Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fasting Serum Adiponectin Level Inversely Correlates with Metabolic Syndrome in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Background:Metabolic syndrome is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease and predicts hospitalization in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. An inverse association between circulating adiponectin and metabolic syndrome has been observed in humans. However, no data are available on the relationship between metabolic syndrome and serum adiponectin levels in PD patients. Method: Fasting blood samples were obtained from 47 PD patients and 47 subjects in an outpatient department were enrolled as a control group. Metabolic syndrome and its components were defined using diagnostic criteria from the International Diabetes Federation. Adiponectin levels were measured using a commercial enzyme immunoassay kit. Results: Twenty-seven of 47 PD patients (57.5%) had metabolic syndrome. PD patients had lower serum albumin (p < 0.001) and higher serum adiponectin levels (p = 0.016), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p = 0.008), creatinine (p < 0.001) and metabolic syndrome (p < 0.001) than controls. The fasting adiponectin level inversely correlated with the metabolic syndrome in these PD patients (p = 0.006). Univariate linear regression analysis showed that the waist circumference (r = –0.304; p = 0.038), body mass index (r = –0.347; p = 0.017), body fat mass (r = –0.305; p = 0.037), white blood count (r = –0.631; p < 0.001), triglyceride (TG; r = –0.526; p < 0.001), and fasting glucose (r = –0.394; p = 0.006) were negatively correlated with the fasting serum adiponectin levels, while high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (r = 0.443; p = 0.002) was positively correlated with the fasting serum adiponectin levels among the PD patients. Multivariate forward stepwise linear regression analysis of the significant variables showed that white blood count (R2 change = 0.398, p < 0.001), and TG (R2 change = 0.118, p = 0.002) were the independent predictors of fasting serum adiponectin levels and explained 51.6% of variance. Conclusions: We observed that PD patients had higher metabolic syndrome than the general population and an inverse association was found between the circulating fasting adiponectin level and metabolic syndrome in PD patients. White blood count and TG were independent predictors of the serum adiponectin level among PD patients.
Genetic Components of Vocal Learning

Abstract: Vocal learning is a rare trait. Humans depend on vocal learning to acquire spoken language, but most species that communicate acoustically have an innate repertoire of sounds that they use for information exchange. Among the few non‐human species that also rely on vocal learning, songbirds have provided by far the most information for understanding this process. This article concentrates on the genetic components of vocal learning in humans and birds. We summarize the existing evidence for a genetic predisposition towards acquiring the species‐specific human and avian vocal repertoires. We describe the approaches used for finding genes involved in shaping the neural circuitry required for vocal learning or in mediating the learning process itself. Special attention is given to a particular gene, FOXP2, which has been implicated in a human speech and language disorder. We have studied FoxP2 in avian vocal learners and non‐learners and review evidence that links both the molecule and its close homologue FoxP1 to the development of brain regions implicated in vocal learning and to their function. FoxP2 has a characteristic expression pattern in a brain structure uniquely associated with learned vocal communication, Area X in songbirds, or its analogue in parrots and hummingbirds. In both avian song learners and non‐learners FoxP2 expression predominates in sensory and sensory‐motor circuits. These latter regions also express FoxP2 in mammals and reptiles. We conclude that FoxP2 is important for the building and function of brain pathways including, but not limited to, those essential for learned vocal communication.
Age-specific effects of early MK-801 treatment on working memory in female rats

The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor plays a crucial role in developmental plasticity. Evidence shows that neonatal exposure to N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists impairs cognition in adult rats. This study investigated whether neonatal MK-801 treatment would produce long-term and age-specific effects on working memory and sensorimotor gating in adolescent and adult female rats. After treatment with MK-801 at postnatal days (PND) 5–14, female rats exhibited slightly impaired working memory during adolescence (PND: 35–42). In contrast, working memory was remarkably disrupted in adult (PND: 63–70) female rats. However, prepulse inhibition and startle amplitudes were not significantly affected at both ages. These findings indicate that neonatal MK-801 elicits working memory deficits, especially in the postpuberty female rats.
The Role of Technology Anxiety and Self-Efficacy in Information Technology Training

Technology anxiety (TA) and self-efficacy (SE) have received enormous attention from researchers and practitioners because of their critical effects on individuals’ beliefs and performance. This study empirically extends the existing literature by exploring the effects of TA and SE in a training process where individuals’ beliefs are sequentially changed through experience. This paper describes how two different types of TA and SE, general and system specific, are constructed across different technologies, and how TA and SE influence consequent beliefs. The results of this paper will allow IT educators and trainers to select and design more effective training methods depending on the objective of training and also help technology product engineers and marketers to design better technology products which fit user’s psychological needs.
Combined delivery of bone morphogenetic protein-2 and insulin-like growth factor-1 from nano-poly (γ-glutamic acid)/β-tricalcium phosphate-based calcium phosphate cement and its effect on bone regeneration in vitro

In this study, nano-doped calcium phosphate cement delivery systems (poly (γ-glutamic acid)/β-tricalcium phosphate/calcium phosphate ceramics and nano (γ-glutamic acid)/β-tricalcium phosphate/calcium phosphate ceramic) were fabricated, and low doses (10 µg/g) of two growth factors, insulin-like growth factor-1 and bone morphogenetic protein-2, were encapsulated then sequentially released. We characterized the delivery systems using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction and measured washout resistance and compressive strength, and thus optimized the most appropriate proportioning of delivery systems for the two growth factors. One of the growth factors was absorbed by the nano-poly (γ-glutamic acid)/β-tricalcium phosphate, which was then mixed into the calcium phosphate ceramic solid phase to create a new solid phase calcium phosphate ceramic. Nano-poly (γ-glutamic acid)/β-tricalcium phosphate/calcium phosphate ceramic carriers were then prepared by blending the new calcium phosphate ceramic solid phase powder with a solution of the remaining growth factor. The effects of different release patterns (studying sequential behavior) of insulin-like growth factor-1 and bone morphogenetic protein-2 on osteogenic proliferation and differentiation of the MC3t3-E1 mouse osteoblast cell were investigated. This combinational delivery system provided a controlled release of the two growth factors, in which nano-doping significantly affected their release kinetics. The incorporation of dual growth factors could potentially stimulate bone healing and promoting bone ingrowth processes at a low dose.
Human nongastric H-K-ATPase : transport properties of ATP 1 al 1 assembled with different-subunits

Crambert, Gilles, Jean-Daniel Horisberger, Nikolai N. Modyanov, and Käthi Geering. Human nongastric H -K -ATPase: transport properties of ATP1al1 assembled with different -subunits. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 283: C305–C314, 2002. First published March 20, 2002; 10.1152/ ajpcell.00590. 2001. —To investigate whether nongastric H K -ATPases transport Na in exchange for K and whether different -isoforms influence their transport properties, we compared the functional properties of the catalytic subunit of human nongastric H -K -ATPase, ATP1al1 (AL1), and of the Na -K -ATPase 1-subunit ( 1) expressed in Xenopus oocytes, with different -subunits. Our results show that HK and 1-NK can produce functional AL1/ complexes at the oocyte cell surface that, in contrast to 1/ 1 NK and 1/ HK complexes, exhibit a similar apparent K affinity. Similar to Na -K -ATPase, AL1/ complexes are able to decrease intracellular Na concentrations in Na -loaded oocytes, and their K transport depends on intraand extracellular Na concentrations. Finally, controlled trypsinolysis reveals that -isoforms influence the protease sensitivity of AL1 and 1 and that AL1/ complexes, similar to the Na K -ATPase, can undergo distinct K -Na and ouabain-dependent conformational changes. These results provide new evidence that the human nongastric H -K -ATPase interacts with and transports Na in exchange for K and that -isoforms have a distinct effect on the overall structural integrity of AL1 but influence its transport properties less than those of the Na -K -ATPase -subunit.
Employee health-relevant personality traits are associated with the psychosocial work environment and leadership

Abstract Objectives: Little is known about personality in relation to assessments of the psychosocial work environment and leadership. Therefore the objective of this study is to explore possible associations and differences in mean values between employee health-relevant personality traits and assessments of the psychosocial work environment and leadership behaviors. Methods: 754 survey responses from ten organizations were selected from a large-scale intervention study. The Health-relevant Personality 5 inventory was used to assess personality. Five dimensions of the psychosocial work environment were assessed with 38 items from the QPSNordic and 6 items from the Developmental Leadership Questionnaire were used to assess leadership behavior. Results: Positive correlations were found between Hedonic capacity (facet of Extraversion) and perceptions of the psychosocial work environment and leadership behavior. Negative correlations were found for Negative affectivity (facet of Neuroticism), Antagonism (facet of Agreeableness), Impulsivity (facet of Conscientiousness) and Alexithymia (facet of Openness). There were also significant differences in mean values of all work environment indicators between levels of health-relevant personality traits. Those with higher levels of hedonic capacity had higher (better) perceptions compared to those with lower levels. Those with higher levels of negative affectivity had lower (worse) perceptions compared to those with lower levels. Conclusions: The findings show a clear association between employee health-relevant personality traits and assessments of the psychosocial work environment and leadership behavior. Personality can be important to take into consideration for leaders when interpreting survey results and when designing organizational interventions.
Prediction of success in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) by estimation of serum estradiol/progesterone ratio on the day of embryo transfer.

OBJECTIVE To compare estradiol-to-progesterone ratio with pregnancy outcome in patients of intracytoplasmic sperm injection. METHODS The quasi-experimental study was conducted on 106 couples at an assisted reproductive clinic in Islamabad from June 2010 to August 2011. Down-regulation of females aged 18-41 with Gonadotrophin releasing hormone agonist was followed by calculated stimulation with Gonadotrophin injections (Puregon). Oocytes pickup was done 36 hours after ovulation induction by human chronic gonadotropin (hCG) (on Day 0), eggs fertilised in vitro were graded and only blastocysts were transferred on Day 5 (Ovulatoin induction + 7 days). Serum estradiol and progesterone was measured by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay on D0 and D5 and its values were compared in 3 groups of females; no conception beta hCG < 5 mlU/ml; pre-clinical abortion with beta hCG > 5 mlU/ml and no cardiac activity on trans-vaginal scan; and clinical pregnancy with beta hCG > 5mlU/ml and cardiac activity on transvaginal scan. SPSS 15 was used for data analysis. RESULTS Out of the 106 females, 12 (11.32%) had to be excluded for various reasons at different stages. The final sample stood at 94 (88.67%). Of them, 33 (35.1%) achieved clinical pregnancy, 21 (22.3%) had non-viable pregnancy, and 40 (42.6%) failed to conceive. Females who had significantly high number of oocytes and thick endometrial lining at the day of hCG administration were found to have significant rise in estradiol-to-progresterone ratio on the day of embryo transfer which correlated with a positive pregnancy test and cardiac activity on trans-vaginal scan (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION The success of intracytoplasmic sperm injection could be predicted by good number of oocytes that secrete large amount of estradiol, increased thickness of endometrial lining, and a high estradiol-to-progresterone ratio on the day of embryo transfer.
Formation of C-S-H in calcium hydroxide–blast furnace slag–quartz–water system in autoclaving conditions

In masonry, the most commonly used materials are concrete blocks or burnt clay brick. Owing to energy costs, there is a need to explore alternative raw materials and energy-efficient technologies for making building materials. This paper deals with the incorporation of blast furnace granulated slag in sand–lime materials as a replacement for hydrated lime during autoclaving conditions. The slag grain-size grinding and the heat treatment in saturated vapour pressure autoclave conditions were investigated to study the compressive strength behaviour of the new material. This substitution induces a decrease in compressive strength. The reaction products consist mainly of 11 nm tobermorite and xonotlite. The X-ray diffractions of these phases are difficult to see. The slag seems more reactive with lime than quartz. Observations with the scanning electron microscope allow better appreciation of these crystallites. With its composition and amorphous structure, the granulated slag does not release new distinct ph.
Optimizing the compaction gain in a class of IIR filters

In this paper we consider the optimization of compaction gain for filters belonging to a restricted class of IIR filters, having the transfer function H(z)=1//spl radic/2(z/sup -2N/+z/sup -1/A(z/sup 2/)) where A(z) is a stable all-pass filter. This parameterization has the advantage that the perfect reconstruction condition is automatically fulfilled. Our results represent a generalization of the work by Tugan et al. (1997) where only a first order all-pass filter A(z) is considered, whereas here we consider a general N-th order all-pass filter. The problem of optimal compaction FIR filter design received wide attention in several recent papers, but optimal IIR filter design was presented only for a very restricted filter class. The problem we discuss here, designing the IIR filter for optimum compaction, is clearly important for coding applications, since it enables one to achieve the same compaction gains as in the FIR filter case, but for a much smaller number of parameters, as we show in the experimental section.
Promotion of Seedling Growth of Seeds of Rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Hitomebore) by Treatment with H2O2 before Sowing

Abstract High germinability of seeds and establishment of young seedlings in rice (Oryza sativa L.) are necessary for direct seeding in paddy fields. We investigated whether germinability and seedling growth were promoted by treatment of rice seeds (cv. Hitomebore) with hydrogen peroxide solution (H2O2) during the imbibition for 24 h. H2O2 treatment with 50 mM H2O2 promoted seed germination, and seedling growth (shoot length, root length and shoot fresh weight) in agar culture under a low temperature condition (18°C day/14°C night). Seedling growth was promoted by H2O2 treatment not only under the low-temperature condition but also under a normal (23°C day/18°C night) temperature condition. Furthermore, H2O2 treatment promoted seedling growth under a flooding condition in a greenhouse. These results suggest that H2O2 treatment of rice seeds during the imbibition is advantageous for direct seeding. We discussed the relation between the promotion of the seed germinability and the seedling growth under a low-temperature condition, and the expression of some genes encoding ROS scavenger enzymes induced by H2O2 treatment.
Eigenanalysis of a neural network for optic flow processing

Flies gain information about self-motion during free flight by processing images of the environment moving across their retina. The visual course control center in the brain of the blowfly contains, among others, a population of ten neurons, the so-called vertical system (VS) cells that are mainly sensitive to downward motion. VS cells are assumed to encode information about rotational optic flow induced by self-motion (Krapp and Hengstenberg 1996 Nature 384 463–6). Recent evidence supports a connectivity scheme between the VS cells where neurons with neighboring receptive fields are connected to each other by electrical synapses at the axonal terminals, whereas the boundary neurons in the network are reciprocally coupled via inhibitory synapses (Haag and Borst 2004 Nat. Neurosci. 7 628–34; Farrow et al 2005 J. Neurosci. 25 3985–93; Cuntz et al 2007 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA). Here, we investigate the functional properties of the VS network and its connectivity scheme by reducing a biophysically realistic network to a simplified model, where each cell is represented by a dendritic and axonal compartment only. Eigenanalysis of this model reveals that the whole population of VS cells projects the synaptic input provided from local motion detectors on to its behaviorally relevant components. The two major eigenvectors consist of a horizontal and a slanted line representing the distribution of vertical motion components across the fly's azimuth. They are, thus, ideally suited for reliably encoding translational and rotational whole-field optic flow induced by respective flight maneuvers. The dimensionality reduction compensates for the contrast and texture dependence of the local motion detectors of the correlation-type, which becomes particularly pronounced when confronted with natural images and their highly inhomogeneous contrast distribution.
Analgesic prescribing patterns in Norwegian nursing homes from 2000 to 2011: trend analyses of four data samples.

BACKGROUND the analgesic drug use has been reported to increase in general in nursing home patients. However, there is insufficient evidence in terms of what agents are used, variations of use over time and to whom these drugs are prescribed. OBJECTIVE we investigated the prescribing patterns of scheduled analgesic drugs in Norwegian nursing home patients from 2000 to 2011, with the association to age, gender, cognitive function and type of nursing home unit. DESIGN secondary analyses of four study samples (three observational studies and one randomised controlled trial). SETTING AND SUBJECTS nursing home patients included in study samples from 2000 (n = 1,926), 2004 (n = 1,163), 2009 (n = 850) and 2011 (n = 1,858) located in 14 Norwegian counties. METHODS trend analyses of analgesic drug prescriptions. Percentages were described using t-test, χ(2) and Mann-Whitney U test and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS the odds ratio for receiving any pain medication in 2011 compared with 2000 was 2.6 (95% CI 2.23-2.91), this is corresponding to a 65% increase from 34.9 to 57.6%. The paracetamol prescription increased by 113%, from 22.7% in 2000 to 48.4% in 2011. Strong opioids (fentanyl, buprenorphine, morphine, oxycodone) increased from 1.9% in 2000 to 17.9% in 2011 (P < 0.001), whereas non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug prescription decreased, from 6.8 to 3.2%. In 2000, 2004 and 2009, people with dementia received fewer analgesics compared with patients without dementia; no differences in analgesic drug use between the groups were found in 2011. CONCLUSIONS the analgesic drug prescription increased significantly from 2000 to 2011, especially the use of paracetamol and strong opioids. We also highlight a possible change from under-prescription of analgesic medication in people with dementia, to an equal amount compared with patients without cognitive impairment.
The Activated Form of the Lck Tyrosine Protein Kinase in Cells Exposed to Hydrogen Peroxide Is Phosphorylated at Both Tyr-394 and Tyr-505*

Members of the Src family of non-receptor tyrosine protein kinases are known to be inhibited by the intramolecular association between a phosphorylated carboxyl-terminal tyrosine residue and the SH2 domain. We have previously shown that exposure of cells to H2O2 strongly activates Lck, a lymphocyte-specific Src family kinase, by inducing phosphorylation on Tyr-394, an absolutely conserved residue within the activation loop of the catalytic domain. Here we show that Lck that has been activated by H2O2 is simultaneously phosphorylated at both the carboxyl-terminal tyrosine (Tyr-505) and Tyr-394. Thus, dephosphorylation of Tyr-505 is not a prerequisite for either phosphorylation of Lck at Tyr-394 or catalytic activation of the kinase. These results indicate that activation of Lck by phosphorylation of Tyr-394 is dominant over any inhibition induced by phosphorylation of Tyr-505. We propose that these results may be extended to all Src family members.
Birth characteristics and different dimensions of intellectual performance in young males: a nationwide population‐based study

Aim: To study the effect of size at birth on different dimensions of intellectual capacity. Methods: The study comprised a population‐based cohort including all male single births without congenital malformations in Sweden from 1973 to 1976, and conscripted before 1994 (n= 168 068). Information from the Swedish Birth Register was individually linked to the Swedish Conscript Register. The test of intellectual performance included four different dimensions: logical, spatial, theoretical and verbal capacity. These data were available for 80–86% of the males at conscription. Results: Compared with boys born appropriate for gestational age, males born small for gestational age (SGA) had an increased risk for subnormal performance in all four dimensions. Among males born SGA who were also of short adult stature at conscription, and in individuals born SGA with a head circumference < – 2 SDS at birth, the risk of subnormal performance was most marked in the logical dimension (OR 1.52; CI 1.25–1.84 and 1.33; 1.15–1.55, respectively).