Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Liquid Preloads with Different Fructose/Fibre Concentrations of Subsequent Food Intake and Ratings of Hunger in Women

Preloads (250 ml) of 2% or 10% fructose containing 1% soluble fibre and 1% insoluble fibre or 10% fructose with 3% soluble fibre and 1% insoluble were administered 60 min before lunch to 24 healthy women, who were slightly overweight and considerably weight concerned. The fibre consisted of guar gum, partly hydrolysed for the soluble form. The placebo consisted of a solution of sweeteners (cyclamate and saccharin). After the experiment with three preload-types and a placebo, a random subset of 15 subjects returned for an experiment with one preload-type and a placebo, given 30 or 60 min before lunch. Food intake during the subsequent lunch was only significantly different from after the placebo in this subset of 15 subjects after the 10% fructose/3% soluble and 1% insoluble fibre preload after intervals of 30 or 60 min. However, energy intake of preload and meal was significantly higher than energy intake of placebo and meal. At the 30-min delay, eating rate was significantly lower after the preload than after the placebo; also, hunger ratings were lower after intake of a preload and meal than after intake of the placebo+meal, from immediately after lunch until 5 hours later. Energy intake over 24 h was not affected by administration of fructose/fibre or placebo 30 or 60 minutes before lunch in the 24 women.
Inference under Stability of Risk Preferences

We leverage the assumption that preferences are stable across contexts to partially identify and conduct inference on the parameters of a structural model of risky choice. Working with data on households' deductible choices across three lines of insurance coverage and a model that nests expected utility theory plus a range of non-expected utility models, we perform a revealed preference analysis that yields household-specific bounds on the model parameters. We then impose stability and other structural assumptions to tighten the bounds, and we explore what we can learn about households' risk preferences from the intervals defined by the bounds. We further utilize the intervals to (i) classify households into preference types and (ii) recover the single parameterization of the model that best fits the data. Our approach does not entail making distributional assumptions about unobserved heterogeneity in preferences.
Action of protoporphyrin-IX (PP-IX) in the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster deficient in endogenous antioxidants, Sod and Cat

Protoporphyirin-IX (PP-IX) is a precursor of the biosynthesis of the hemo group, most of the cytochromes and the chlorophylls. The PP-IX is used for medical purposes, and recently a report indicated that it exhibits a dual action since it can decrease or increase the genetic damage caused by N-nitroso-N-ethylurea (ENU) in somatic cells of Drosophila. PP-IX is known to be able to act as an anti-or pro-oxidant agent. The aim of the present research was to study the role of PP-IX on the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster, taking into account the fact that increasing levels of ROS can accelerate the aging process. The Canton-S strain (CS) was used as well as Sod and Cat which are deficient in the endogenous enzymes, superoxide dismutase and catalase, respectively. Groups of females and males were treated separately with 5 mg/ml of PP-IX solution. The comparison of survival curves indicates that this pigment extended the lifespan of CS. In contrast, Sod strain showed that the opposite effect and had no effect in Cat strain. The fact that PP-IX reduces the mean lifespan in Sod deficient strain might suggest a pro-oxidant action of PP-IX, and consequently the cumulating of ROS as a superoxide could have a mutagenic effect as was shown recently. The results presented evidence of the dual effect of PP-IX.
Non-toxic, colloidal ZnS-AgInS2 nanoparticles for organic-inorganic hybrid photovoltaics

Non-toxic, colloidal ZnS-AgInS2 nanoparticles are synthesized and characterized for organic-inorganic hybrid photovoltaic applications. The optical properties of these particles are easily tuned by changing the chemical composition of the nanoparticle. Additionally, the photoluminescence quantum yield of 37.5% suggests this material is a promising candidate for optoelectronic devices. A comparison of the photoluminescence spectra of ZnS-AgInS2 nanoparticle and poly-3(hexylthiophene) blends to poly-3(hexylthiophene) neat indicates charge transfer between the nanoparticle and the polymer occurs in solution. Photovoltaic devices were fabricated using blends of ZnS-AgInS2 nanoparticles, poly-3(hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester, yielding an average power conversion efficiency of 2.3%.
The effects of combining education and enforcement to reduce tobacco sales to minors. A study of four northern California communities.

OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of a community education and law enforcement intervention on illegal tobacco sales to minors. DESIGN A 2-year, before and after trial with retail stores as the unit of analysis. SETTING Implementation occurred in four suburban California communities with populations of 25,000 to 100,000. PARTICIPANTS All the retail stores in one intervention community and half the retail stores, randomly selected, in the other three intervention communities (n = 169) were visited by minors aged 14 to 16 years with the intent to purchase tobacco. INTERVENTION Ongoing community and merchant education and four law enforcement operations were conducted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Over-the-counter and vending machine sales of tobacco to minors were the primary outcomes. RESULTS Among a cohort of stores visited by minors at the pretest (n = 104) in June 1988, 71% sold tobacco over the counter and 92% sold tobacco through vending machines. At posttest 2 in May 1990, 24% sold tobacco over the counter and 93% sold tobacco through vending machines. Of the 31 stores issued citations, 16 were followed into the courts where the fines were dismissed or reduced. CONCLUSIONS Education alone had a limited effect on reducing illegal tobacco sales to minors. It did promote community support for more aggressive enforcement strategies. Education plus enforcement decreased significantly over-the-counter sales; vending machine sales were unaffected by these interventions. The lack of support at the judicial level may temper the effectiveness of enforcement. Legislative remedies addressing judicial obstacles and vending machine sales are needed.
Oral signs and salivary parameters as indicators of possible osteoporosis and osteopenia in postmenopausal women - A study of 45 subjects

Aim: To correlate the oral signs, salivary calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase levels and dental radiographic findings in postmenopausal osteoporotic, osteopenic and non-osteoporotic women. Materials and Methods: Forty-five subjects were selected based on bone mineral density (BMD) analyses and were assigned to 3 groups (n=15): Group 1 - established osteoporotic women; Group II - established osteopenic women; Group III (control) - non-osteoporotic women. Complete oral and radiographic examination, saliva collection and analysis of calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase were performed. Results: The results were tabulated and analyzed for statistical significance using the Mann-Whitney U-test. There was statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in salivary calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels when osteoporotic and osteopenic women were compared to the controls. Conclusion: Salivary parameters can be used as indicators to aid in the diagnosis of osteoporosis and osteopenia in postmenopausal women.
Parental drug use, early adversities, later childhood problems and children's use of tobacco and alcohol at age 10: birth cohort study.

AIMS To estimate the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use among children at age 10 years and to investigate possible influences on this. DESIGN Birth cohort study. SETTING England. PARTICIPANTS A total of 6895 children provided data at age 10. MEASUREMENTS Parental tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use, parental social position, children's intelligence, behavioural and emotional problems, children's tobacco and alcohol use at age 10. FINDINGS A total of 1.3% of children reported smoking and 1.8% reported drinking alcohol, with boys reporting higher use than girls. Parental social disadvantage was the strongest predictor of children's smoking and also predicted children's alcohol use. Some of this association appeared to be mediated through the greater experience of childhood behavioural and cognitive problems among the disadvantaged. Parental smoking and paternal alcohol use had little independent influence on offspring drug use. Postnatal, rather than prenatal, maternal alcohol use predicted children's alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS Strategies to prevent early initiation of tobacco and alcohol use should focus upon the reduction of childhood social disadvantage and the behavioural and cognitive problems associated with this.
The impact of interface usability on trust in Web retailers

Web retailing is expected to grow at aggressive rates in future years, but lack of trust on the part of potential customers can impede this growth. So, as transactions through the Internet develop and mature, success will largely be dependent on gaining and maintaining this trust. It has been suggested that the quality of the user interface of the Web site is a determinant of the initial establishment of trust. Describes a study where 66 subjects were asked to perform some predefined book purchasing task in a series of sites with varying interface quality. A strong relationship between interface quality and trust was found and some components of user interface quality were more important than others. Discusses the implications for Web site design.
Knowledge and attitudes toward breastfeeding in an African American male population.

OBJECTIVE To measure knowledge and attitudes toward breastfeeding among African American men. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING Three barbershops in Dallas, Texas. PARTICIPANTS African American adult men (N = 81). METHODS Surveys were completed by African American men to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes, and involvement in breastfeeding. RESULTS One half of the participants were age 26 to 40. Eighty-five percent were U.S.-born, and others were born in several African countries. Education varied from some high school to postgraduate. Most had some college or a degree (78%). One half were fathers (51%), and most were single (61%). Most had witnessed breastfeeding (85%), and 58% preferred their infants to be breastfed. Only 47% knew that breastfeeding helps prevent infant infections, and 15% knew it can prevent breast cancer in the mother. Significant differences were found when comparing knowledge and attitudes by place of birth and age. Almost one half of men age 18 to 25 (43%) and age 25 to 40 (48%) felt that breastfeeding should not occur in public compared to only 4% of men older than 40 (p = .005). CONCLUSION Overall, we found that African American men were supportive of breastfeeding, knew that breastfeeding was best for infants, and had positive attitudes toward breastfeeding. However, we found consistent gaps in knowledge about the actual health benefits to mothers and infants and conflicting attitudes toward breastfeeding. Results emphasize the need for health education efforts to improve attitudes toward breastfeeding in public.
Measuring the psychological impact of mindfulness meditation on health among patients with cancer: a literature review.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe the construct of mindfulness meditation and systematically review instruments measuring the psychological impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on health among patients with cancer. DATA SOURCES PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ISI Web of Knowledge, EBSCO, and published literature (1987-2006). DATA SYNTHESIS 13 psychological instruments used in seven studies (2000-2005) to measure effects of MBSR on health in patients with cancer were reviewed. Most studies used a one-group pre- and post-test design. The post-MBSR outcomes for each instrument varied, suggesting different yet promising relationships. For some instruments, data were insufficient to conclude sufficiently whether any were strong or appropriate to use in future intervention studies. CONCLUSIONS To enhance knowledge of MBSR, more intervention research studies of MBSR in patients with cancer and reexamination of specific instruments are needed. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Based on the review, instruments can measure MBSR effects and found MBSR to be a potentially beneficial oncology nursing intervention.
Introducing one-shot work into fluctuation relations

Two approaches to small-scale and quantum thermodynamics are fluctuation relations and one-shot statistical mechanics. Fluctuation relations (such as Crooks’ theorem and Jarzynski's equality) relate nonequilibrium behaviors to equilibrium quantities such as free energy. One-shot statistical mechanics involves statements about every run of an experiment, not just about averages over trials. We investigate the relation between the two approaches. We show that both approaches feature the same notions of work and the same notions of probability distributions over possible work values. The two approaches are alternative toolkits with which to analyze these distributions. To combine the toolkits, we show how one-shot work quantities can be defined and bounded in contexts governed by Crooks’ theorem. These bounds provide a new bridge from one-shot theory to experiments originally designed for testing fluctuation theorems.
RoBO : A Flexible and Robust Bayesian Optimization Framework in Python

Bayesian optimization is a powerful approach for the global derivative-free optimization of non-convex expensive functions. Even though there is a rich literature on Bayesian optimization, the source code of advanced methods is rarely available, making it difficult for practitioners to use them and for researchers to compare to and extend them. The BSD-licensed python package ROBO, released with this paper, tackles these problems by facilitating both ease of use and extensibility. Beyond the standard methods in Bayesian optimization, RoBO offers (to the best of our knowledge) the only available implementations of Bayesian optimization with Bayesian neural networks, multi-task optimization, and fast Bayesian hyperparameter optimization on large datasets (Fabolas).
The Hatfield Image Test (HIT): A new picture test and norms for experimental and clinical use

We present a new corpus of 147 high-quality photographic colour images (the Hatfield Image Test: HIT). Existing sets of pictorial stimuli tend to be line drawn, contain many items that are readily identifiable by healthy participants, and, therefore, have an inherent tendency towards ceiling effects in the normal population. The broad range of item difficulty and range of semantic subcategories in the HIT permits researchers to select stimuli of appropriate difficulty as required. We present naming data from 152 healthy participants. Additionally, we present mean ratings for each item on several widely used psycholinguistic variables: age of acquisition, colour diagnosticity, familiarity, name agreement (and the H statistic), visual complexity, and word frequency. These stimuli provide a useful corpus for experimental and clinical researchers.
Efficacy and safety of short duration azithromycin eye drops versus azithromycin single oral dose for the treatment of trachoma in children: a randomised, controlled, double-masked clinical trial

Aims: Efficacy and safety of a short-duration treatment of azithromycin 1.5% eye drops versus oral azithromycin to treat active trachoma. Methods: Randomised, controlled, double-masked, double-dummy, non-inferiority explanatory study including 670 children from Guinea Conakry and Pakistan if: 1–10 years old; active trachoma (TF+TI0 or TF+TI+ on simplified World Health Organisation (WHO) scale). Three groups received either: azithromycin 1.5% eye drops twice daily for 2 days, for 3 days or azithromycin single 20 mg/kg oral dose. Patients’ contacts were treated whenever possible. Clinical evaluation was performed using a binocular loupe. Primary efficacy variable was the cure (no active trachoma (TF0)) at day 60. Non-inferiority margin for difference between cure rates was 10%. Results: Cure rate in per protocol set was as follows: 93.0%, 96.3% and 96.6% in 2-day group 3-day group, and oral treatment group, respectively. Azithromycin 1.5% groups were non-inferior to oral azithromycin. The intend to treat (ITT) analysis supported the results. Clinical re-emergence rate was low: 4.2%. Ocular tolerance was similar for all groups. No treatment related adverse events were reported. Logistic regression analyses found prognostic factors such as: country (p<0.001) and trachoma severity (p = 0.003). Conclusions: In active trachoma, azithromycin eye drops twice daily for 2 or 3 days are as efficient as the WHO’s reference treatment and represent an innovative alternative to oral azithromycin.
Diagnosis of Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis by Magnetic Resonance Imaging using Flow Parameters

Lichen planus is a mucocutaneous disease of unknown cause that has its principal clinical manifestations in the skin and mucosa of the oral cavity. The natural history of the cutaneous form is one of spontaneous resolution over time, while oral lichen planus pursues a much more chronic course with a low order of resolution. Oral lichen planus must be distinguished from lichenoid lesions, including lichenoid dysplasia. Malignant change in oral lichen planus is rare and is prompted by carcinogenic cofactors. There is no increased risk of development of carcinoma in cutaneous lichen planus
Phenotypic plasticity in the greater mouse-eared bat in extremely different roost conditions

Bats use various roost types with a wide spectrum of ecological features. The greater mouse-eared bat Myotis myotis (Borkhausen, 1797), creates nurseries in attics and caves in Central Europe. The stable low temperature and high humidity cave microclimate contrasts that of attics, which may alter species adaptations and life strategies. We analysed population characteristics (composition, body condition, parasite load, and immune response) and genetic relatedness of two proximal M. myotis populations. Age, sexual and parasite species composition were similar between the cave and attic sites. However, a significantly higher parasite load and body condition was detected in the post-partum females and juveniles of the cave colony (n = 263 bats from the cave, 231 from the attic), with the cave colony females having a significantly stronger immune response (n = 2 caves and 2 attics, 20 females per site). There was no evidence for genetic divergence between cave and attic populations (n = 3 caves and 3 attics, 24 females per site), indicating that different population characteristics are not genetically based and that M. myotis is an example of a species with rather unique phenotypic plasticity.
Recognition Accuracy of Current Operating Room Alarms

This prospective study was performed to determine whether anesthesia clinicians (i.e., both anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists) can identify operating room alarms by their distinctive sounds and to identify factors related to alarm recognition accuracy. Nineteen alarms from 15 commonly used devices were recorded. These sounds were played, in a quiet room, to 44 anesthesia clinicians. The clinicians were asked to choose from a list the device that produced the alarm. After this recognition test, the clinicians rated the importance of each alarm and the frequency with which they heard it in the clinical situation. Clinicians correctly identified the alarm source 34% of the time. The recognition rate was higher for alarms rated as heard more frequently; however, alarms that were rated as more important were less likely to be correctly identified. Complexity of the sound did not influence accuracy of recognition. Most errors were attributed to similarities in sound or function, or both, among alarms. We conclude that anesthetists cannot reliably identify current operating room alarms by their distinctive sounds.
Chronic photo-oxidative stress and subsequent MCP-1 activation as causative factors for age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among the elderly in developed countries. Although pathogenic factors, such as oxidative stress, inflammation and genetics are thought to contribute to the development of AMD, little is known about the relationships and priorities between these factors. Here, we show that chronic photo-oxidative stress is an environmental factor involved in AMD pathogenesis. We first demonstrated that exposure to light induced phospholipid oxidation in the mouse retina, which was more prominent in aged animals. The induced oxidized phospholipids led to an increase in the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, which then resulted in macrophage accumulation, an inflammatory process. Antioxidant treatment prevented light-induced phospholipid oxidation and the subsequent increase of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (also known as C-C motif chemokine 2; CCL2), which are the beginnings of the light-induced changes. Subretinal application of oxidized phospholipids induced choroidal neovascularization, a characteristic feature of wet-type AMD, which was inhibited by blocking monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. These findings strongly suggest that a sequential cascade from photic stress to inflammatory processes through phospholipid oxidation has an important role in AMD pathogenesis. Finally, we succeeded in mimicking human AMD in mice with low-level, long-term photic stress, in which characteristic pathological changes, including choroidal neovascularization formation, were observed. Therefore, we propose a consecutive pathogenic pathway involving photic stress, oxidation of phospholipids and chronic inflammation, leading to angiogenesis. These findings add to the current understanding of AMD pathology and suggest protection from oxidative stress or suppression of the subsequent inflammation as new potential therapeutic targets for AMD.
Identification of a series of CCK-2 receptor nonpeptide agonists: Sensitivity to stereochemistry and a receptor point mutation

The search for small-molecule drugs that act at peptide hormone receptors has resulted in the identification of a wide variety of antagonists. In contrast, the discovery of nonpeptide agonists has been far more elusive. We have used a constitutively active mutant of the cholecystokinin 2 receptor (CCK-2R) as a sensitive screen to detect ligand activity. Functional assessment of structural analogs of the prototype CCK-2R antagonist, L-365,260 [3R-N- (2,3-dihydro-1-methyl-2-oxo-5-phenyl-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-N′-(3-methylphenyl)urea], resulted in the identification of a series of agonists. Each of the active molecules is an S enantiomer, whereas the corresponding R stereoisomers have little or no activity. Further in vitro and in vivo assessment at the wild-type receptor indicated that efficacy of the two most active ligands approached that of the endogenous hormone. The function of selected R and S enantiomers was differentially sensitive to a point mutation, N353L, within the putative CCK-2R ligand pocket. The results of this study highlight the potential of constitutively active receptors as drug screening tools and the interdependence of ligand stereochemistry and receptor conformation in defining drug efficacy.