Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accuracy assessment of CKC high-density surface EMG decomposition in biceps femoris muscle

The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of the convolution kernel compensation (CKC) method in decomposing high-density surface EMG (HDsEMG) signals from the pennate biceps femoris long-head muscle. Although the CKC method has already been thoroughly assessed in parallel-fibered muscles, there are several factors that could hinder its performance in pennate muscles. Namely, HDsEMG signals from pennate and parallel-fibered muscles differ considerably in terms of the number of detectable motor units (MUs) and the spatial distribution of the motor-unit action potentials (MUAPs). In this study, monopolar surface EMG signals were recorded from five normal subjects during low-force voluntary isometric contractions using a 92-channel electrode grid with 8 mm inter-electrode distances. Intramuscular EMG (iEMG) signals were recorded concurrently using monopolar needles. The HDsEMG and iEMG signals were independently decomposed into MUAP trains, and the iEMG results were verified using a rigorous a posteriori statistical analysis. HDsEMG decomposition identified from 2 to 30 MUAP trains per contraction. 3 ± 2 of these trains were also reliably detected by iEMG decomposition. The measured CKC decomposition accuracy of these common trains over a selected 10 s interval was 91.5 ± 5.8%. The other trains were not assessed. The significant factors that affected CKC decomposition accuracy were the number of HDsEMG channels that were free of technical artifact and the distinguishability of the MUAPs in the HDsEMG signal (P < 0.05). These results show that the CKC method reliably identifies at least a subset of MUAP trains in HDsEMG signals from low force contractions in pennate muscles.
In Vitro and In Vivo Pharmacodynamic Properties of Metoprolol in Fructose-fed Hypertensive Rats

This study of metoprolol pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties investigates cardiac β1-adrenoceptors activity and its involvement in the hypertensive stage in 6-week-old fructose-fed male Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: A microdialysis probe was inserted in the carotid artery to monitor metoprolol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate after drug administration (3-10 mg/kg intravenously). The relationship between levels and cardiovascular effects was studied using a pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model with effect compartment. Dissociation constant and inverse agonism were evaluated in isolated atria. Results: Metoprolol pharmacokinetics were similar in both groups. Metoprolol induced a greater hypotensive effect in fructose-fed animals (Emax: −24 ± 1 mm Hg, n = 6, P < 0.05 vs. control) than in control rats (Emax: −14 ± 1 mm Hg, n = 6). Bradycardic response was similar in both groups; metoprolol chronotropic potency was greater in fructose-fed rats (IC50: 123 ± 15 ng/mL, P < 0.05 vs. control) compared to control animals (IC50: 216 ± 36 ng/mL) after administration of 3 mg/kg. Metoprolol constants of dissociation for β1-adrenoceptors and inverse agonism were similar in both groups. Conclusion: Results demonstrate the β1-adrenoceptors involvement in the fructose hypertension. A greater potency to metoprolol in vivo chronotropic effect was found in fructose-fed rats. This greater potency was not caused by alteration in the activity of β1-adrenoceptors.
Agonist or antagonist: what is preferable for in vitro fertilization?

Control of ovarian stimulation with gonadotropin is a key factor in the success of IVF. Combining GnRH-analogs (agonists or antagonist) with stimulation protocols became the standard of care in all IVF treatments, with the agonist accounting for more than three-fourth of the treatments. GnRH-antagonists (Cetrotide; Merck-Serono and Orgalutran) were introduced almost two decades ago with the promise of replacing GnRHagonists in the blocking effect of premature luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and early luteinization, during ovarian stimulation. The GnRH-antagonist with its direct, competitive blocking action on the receptors to GnRH in the pituitary, and the induction of rapid reversible suppression of LH secretion was supposedly better than the old time agonist, which is plagued by several side effects, including unwanted initial flare-up with a rise in estradiol and progesterone levels and ovarian (follicular or luteal) cyst formation. Conversely, during the last decade, researchers have noted many advantages in the use of the antagonist, which includes (Table I):
Loyalty in Education as a Business

This paper examines variables that influence on students’ loyalty in education at the university. The causes of students’ intention to stay and intention to recommend are identified. The instrument used is a questionnaire based on previous studies, from which finally 23 questions are obtained and measured. Correlation between variables confirms the influence of quality and social influence on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Quality is perceived by the student as academic quality and administrative quality. Students’ intention to stay and intention to recommend are identified as a behavior of loyalty. The research was done among students at private universities in Lima, Peru. Public universities were not included. Economic factors and costs were not included. To improve loyalty in education, Quality of the product and Quality of the service are relevant. Quality of the service means quality of academic and administrative service. Loyalty in education, as in any other business, is necessary to keep clients, in this case students. Administrative and academic authorities must devote resources to improve customer satisfaction and reputation. Loyalty is understood and measured as intention to stay and intention to recommend. The authors did not find similar studies in Peru.
Relationship between work-family conflict and a sense of coherence among Japanese registered nurses.

AIM Work-family conflict (WFC) refers to the conflict that arises between a person's work and family life. Previous studies have reported workload, job demands, and irregular working shifts as related to the WFC among nurses and have clarified that WFC is a predictor of job satisfaction, morale, and turnover intention. Very few studies have investigated WFC among Japanese nurses and no study has taken into consideration the sense of coherence (SOC) that helps nurses to cope with stress. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between WFC and SOC and to clarify how WFC and a SOC influence the mental and physical health of nurses in order to suggest ways of establishing work environments that enable nurses to achieve a balance between their work and family life. METHODS A self-report questionnaire survey of 388 Japanese female nurses was conducted. The data from 138 nurses who were a mother and/or wife were analyzed. RESULTS Work-family conflict was significantly related to the SOC. It had a larger impact on the physical and mental health of nurses than their work and family characteristics. The SOC also had a major influence on the physical and mental health of nurses, while having a buffering effect on WFC with respect to depression. CONCLUSIONS Our findings underscore the importance of taking organizational steps to create work environments that contribute to an enhanced SOC in order to reduce the WFC among nurses.
Influence of Financial Reporting Requirement on Formalizing Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya

This research article sought to establish the influence of financial reporting requirement in formalizing small and micro enterprises in Kenya. The study took the form of a descriptive survey design which is an efficient method of collecting original data and systematic information from a wide range of respondents. The target population was 1200 SME’s operating in Nairobi Central Business District and registered with the Nairobi County government. The sample size was 369 respondents, calculated using Yamane Sampling Formula. The study employed stratified and systematic random sampling to select SME’s from 4 different sectors and also incorporated commercial banks and microfinance institutions in the sampling distribution. Data was collected by use of open and close-ended questionnaires supplemented by an interview schedule and an observation checklist. The researcher used descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, standard deviation, correlation and multiple regression analysis. The study findings showed that availability of financial records eliminate information asymmetry thus allowing for better monitoring. Further, availability of quality and credible financial information enhances business access to loan facilities and better credit terms. The study recommended that the SMEs need to formalize their operations to ease credit access from lenders hence realize growth and improved performance.
Effects of Workload and Auditory Interruptions on Emergency Dispatching Performance

Interruptions and workload can cause frustration and decrements in performance, which can be especially detrimental in complex domains such as emergency response. Moreover, interruptions and notifications in such domains may be presented across different modalities, such as vision and audition. In this study, we are specifically interested in evaluating the effects of workload and auditory interruptions on performance in emergency dispatching, a complex and dynamic environment in which an operator must make time- and safety-critical decisions based on information presented across different modalities. An experiment was conducted with 41 student participants using a simulated emergency dispatching task. Auditory interruptions simulating new emergencies were introduced within the main task, which is to monitor the status of different emergency aid vehicles. Different scenarios were tested where workload was varied between low and high. Results suggest degraded performance in both the primary and interruptive task in high workload. Results also suggest a better ability to process the visual primary task while auditory information was presented in low workload than in high workload. The results add to the literature on the effects of interruptions and workload in complex domains, and their implications for designing displays in such domains.
Magnetic resonance studies of specificity in binding and catalysis of phosphotransferases.

Two common characteristics of the active site structures of intermediate complexes formed in kinase reactions have been observed by magnetic resonance techniques. First, in creatine, arginine, adenylate and pyruvate kinases (EC2.73.2, 2.7.3.3, 2.7.4.3 and 2.7.1.40, respectively) water is progressively excluded and the structure at the active site is progressively immobilized as each reactant is successively added to the enzyme, as monitored by electron spin resonance (e.s.r) and the enhancement of the proton relaxation rate of water (PRR) due to paramagnetic manganese(II) probe. Significant, and often wide-spread, changes in the protein conformation accompanying successive additions of reaction components are shown with 1H n.m. r. studies of pyruvate kinase. The second characteristic is that, for the ternary enzyme-Mn-nucleotide complexes, two parameters, the e.s. r. spectrum and PRR enhancement values, fall within a range of 10% for all enzymes investigated, with the exception of bovine brain creatine kinase. These similarities suggest a homology in teriary structure at the active sites of these enzymes. An unsuspected aspect of substrate and cofactor specificity has been revealed by e.s. r. spectroscopy of the manganese(II) complexes of the transition-state analogue of creatine kinase (E-MnADP-formate-creatine) and of the ternary phosphoenolpyruvate complex. In the former case, replacement of ADP, the normal substrate, by its substrate analogues IDP or 2acute-deoxyadenosine diphosphate produced two interconvertible species of the transition-state analogue complexes, observed in the e.s. r. spectra as an isotropic species and a highly anisotropic species. With the normal substrate, only the anisotropic species is observed. Similarly, in the case of the complex pyruvate kinase-Mn-phosphoenolpyruvate, when the normal monovalent activator K+ is replaced by the inert tetramethylammonium ion, again two interconvertible species rather than the normal one species are observed by e.s. r. spectroscopy. The implications of these phenomena for the relation of specificity to catalytic efficiency are discussed.
Risk factors for hepatitis E virus infection and disease

Hepatitis E, caused by hepatitis E virus, is a disease of global significance, causing 20 million infections each year. Genotypes 1 and 2 have vastly different epidemiological patterns from genotypes 3 and 4. In genotype 1 and 2 endemic areas, most infections and illness occur in persons 15–30 years of age, with pregnant women being the most likely to experience severe disease. In genotype 3 and 4 endemic areas, most infections and illness occur in those of age 40–60 years, with males representing a large portion of those with severe disease. However, the lack of an easily accessible serologic assay in many countries continues to be a barrier to the diagnosis and recognition of hepatitis E virus.
Water scarcity conditions affect peach fruit size and polyphenol contents more severely than other fruit quality traits.

BACKGROUND The literature abounds with the impacts of drought conditions on the concentration of non-structural compounds (NSC) in peach fruits without distinction as to the direct effect of drought on fruit metabolism and its indirect effect through dilution. Moreover, there is a need to investigate the sensitivity of the fruit composition to progressive water deficit in semi-arid conditions, as well as the origin of variations in fruit composition - not only in carbohydrates and organic acids, but also in secondary metabolites such as polyphenols. RESULTS The increase in stress intensity resulted in smaller fruits and a reduction in yield. Drought increased fruit dry matter content, structural dry matter (SDM) content and firmness due to lower water import to fruits, although drought reduced fruit surface conductance and its transpiration. Drought significantly affected the concentrations of each NSC either through the decrease in dilution and/or modifications of their metabolism. The increase in hexoses and sorbitol concentrations of fruits grown under drought conditions resulted in an increase in the sweetness index but not near harvest. Malic acid concentration and content:SDM ratio increased as drought intensified, whereas those of citric and quinic acids decreased. Polyphenol concentration and content increased under severe drought. CONCLUSION The increase in stress intensity strongly affected fruit mass. The concentration of total carbohydrates and organic acid at harvest increased mainly through a decrease in fruit dilution, whereas the concentrations of polyphenols were also strongly affected through an impact on their metabolism.
Glycosphingolipids from Sphingomonas paucimobilis induce monokine production in human mononuclear cells

Glycosphingolipids (GSL) isolated from the gram-negative lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-free bacterium Sphingomonas paucimobilis have remarkable structural similarities with LPS and its hydrophobic part, termed lipid A. Like LPS, but in contrast to the structurally related ceramides and cerebrosides, GSL contain an alpha-linked, negatively charged pyranosidic glycosyl component adjacent to the lipid portion and are capable of forming membranes. Because of these similarities, it was of interest to investigate whether these GSL are also able to induce monokine production in human mononuclear cells (MNC). Our results show that a GSL containing four sugar residues (GSL-4A) induced the release of tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1 in MNC, whereas GSL-1, containing only one glycosyl residue, was inactive. A minimal concentration of 1 microgram of GSL-4A per ml was necessary to induce monokine production in MNC, whereas LPS was as active at a 10,000-fold-lower concentration (0.1 ng/ml). Both GSL-4A-induced monokine production and LPS-induced monokine production were reduced by the bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein and GSL-1. In contrast to LPS, GSL-4A-induced monokine release could be inhibited neither by an anti-CD14 monoclonal antibody nor by lipid A partial structures. We therefore conclude that at the receptor level, different mechanisms are involved in the LPS- and GSL-4A-induced monokine release.
Internal migration in the countries of Asia: levels, ages and spatial impacts

ABSTRACT Internal migration, the movement of people between localities and regions within a country, has resulted in a significant redistribution of national populations. Past cross-national studies have been impeded by a lack of data and comparable metrics upon which to base comparisons. This paper examines internal migration in 30 Asian countries utilising a global dataset and a novel suite of measures devised in the IMAGE project. Three aspects of internal migration are explored: overall intensity, age patterns, and spatial impacts. Comparisons reveal that internal migration intensities, while on average lower than in other regions, are highly variable across countries. Migration peaks at earlier ages and is concentrated into a narrower age band than in other parts of the world. Analysis of spatial impacts highlights the contribution of migration to urbanisation, but a comparison of current trends against lifetime migration data also reveals the impact of historical events and government policies on national migration systems. Wide variation in key dimensions of migration among Asian countries reflects a diversity in national circumstances. The way forward lies in further in-depth country studies building on the common analytic framework articulated in this study.
Electromechanical Transconductance Properties of a GaN MEMS Resonator With Fully Integrated HEMT Transducers

We investigate the response of a GaN microelectromechanical resonator where the strain detection is performed by a resonant high-electron mobility transistor (R-HEMT). The R-HEMT gate located above the 2-DEG (two-dimensional electron gas) appears to enable a strong control of the electromechanical response with a gate voltage dependence close to a transconductance pattern. A quantitative approach based on the mobility of the carriers induced in the device by the piezoelectric response of the GaN buffer is proposed. These results show for the first time the electromechanical transconductance dependence versus external biasing and confirm that active piezoelectric transduction is governed by the AlGaN/GaN 2-DEG transport properties.
Terpenoids and phenolics from Plectranthus strigosus , bioactivity screening

Further studies on Plectranthus sp. (Lamiaceae) led to the isolation of terpenes and phenol esters from Plectranthus strigosus Benth. ent-16-Kauren-19-ol (1), ent-16-kauren-19-oic acid (2), xylopic acid (3), xylopinic acid (4), hinokiol (5), 4β,6β-dihydroxy-1α,5β(H)-guai-9-ene (6) 4β,6β-dihydroxy-1α,5β(H)-guai-10(14)-ene (7), mixtures of hexacosan-1,26-diol and octacosan-1,28-diol ferulate diesters (8), of esters from ferulic acid and fatty alcohols (9) and of esters from fatty acids and 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethanol (10) were for the first time isolated from this genus. Supplementary spectral data for 3,8 and parvifloron D (11) metabolites are also presented. A bioactivity study revealed herpetic inhibitory properties for (1) and (2), and antioxidant ability for (5) and (8) phenolic constituents. ¶In memorium to Prof. M. Luísa Valdeira who passed away on September 2006.
The ACTN 3 R 577 X Polymorphism Is Associated with Cardiometabolic Fitness in Healthy Young Adults

Homozygosity for a premature stop codon (X) in the ACTN3 “sprinter” gene is common in humans despite the fact that it reduces muscle size, strength and power. Because of the close relationship between skeletal muscle function and cardiometabolic health we examined the influence of ACTN3 R577X polymorphism over cardiovascular and metabolic characteristics of young adults (n = 98 males, n = 102 females; 23 ± 4.2 years) from our Assessing Inherent Markers for Metabolic syndrome in the Young (AIMMY) study. Both males and females with the RR vs XX genotype achieved higher mean VO2 peak scores (47.8 ± 1.5 vs 43.2 ±1.8 ml/O2/min, p = 0.002) and exhibited higher resting systolic (115 ± 2 vs 105 ±mmHg, p = 0.027) and diastolic (69 ± 3 vs 59 ± 3 mmHg, p = 0.005) blood pressure suggesting a role for ACTN3 in the maintenance of vascular tone. We subsequently identified the expression of alpha-actinin 3 protein in pulmonary artery smooth muscle, which may explain the genotype-specific differences in cardiovascular adaptation to acute exercise. In addition, we utilized targeted serum metabolomics to distinguish between RR and XX genotypes, suggesting an additional role for the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism in human metabolism. Taken together, these results identify significant cardiometabolic effects associated with possessing one or more functional copies of the ACTN3 gene.
Evolutionary Algorithms Applied to Cross Aperture Coupled Circularly Polarized Microstrip Antenna

Utilizing evolutionary algorithms to achieve a low axial ratio of a circularly polarized microstrip antenna over a wide bandwidth and optimal impedance matching is the main aim of this study. A circularly polarized cross aperture coupled microstrip antenna using a 50Ω microstrip feed line is designed. A software simulation program (CST microwave studio) is used to design and compare the performance of the antenna in terms of return loss and axial ratio. Two distinct evolutionary algorithms; Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) have been applied to optimize the fitness function to ensure optimal axial ratio and impedance matching. The optimal patch dimensions, the aperture length, and the microstrip feed line length are obtained from both methods and their performances are compared. Moreover, the antenna is fabricated and the return loss is measured using a network analyzer. A comparative analysis is carried out demonstrating a high agreement between measured and simulated return loss.
Effective Factors on Consumer Buying Behavior in Group Buying

We live in an age that is accompanied by rapid changes. The expansion of the World Wide Web, electronic communications, the advancement and widespread use of information technology has provided a proper platform for business, economic and financial relations. Electronic service is one of the forefathers of the IT world, according to which all business, banking and credit activities are transferred from the traditional platform to the electronic platform. For this reason, the use of electronic systems in the commercial enterprises of the world is rapidly growing and the number of users of electronic services is increasing day by day. The use of this technology has been led to the development of business, facilitating the communication of economic agents, providing business opportunities for enterprises, improving productivity, reducing costs and saving time. Online group shopping businesses are a new generation of electronic business models that have been well uncounted by their audience in recent years. Although these models have unique features that differentiate them from other e commerce models, comprehensive research has not been conducted in Iran to determine their specifications so far. Therefore, the researcher is trying to elaborate on this topic more widely in this article, based on foreign existent research. This research is an applied and descriptive-survey research. In this research, we tried to answer the research questions and measure the hypotheses by collecting information from 380 customers who shop online, through a questionnaire and analysing it with the help of software .