Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of social determinants and lifestyle on women's metabolic risk during the perimenopausal transition: results from a cohort study

Objective:Social determinants have been understudied in relation to metabolic risk and menopause; this study aimed to identify metabolic risk factors during menopausal transition, changes in lifestyle, and other social determinants. Methods:The Korean Genetic Epidemiologic Survey Community cohort data available for baseline, 2-year, and 4-year follow-up time points were analyzed. Healthy women ages 45 to 55 years, not taking hormonal therapy, were selected; 1,228 were analyzed. Menopausal transition was categorized as premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal. Lifestyle patterns consisted of alcohol consumption, exercise, ever smoking, indirect smoking, and eating breakfast. Generalized estimating equations were used for analysis. Results:During the period of study, roughly 30% had become postmenopausal and metabolic syndrome was found in 11.5% to 14.4%. Controlling for other variables, lower income levels showed more than 2 times greater risk for metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women and those who continued to menstruate. Body mass index was a consistent factor of metabolic risk, which was more pronounced when analyzed by menopausal status, especially in obese menstruating women (odds ratio 30.72, P < 0.0001). Among women who experienced menopause during the observed time frame, less education and sedentary lifestyle were also significant factors in metabolic risk differences, showing 1.7 times and 1.59 times greater risk, respectively. Such differences in education, income, and sedentary lifestyle as significant risk factors in subgroups according to menstrual status change, may suggest vulnerable points in the transition. Conclusions:Implications include the need for stronger emphasis on weight control before midlife and experiencing menopause, promoting exercise across the menopausal transition, and supportive policy measures for economically disadvantaged women.
Perbandingan Efisiensi BPR Konvensional Dan BPR Syariah Provinsi Jawa Timur Dengan Pendekatan Non-Parametrik

This study aims to find out and explain the efficiency level comparison between Conventional Rural Banks and Sharia Rural Banks using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. This research is a type of quantitative research using secondary. The sample used in this study amounted to 10 BPR, consisting of 5 samples of Conventional Rural Banks and 5 samples of Islamic Rural Banks during the period March 2013 to December 2017. Input variables in this study were total assets, third party funds and labor costs, while variables the output used is credit or financing and operating income. The results of the analysis using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method show that there are two BPR from 5 samples of efficient Conventional Rural Banks, while there are no efficient BPR from 5 Sharia Rural Banks samples.
Both Plant and Bacterial Nitrate Reductases Contribute to Nitric Oxide Production in Medicago truncatula Nitrogen-Fixing Nodules1[W][OA]

Nitric oxide (NO) is a signaling and defense molecule of major importance in living organisms. In the model legume Medicago truncatula, NO production has been detected in the nitrogen fixation zone of the nodule, but the systems responsible for its synthesis are yet unknown and its role in symbiosis is far from being elucidated. In this work, using pharmacological and genetic approaches, we explored the enzymatic source of NO production in M. truncatula-Sinorhizobium meliloti nodules under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. When transferred from normoxia to hypoxia, nodule NO production was rapidly increased, indicating that NO production capacity is present in functioning nodules and may be promptly up-regulated in response to decreased oxygen availability. Contrary to roots and leaves, nodule NO production was stimulated by nitrate and nitrite and inhibited by tungstate, a nitrate reductase inhibitor. Nodules obtained with either plant nitrate reductase RNA interference double knockdown (MtNR1/2) or bacterial nitrate reductase-deficient (napA) and nitrite reductase-deficient (nirK) mutants, or both, exhibited reduced nitrate or nitrite reductase activities and NO production levels. Moreover, NO production in nodules was found to be inhibited by electron transfer chain inhibitors, and nodule energy state (ATP-ADP ratio) was significantly reduced when nodules were incubated in the presence of tungstate. Our data indicate that both plant and bacterial nitrate reductase and electron transfer chains are involved in NO synthesis. We propose the existence of a nitrate-NO respiration process in nodules that could play a role in the maintenance of the energy status required for nitrogen fixation under oxygen-limiting conditions.
Linkage of autosomal dominant radial drusen (malattia leventinese) to chromosome 2p16-21.

OBJECTIVE To identify the chromosomal location of the gene involved in the pathogenesis of autosomal dominant radial drusen (malattia leventinese). PATIENTS Eighty-six members of four families affected with radial drusen; one family of American origin and three families of Swiss origin. METHODS Family members were clinically examined for the presence of radial drusen. Affected patients and potentially informative spouses were genotyped with short tandem repeat polymorphisms distributed across the autosomal genome. The clinical and genotypic data were subjected to linkage analysis. RESULTS Fifty-six patients were found to be clinically affected. Significant linkage was observed between the disease phenotype and markers known to lie on the short arm of chromosome 2. The maximum two-point lod score (Zmax) observed for all four families combined was 10.5 and was obtained with marker D2S378. Multipoint analysis yielded a Zmax of 12, centered on marker D2S378. The lod-1 confidence interval was 8 cM, while the disease interval defined by observed recombinants was 14 cM. CONCLUSIONS The gene responsible for autosomal dominant radial drusen has been mapped to the short arm of chromosome 2. This is an important step toward actually isolating the disease-causing gene. In addition, this information can be used to evaluate other familial drusen phenotypes such as Doyne's macular dystrophy for a possible allelic relationship.
Experiences of fears associated with pregnancy and childbirth: a study of 329 pregnant women.

BACKGROUND Women may experience a variety of fears in association with pregnancy and childbirth. The purpose of this study was to describe their objects, causes, and manifestations, and to identify factors associated with the fears. METHODS The study sample comprised 481 pregnant women in western Finland, of whom 329 (response rate 69) completed a questionnaire. It was developed on the basis of semi-structured interviews and previous studies and had a 4-point scale and a dichotomous scale. Data were subjected to rotated factor analysis, and sum variables were produced. The effects of various demographic variables were calculated using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS Of the 329 respondents, 78 percent expressed fears relating to pregnancy, to childbirth, or to both. Specific fears concerned childbirth, the child's and mother's well-being, health care staff, family life, and cesarean section. Causes of fears were negative mood, negative stories told by others, alarming information, diseases and child-related problems, and, in multiparas, negative experiences of previous pregnancy, childbirth, and baby's health and care; causes were significantly related to occupation. Fears were manifested as symptoms of stress, effects on everyday life, and a wish to have a cesarean section or to avoid pregnancy and childbirth; employment situation and elective cesarean section were the most important factors related to manifestation of fears. Parity and antenatal training were the most important variables related to objects of fears. CONCLUSIONS Women's fears that are associated with pregnancy and childbirth can be explained by different factors. It is important for perinatal health caregivers to ask pregnant women about their feelings related to the current pregnancy, childbirth, and future motherhood, and to give women who express fears an opportunity to discuss them, paying special attention to primiparas and to multiparas with negative experiences of earlier pregnancies.
Designing Intelligent Assistant through User Participations

Today, intelligent assistants, such as Apple's Siri, becoming a part of our everyday life. While there have been many studies focused on technologies, there are no studies dealing with design issues at the initial stage of the design, the stage prior to system implementation. Although the designers had a lot of questions in the design process, such as how the personality of virtual assistant should be, how users could discover the way of interacting, the designers had to rely on imagination. In this paper, we present a user-friendly way of designing intelligent assistant which allow designers and engineers to explore the possible design problems and solutions through user participation, before all the complex systems are ready to run. Through a low-tech approach involving two users, we could understand the behavior of users with intelligent assistants in an easy and fast way.
The Effect of Supply Chain Relationships on Resilience: Empirical Evidence from India

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of supply chain relationships on supply chain (SC) resilience through empirically exploring the effects of trust, communication, commitment and cooperation on SC resilience and its further impact on supply chain performance. We employed a cross-sectional survey through online mode for collecting perceptual responses from supply chain professionals. Using 155 completed responses, the study further analysed using SmartPLS to validate the proposed relationships. Findings suggest communication and cooperation as dominant enablers of SC resilience in the integrated model that explored the inter-relationships also among the proposed relational attributes. Also, SC resilience has positive performance implications. Alternate models were suggested to further explore the inter-play between communication, trust, commitment and cooperation and how the same influences the SC resilience. The study is the first to consider the inter-relationships among the relational attributes and how the same as a whole influences SC resilience.
Comparison of wrapper and filter feature selection algorithms on human activity recognition

Feature selection is an increasingly important part of machine learning. The purpose of feature selection is dimension reduction in a large multi-dimensional data set and it can be the key step of successful knowledge discovery in those problems where the number of features is large. This research area has huge practical significance because it accelerates decisions and improves performance. The requirements of specific applications in different kinds of research areas have led to the development of new feature selection techniques with different properties. In the last few decades, several feature selection algorithms have been proposed with their particular advantages and disadvantages. Despite of the intensive research and the large amount of works, the different kinds of feature selection algorithms have not been tested yet in the human activity recognition problem. It was the main motivation of our work and this paper tries to fill this gap. Therefore, in this article we present a conceptually simple naive Bayesian wrapper feature selection method and compare it with some widely used filter feature selection algorithms. The result of this work demonstrates that, the wrapper technique outperforms filter algorithms in this type of problem. In addition, this paper shows an example, when the classifier dependency of a wrapper method do not visible.
Physical activity and cause‐specific mortality in men with Type 2 diabetes/impaired glucose tolerance: evidence from the Whitehall study

Aims Given that studies of individuals with Type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance indicate that physical activity has a normalizing effect on several indices of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk—including body weight, blood pressure, blood lipids, and cardiorespiratory fitness—it is plausible that activity may reduce CHD incidence in this group in the long term. The aim of the present analysis was to explore this hypothesis using data from a prospective observational study.
Modified essay question.

This article examines the reliability and validity of the modified essay question. An 18-item modified essay question was developed and pretested on a group of clinical experts. After the pretest, the modified essay question was administered to a group of 25 physical therapy students immediately before their second level orthopedic placement. A reliability index of . 39 (coefficient alpha) was calculated for the test. In addition, measures of validity were obtained by correlating the modified essay question scores with multiple-choice question scores and the students' in-clinic reasoning scores. The results suggest that the reliability coefficient found in this study is comparable to the medical literature. Also, the results showed that the modified essay question demonstrated a greater correlation with the in-clinic clinical reasoning score compared with the parallel content multiple-choice examination. Furthermore, preliminary evidence suggests that the modified essay question may be a useful paper and pencil tool in evaluating clinical reasoning. Finally, several shortcomings of this study are discussed in conjunction with a direction for further study.
Promotion through Connections: Favors or Information?

Connections appear to be helpful in many contexts such as obtaining a job, a promotion, a grant, a loan or publishing a paper. This may be due to favoritism or to information conveyed by connections. Attempts at identifying both effects have relied on measures of true quality, generally built from data collected long after promotion. This empirical strategy faces important limitations. Building on earlier work on discrimination, we propose a new method to identify favors and information from classical data collected at time of promotion. Under natural assumptions, we show that promotion decisions look more random for connected candidates, due to the information channel. We obtain new identification results and show how probit models with heteroscedasticity can be used to estimate the strength of the two effects. We apply our method to the data on academic promotions in Spain studied in Zinovyeva & Bagues (2015). We find evidence of both favors and information effects at work. Empirical results are consistent with evidence obtained from quality measures collected five years after promotion.
Fractionation and reconstitution of factors required for accurate transcription of mammalian ribosomal RNA genes: identification of a species-dependent initiation factor.

Mouse and human cell extracts (S100) can support an accurate and efficient transcription initiation on homologous ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) templates. The cell extracts were fractionated with the aid of a phosphocellulose column into four fractions (termed A, B, C and D), including one containing a major part of the RNA polymerase I activity. Various reconstitution experiments indicate that fraction D is an absolute requirement for the correct and efficient transcription initiation by RNA polymerase I on both mouse and human genes. Fraction B effectively suppresses random initiation on these templates. Fraction A appears to further enhance the transcription which takes place with fractions C and D. Although fractions A, B and C are interchangeable between mouse and human extracts, fraction D is not; i.e. initiation of transcription required the presence of a homologous fraction D for both templates. The factor(s) in fraction D, however, is not literally species-specific, since mouse D fraction is capable of supporting accurate transcription initiation on a rat rDNA template in the presence of all the other fractions from human cell extract under the conditions where human D fraction is unable to support it. We conclude from these experiments that a species-dependent factor in fraction D plays an important role in the initiation of rDNA transcription in each animal species.
Angiotensin receptor antagonists in patients with nephropathy due to type 2 diabetes

In the past few years diabetes has become the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in all Western countries. A correlation between blood pressure and rate of progression in diabetic nephropathy was noted very early, and increased local activity of the renin angiotensin system was identified as a major pathophysiological mechanism for proteinuria and nephrosclerosis in diabetic patients. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have been shown to slow progression of nephropathy in type 1 diabetic patients. The majority of diabetic patients with nephropathy, however, are suffering from type 2 diabetes and until last year there was no convincing evidence of ACE inhibitors being able to slow progression in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy. Three new studies now fill this gap, showing that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) are nephroprotective in patients with type 2 diabetes, independently of blood pressure. This review provides an in-depth discussion of the results of these studies and provides recommendations for patient management.
Analytical and experimental investigation of substrate permittivity and loss up to 67 GHz

In this paper, we characterize the substrate permittivity and overall loss of different planar transmission lines (TL) such as microstrip (MS), coplanar waveguide (CPW) and grounded CPW (GCPW) using on-wafer probes and a thru-reflect-line (TRL) calibration technique. The theory for calculation of the related effective permittivity from S-Parameter measurements is given and numerical simulations are being used for a fast and precise mapping of the effective permittivity εr, eff to the physical value εr of the TL's substrate. The method presented can be used for higher frequencies, as long as single mode operation of the TLs is ensured. Thus, an overview on higher order modes in TLs and design rules to suppress them is given. The results up to 67GHz for the aforementioned TL on a conventional RF substrate are presented and used to evaluate approximate models known from publications.
POWER OUTPUTS OF A MACHINE SQUAT‐JUMP ACROSS A SPECTRUM OF LOADS

The load that maximizes mechanical power output (Pmax) has received considerable research attention owing to its perceived importance to training prescription. However, it may be that identifying Pmax is of little importance if the difference in power output about Pmax is insubstantial. Additionally, comparing the effect of load on power output between studies is problematic due to various methodological differences. The purpose of this study therefore was to quantify the concentric power output for a machine squat-jump across a spectrum of loads (10–100% of 1 repetition maximum [1RM]). To estimate Pmax load and proximate loads a quadratic was fitted to the power output (Watts) and load (% of 1RM) of 18 well-trained rugby athletes. Pmax for peak and mean power output occurred at 21.6 ± 7.1% of 1RM (mean ± SD) and 39.0 ± 8.6% of 1RM, respectively. A 20% change in load either side of the maximum resulted in a mean decrease of only 9.9% (90% confidence limits ×2.4%) and 5.4% (±0.9%) in peak and mean power respectively; standard deviations about these means (representing individual differences in the decrease) were 6.0% and 2.1%, respectively (90% confidence limits ×/÷1.34). It appears that most athletes have a broad peak in their power profile for peak or mean power. The preoccupation of identifying one load for maximizing power output would seem less meaningful than many practitioners and scientists believe.
Herpes simplex virus type 2 infection increases HIV incidence: a prospective study in rural Tanzania

Objectives To quantify the association between prevalent or incident Herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV2) infection and the incidence of HIV seroconversion among adults in the general population in rural Tanzania. Study population Adults aged 15–54 years sampled randomly from 12 rural communities in Mwanza Region, Tanzania and recruited to a randomized trial of improved treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. Study design Unmatched case–control study nested within trial cohort. Methods Participants included 127 cases who seroconverted to HIV during the 2-year follow-up period and 636 randomly selected controls who remained HIV negative. Subjects were tested for HSV2 serology at baseline and follow-up, and associations between HIV and HSV2 were analysed with adjustment for socio-demographic and behavioural factors. Results After adjusting for confounding factors, a strong association between HSV2 infection and HIV seroconversion was observed in men (test for trend:P < 0.001), with adjusted odds ratios (OR) of 6.12 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.52–14.9] in those HSV2 positive at baseline, and 16.8 (95% CI, 6.06–46.3) in those acquiring HSV2 infection during follow-up. A weaker association was observed in women (tests for trend:P = 0.14), with adjusted OR of 1.32 (95% CI, 0.62–2.78) and 2.36 (95% CI, 0.81–6.84), respectively. Population attributable fractions of incident HIV infection due to HSV2 were estimated as 74% in men and 22% in women. Conclusions The results suggest that HSV2 plays an important role in the transmission of HIV infection in this population. There is an urgent need to identify effective HSV2 control measures in order to reduce HIV incidence in Africa.
Interactions between cattle and biting flies: effects on the feeding rate of tsetse

In Zimbabwe, studies were made of the effect of host behaviour on the feeding success of Glossina pallidipes Austen and G. morsitans morsitans Westwood (Diptera: Glossinidae) attracted to cattle of different age and sex. The mean feeding rates for male and female G. pallidipes attracted to oxen were 60% and 58%, respectively, compared to 33% and 53% for male and female G. m. morsitans. The feeding rate of G. pallidipes varied between oxen and was inversely correlated with a host's rate of defensive leg movements, which, in turn, was positively correlated with the density of Stomoxys spp. (Diptera: Muscidae) caught in the vicinity of the host. Tsetse were significantly less successful in feeding from young cattle. For G. pallidipes, the feeding rate on calves (< 6 months) was 11%, whereas for male and female G. m. morsitans the rates were 12% and 20%, respectively. Significantly lower feeding rates were apparent for cattle aged up to 2 years, when the feeding rate for G. pallidipes (31%) was still significantly less than that on mature oxen (68%). Feeding rates for G. pallidipes on adult female cattle were lower than those on oxen (45% vs. 61%). The lower feeding rates in young animals were attributed to higher rates of defensive movements. The results suggest that higher rates of defensive activities by young cattle reduce the risk of them contracting trypanosomiasis.