting that His-223 has a different role in LigY. Substitution of Arg-72, Tyr-190, Arg-234, or Glu-282 reduced LigY activity over 100-fold. On the basis of these results, we propose a catalytic mechanism involving substrate tautomerization, substrate-assisted activation of water for hydrolysis, and formation of a gem-diol intermediate. This last step diverges from what occurs in serine-dependent MCP hydrolases. This study provides insight into C–C–hydrolyzing enzymes and expands the known range of reactions catalyzed by the amidohydrolase superfamily.
Screening for rectal chlamydia infection in a genitourinary medicine clinic

Our department has been offering routine rectal chlamydia testing to all individuals reporting ano-receptive sex since 2002. We wanted to determine the prevalence of rectal chlamydia and if there were any factors associated with a positive diagnosis. A retrospective case-notes analysis was performed of all individuals tested for rectal chlamydia from November 2002 until March 2005. In total, 1187 case-notes were examined. Overall, the prevalence of chlamydia infection was 8.5%; in asymptomatic individuals, it was 5.1%. There was a positive association with chlamydia infection in patients who were HIV-positive, those who reported rectal symptoms and from samples in which microscopy of a rectal smear demonstrated >10 polymorphonuclear cells/high power field. The findings support our continuing to offer rectal chlamydia screening to patients attending our service. Chlamydia trachomatis infection should be considered as a possible diagnosis in patients who present with rectal symptoms outside a genitourinary medicine clinic setting.
Case-based reasoning: A review

Abstract Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) is a relatively recent problem solving technique that is attracting increasing attention. However, the number of people with first-hand theoretical or practical experience of CBR is still small. The main objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject to people new to CBR. The paper outlines the development of CBR in the US in the 1980s. It describes the fundamental techniques of CBR and contrasts its approach to that of model-based reasoning systems.1 A critical review of currently available CBR software tools is followed by descriptions of CBR applications both from academic research and, in more detail, three CBR systems that are presently being used commercially. Each of the three commercial case studies highlights features that made CBR particularly suitable for the application. Moreover, the last case study describes a development methodology for implementing CBR systems. The paper concludes with a research agenda for CBR. A detailed categorized bibliography of CBR research is provided in a companion paper (Marir & Watson, 1994).
Growth of pacific snook (Centropomus nigrescens) juveniles at different salinities

Juveniles of the Pacific Snook, C. nigrescens between 2.5 and 125 g in weight, were grown at three salinities; 0, 18 and 36ppt. The results indicate no statistical differences between growth rates or feed conversion at these salinities. It is concluded that the Pacific snook is well suited for culture in brackish waters of varying salinity.
Nurse Managers Speak Out About Disruptive Nurse-to-Nurse Relationships

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to explore nurse managers’ (NMs’) perceptions regarding disruptive nurse-to-nurse relationships. BACKGROUND: Nurse managers play a pivotal role in creating and sustaining healthy practice environments. They must understand how to recognize and confront disruptive nurse relationships that can threaten the health of their units. METHODS: A qualitative study design using researcher-participant interviews of 13 NMs from 5 institutions provided data regarding NMs’ views on nurse relationships. RESULTS: Nurse managers reported how they became aware of disruptive nurse relationships, their strategies for dealing with those relationships, and the impact that confronting disruptive relationships had on them personally. CONCLUSION: Findings can be helpful to NMs who are faced with addressing disruptive nurse-to-nurse relationships as they endeavor to create and sustain healthy work environments.
Enhancing the soil and water assessment tool model for simulating N2O emissions of three agricultural systems

Abstract Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) contributing to global warming, with the agriculture sector as the major source of anthropogenic N2O emissions due to excessive fertilizer use. There is an urgent need to enhance regional‐/watershed‐scale models, such as Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), to credibly simulate N2O emissions to improve assessment of environmental impacts of cropping practices. Here, we integrated the DayCent model's N2O emission algorithms with the existing widely tested crop growth, hydrology, and nitrogen cycling algorithms in SWAT and evaluated this new tool for simulating N2O emissions in three agricultural systems (i.e., a continuous corn site, a switchgrass site, and a smooth brome grass site which was used as a reference site) located at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) scale‐up fields in southwestern Michigan. These three systems represent different levels of management intensity, with corn, switchgrass, and smooth brome grass (reference site) receiving high, medium, and zero fertilizer application, respectively. Results indicate that the enhanced SWAT model with default parameterization reproduced well the relative magnitudes of N2O emissions across the three sites, indicating the usefulness of the new tool (SWAT‐N2O) to estimate long‐term N2O emissions of diverse cropping systems. Notably, parameter calibration can significantly improve model simulations of seasonality of N2O fluxes, and explained up to 22.5%–49.7% of the variability in field observations. Further sensitivity analysis indicates that climate change (e.g., changes in precipitation and temperature) influences N2O emissions, highlighting the importance of optimizing crop management under a changing climate in order to achieve agricultural sustainability goals.
Characterization of growth hormone receptor messenger ribonucleic acid variants in human adipocytes.

CONTEXT Human GH exerts profound effects on adiposity through its specific receptor, hGHR. Eight hGHR mRNAs are produced by the hGHR gene due to splicing from alternate 5'-untranslated region first exons into a common acceptor site upstream of the start codon in exon 2. Four transcripts (V2, V3, V5, V9) are ubiquitously expressed, whereas the other four (V1, V4, V7, V8) are expressed only in normal postnatal liver, suggesting that different promoter usage is a mechanism for developmental- and tissue-specific regulation of the hGHR gene. OBJECTIVE Because it is unknown whether this occurs in adipocytes, we screened human adipocyte cDNA for hGHR mRNAs using 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends. RESULTS Eighty-nine percent of the clones were V2-like, 3% were V3-like, and 8% were five new mRNA variants (VA-VE). All new 5'-untranslated region sequences mapped within the hGHR 5'flanking region. RT-PCR assays showed expression in multiple fetal and adult tissues, and, thus, they are not adipocyte specific. We compared expression of hGHR mRNAs in adult liver, adult fat, and the human preadipocyte SGBS cell line, using duplex RT-PCR. In liver, V1 and V2 are the major hGHR mRNAs, whereas in adipose, V2 predominates; VA and VC are expressed at similar lower levels in both. In SGBS preadipocytes, approximately 70% of hGHR mRNA is V2. During differentiation, total hGHR and V2 transcripts are markedly up-regulated [hGHR: 2.3 +/- 0.2-fold (mean +/- se), P < 0.01; V2: 3.0 +/- 0.8, P < 0.03], whereas other variants also increased but remained relatively minor transcripts. CONCLUSIONS We have identified five new hGHR mRNA variants. Because the V2 transcript is predominant in adipocytes at all developmental stages, the mechanisms regulating its expression should be examined.
Prevalence, Spread, and Effects of the Microsporidium Thelohania solenopsae Released into Populations with Different Social Forms of the Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract The microsporidium Thelohania solenopsae Knell, Allen, and Hazard was released into colonies of red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren, at four field sites in Louisiana. Social form of the ant affected the establishment of the microsporidium; long-term epizootics developed at two sites with predominantly polygyne populations, whereas the pathogen produced a low disease prevalence before it disappeared or did not infect ants at all at two monogyne sites. This study is the first report of artificial infection of monogyne S. invicta field colonies. When the microsporidium became established in mixed monogyne/polygyne ant populations, prevalence rates peaked at >75% in both social forms. In mixed ant populations, the social form suffering higher prevalence of the disease decreased proportionally to the other form, possibly indicating a competitive disadvantage. Host population density or site characteristics may have influenced spread of the disease; the rate of spread was 0.9 m/mo at one epizootic site and reached 9.4 m/mo at the other. There was little seasonal variation in prevalence, which averaged 47% in February, 51% in April/May, and 57% in October/November at the two epizootic sites. The strongest evidence of microsporidian impact on S. invicta populations was a negative correlation between colony numbers versus percentage infection and a sporadic decrease in the number of foragers. There was some evidence of a decrease in the size and number of colonies at one epizootic site and a decrease in brood at the other. This sporadic weakening of the S. invicta populations did not lead to significant immigration of other ant species.
Ectopic expression of cyclin D1 prevents activation of gene transcription by myogenic basic helix-loop-helix regulators

Activation of muscle gene transcription in differentiating skeletal myoblasts requires their withdrawal from the cell cycle. The effects of ectopic cyclin expression on activation of muscle gene transcription by myogenic basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) regulators were investigated. Ectopic expression of cyclin D1, but not cyclins A, B1, B2, C, D3, and E, inhibited transcriptional activation of muscle gene reporter constructs by myogenic bHLH regulators in a dose-dependent manner. Ectopic expression of cyclin D1 inhibited the activity of a myogenic bHLH regulator mutant lacking the basic region protein kinase C site, indicating that phosphorylation of this site is not relevant to the mechanism of inhibition. Analysis of cyclin D1 mutants revealed that the C-terminal acidic region was required for inhibition of myogenic bHLH regulator activity, whereas an intact N-terminal pRb binding motif was not essential. Together, these results implicate expression of cyclin D1 as a central determinant of a putatively novel mechanism that links positive control of cell cycle progression to negative regulation of genes expressed in differentiated myocytes.