Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peak oxygen deficit predicts sprint and middle-distance track performance.

The purpose of this study was to determine the value of the peak oxygen deficit (POD) as a predictor of sprint and middle-distance track performance. POD, peak blood lactate, VO2peak, lactate threshold, and running economy at 3.6 m.s-1 were measured during horizontal treadmill running in 22 male and 19 female competitive runners of different event specialties. Subjects also completed running performance trials at 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, and 5000 m. Correlations of track performances with POD (ml.kg-1) (-0.66, -0.71, -0.71, -0.62, -0.52, and -0.40) were moderately strong at the sprint and middle distances, accounting for 44-50% of the performance variance at the three shortest distances. Correlations of track performances with peak blood lactate concentration were lower than with POD and accounted for approximately one-half as much of the performance variance (21-26%) at the three shortest distances. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the POD was the strongest metabolic predictor of 100-, 200- and 400-m performance, and that VO2peak was the strongest metabolic predictor of 800-, 1500-, and 5000-m performance. We conclude that the POD is a moderately strong predictor of sprint and middle-distance track performance.
“My Insides Feel Like Keith Richards’ Face”: A Narrative Analysis of Humor and Biographical Disruption in Young Adults’ Cancer Blogs

ABSTRACT In this thematic narrative analysis, I examine how three young adult (YA) cancer survivors use humor and the five functions of illness-related storytelling in personal blogs maintained across the cancer trajectory to describe and counter their age-distinct biographical disruption. In 370 blog entries, YA narrators employed humor to facilitate biographical reconstruction and achieve “aligning moments” with audiences. Researchers and practitioners can use YA blogs to better understand the interpersonal health communication challenges associated with medical decision-making, altered social identities, the “void” following the completion of primary treatment, uncertainty about disclosure, and social isolation from other YA survivors.
The impact of supervisor-subordinate relationships on baby-boomers and x-generation nurses ’ perceptions of wellbeing and commitment : A social exchange theory perspective

This paper used a SET lens to firstly examine whether the quality of supervisor-subordinate relationships affects nurses‟ perceptions of wellbeing, and in turn, their level of affective commitment. Secondly, the paper examines whether the baby boomer cohort behaved differently from x-generation nurses. The findings indicate that both baby boomers (m=4.8) as well as generation x (m=4.3) nurses were at least somewhat satisfied with the quality of supervisor-subordinate relationships and that LMX in addition to wellbeing accounted for the variance of 17.9% of affective commitment. This means that the quality of the supervisorsubordinate relationship was somewhat instrumental in fostering effective sharing of information, resources and emotional support because they trust and respect one another. The major contribution of this paper is that it has identified that generational differences do exist in nursing and that has major implications for HR managers in retaining different generations of professionals that are already in limited supply today. It maybe that xgeneration nurses require other empowering processes and mechanisms so as to promote a positive perception of wellbeing. Such a position would be challenging to HR health managers who have not really addressed the possibility of different management strategies for different generations of professionals. In terms of the shortage of nurses in many OECD countries, it needs to be recognized that when nurses have a low perception of wellbeing, the costs become evident in terms of increased sick leave, decreased efficiency on the job, early retirement, resignation, and the cost of trying to find new staff members Hence, a generational stratified approach to HR maybe the future for retaining both baby boomers and x-generation professionals longer. More research is required to explore similar themes across OECD countries and for different professionals
Insulation of the Chicken β-Globin Chromosomal Domain from a Chromatin-Condensing Protein, MENT

ABSTRACT Active genes are insulated from developmentally regulated chromatin condensation in terminally differentiated cells. We mapped the topography of a terminal stage-specific chromatin-condensing protein, MENT, across the active chicken β-globin domain. We observed two sharp transitions of MENT concentration coinciding with the β-globin boundary elements. The MENT distribution profile was opposite to that of acetylated core histones but correlated with that of histone H3 dimethylated at lysine 9 (H3me2K9). Ectopic MENT expression in NIH 3T3 cells caused a large-scale and specific remodeling of chromatin marked by H3me2K9. MENT colocalized with H3me2K9 both in chicken erythrocytes and NIH 3T3 cells. Mutational analysis of MENT and experiments with deacetylase inhibitors revealed the essential role of the reaction center loop domain and an inhibitory affect of histone hyperacetylation on the MENT-induced chromatin remodeling in vivo. In vitro, the elimination of the histone H3 N-terminal peptide containing lysine 9 by trypsin blocked chromatin self-association by MENT, while reconstitution with dimethylated but not acetylated N-terminal domain of histone H3 specifically restored chromatin self-association by MENT. We suggest that histone H3 modification at lysine 9 directly regulates chromatin condensation by recruiting MENT to chromatin in a fashion that is spatially constrained from active genes by gene boundary elements and histone hyperacetylation.
Sparse representation based image super resolution reconstruction

The present paper addresses a single image super resolution reconstruction approach based on sparse representation of image patches. The proposed reconstruction process enforces a better sparsity solution which is guided by the sparse prior from the L1 norm optimization process. In the optimization process, an efficient feature extraction operator is used to ensure accurate prediction of the high resolution image patch. The normalized cross correlation is used as a similarity constraint to control the matching of image patch in the sparse framework. Finally, the reconstruction process is made robust to noise by selecting an optimal adaptive sparsity regularization parameter using particle swarm optimization method. In the present work, coupled dictionary training is used to learn the dictionaries. The efficiency of the proposed work is validated with different real and synthetic images. Various image quality metrics demonstrates the superiority of the proposed work over other existing super resolution reconstruction methods.
NHS Direct Online: its users and their concerns

Over a period of over a year more than 3000 people responded to an online questionnaire that was posted on the NHS Direct Online web site (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk). The prime purpose of the questionnaire was to obtain information on the audience that the web site attracted and to obtain feedback as to what they thought of the site in order to inform future development. This was particularly important as the site was developed quickly with a minimum of user input. Data collected included: the age, gender, institutional affiliation and geographical origin of users; how users found out about the site; sections of the site visited; whether they had used it before; whether they had used the NHS Direct telephone service; and what developments they would like to see. The study provides a rich array of user comment with regard to health information on the web. As a direct result of the knowledge gained through the questionnaire, the site was comprehensively redesigned in 2001.
Dendritic cells pulsed with unfractionated helminthic proteins to generate antiparasitic cytotoxic T lymphocyte

Dendritic cells (DC) are sentinels of immunity. We determined their role in the induction of immunity against alveolar echinococcosis, caused by the larval stage of the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis. Furthermore, we evaluated if unfractionated protein from E. multilocularis (Em‐Ag) can be used as loading agent for DC (comparable to unfractionated tumour proteins) in order to generate antiparasitic cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL). Interestingly, immature DC did not mature in the presence of 1 µg/ml Em‐Ag as analysed by FACS and mixed leucocyte reactions. Yet, their capacity to take up dextran was markedly reduced. Further maturation of immature Em‐Ag pulsed DC could be induced by proinflammatory cytokines. These mature DC were slightly better inducers of T cell proliferation when compared with unpulsed mature DC. Importantly, by repetetive stimulation of autologous CD8+ lymphocytes with the Em‐Ag pulsed mature DC, we were able to generate specifically proliferating CTL lines. Thus, immunotherapy with ex vivo generated Em‐Ag pulsed DC might be of benefit for patients inheriting this incurable disease.
Establishment of an in vivo electroporation method into postnatal newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus

Electroporation‐mediated gene transfer has been developed for the analysis of mammalian brain development in vivo. Indeed, in utero electroporation method is widely used for the investigation of the mouse embryonic cortical development while in vivo electroporation using neonatal mouse brain is employed for the analysis of the rostral migratory stream (RMS) and postnatal olfactory neurogenesis. In the present study, we established a stable gene‐transfer method to dentate gyrus (DG) neurons by carefully determining the in vivo electroporation conditions, such as position and direction of electrode, voltage for electric pulses, and interval between electroporation and sample preparation. Consequently, GFP‐positive cells in DG were observed to extend branched dendrites and long axons into the molecular layer and the hilus, respectively, 21 days after electrporation. They were morphologically identified as dentate granule neurons with many protrusions on dendrites, and some of them had wide head and thin neck that resembled matured mushroom spines. Expression of GFP in dentate neurons sustained for at least 9 months after electroporation under our experimental conditions. Taken together, the method developed here could be a powerful new tool for the analysis of the postnatal DG development. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Entamoeba histolytica Lectins Contain Unique 6-Cys or 8-Cys Chitin-Binding Domains

ABSTRACT The Jacob lectin, the most abundant glycoprotein in the cyst wall of Entamoeba invadens, contains five unique 6-Cys chitin-binding domains (CBDs). We identified Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar genes encoding Jacob homologues, each of which contains two predicted 6-Cys CBDs. A unique 8-Cys CBD was found at the N termini of the E. histolytica chitinase and three other predicted lectins, called Jessie 1 to Jessie 3. The CBDs of four E. histolytica lectins (Jacob, chitinase, and Jessies 2 and 3) were expressed in secretory vesicles of transfected amebae and shown to bind to particulate chitin.
ÍNDICES DE QUALIDADE DE VIDA URBANA DE NATAL-RN

A (in)sustentabilidade nas cidades, ocasionada pela urbanizacao, compromete a qualidade de vida urbana, evidenciada pela distribuicao e o acesso desigual aos bens e servicos de infraestrutura urbana. Este artigo apresenta discussoes sobre a tematica da sustentabilidade urbana ao estabelecer o Indice de Qualidade de Vida urbana de Natal-RN. A pesquisa se baseou em estudos bibliograficos e documentais. A avaliacao dos niveis de qualidade de vida urbana de Natal ocorreu por meio da definicao de variaveis e indicadores, subsidiados por dados secundarios, os quais foram transformados em indices e organizados em niveis de qualidade. Organizou-se o ranking dos bairros, por meio da mensuracao da oferta de servicos e recursos urbanos, estabelecendo-se o nivel de qualidade de vida urbana de Natal, com vistas a sustentabilidade da cidade. Conclui-se que, nas areas onde ocorreu a recente expansao urbana de Natal, encontram-se os piores Indices de Qualidade de Vida Urbana-IQVU.
Human ability to detect kinship in strangers' faces: effects of the degree of relatedness

The resemblance between human faces has been shown to be a possible cue in recognizing the relatedness between parents and children, and more recently, between siblings. However, the general inclusive fitness theory proposes that kin-selective behaviours are also relevant to more distant relatives, which requires the detection of larger kinship bonds. We conducted an experiment to explore the use of facial clues by ‘strangers’, i.e. evaluators from a different family, to associate humans of varying degrees of relatedness. We hypothesized that the visual capacity to detect relatedness should be weaker with lower degrees of relatedness. We showed that human adults are capable of (although not very efficient at) assessing the relatedness of unrelated individuals from photographs and that visible facial cues vary according to the degree of relatedness. This sensitivity exists even for kin pair members that are more than a generation apart and have never lived together. Collectively, our findings are in agreement with emerging knowledge on the role played by facial resemblance as a kinship cue. But we have progressed further to show how the capacity to distinguish between related and non-related pairs applies to situations relevant to indirect fitness.
Effect of various forms of postmenopausal hormone therapy on the risk of ovarian cancer—A population‐based case control study from Finland

Postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) associates with an increased risk of ovarian cancer, but its' influence on tumor histology is not as well known. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of various types of HT on the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer by histological subtype. All Finnish women diagnosed with ovarian cancer (n = 3,958) aged over 50 during 1995–2007 were identified from the Finnish Cancer Registry. For each case, three controls, matched for age and place of residence, were recruited from the Finnish National Population Register, which also provided data on parity and ages at deliveries. After exclusion of controls with oophorectomy, 11,325 controls remained. The prescription register provided HT use from age 50. Odds ratios (OR) for different HTs were estimated by conditional logistic regression: adjusted for parity, ages at deliveries and hysterectomy. Estradiol‐only therapy use for 5 years or more associated with an increased risk (OR 1.45; 95% confidence interval 1.20–1.75) of a serous subtype, but with a decreased risk of mucinous subtype (0.35; 0.19–0.67). Use of sequential estradiol‐progestin therapy (EPT) for 5 years or more associated with an increase in overall ovarian cancer risk (1.35; 1.20–1.63) and with an increase in the endometrioid subtype (1.88; 1.24–2.86) particularly. Continuous EPT, estradiol + levonorgestrel‐releasing intrauterine system or tibolone had no effect on overall ovarian cancer risk. In conclusion, only sequential EPT use for 5 years or more associates with an increased risk of overall ovarian cancer. Furthermore, HT regimens differ significantly in their association with various histological types of ovarian cancer.
Visibility of DCT basis functions: effects of contrast masking

The discrete cosine transform (DCT) is a standard method by which images may be compressed. Initially, the image is divided into 8/spl times/8-pixel blocks, each of which is then transformed into its DCT, which is an 8/spl times/8 matrix of coefficients. One image-dependent factor influencing the detectability of DCT basis functions is contrast masking. The authors present data which indicate that sensitivity to a particular coefficient's quantization error is affected by the magnitudes of other coefficients. They propose a revision of Model O to account for between-coefficient contrast masking. <<ETX>>
Protein synthesis rates in human muscles: neither anatomical location nor fibre‐type composition are major determinants

In many animals the rate of protein synthesis is higher in slow‐twitch, oxidative than fast‐twitch, glycolytic muscles. To discover if muscles in the human body also show such differences, we measured [13C]leucine incorporation into proteins of anatomically distinct muscles of markedly different fibre‐type composition (vastus lateralis, triceps, soleus) after an overnight fast and during infusion of a mixed amino acid solution (75 mg amino acids kg−1 h−1) in nine healthy, young men. Type‐1 fibres contributed 83 ± 4% (mean ±s.e.m.) of total fibres in soleus, 59 ± 3% in vastus lateralis and 22 ± 2% in triceps. The basal myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic protein fractional synthetic rates (FSR, % h−1) were 0.034 ± 0.001 and 0.064 ± 0.001 (soleus), 0.031 ± 0.001 and 0.060 ± 0.001 (vastus), and 0.027 ± 0.001 and 0.055 ± 0.001 (triceps). During amino acid infusion, myofibrillar protein FSR increased to 3‐fold, and sarcoplasmic to 2‐fold basal values (P < 0.001). The differences between muscles, although significant statistically (triceps versus soleus and vastus lateralis, P < 0.05), were within ∼15%, biologically probably insignificant. The rates of collagen synthesis were not affected by amino acid infusion and varied by < 5% between muscles and experimental conditions.
Characterization of Weissella ceti infections in Brazilian rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), farms and development of an oil-adjuvanted vaccine.

Weissella ceti is an emerging bacterial pathogen that affects rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), farms. The aims of this study were to genotype W. ceti strains isolated from distinct geographical origins and to determine the efficacy of an oil-adjuvanted vaccine against the disease. Between 2010 and 2012, outbreaks were recorded in five Brazilian farms, and 34 W. ceti isolates were genetically characterized by repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR, enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequences PCR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Two different W. ceti vaccines were tested: an aqueous-based whole-cell inactivated vaccine (bacterin) and oil-adjuvanted vaccine. Their efficacy was evaluated in rainbow trout at 30 and 60 days post-vaccination (d.p.v.). W. ceti was found to be a highly homogeneous population in Brazil, with clonally related genotypes. Oil-adjuvanted vaccine exhibited the best (P < 0.05) protection against disease, reaching relative percentage survival (RPS)values of 92% at 30 and 60 d.p.v. Bacterin resulted in RPS values of 67% and 58% at day 30 and 60, respectively. The oil-adjuvanted vaccine provided effective protection against W. ceti infection in rainbow trout.
Juvenile versus adult osteochondritis dissecans of the knee: appropriate MR imaging criteria for instability.

PURPOSE To retrospectively compare the sensitivity and specificity of previously described magnetic resonance (MR) imaging criteria for the detection of instability in patients with juvenile or adult osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the knee, with arthroscopic findings as the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS Informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board for this HIPAA-compliant study. The study group consisted of 32 skeletally immature patients (25 boys, seven girls; mean age, 14.4 years) with 36 juvenile OCD lesions of the knee and 33 skeletally mature patients (25 men, eight women; mean age, 26.2 years) with 34 adult OCD lesions of the knee. All patients had been evaluated with MR imaging and arthroscopy. MR studies were retrospectively reviewed by two radiologists in consensus to determine the presence of previously described MR imaging criteria for OCD instability (ie, high T2 signal intensity rim, surrounding cysts, high T2 signal intensity cartilage fracture line, and fluid-filled osteochondral defect). Sensitivity and specificity of the criteria were calculated separately for juvenile and adult OCD lesions. RESULTS Separately, previously described MR imaging criteria for detection of OCD instability were 0%-88% sensitive and 21%-100% specific for juvenile OCD lesions and 27%-54% sensitive and 100% specific for adult OCD lesions. When used together, the criteria were 100% sensitive and 11% specific for instability in juvenile OCD lesions and 100% sensitive and 100% specific for instability in adult OCD lesions. CONCLUSION Previously described MR imaging criteria for OCD instability have high specificity for adult but not juvenile lesions of the knee.
Coexistence of gonadal dysgenesis and Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome in 46, XX female: A case report and review of literature

The association of gonadal dysgenesis and Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome is very rare. We report a 21-year-old phenotypical female who presented with primary amenorrhea and underdeveloped secondary sexual characteristics. Hormonal evaluation revealed hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. Her karyotype was 46XX. Laparoscopy of pelvis revealed absent uterus, normal fallopian tubes and bilateral streak ovaries, which were biopsied and histopathology was consistent with the findings of gonadal dysgenesis. We searched PubMed for similar reports in the literature and details of all the cases were analyzed and reported here.
Trophic State and Toxic Cyanobacteria Density in Optimization Modeling of Multi-Reservoir Water Resource Systems

The definition of a synthetic index for classifying the quality of water bodies is a key aspect in integrated planning and management of water resource systems. In previous works [1,2], a water system optimization modeling approach that requires a single quality index for stored water in reservoirs has been applied to a complex multi-reservoir system. Considering the same modeling field, this paper presents an improved quality index estimated both on the basis of the overall trophic state of the water body and on the basis of the density values of the most potentially toxic Cyanobacteria. The implementation of the index into the optimization model makes it possible to reproduce the conditions limiting water use due to excessive nutrient enrichment in the water body and to the health hazard linked to toxic blooms. The analysis of an extended limnological database (1996–2012) in four reservoirs of the Flumendosa-Campidano system (Sardinia, Italy) provides useful insights into the strengths and limitations of the proposed synthetic index.
The Female Eunuch

A new cover re-issue of the ground-breaking, worldwide bestselling feminist tract. Re-issued to coincide with Doubleday's publication of The Whole Woman, the sequel to The Female Eunuch. Probably the most famous, most widely read book on feminism ever. First published in 1970, The Female Eunuch is a landmark in the history of the women's movement. A searing examination of women's oppression. A worldwide bestseller, translated into over 12 languages.