Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Aerobic and Nonaerobic Exercise on Depression and Self-Concept

The effects of aerobic and nonaerobic exercise on depression and self-concept were investigated in a pretest-posttest control group design. 89 undergraduates engaged in the aerobic exercise of swimming, the nonaerobic exercise of weight training, or a control, Introductory Psychology class. Dependent measures were the Beck Depression Inventory, Depression Adjective Check Lists, Tennessee Self-concept Scale, and Cooper's 12 Minute Swim. Analysis indicated that both the aerobic and nonaerobic groups were equally effective in significantly reducing self-reported depression in comparison to the controls. The nonaerobic condition was superior to the aerobic condition for enhancing self-concept. These results contradict earlier findings suggesting that only aerobic types of exercise yield psychological benefit but are consistent with more recent findings showing the psychological benefit of nonaerobic exercise.
Salmonella typhimurium specifically chemotax and proliferate in heterogeneous tumor tissue in vitro

Multi‐drug resistance greatly limits the efficacy of conventional blood‐born chemotherapeutics, which have limited ability to penetrate tumor tissue and are ineffective at killing quiescent cells far from tumor vasculature. Nonpathogenic, motile bacteria can overcome both of theses limitations. We hypothesize that the accumulation of S. typhimurium in tumors is controlled by two mechanisms: (1) chemotaxis towards compounds produced by quiescent cancer cells and (2) preferential growth within tumor tissue. We tested this hypothesis by quantifying the relative contributions of these mechanisms using the tumor cylindroid model, which mimics the microenvironments of in vivo tumors. Time‐lapse fluorescence microscopy was used to measure the accumulation of GFP‐labeled S. typhimurium into cylindroids of different size. Cylindroids larger than 500 µm in diameter contain quiescent cells, whereas cylindroids smaller than 500 µm do not. Spatio‐temporal profiles of bacterial concentration were fit to a mathematical model to calculate two parameters that describe bacterial interaction with tumors: intratumoral bacterial growth, M, and intratumoral bacterial chemoattraction, K. It was observed that S. typhimurium is attracted to cylindroids and accumulate at long time points in the central region of large cylindroids. Both intratumoral bacterial growth and chemotaxis were significantly greater in large cylindroids, suggesting that quiescent cells secrete bacterial chemoattractants and the presence of necrotic and quiescent cells enable S. typhimurium to replicate in tumor tissue. In this study, several mechanisms of S. typhimurium accumulation in solid tumors have been quantified, which we believe is an important step in the development of bacterial‐based therapeutics to target tumor quiescence. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An empirical investigation of how perceived devaluation and income effects influence consumers' intended utilization of savings from coupon redemption

Coupons are one of the most popular and attractive tools of promotion. Redeeming coupons makes shoppers feel that they are doing something good for their family's budget, because coupons offer 'savings. ' On the other hand, a coupon might have several negative effects on purchase behavior as well, which might 'devalue' the promoted product in the consumer's perception. But a review of the literature shows a lack of attention afforded to the above-mentioned aspects of coupon redemption. In addition, the consumer's coupon redemption behavior is moderated by several factors drawn from research in the fields of market pricing, economics and psychology, each of which have contributed to the current study in their own way. Finally, there does not exist any substantive research as to why coupon redemption rates have been on the decline, despite an increase in distribution of coupons. Therefore, this research not only fills existing gaps in the literature but also enriches it by synthesizing views from different academic disciplines. This dissertation concentrates on grocery products. Data is collected from about 2500 adults, primarily residing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The conceptual framework is based on the theory of reasoned action, which suggests that an individual's beliefs influence his/her attitude towards the consequences of actions, and attitudes, in turn, influence the individual's actions. Toward this end, the model incorporates intention to redeem coupons, intention to keep or spend savings and intention of how to spend savings from coupon redemption as the dependent variables, and several other independent variables. Behavioral independent variables are measured using items borrowed from established scales, as well as those developed exclusively for the current study. Standard statistical tools such as factor analysis and accepted measures of reliability and validity (Cronbach's alpha) are applied and reported, while structural equation modeling has been used to re-validate certain findings. Multivariate regression is applied for testing the hypotheses. Results indicate that several psychological (e.g. arousal-seeking, novelty-seeking tendency), socio-economic (e.g. income effect, opportunity cost) and behavioral factors (e.g. savings propensity, switching behavior) influence the individual's intention to redeem a coupon. The current research offers several academic and managerial implications, while providing promising prospects for further studies.
The distribution of mast cells in the human area postrema

The topography and phenotype of mast cells in the human area postrema, together with correlation between mast‐cell density and microvessel density (MVD), were analysed in 16 brains. Transverse serial sections of formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded brainstems were stained with toluidine blue and alcian blue/safranin stainings, and with anti‐tryptase and anti‐CD31 monoclonal antibodies. The mean (± SD) numbers of mast cells per section were 1.3 ± 0.8 and 1.2 ± 0.7 with toluidine blue and alcian blue/safranin, respectively, whereas anti‐tryptase monoclonal antibody showed a mean of 5.1 ± 2.4 cells. Mast cells were alcian blue‐ and safranin‐positive in 56%, because of the coexistence of low‐sulphated (blue‐staining) and high‐sulphated (red‐staining) granules. No significant linear correlation between mast‐cell density (4.9 mm−2) and MVD (114.5 mm−2) was found (r2 = 0.19, P = 0.09). Mast cells were frequently located close to blood vessels (55%) (33% to venules, 22% to arterioles), indicating that their products play a role in the regulation of blood flow and in vessel permeability in the area postrema. Mast cells were located subependymally in 44% and close to the dorsal aspect of the nucleus of the tractus solitarius in 31%, suggesting a subregional distribution.
The ‘Utility’ of the Visual Analog Scale in Medical Decision Making and Technology Assessment: Is It an Alternative to the Time Trade-off?

Abstract Methods often used for the valuation of health states are the time trade-off (TTO) and the visual analog scale (VAS). The VAS is easier than the TTO and can be self-administered; however it usually leads to lower scores. In the literature a power transformation of group mean VAS scores to TTO scores has been proposed. We were able to replicate this finding of a power function. We found coefficients that were very similar to those from the literature, for 183 cancer patients. The relationship existed independently of disease state and health status.
Biometric Analysis of Handwriting Dynamics Using a Script Generator Model

It is a challenging idea to measure and to analyse a person's handwriting dynamics in order to detect diseases at an early stage, to control medication, or to extend available therapies. This article makes an important move towards those biomedical applications of biometrics by showing that low temperature, physical strain, or writing with the non-preferred hand (mostly left) have a bearing on human hand movement. This is measurable even for very simple kinds of hand movement, e.g., when drawing repeated backslashes. The handwriting dynamics are measured by means of a pen equipped with force and tilt sensors. Then, the parameterized script generator model proposed by Hollerbach is used in order to extract characteristic features from the measured signals, e.g., features describing deviations of measured time series from predicted model time series. The features are then used as inputs of support vector machines that classify whether the handwriting has been influenced or not. In particular for a cooled hand this can be performed with a very high accuracy
Entrepreneurial factors for the fitness industry

The following work examines the different aspects of opening an exercise-based business and identifies factors of the competitive environment that are conducive to opening a recreational and athletic strength training facility. Questions were answered regarding what type of exercise-based business could feasibly compete against the other exercise-based businesses and related non-profit organizations and what the existing exercise-based businesses and related non-profit organizations located within a 30-mile radius of southwest Dearborn, Michigan, were doing to survive in the current competitive economy. Information was gathered from100 fitness facility websites and 30 survey interviews from the managers and owners of the exercise-based businesses within a 30-mile radius of southwest Dearborn, Michigan. The results demonstrated a need for a fitness center focused on sports training. Also, the current U.S. recession may be reason to start a business in the near future; however, future research is needed.
Slower decline of plasma HIV-1 RNA following highly suppressive antiretroviral therapy in primary compared with chronic infection

Objectives:To study the effect of highly suppressive antiretroviral therapy on the slopes of HIV-1 RNA decline in primary compared with chronic HIV-1 infection. Methods:Slopes of HIV-1 RNA decline in plasma were compared before and after the start of highly suppressive antiretroviral therapy from five acutely infected patients who started treatment 2 to 5 weeks following the onset of clinical symptoms. Slopes of decline after the initiation of therapy were also compared with those found in 12 chronically infected individuals on the same therapy. Numbers and percentages of activated CD4 and CD8 T cells at baseline were compared as well. Results:The pre-treatment slopes of HIV-1 RNA decline in the acutely infected individuals increased significantly (P = 0.0001) after the start of anti-retroviral therapy. However, these post-treatment slopes were lower than those found in the chronically infected individuals (P = 0.012). Slopes were inversely correlated (P = 0.012) with baseline HIV-1 RNA. Although the number of CD38+HLA-DR+ CD4 cells was higher in primary infection (P = 0.02), the percentage did not differ between primary and chronic infection. Conclusions:These findings indicate that antiretroviral therapy contributes significantly to the clearance of HIV-1 during primary infection. Based on the mathematical model the less steep RNA slope following the start of treatment in primary infection can be predicted to be the result of lower clearance of productively infected cells and higher burst size per cell per unit time. This may indicate a growing immune response to HIV-1 in this very early stage of infection.
Susceptibility of Entamoeba histolytica to oxidants

The effect of hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorite on culture forms of Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites was examined by using two strains of E. histolytica, virulent (IP:0682:1) and nonvirulent (DKB). The amoebae were incubated with various concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorite, and their viability was determined at different times after incubation. When the viability of the virulent and nonvirulent strains was compared to different oxidant strengths, it became apparent that the virulent strain was less susceptible than the nonvirulent one to the cytotoxic effect of hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorite. Our studies further showed that the toxic effect was both time and dose dependent. To confirm that the killing of amoebae in this system was associated with the presence of hydrogen peroxide, amoebae were incubated with hydrogen peroxide and catalase. Catalase reduced the killing effect of hydrogen peroxide to the control level. These data confirmed previous observations of the susceptibility of amoebic trophozoites to hydrogen peroxide and also demonstrated susceptibility to hypochlorite.
The relationship between DMS flux and CCN concentration in remote marine regions

The relationship between the steady state cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration and the dimethylsulfide (DMS) emission flux in remote marine regions is investigated by modeling the principal gas-, aerosol-, and aqueous-phase processes in the marine boundary layer (MBL). Results are in reasonable quantitative agreement with the available measurements of DMS, SO_2, H_2SO_4, CCN, and condensation nuclei (CN) concentrations in remote marine regions of the globe and suggest that indeed DMS plays a major role in the particle dynamics of the MBL. For sufficiently low DMS fluxes practically all the SO_2 produced by DMS photooxidation is predicted to be heterogeneously converted to sulfate in sea-salt aerosol particles. For DMS fluxes higher than approximately 2.5 μmole m^(−2)d^(−1) a linear relationship is found to exist between the CCN number concentration and the DMS flux.
A hidden dimension? Work ideology and psychological contracts

This paper explores whether the concept of psychological contracts underpinned by relational/transactional exchanges provides an adequate description of knowledge workers’ contracts. Interviews were conducted with scientists from the CSIRO. The analysis identified content of the psychological contract for the knowledge worker best understood by reference to an ideological currency. It raises questions over the role of normative occupation-specific beliefs about work, and the sharing of common currency elements by individuals in the same organization within the same occupation. The analysis lends support to calls in the literature for a reconsideration of the transactional/relational interpretative framework that underpins the psychological contract.
The Effect of Word of Mouth in Customer Equity and Brand Equity

In this paper the author examines the extent to which word of mouth (WOM) impact on customer equity and brand equity, two of the most popular metrics of marketing productivity. WOM is the most ancient and effective communication tool because its low cost affects the efficiency in the allocation of marketing resources. After an extensive literature review, the author proposes several propositions to be tested in the future concerning how WOM might affect each element of brand equity and customer equity.
Robust decisions and deep uncertainty: An application of real options to public and private investment in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies

6 Jump down to document THE ARTS CHILD POLICY CIVIL JUSTICE EDUCATION ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS NATIONAL SECURITY POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SUBSTANCE ABUSE TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE WORKFORCE AND WORKPLACE The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world.
Clinical and molecular characterization of overlapping interstitial Xp21‐p22 duplications in two unrelated individuals

Development and implementation of high‐density DNA arrays demonstrated the important role of copy number changes on the X chromosome in the etiology of developmental delay and mental retardation (MR). We describe two unrelated patients with developmental delay due to similar interstitial duplications at Xp21‐p22. The first patient is a 6‐month‐old male with multiple affected family members including many females. The second patient is a 5‐year‐old adopted female. In both patients, chromosome analysis and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) showed duplications of overlapping regions at Xp21‐p22. The duplicated segments contain numerous genes associated with MR, including AP1S2, NHS, CDKL5, RPS6KA3, SMS, and ARX. Except for developmental delay, there is little phenotypic overlap between the male and the female patient. Additionally, the female patient and affected female relatives of the male patient have variable severities of cognitive impairment, likely due to different X‐inactivation patterns and effects of other, nonduplicated genes important for normal development. These cases illustrate that increased gene dosage of X‐linked MR genes lead to cognitive impairment. Precise delineation of chromosome rearrangements by aCGH and identification of genes within duplicated segments helped in establishing genotype–phenotype correlations for each of our patients, in comparing them to each other, as well as with previously reported cases of Xp21‐p22 duplications. However, we show that even with detailed molecular characterization, phenotype prediction remains challenging in patients with structural abnormalities of the X chromosome. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Festival Performance (FESTPERF) Revisited: Service Quality and Special Events

Abstract An extant scale concerning festival performance (FESTPERF) was developed to measure service quality perceptions of attendees to an Australian jazz and blues festival. Despite its noted applicability to music festivals, the study by Tkaczynski and Stokes (2010) focused on one festival of a particular type, and the generalizability of its findings to multiple special events and nonmusic events remains untested. To address these research limitations, this study applied FESTPERF to a theater performance and a film festival. One-hundred and sixty valid responses were collected and analyzed using exploratory factor analysis. It was identified that three factors, human service, venue, and performance, represented attendees’ perception of service quality at these special events. The performance factor was also significantly related to satisfaction and repurchase intent. Results from this study provided justification for the usage of the items proposed in the FESTPERF instrument to be applied to different special event settings with some minor modifications. Opportunities for future research are outlined and the limitations of this study are also provided.
Global survey of serological evidence of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus infection

Using caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus antigen in the agar gel immunodiffusion test, 3729 serum samples from goats in over 112 locations around the world were tested for precipitating antibodies. Over 90 per cent of the 1265 positive samples came from Canada, France, Norway, Switzerland and the USA, all of which had 65 per cent reactors or greater. Fiji, Great Britain, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand and Peru had fewer than 10 per cent positive samples; the majority of these could be traced to importations of goats from countries where there was a high occurrence of precipitating antibody. Somalia, Sudan and South Africa had no reactors among 306 samples. No reactors were found among 1116 samples from domestic and indigenous goats which were known to have had no contact with imported goats from countries which had a high occurrence.
Managing osteoarthritis. Medication use among seniors in the community.

OBJECTIVE To determine what types of medication seniors in the community were using to manage osteoarthritis (OA). DESIGN Mailed self-administered survey. SETTING Three family medicine community practice sites in cities in Nova Scotia. PARTICIPANTS All seniors (aged 65 and older) on the electronic record of each practice site with a physician-confirmed diagnosis of OA (N = 244). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Proportion of seniors using prescribed medications or self-care products (nonprescribed medications and herbal and natural health products) for OA. RESULTS Response rate was 78%. About 15% were using no medication, 74% were using at least one type of self-care product (60% were using nonprescribed medications, and 45% were using herbal and natural health products), and 52% were using prescribed medications alone or in combination with self-care products. CONCLUSION Seniors' use of prescribed and self-care products for OA is very high. Physicians must be aware that patients seeking prescriptions likely are also using self-care products. The potential for drug interactions is high; patients should be made aware of the risks associated with taking multiple products.
Cooperativity and Interference of Germination Pathways in Bacillus anthracis Spores

ABSTRACT Spore germination is the first step to Bacillus anthracis pathogenicity. Previous work has shown that B. anthracis spores use germination (Ger) receptors to recognize amino acids and nucleosides as germinants. Genetic analysis has putatively paired each individual Ger receptor with a specific germinant. However, Ger receptors seem to be able to partially compensate for each other and recognize alternative germinants. Using kinetic analysis of B. anthracis spores germinated with inosine and l-alanine, we previously determined kinetic parameters for this germination process and showed binding synergy between the cogerminants. In this work, we expanded our kinetic analysis to determine kinetic parameters and binding order for every B. anthracis spore germinant pair. Our results show that germinant binding can exhibit positive, neutral, or negative cooperativity. Furthermore, different germinants can bind spores by either a random or an ordered mechanism. Finally, simultaneous triggering of multiple germination pathways shows that germinants can either cooperate or interfere with each other during the spore germination process. We postulate that the complexity of germination responses may allow B. anthracis spores to respond to different environments by activating different germination pathways.
Beta-2-microglobulin is an androgen-regulated secreted protein elevated in serum of patients with advanced prostate cancer.

PURPOSE A better understanding of secreted proteins may lead to the discovery of new biomarkers, which, along with prostate-specific antigen (PSA), may be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Conditioned medium was collected from LNCaP cells following stimulation with methyltrienolone (R1881), 17beta-estradiol (estradiol), or interleukin-6 and analyzed for differential protein expression with surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, immunoblots, and ELISA were used to measure beta-2-microglobulin (B2M) message and protein levels in cells, conditioned medium, and serum. RESULTS Surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time of flight revealed that many peaks were induced or repressed following stimulation with R1881 or estradiol. A peak of interest centered at 11.8 kDa was chosen for additional analysis. Immunodepletion identified the peak of interest as B2M. Reverse transcription-PCR and immunoblots confirmed that PSA and B2M were induced by R1881. However, unlike PSA, B2M was not increased on stimulation with estradiol or interleukin-6. Human B2M is identified in the serum of mice bearing human prostate cancer xenograft. B2M is expressed in human prostate cancer cell lines and tissues. Serum B2M levels are elevated in patients with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer. CONCLUSIONS B2M is a secreted protein expressed in prostate cancer, which is more specific for androgen stimulation than PSA under the conditions tested. Additional studies are warranted to explore if B2M is as useful marker for prostate cancer. Identification of proteins secreted from cancer cells in preclinical models may be a useful strategy for biomarker discovery.