Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endurance training decreases the non‐linearity in the oxygen uptake–power output relationship in humans

In this study, we hypothesized that 5 weeks of cycling endurance training can decrease the magnitude of the non‐proportional increase in oxygen uptake ( ) to power output relationship ( ‘excess’) at exercise intensities exceeding the lactate threshold (LT). Ten untrained, physically active men performed a bout of incremental cycling exercise until exhaustion before and after training. The mitochondrial DNA copy number, myosin heavy chain composition and content of uncoupling protein 3 and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPases (SERCAs) were analysed in muscle biopsies taken from vastus lateralis before and after training. The training resulted in an enhancement of the power‐generating capabilities at maximal oxygen uptake ( ) by ∼7% (P= 0.002) despite there being no changes in (P= 0.49). This effect was due to a considerable reduction in the magnitude of the ‘excess’ (P < 0.05) above the LT. A decrease in plasma ammonia concentration was found during exercise after training (P < 0.05). A downregulation of SERCA2 in vastus lateralis (P= 0.006) was observed after training. No changes in myosin heavy chain composition, selected electron transport chain proteins, uncoupling protein 3 or the mitochondrial DNA copy number (P > 0.05) were found after training. We conclude that the training‐induced increase in power‐generating capabilities at was due to attenuation of the ‘excess’ above the LT. This adaptive response seems to be related to the improvement of muscle metabolic stability, as judged by a lowering of plasma ammonia concentration. The enhancement of muscle metabolic stability after training could be caused by a decrease in ATP usage at a given power output owing to downregulation of SERCA2 pumps.
Predicting the use of online information services based on a modified UTAUT model

There is a growing consensus that the conventional technology acceptance model should be modified and expanded to provide a better understanding of the behaviour related to Internet services. Recognising this need, this study re-evaluates the utility of Venkatesh et al.’s [2003. User acceptance of information technology: toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27 (3), 425–478] Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. First, this study proposes a new modified model of technology acceptance by adding the concepts of trust and flow experience to the original UTAUT model. Second, the study investigates how the model's explanatory power changes for different types of Internet services. For this, this study considers two services – ‘e-learning’ and ‘online gaming’ – for their utilitarian and hedonic characteristics, respectively. The results of this study suggest that the proposed model can better explain behavioural intentions towards Internet services than the original model. The two variables – flow experience and trust – contributed to the overall significance of the model. Furthermore, the type of Internet service moderated the effects of the independent variables on behavioural intentions and use behaviour.
Brightness Temperatures of Snow Melting/Refreezing Cycles: Observations and Modeling Using a Multilayer Dense Medium Theory-Based Model

The ability of electromagnetic models to accurately predict microwave emission of a snowpack is complicated by the need to account for, among other things, nonindependent scattering by closely packed snow grains, stratigraphic variations, and the occurrence of wet snow. A multilayer dense medium model can account for the first two effects. While microwave remote sensing is well known to be capable of binary wet/dry discrimination, the ability to model brightness as a function of wetness opens up the possibility of ultimately retrieving a percentage wetness value during such hydrologically significant melting conditions. In this paper, the first application of a multilayer dense medium radiative transfer theory (DMRT) model is proposed to simulate emission from both wet and dry snow during melting and refreezing cycles. Wet snow is modeled as a mixture of ice particles surrounded by a thin film of water embedded in an air background. Melting/refreezing cycles are studied by means of brightness temperatures at 6.7, 19, and 37 GHz recorded by the University of Michigan Truck-Mounted Radiometer System at the Local Scale Observation Site during the Cold Land Processes Experiment-1 in March 2003. Input parameters to the DMRT model are obtained from snow pit measurements carried out in conjunction with the microwave observations. The comparisons between simulated and measured brightness temperatures show that the electromagnetic model is able to reproduce the brightness temperatures with an average percentage error of 3% (~8 K) and a maximum relative percentage error of around 8% (~20 K)
Influence of Corneal Structure, Corneal Responsiveness, and Other Ocular Parameters on Tonometric Measurement of Intraocular Pressure

PurposeTo estimate the relationships between ocular parameters and tonometrically measured intraocular pressure (IOP), to determine the influence of ocular parameters on different instrument measurements of IOP, and to evaluate the association of ocular parameters with a parameter called hysteresis. MethodsPatients presenting at a glaucoma clinic were recruited for this study. Subjects underwent IOP measurement with the Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT), the TonoPen, and the Reichert Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA), and also measurements of central corneal thickness (CCT), axial length, corneal curvature, corneal astigmatism, central visual acuity, and refractive error. Chart information was reviewed to determine glaucoma treatment history. The ORA instrument provided a measurement called corneal hysteresis. The association between measured IOP and the other ocular characteristics was estimated using generalized estimating equations. ResultsAmong 230 patients, IOP measurements from the TonoPen read lowest, and ORA read highest, and GAT measurements were closest to the mean IOP of the 3 instruments. In a multiple regression model adjusting for age, sex, race, and other ocular characteristics, a 10 μm increase in CCT was associated with an increase of 0.79 mm Hg measured IOP in untreated eyes (P<0.0001). Of the 3 tonometers, GAT was the least affected by CCT (0.66 mm Hg/10 μm, P<0.0001). Hysteresis was significantly correlated with CCT with a modest correlation coefficient (r=0.20, P<0.0007). ConclusionsAmong parameters related to measured IOP, features in addition to CCT, such as hysteresis and corneal curvature, may also be important. Tonometric instruments seem to be affected differently by various physiologic characteristics.
Risk factors for early invasive fungal disease in critically ill patients

Background: The incidence of invasive fungal disease (IFD) is increasing worldwide in the past two to three decades. Critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units are more vulnerable to fungal infection. Early detection and treatment are important to decrease morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Objective: Our study aimed to assess factors associated with early IFD in critically ill patients. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted in critically ill patients, from March to September 2015. Total number of patients (74) in this study was drawn based on one of the risk factors (human immunodeficiency virus). Specimens were collected on day 5–7 of hospitalization. Multivariate analysis with logistic regression was performed for factors, with P < 0.25 in bivariate analysis. Results: Two hundred and six patients were enrolled in this study. Seventy-four patients were with IFD, majority were males (52.7%), mean age was 58 years (range 18–79), mean Leon's score was 3 (score range 2–5), majority group was nonsurgical/nontrauma (72.9%), and mean fungal isolation was positive on day 5. Candida sp. (92.2%) is the most frquently isolated fungal infection. Urine culture yielded the highest number of fungal isolates (70.1%). Mortality rate in this study was 50%. In multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus (DM) (P = 0.018, odds ratio 2.078, 95% confidence interval 1.135–3.803) was found as an independent factor associated with early IFD critically ill patients. Conclusion: DM is a significant factor for the incidence of early IFD in critically ill patients.
Further comparison between two concepts of radar target angular glint

Two concepts of angular glint are explained as well as the computation methods. A representative target consisting of two combined electric and magnetic dipoles with arbitrary orientation is presented to formulate angular glint linear deviations when the polarizations of the scattered waves and the receiving antenna are considered. Analysis shows that the equivalence between phase gradient method and Poynting vector method exists when geometrical optics approximation is used and the receiving antenna is linearly polarized.
Cytomegalovirus pneumonia in bone marrow transplant recipients: miliary and diffuse patterns.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonia is a frequent complication of bone marrow transplantation. The clinical and pathologic features of 16 bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients with histologic and/or cultural evidence of pulmonary CMV infections were reviewed. Two major morphologic patterns were observed. Five BMT recipients had a miliary pattern of pneumonia: multiple focal pulmonary lesions with extensive cytomegaly, often with localized necrobiosis, alveolar hemorrhage, fibrin deposition, and a neutrophilic response. These patients had a fulminant onset of respiratory failure, and at autopsy cytomegaly was evident in the spleen in all cases. Ten BMT recipients had interstitial pneumonitis with alveolar-cell hyperplasia, interstitial edema with mild to moderate lymphoid infiltrate, and diffusely distributed cytomegalic cells. Their respiratory disease had an insidious onset, and 2 of the patients recovered. Buffy-coat or bone-marrow cultures were positive for CMV in only 2 of 9 patients studied. Among the .
Oxygenation and plasma endothelin-1 concentrations in healthy horses recovering from isoflurane anaesthesia administered with or without pulse-delivered inhaled nitric oxide.

OBJECTIVE To assess oxygenation, ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) matching and plasma endothelin (ET-1) concentrations in healthy horses recovering from isoflurane anaesthesia administered with or without pulse-delivered inhaled nitric oxide (iNO). STUDY DESIGN Prospective experimental trial. ANIMALS Healthy adult Standardbred horses. METHODS Horses were anaesthetized with isoflurane in oxygen and placed in lateral recumbency. Six control (C group) horses were anaesthetized without iNO delivery and six horses received pulse-delivered iNO (NO group). After 2.5 hours of anaesthesia isoflurane and iNO were abruptly discontinued, inhaled oxygen was reduced from 100% to approximately 30%, and the horses were moved to the recovery stall. At intervals during a 30-minute period following the discontinuation of anaesthesia, arterial and mixed venous blood gas values, shunt fraction (Qs/Qt), plasma ET-1 concentration, pulse rate and respiratory rate were measured or calculated. Repeated measures anova and a Bonferroni post hoc test was used to analyze data with significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS At all time points in the recovery period, NO horses maintained better arterial oxygenation (oxygen partial pressure: NO 13.2 ± 2.7-11.1 ± 2.7 versus C 6.7 ± 1.1-7.1 ± 1.1 kPa) and better V/Q matching (Qs/Qt NO 0.23 ± 0.05-0.14 ± 0.06 versus C 0.48 ± 0.03-0.32 ± 0.08%) than C horses. Mixed venous oxygenation was higher in NO for 25 minutes following the discontinuation of anaesthesia (NO 6.3 ± 0.2-4.5 ± 0.07 versus C 4.7 ± 0.6-3.7 ± 0.3 kPa). In both groups of horses arterial oxygenation remained fairly stable; venous oxygenation declined over this time period in the NO group but still remained higher than venous oxygen in the C group. ET-1 concentrations were higher at most time points in C than NO. Changes in other parameters were either minor or absent. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Delivery of iNO to healthy horses during anaesthesia results in better arterial and venous oxygenation and V/Q matching (as determined by lower Qs/Qt) and lower ET-1 concentrations throughout a 30-minute anaesthetic recovery period.
Efferent and afferent connections of the olfactory bulb and prepiriform cortex in the pigeon (Columba livia)

Although olfaction in birds is known to be involved in a variety of behaviors, there is comparatively little detailed information on the olfactory brain. In the pigeon brain, the olfactory bulb (OB) is known to project to the prepiriform cortex (CPP), piriform cortex (CPi), and dorsolateral corticoid area (CDL), which together are called the olfactory pallium, but centrifugal pathways to the OB have not been fully explored. Fiber connections of CPi and CDL have been reported, but those of other olfactory pallial nuclei remain unknown. The present study examines the fiber connections of OB and CPP in pigeons to provide a more detailed picture of their connections using tract‐tracing methods. When anterograde and retrograde tracers were injected in OB, projections to a more extensive olfactory pallium were revealed, including the anterior olfactory nucleus, CPP, densocellular part of the hyperpallium, tenia tecta, hippocampal continuation, CPi, and CDL. OB projected commissural fibers to the contralateral OB but did not receive afferents from the contralateral olfactory pallium. When tracers were injected in CPP, reciprocal ipsilateral connections with OB and nuclei of the olfactory pallium were observed, and CPP projected to the caudolateral nidopallium and the limbic system, including the hippocampal formation, septum, lateral hypothalamic nucleus, and lateral mammillary nucleus. These results show that the connections of OB have a wider distribution throughout the olfactory pallium than previously thought and that CPP provides a centrifugal projection to the OB and acts as a relay station to the limbic system. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:1728–1752, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Neutron Stars: Formed, Spun and Kicked

One of the primary goals when studying stellar systems with neutron stars has been to reveal the physical properties of progenitors and understand how neutron star spins and birth kicks are determined. Over the years a consensus understanding had been developed, but recently some of the basic elements of this understanding are being challenged by current observations of some binary systems and their theoretical interpretation. In what follows we review such recent developments and highlight how they are interconnected; we particularly emphasize some of the assumptions and caveats of theoretical interpretations and examine their validity (e.g., in connection to the unknown radial velocities of pulsars or the nuances of multi‐dimensional statistical analyses). The emerging picture does not erase our earlier understanding; instead it broadens it as it reveals additional pathways for neutron star formation and evolution: neutron stars probably form at the end of both core collapse of Fe cores of massive stars.
The Impact of a Culturally Appropriate STD/AIDS Education Intervention on Black Male Adolescents’ Sexual and Condom Use Behavior

A culturally appropriate, theoretically based videotape was developed to promote condom use among African American males, ages 15 to 19, attending a municipal sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic. The video-tape’s impacts were compared to those achieved by an African American health educator who delivered the same messages during a face-to-face session and by standard care. Data were obtained on participants’ (N = 562) condom use knowledge, self-efficacy, and intentions; sexual and condom use behaviors; and perceived risk of infection. At posttest, “videotape” and “health educator” participants demonstrated greater condom use knowledge; “health educator” participants indicated greater self-efficacy and stronger condom use intentions with steady partners. At 6 months, participants in all conditions reported more partners and acts of vaginal intercourse (past month); however, they were more likely to report consistent condom use with steady partners (18% vs. 53%) and casual partners (26% vs. 50%). Perceived risk of infection was lower at the posttest and declined during the study period.
Cell Type-Specific Sexual Dimorphism in Rat Pituitary Gene Expression During Maturation1

ABSTRACT The most obvious functional differences between mammalian males and females are related to the control of reproductive physiology and include patterns of GnRH and gonadotropin release, the timing of puberty, sexual and social behavior, and the regulation of food intake and body weight. Using the rat as the best-studied mammalian model for maturation, we examined the expression of major anterior pituitary genes in five secretory cell types of developing males and females. Corticotrophs show comparable Pomc profiles in both sexes, with the highest expression occurring during the infantile period. Somatotrophs and lactotrophs also exhibit no difference in Gh1 and Prl profiles during embryonic to juvenile age but show the amplification of Prl expression in females and Gh1 expression in males during peripubertal and postpubertal ages. Gonadotrophs exhibit highly synchronized Lhb, Fshb, Cga, and Gnrhr expression in both sexes, but the peak of expression occurs during the infantile period in females and at the end of the juvenile period in males. Thyrotrophs also show different developmental Tshb profiles, which are synchronized with the expression of gonadotroph genes in males but not in females. These results indicate the lack of influence of sex on Pomc expression and the presence of two patterns of sexual dimorphism in the expression of other pituitary genes: a time shift in the peak expression during postnatal development, most likely reflecting the perinatal sex-specific brain differentiation, and modulation of the amplitude of expression during late development, which is secondary to the establishment of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal and -thyroid axes.
Fruits and Vegetables in Relation to Prostate Cancer in Japanese Men: The Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study

Although dietary risk factors may differ between localized and advanced prostate cancer, data on associations between the consumption of fruits and vegetables and risk of localized and advanced cancers are limited. We examined associations between fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of prostate cancer in a Japanese population. During 1995–1998, a validated food frequency questionnaire was administered to 43,475 men aged 45–74 yr. During 321,061 person-years of follow-up until the end of 2004, 339 cases of prostate cancer were identified. Consumption of fruits or total vegetables was not associated with a decreased risk of total prostate cancer, with corresponding multivariate hazard ratios of the highest vs. lowest quartiles of 1.09 (95% CI = 0.77–1.53; trend P = 0.39) for fruits and 1.33 (95% CI = 0.93–1.91; trend P = 0.52) for total vegetables. Also, no association was observed for intake of either fruits or vegetables (total or any subtype) with localized or advanced prostate cancer. This prospective cohort study suggests that consumption of fruits or vegetables may not be associated with the risk of either localized or advanced prostate cancer in Japanese men. However, the possibility of confounding by detection bias on the risk of localized cancer could not be totally ruled out.
Experimental demonstration of the growth rate–lifespan trade-off

The hypothesized negative relationship between growth rate and lifespan has proved very difficult to test robustly because of potentially confounding variables, particularly nutrient availability and final size. Here we provide, to our knowledge, the first rigorous experimental test of this hypothesis, and find dramatic changes in lifespan in the predicted direction in response to both upward and downward manipulations of growth rates. We used brief (less than 4% of median lifespan) exposure to relatively cold or warm temperatures early in life to deflect juvenile three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus from their normal growth trajectories; this induced catch-up or slowed-down growth when ambient temperatures were restored, and all groups attained the same average adult size. Catch-up growth led to a reduction in median lifespan of 14.5 per cent, while slowed-down growth extended lifespan by 30.6 per cent. These lifespan effects were independent of eventual size attained or reproductive investment in adult life. Photoperiod manipulations showed that the effects of compensatory growth on lifespan were also influenced by time available for growth prior to breeding, being more extreme when less time was available. These results demonstrate the growth–lifespan trade-off. While growing more slowly can increase longevity, the optimal resolution of the growth–lifespan trade-off is influenced by time constraints in a seasonal environment.
econstor Make Your Publications Visible . A Service of zbw

This paper presents a general-equilibrium model of endogenous skilled-biased technological change and matching unemployment in a disaggregated economy. We simultaneously endogenise both the direction and pace of technological change as well as the unemployment rates. We show that an increase in the supply of high-skilled labour can explain skilled-biased technological change, a reduction in high-skilled unemployment and a rise in the high-skilled wage differential. In accordance with convincing empirical evidence, the high-skilled suffer from shorter and fewer spells of unemployment. JEL classification: J21, J41, J64, O31, O41 ∗ University of Tübingen, Dept. of Economics, Mohlstr. 36, 72074 Tübingen, Germany. E-mail: manfred.stadler@uni-tuebingen.de and ruediger.wapler@uni-tuebingen.de Homepage: http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/vwl5
Adaptive Stabilization of $ 2 \times 2$ Linear Hyperbolic Systems With an Unknown Boundary Parameter From Collocated Sensing and Control

In this paper, we solve an adaptive control problem for a class of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ 2 \times 2$</tex-math></inline-formula> linear hyperbolic partial differential equations, where sensing and actuation are restricted to the boundary anticollocated with an uncertain parameter. This is done by combining a recently derived adaptive observer for the system states and the uncertain parameter, with an adaptive control law. Proof of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ L_2$</tex-math></inline-formula>-boundedness for all signals in the closed loop is given, and the system states are proved to converge to zero pointwise in space. The theory is demonstrated in a simulation.
The Labour Market Consequences of Self-Employment Spells: European Evidence

We examine how those re-entering paid-employment after a brief self-employment spell fare upon return using data from the European Community Household Panel. Unconditionally, those re-entering paid-employment appear to have considerably lower wages than those staying in the wage sector. This difference appears to be larger in Europe than in the US. Conditional analysis suggests, however, that the difference is more apparent than real: It seems that Europeans select negatively into (and possibly out-of) self-employment, i.e., the likelihood of entering (and exiting) entrepreneurship correlates negatively with unobserved ability and/or in-paid-employment productivity. Our analysis of non-wage outcomes indicates that the selection is mostly involuntary, and that for highly educated men, the brief self-employment spells are unemployment in disguise.