Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Body Composition Response to Lower Body Positive Pressure Training in Obese Children

Background: The high prevalence of obesity in Egypt has a great impact on the health care system, economic and social situation. Evidence suggests that even a moderate amount of weight loss can be useful. Aim of the study: To analyze the effects of lower body positive pressure supported treadmill training, conducted with hypocaloric diet, on body composition of obese children. Methods: Thirty children aged between 8 and 14 years, were randomly assigned into two groups: intervention group (15 children) and control group (15 children). All of them were evaluated using body composition analysis through bioelectric impedance. The following parameters were measured before and after the intervention: body mass, body fat mass, muscle mass, body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat and basal metabolic rate (BMR). The study group exercised with antigravity treadmill three times a week during 2 months, and participated in a hypocaloric diet program. The control group participated in a hypocaloric diet program only. Results: Both groups showed significant reduction in body mass, body fat mass and BMI. Only study group showed significant reduction in percentage of body fat (p = 0.0.043). Changes in muscle mass and BMR didn't reach statistical significance in both groups. No significant differences were observed between groups except for muscle mass (p = 0.049) and BMR (p = 0.042) favoring study group. Conclusion: Both programs proved effective in the reduction of obesity indicators, but lower body positive pressure supported treadmill training was more effective in improving muscle mass and BMR. Keywords—Children, Hypocaloric diet, Lower body positive pressure supported treadmill, obesity.
Immunostimulatory effect of Lactobacillus sporogenes on the nonspecific defense mechanisms of Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters)

The concept of using beneficial whole microorganisms is termed as “probiotics” and is gaining importance, as an eco-friendly disease management tool. In addition to disease resistance, they also improve water quality and growth of farmed fish. Lactobacillus sporogenes has been reported as one such beneficial bacteria in man and mammals. In order to explore the effect of this probiotic three groups of fish were treated with different number of vegetative cells in the log phase of growth for seven days. After this period of probiotic treatment fish were immunized with heat killed Aeromonas hydrophila. Then the fish were bled serially on 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and on the 12th day of immunization for various non-specific immuno assays like activated neutrophils, peripheral blood leukocyte count, and number of lymphocytes, granulocytes and monocytes. The results showed that L. sporogenes is an effective nonspecific immunostimulant in aquaculture.
Real time vital sign transmission using IEEE 802.15.7 VLC PHY-I transceiver

Visible Light Communication (VLC) Technology is the short range optical wireless communication technology using the light source such as LEDs for data transmission. The major advantage of VLC is that it causes no interference to RF-based devices and no bad effect to human body. Thus, this makes it possible to be used in intrinsically safe environment such as in a hospital. Moreover, it doesn't have the restriction likes a radio wave, VLC using a license free frequency bands. IEEE 802.15. 7 VLC standard is one of the VLC standard. This standard consists of PHY I, II and III operating modes. In this paper, we first focus on analyzing PHY I with OOK modulation, which is targeted towards applications requiring data rate range from 11.67 kb/s to 100 kb/s with 200 kHz optical clock rate. Moreover, we propose the improvement of the real time vital sign transmission based on IEEE 802.15. 7 VLC standard using PHY I operating modes for sending the vital signs data, which are temperature and heart rate. Compared with our previous system, there are improvements in many directions. The obvious improvement is the communication speed. Moreover, the transmission range is able to be increased by adding the VLC repeater.
Autonomic alterations in narcolepsy-contrasting results in mice and men.

9 Editorial—Fronczek and Thijs In the current issue of SLEEP, Sorensen and colleagues1 show a reduced heart rate response to arousals and leg movements in narcolepsy patients who lack hypocretin-1. This attenuated heart rate increase was independent of the occurrence of cataplexy and other factors such as age, gender, disease duration, and BMI. The authors conclude that the hypocretin system plays an important role in autonomic regulation during sleep. Since the discovery of the hypocretin system and its relationship to narcolepsy with cataplexy, it has proven difficult to gain insight into the exact effects of the hypocretins (or lack thereof) on the autonomic nervous system. At first, animal studies provided results that were in line with what were thought to be the most logical effect of the hypocretins. Administration of hypocretin or stimulation of hypocretin secreting neurons led to an increase in sympathetic output parameters such as increased heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.2 Conversely, lower heart rate and blood pressure during wakefulness were found in hypocretin neuron-ablated rats and hypocretin deficient mice.3-6 This nicely fit with the theory that a lowered sympathetic tone would be a logical corollary of hypocretin deficiency. This, in turn, could explain a lowered metabolic rate and the obesity that is characteristic of narcolepsy. However, in reality it was not this simple. Sleep studies in transgenic and knock out mice yielded different results. During sleep, an increase in blood pressure was reported.6,7 Also in contrast to the previous experimental models, various human studies gave the suggestion of sympathetic activation: heart rate was found to increased both during wake8,9 and sleep,9 and the physiological sleep-related blood pressure decline appeared to be blunted in narcolepsy patients.9,10 It was hypothesized that these sympathetic changes were explained by the continuous fight against sleep or to a loss of state boundary control with frequent shifts between different vigilance and sleep states. Alternatively, a changed sympathetic tone might also truly be a direct consequence of hypocretin deficiency itself. The mechanisms are however still unknown. Attempts to dissect the contribution of the sympathetic and parasympathetic system to the heart rate changes have yielded contradicting results. The sympathovagal balance during wakefulness was reported to be increased,11 decreased,8 or normal.12 The comEDITORIAL
Pet veterinarians have no increased risk of hepatitis E compared to the general population

The discovery of autochthonous hepatitis E in industrialized countries associated to genotype 3 has changed substantially the understanding about hepatitis E virus (HEV) circulation. In these countries transmission has been associated to the consumption and direct contact to swine, a well‐known reservoir for HEV. More animal reservoirs for HEV might exist since antibodies to HEV have been detected in other animal species, such as dogs and cats. Given the intimate contact between these pets and humans, the potential zoonotic HEV transmission from dogs and cats deserves to be explored. To address this issue, 493 sera from pet veterinarians (373) and matched general population (120) were tested for the presence of anti‐HEV IgG using a commercial ELISA. Antibodies to HEV were found in 9.9% veterinarians and 13.3% general population. No statistically significant difference was found between these two groups showing that pet veterinarians have no increased risk to hepatitis E compared to the general population. J. Med. Virol. 86:954–956, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The effect of diazepam on motor cortical oscillations and corticomuscular coherence studied in man

EEG recordings from sensorimotor cortex show oscillations around 10 and 20 Hz. These modulate with task performance, and are strongest during periods of steady contraction. The 20 Hz oscillations are coherent with contralateral EMG. Computer modelling suggests that oscillations arising within the cortex may be especially dependent on inhibitory systems. The benzodiazepine diazepam enhances the size of GABAA IPSPs; its effects are reversed by the antagonist flumazenil. We tested the effect of these drugs on spectral measures of EEG and EMG, whilst eight healthy human subjects performed a precision grip task containing both holding and movement phases. Either an auxotonic or isometric load was used. EEG changes following electrical stimulation of the contralateral median nerve were also assessed. The EEG power showed similar changes in all task/stimulation protocols used. Power around 20 Hz doubled at the highest dose of diazepam used (5 mg), and returned to control levels following flumazenil. EEG power at 10 Hz was by contrast little altered. The peak frequency of EEG power in both bands was not changed by diazepam. Corticomuscular coherence at ca 20 Hz was reduced following diazepam injection, but the magnitude of this effect was small (mean coherence during steady holding in the auxotonic task was 0.062 in control recordings, 0.051 after 2.5 mg and 5 mg doses of diazepam). These results imply that 20 Hz oscillations in the sensorimotor cortex are at least partially produced by local cortical circuits reliant on GABAA‐mediated intracortical inhibition, whereas 10 Hz rhythms arise by a different mechanism. Rhythms generated during different tasks, or following nerve stimulation, are likely to arise from similar mechanisms. By examining the formulae used to calculate coherence, we show that if cortical oscillations are simply transmitted to the periphery, corticomuscular coherence should increase in parallel with the ratio of EEG to EMG power. The relative constancy of coherence even when the amplitude of cortical oscillations is perturbed suggests that corticomuscular coherence itself may have a functional role in motor control.
Prognostic value of reticulocyte hemoglobin content to diagnose iron deficiency in 6-24-month-old children.

OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to evaluate the prognostic value of reticulocyte hemoglobin content for diagnosis of iron deficiency in 6-24-month-old children. MATERIAL AND METHODS Children aged 6 to 24 months were consulted for suspected iron deficiency in the outpatient department in 2006-2007. Criteria for inclusion into the study were normal birth time and weight, no infection during the last two weeks before blood sampling (C-reactive protein <5 mg/L), no iron supplements 1 month before the study. Red blood cell, reticulocyte indices and biochemical tests were analyzed. A total of 180 children were enrolled in our study. Iron deficiency was diagnosed when at least two of four parameters (ferritin, transferrin, transferrin saturation, and soluble transferrin receptors) reflected iron deficiency. RESULTS According to our criteria of iron deficiency, patients were divided into two groups: 116 had iron deficiency and 64 had normal iron stores. The iron deficiency group had significantly lower hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, reticulocyte hemoglobin content, ferritin, soluble transferrin receptors, iron and higher red cell distribution width, transferrin, and transferrin saturation (P<0.05) compared with the normal iron store group. Reticulocyte hemoglobin content, ferritin, and transferrin saturation had the highest sensitivity and specificity (76.6% and 78.4%, 81.3% and 81.9%, 85.9% and 87.9%, respectively). CONCLUSION Reticulocyte hemoglobin content is comparable test with ferritin and transferrin saturation and can be used to detect iron deficiency in 6-24-month-old children.
Affinity-Seeking, Social Loneliness, and Social Avoidance among Facebook Users

This study explored the relations between use of the social networking site Facebook and scores on affinity-seeking, social loneliness, and social avoidance by 313 college students. Social loneliness and social avoidance, but not affinity-seeking, were positively and statistically significantly related to time spent using Facebook. The number of close Facebook friends was negatively and statistically significantly related to social loneliness and social avoidance. Women perceived Facebook as a more integral part of daily interactions than did men. 38% of the 283 Facebook members indicated their accounts contained information and/or a picture that could embarrass them, with men having significantly more embarrassing content than women. The findings are discussed within the context of social compensation.
Coincident phase center ultra wideband array of dual polarized flared notch elements

NRL has devised a coincident phase center array that interleaves orthogonal flared notches along their centers which allows for larger geometries and so larger bandwidth. The NRL array has perfect symmetry which leads to outstanding isolation between the polarizations. Simulated results were presented which show that over a 6 to 1 bandwidth, the active reflection coefficient will be lower than -10 dB, and the isolation between the orthogonal polarizations will be better than 40 dB. A 20 x 20 array has been constructed and is being characterized. So far no problems have been encountered which would lead us to doubt predictions. Finally, successful completion of this array will facilitate work on a simplified time delay beam steering technique devised by one of the authors, J.B. L. Rao.
Comparison of sodium bicarbonate and carbicarb for the treatment of metabolic acidosis in newborn calves

Carbicarb (an equimolar mixture of sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate) was compared with sodium bicarbonate alone for the treatment of acidosis in newborn calves: 25 of 49 calves with a blood pH at birth of less than 7˙2 and a base deficit of less than −3 mmol/litre were treated intravenously with sodium bicarbonate and 24 were treated with carbicarb. The doses were calculated on the basis of the base deficit in a blood sample taken 10 minutes after birth, and further blood samples were taken immediately after the treatment and 30 and 60 minutes after the treatment for the determination of acid-base status, blood gases and haematological and biochemical variables. Both treatments resulted in a significant increase in blood pH, but there was no difference between them. The mean (sd) blood pH before treatment was 7˙09 (0˙02) and after treatment it was 7˙28 (0˙01). There was no increase in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide after treatment with either sodium bicarbonate or carbicarb. Both treatments were associated with an increase in sodium concentration and decreases in the total erythrocyte count, haematocrit and haemoglobin concentration.
cDNA cloning, characterization, and functional expression of four new monoterpene synthase members of the Tpsd gene family from grand fir (Abies grandis).

Grand fir (Abies grandis) is a useful model system for studying the biochemistry, molecular genetics, and regulation of defensive oleoresin formation in conifers, a process involving both the constitutive accumulation of resin (pitch) in specialized secretory structures and the induced biosynthesis of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes (turpentine) and diterpene resin acids (rosin) by nonspecialized cells at the site of injury. A similarity-based cloning strategy, employing primers designed to conserved regions of existing monoterpene synthases and anticipated to amplify a 1000-bp fragment, unexpectedly yielded a 300-bp fragment with sequence reminiscent of a terpenoid synthase. Utilization of this amplicon as a hybridization probe afforded four new, full-length cDNA species from a wounded fir stem cDNA library that appeared to encode four distinct monoterpene synthases. Expression in Escherichia coli, followed by enzyme assay with geranyl diphosphate (C(10)), farnesyl diphosphate (C(15)) and geranylgeranyl diphosphate (C(20)), and analysis of the terpene products by chiral phase gas chromatography and mass spectrometry confirmed that these sequences encoded four new monoterpene synthases, including (-)-camphene synthase, (-)-beta-phellandrene synthase, terpinolene synthase, and an enzyme that produces both (-)-limonene and (-)-alpha-pinene. The deduced amino acid sequences indicated these enzymes to be 618 to 637 residues in length (71 to 73 kDa) and to be translated as preproteins bearing an amino-terminal plastid targeting sequence of 50-60 residues. cDNA truncation to delete the transit peptide allowed functional expression of the "pseudomature" forms of these enzymes, which exhibited no change in product outcome as a result of truncation. Sequence comparison revealed that these new monoterpene synthases from grand fir are members of the Tpsd gene subfamily and resemble sesquiterpene (C(15)) synthases and diterpene (C(20)) synthases from conifers more closely than mechanistically related monoterpene synthases from angiosperm species. The availability of a nearly complete set of constitutive and inducible monoterpene synthases from grand fir (now numbering seven) will allow molecular dissection of the resin-based defense response in this conifer species, and detailed study of structure-function relationships among this large and diverse family of catalysts, all of which exploit the same stereochemistry in the coupled isomerization-cyclization reaction.
Potential folding–function interrelationship in proteins

The possibility is addressed that protein folding and function may be related via regions that are critical for both folding and function. This approach is based on the building blocks folding model that describes protein folding as binding events of conformationally fluctuating building blocks. Within these, we identify building block fragments that are critical for achieving the native fold. A library of such critical building blocks (CBBs) is constructed. Then, it is asked whether the functionally important residues fall in these CBB fragments. We find that for over two‐thirds of the proteins in our library with available functional information, the catalytic or binding site residues lie within the CBB regions. From the evolutionary standpoint, a folding–function relationship is advantageous, since the need to guard against mutations is limited to one region. Furthermore, conformationally similar CBBs are found in globally unrelated proteins with different functions. Hence, substituting CBBs may lead to designed proteins with altered functions. We further find that the CBBs in our library are conformationally unstable. Proteins 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
B-meson decay constants: a more complete picture from full lattice QCD

B , B s and B c . We use improved NonRelativistic QCD for the valence b quark and the Highly Improved Staggered Quark (HISQ) action for the lighter quarks on gluon eld congurations that include the eect of u=d, s and c quarks in the sea with u=d quark masses going down to physical values. For the ratio of vector to pseudoscalar decay constants, we nd fB =fB = 0.941(26), fB s =fBs = 0.953(23) (both 2 less than 1.0) and fB c =fBc = 0.988(27). Taking correlated uncertainties into account we see clear indications that the ratio increases as the mass of the lighter quark increases. We compare our results to those using the HISQ formalism for all quarks and nd good agreement both on decay constant values when the heaviest quark is a b and on the dependence on the mass of the heaviest quark in the region of the b. Finally, we give an overview plot of decay constants for gold-plated mesons, the most complete picture of these hadronic parameters to date.
The Role of Tactile Support in Arm Levitation

How many persons need tactile support à la Milton H. Erickson to achieve arm levitation during hypnosis? How do these differ from those who do not need it? Hypnotic arm levitation was suggested three times consecutively to 30 medium suggestible students. Sixteen succeeded without any tactile support; 7 needed it one or two times; 5 needed it every time; and 2 achieved no arm levitation at all. Participants without any tactile support went more quickly into deeper hypnosis, experienced more involuntariness, less effort, and had higher electrodermal activity. This greater physiological activity seems necessary for hypnotic arm levitation as a form of “attentive hypnosis” in contrast to “relaxation hypnosis. ” A change in verbal suggestion from “imagine a helium balloon” to “leave levitation to your unconscious mind” revealed no differences. Several issues resulting from this exploratory arm levitation study are discussed. The idea of different proprioceptive-kinesthetic abilities is introduced and the profound need of co-creating an individual suggestion is emphasized.
'Vaping' profiles and preferences: an online survey of electronic cigarette users.

AIMS To characterize e-cigarette use, users and effects in a sample of Electronic Cigarette Company (TECC) and Totally Wicked E-Liquid (TWEL) users. DESIGN AND SETTING Online survey hosted at the University of East London with links from TECC/TWEL websites from September 2011 to May 2012. MEASUREMENTS Online questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS One thousand three hundred and forty-seven respondents from 33 countries (72% European), mean age 43 years, 70% male, 96% Causasian, 44% educated to degree level or above. FINDINGS Seventy-four percent of participants reported not smoking for at least a few weeks since using the e-cigarette and 70% reported reduced urge to smoke. Seventy-two percent of participants used a 'tank' system, most commonly, the eGo-C (23%). Mean duration of use was 10 months. Only 1% reported exclusive use of non-nicotine (0 mg) containing liquid. E-cigarettes were generally considered to be satisfying to use; elicit few side effects; be healthier than smoking; improve cough/breathing; and be associated with low levels of craving. Among ex-smokers, 'time to first vape' was significantly longer than 'time to first cigarette' (t1104 = 11.16, P < 0.001) suggesting a lower level of dependence to e-cigarettes. Ex-smokers reported significantly greater reduction in craving than current smokers (χ(2) 1 = 133.66, P < 0.0007) although few other differences emerged between these groups. Compared with males, females opted more for chocolate/sweet flavours (χ(2) 1 = 16.16, P < 0.001) and liked the e-cigarette because it resembles a cigarette (χ(2) 3 = 42.65, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS E-cigarettes are used primarily for smoking cessation, but for a longer duration than nicotine replacement therapy, and users believe them to be safer than smoking.