Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Validation of the WHI brief physical activity questionnaire among women diagnosed with breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the psychometric properties of the physical activity (PA) measure of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). METHODS Women diagnosed with breast cancer and enrolled in the Women's Healthy Eating and Living Study (average age 55 years) wore an accelerometer for 1 week and completed the 7-day Physical Activity Recall (PAR) and brief WHI measure. RESULTS Both self-reports correlated 0.73 with the accelerometer and had 100% sensitivity for meeting the current PA guideline, but specificity was significantly higher for the PAR. CONCLUSIONS The WHI measure had comparable validity, sensitivity, and measurement bias compared to the widely accepted PAR.
Developmental Programming: Gestational Exposure to Excess Testosterone Alters Expression of Ovarian Matrix Metalloproteases and Their Target Proteins

Prenatal testosterone (T)-treated sheep, similar to women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), manifests reproductive defects that include multifollicular ovarian phenotype. Women with PCOS manifest increased ovarian matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activity. We tested the hypothesis that gestational T excess in sheep would alter ovarian expression of MMPs, tissue inhibitors of MMP (TIMP) and their target proteins laminin B (LAMB), collagen, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF), and connexin 43 (GJA1) consistent with increased MMP activity and that these changes are developmentally regulated. The ovarian content of these proteins was quantified by immunohistochemistry in fetal day 90, 140, and adult (21 months of age) ovaries. Prenatal T excess lowered GJA1 protein content in stroma and granulosa cells of primary follicles from fetal day 90 ovaries and decreased stromal MMP9, TIMP1, and LAMB in fetal day 140 ovaries. In the adult, prenatal T-treatment (1) increased MMP9 in theca cells of large preantral follicles and stroma, TNF in granulosa cells of small and large preantral follicles and theca cells of large preantral and antral follicles, and GJA1 in stroma, theca cells of large preantral follicles, and granulosa cells of antral follicles and (2) reduced TIMP1 in stroma, theca cells of large preantral and antral follicles, LAMB in stroma and small prenatral follicles, and collagen content in stroma and around antral follicles. These findings suggest a net increase in MMP activity and its target proteins TNF and GJA1 in prenatal T-treated adult but not in fetal ovaries and their potential involvement in the development of multifollicular morphology.
Feature extraction techniques for recognizing solid objects with an ultrasonic range sensor

Ultrasonic range sensing has attracted attention in the robotics community because of it simplicity in construction and low cost. However, determining range direction rather than just range magnitude is made difficult by the expanding signal beam of the sensor. This direction ambiguity can be reduced to some extent by increasing the operating frequency or diameter of the sensor, but some ambiguity will still remain. A technique is described for obtaining the true direction to a planar surface using three sensors or three positions of one sensor. A direct solution of the vector equation is discussed to illustrate the solution complexity in direct form. A simplifying transformation applied to the direct form and a further simplifying sensor configuration are described which greatly reduces the solution complexity. An alternate formulation of the problem is described from which a geometrical insight can be obtained. This alternate solution also lends itself to the generation of tangential constraint surfaces for bounding curved object surfaces. These local feature extraction techniques are extended to perform surface tracking for the extraction of global surface features. The connectivity of local features provides additional information. From this information classification of solid objects is possible.
Anti‐prothrombin IgG from patients with anti‐phospholipid antibodies inhibits the inactivation of factor Va by activated protein C

Interference of anti‐phospholipid antibodies with the protein C pathway has been suggested to play a role in the development of thrombosis in the anti‐phospholipid syndrome. We studied the effect of IgG preparations containing anti‐prothrombin antibodies of 17 lupus anticoagulant‐positive patients and 12 controls on the inactivation of factor Va (FVa) by activated protein C (APC) in a system with purified coagulation factors. Test IgG was incubated with human prothrombin, phospholipid vesicles and CaCl2. Protein S, FVa and APC were added and the APC‐dependent loss of FVa activity was monitored over time. The residual amount of FVa remaining after 10 min was 14 ± 4% (mean ± SD) when 1·5 mg/ml normal IgG was present and ranged between 17% and 82% with 1·5 mg/ml patient IgG. Twelve patients IgG gave values of residual FVa >22% (i.e. 2 SD above the mean of controls), indicating that APC‐mediated inactivation of FVa was significantly inhibited. The inhibition was strictly dependent on the presence of prothrombin, proportional to the concentration of IgG and strongly diminished at a 20‐fold higher phospholipid concentration. Most, although not all, IgG containing anti‐prothrombin antibodies inhibit the APC‐catalysed FVa inactivation, which may contribute to the increased risk of thrombosis in patients with the anti‐phospholipid syndrome.
HIV-1 Tat Protein-Induced Rapid and Reversible Decrease in [3H]Dopamine Uptake: Dissociation of [3H]Dopamine Uptake and [3H]2β-Carbomethoxy-3-β-(4-fluorophenyl)tropane (WIN 35,428) Binding in Rat Striatal Synaptosomes

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 Tat protein plays a key role in the pathogenesis of both HIV-1-associated cognitive-motor disorder and drug abuse. Dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT) function is strikingly altered in patients with HIV-1-associated dementia and a history of chronic drug abuse. This study is the first in vitro evaluation of potential mechanisms underlying the effects of Tat protein on DAT function. Rat striatal synaptosomes were incubated with recombinant Tat1–86 protein, and [3H]DA uptake and the binding of [3H]2β-carbomethoxy-3-β-(4-fluorophenyl)tropane (WIN 35,428) and [3H]1-[2-(diphenylmethoxy)ethyl]-4-(3-phenylpropyl)-piperazine (GBR 12935) were determined. Tat decreased [3H]DA uptake, [3H]WIN 35,428 binding, and [3H]GBR 12935 binding in a time-dependent manner. The potency of Tat for inhibiting [3H]DA uptake (Ki = 1.2 μM) was the same as that for inhibiting [3H]GBR 12935 binding but 3-fold less than that for inhibiting [3H]WIN 35,428 binding. Mutant Tat proteins did not alter [3H]DA uptake. Kinetic analysis of [3H]DA uptake revealed that Tat (1 or 10 μM) decreased the Vmax value and increased the Km value in a dose-dependent manner. The Vmax value, decreased by Tat (1 μM), returned to the control level after washout of Tat, indicating that the inhibitory effect of Tat on DA uptake was reversible. Saturation studies revealed that Tat decreased the Bmax value and increased the Kd value of [3H]WIN 35,428 binding, whereas Tat decreased the Bmax value of [3H]GBR 12935 binding, without a change in the Kd value. These findings provide new insight into understanding the pharmacological mechanisms of Tat-induced dysfunction of the DAT in the dopaminergic system in HIV-infected patients.
An Empirical Study of Online and Offline Price Deviation in B2C Market

In this paper, we use Python crawler to automatically collect price information of online and offline electrical appliances on e-commerce websites, collect price information of offline electrical appliances market through field research, and compare and analyze commodity price and dispersion of online and offline electrical appliances market using market price dispersion model. The results show that although there is some price dispersion in the online market, the online household appliances market is still lower than the offline market, and the market efficiency is higher. Moreover, the discrete degree of online and offline prices has obvious “festival effect” in China’s “Double Eleventh and Double Twelfth” online shopping festivals.
MODELLING SMEs’ BEHAVIORAL INTENTION TO ADOPT ISLAMIC CROWDFUNDING-SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (ICSMEs) MODEL AS A SOURCE OF FINANCING IN MALAYSIA

The present study has proposed Islamic Crowdfunding-Small and Medium Enterprises (ICSMEs) model to assist SMEs in meeting their need to access external financial services in Malaysia. Upon the proposed model, this study examines the behavioural intention of SMEs to use ICSMEs model. The primary data are collected from the survey administered to SMEs in the Klang Valley (n=250) and the analysis is conducted using Partial Least Squares (SmartPLS). Furthermore, the model has been validated its acceptance in the field by adopting the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). This study has revealed that both the perceived usefulness and perceived easy to use are found to have a positive impact on the behavioral intention of SMEs to use ICSMEs model, which later assist them to access to financial services in Malaysia. Furthermore, perceived easy to use has a positive relationship and direct effect with perceived usefulness of SMEs to use the ICSMEs model. The findings of this study can be used to develop a specific framework in which to examine other components of using the ICSMEs model’s behavior and to plan appropriate intervention strategies to increase financial accessibility by SMEs.
Pertussis toxin export genes are regulated by the ptx promoter and may be required for efficient translation of ptx mRNA in Bordetella pertussis

The gene products from an 8-kb region adjacent to the 3' end of the ptx operon are required by Bordetella pertussis for the export of pertussis holotoxin. At least one of these gene products (PtlC) is specifically required for the export of assembled holotoxin from the periplasmic space. ptlC mutants exhibit a 20-fold reduction in the amount of holotoxin present in the culture supernatant but have no effect upon the assembly or steady-state level of holotoxin present in the periplasmic space. Impaired export of holotoxin from the ptlC strain blocks expression of toxin at a posttranscriptional level, and wild-type levels of ptx mRNA are detected in the mutant strain. The transcription of ptl is subject to modulation by MgSO4 in the same manner as ptx is; however, in B. pertussis strains containing an E. coli tac promoter in place of the native ptx promoter, wild-type levels of ptx mRNA are present and holotoxin is synthesized and exported even in the presence of MgSO4. Promoter mapping of the region extending from the ptxS3 coding region to the ptlC coding region failed to detect the ptl transcription initiation site. Additional RNase protection experiments with ptx promoter deletion and substitution strains indicate that the ptl operon is transcribed from the ptx promoter as part of a > 11-kb mRNA.
Predicting UK stock market short-term activity and returns from Daily Mail Online

In this paper, I’m deriving a direct measure of investor sentiment from Daily Mail Online news articles using SentiWordNet lexical resource for opinion mining, and I find that it has the ability to predict London Stock Exchange market activity and returns. More precisely the results state that all news – not only financial news – can offer a significant input in predicting stock market activity and that the direction of the effects differs between news categories. The dataset used in this paper is unique; it consists of 1,139,243 Daily Mail Online news articles published between years 2008 and 2017. Aalto University School of Business Department of Finance Thesis instructor: Matthijs Lof Predicting UK stock market short-term activity and returns from Daily Mail Online Markus Hav, Bachelor’s Thesis, Finance Fall 2017
Comparison of different definitions of the metabolic syndrome

Background The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) published a new definition of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). For this definition we compared frequency, concordance, clinical and laboratory stigmata and carotid atherosclerosis with those of the established definitions by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) and World Health Organization (WHO).
Folate nutrition in the kid

1. A study was made on the folate content of goat's milk in relation to stage of lactation, and on the interrelationship between blood and milk folate concentrations in the dam and in the kid. 2. In seven goats the folate concentration in the colostrum at parturition ranged from 136 to 300 ng/ml, and averaged 205 ng/ml. The concentration fell sharply during the early days of lactation and by day 14 it averaged only 9.5 ng/ml. This pattern of rapid decline in milk folate concentration with advancing lactation was little affected by daily provision of folic acid parenterally in relatively large amounts. 3. The colostrum and milk contained a minor whey protein that combined strongly with folate, and presumably acts as a trapping mechanism to accumulate the vitamin from the plasma into the milk. The milk folate concentration determined by the rate of milk secretion in relation to the availability of free folate in the blood plasma. 4. At parturition the plasma folate concentration in the kids was very low – about 1 ng/ml – but by day 2 it had increased to about 28 ng/ml. This folate was protein-bound and accompanied by an excess of free binder protein. It appeared that the folate-protein complex from the colostrums was transmitted intact into the kids' blood circulation. 5. The possible importance of the folate-binding protein in regulation of folate metabolism is discussed.
Potential environmental impacts of herbicide-resistant crops.

Transgenic bromoxynil-, glufosinate-, and glyphosate-resistant crops have been commercialized and grown extensively in the Western Hemisphere and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere. Bromoxynil-resistant crops have been removed from the market. Few new herbicide-resistant crops (HRCs) are likely to be introduced in the near future. Glyphosate-resistant cotton and soybean have become dominant in those countries where they can be grown. Previous and potential effects of glufosinate and glyphosate on contamination of soil, water, and air are minimal, compared to that caused by the herbicides that they replace when HRCs are adopted. No risks have been found with food or feed safety or nutritional value in products from currently available HRCs. Both glufosinate- and glyphosate-resistant crops promote the adoption of reduced- or no-tillage agriculture. In the U.S.A. and Argentina, the advent of glyphosate-resistant soybeans resulted in a significant shift to reduced- and no-tillage practices, strongly reducing environmental degradation by agriculture. Weed species in HRC fields have shifted to those that can more successfully withstand glyphosate or to those that avoid the time of its application. One weed species has evolved resistance in glyphosate-resistant crops. HRCs have greater potential to become problems as volunteer crops than do conventional crops. In canola, herbicide resistance transgenes have been found in fields of canola that are supposed to be non transgenic. Under some circumstances, tansgene flow (introgression) to plants that might become problems in natural ecosystems may be the largest risk of HRCs. The HRC transgene itself is highly unlikely to be a risk in wild populations, but when linked to transgenes that may impart fitness benefits outside of agriculture, natural ecosystems could be affected. The development and use of failsafe introgression barriers in crops with such linked genes is highly encouraged.
Multinational and local companies’ corporate social responsibility practices in a developing country: multi-stakeholders perspectives in Tanzania

The purpose of this study was to investigate Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) and local companies’ involvement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices in Tanzania. Companies continue to cause social and environmental dangers in their operations, which has disappointed many stakeholders. While this happens, there are scant studies addressing how companies participate in CSR to reduce some of the dangers they cause during their operations. The neo-institutional theory was used to address what, how and why companies elect to participate in CSR and focus on the practices, perceptions, motivations, and the role of institutions in promoting CSR in Tanzania. The study used a multiple case study methodology rooted in the interpretive paradigm to understand the subjective contributions from corporate managers, government and its agencies, NGOs and community members. To realize this, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions were adopted to seek verbal explanations from participants’ experiences while documentary review explored how the government has documented the CSR. Companies practice CSR on different levels, but the programs directed to health, education, water service, empowerment and environmental concerns with long lasting effect are regarded as the most important by stakeholders. Through CSR; companies minimise risks, become good citizens, and improve their brands and corporate images. Companies are motivated to practice CSR due to top management and employee support and coercive, mimetic and normative isomorphism. The coercion comes from parent companies, local and international organizations, government agencies, NGOs and community members. Mimetic isomorphism is caused by invitation of general public, government officers and media during handover of CSR donations to attract attention of peer companies to emulate the same. The normative isomorphism is caused by international and local institutions, Equator Principles and ISO standards. The institutional roles are exercised by the government, agencies, NGOs and community members through incentives, awareness and directives during registration and interactions with communities. Overall, the thesis provides five main contributions: the knowledge of CSR practices in Tanzania is realized, it complements the sparse prior CSR literature, implication of the theory and methodological and stakeholder framework contributions. Finally, the study concludes and provides implication to inform policy and practice for the betterment of CSR.
Bacteria in the bloodstream are trapped in the liver and killed by immigrating neutrophils.

The critical role of the liver in the resolution of systemic bacterial infections is well documented. In the case of Listeria monocytogenes, approximately 60% of bacteria inoculated i.v. into mice are recovered in the liver at 10 min after infection. Here we report that the Listeria recovered at 10 min were distributed equally among the hepatocyte and nonparenchymal liver cell populations. The majority (>/= 75%) of these organisms were bound extracellularly as judged by their sensitivity to gentamicin. In contrast, >/= 93% of Listeria recovered in the liver at 6 h were located within hepatocytes. The listerial burden of the liver decreased 0.5 to 1.0 log, between 10 min and 6 h after infection. This decrease correlated with a sevenfold increase in the percentage of neutrophils that constituted the nonparenchymal cell population. Mice rendered neutrophil deficient by pretreatment with anti-granulocyte (RB6-8C5) mAb exhibited a significant increase (>300%) rather than a decrease in liver Listeria and a marked increase in hepatocyte damage. Similarly, neutrophil-deficient mice exhibited a reduced capacity to eliminate Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus that were cleared by the liver and bound extracellularly to hepatocytes and nonparenchymal cells. These findings document the crucial role of immigrating neutrophils in nonspecific host defenses to systemic bacterial infections expressed within the liver.
A simple and easy home-based pulmonary rehabilitation programme for patients with chronic lung diseases.

BACKGROUND AND AIM To develop a simple and easy home-based pulmonary rehabilitation programme and investigate its effectiveness. METHODS Patients with stable chronic lung disease were divided into a rehabilitation group (n = 25) and a control group (n = 18). Rehabilitation consisted of education and 12 weeks of enforced aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises. Aerobic exercise training was performed mostly by walking based on the functional capacity of the patients assessed by the maximal incremental exercise test. Patients visited hospital every two weeks for evaluation and a new exercise regimen. RESULTS Five patients dropped out of the rehabilitation group but three were due to development of unrelated diseases, five controls did not co-operate in the second evaluation. After 12 weeks of rehabilitation, exercise capacity (maximum work load and VO2max), exercise endurance, 6-minute walking distance, and quality of life measured by the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire had significantly improved in the rehabilitation group but not in the controls. At a follow-up evaluation one year after the rehabilitation, some exercise parameters were still significantly higher than baseline in the rehabilitation group. CONCLUSIONS We developed a simple home-based pulmonary rehabilitation programme, which seems to be clinically feasible and effective.
The relationship between BMI and metabolomic profiles: a focus on amino acids

The role of metabolomics in the field of nutrition is continuing to grow and it has the potential to assist in the understanding of metabolic regulation and explain how minor perturbations can have a multitude of biochemical endpoints. It is this development, which creates the potential to provide the knowledge necessary to facilitate a more targeted approach to nutrition. In recent years, there has been interest in applying metabolomics to examine alterations in the metabolic profile according to weight gain/obesity. Emerging from these studies is the strong evidence that alterations in the amino acid (AA) profiles are associated with obesity. Several other studies have also shown a relationship between branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), obesity and insulin resistance. The present review focuses on the proposed link between AA and in particular BCAA, obesity and insulin resistance. In conclusion, a wealth of information is accumulating to support the role of AA, and in particular of the BCAA, in obesity.
Who responds to website visitor satisfaction surveys

Introduction A lot of websites use web based exit surveys in order to measure the satisfaction of their visitors (about web surveys see: Couper, 2000; about website evaluation see: Elling et al., 2007). The related literature includes user satisfaction studies of educational (Saunders et al, 2005), library (Kwon and Gregory, 2007), health related and other more commercial-oriented websites. Usually the response rate to these exit surveys is very low. This is in accordance with previous research finding web surveys with the lowest response rates when compared with other survey modes. For instance, Manfreda et al (2008) after conducting a meta-analysis of 45 experimental comparisons between web and other survey modes they found that web surveys yield an 11% lower response rate compared to other modes. This low response rate raises questions about the quality of the data collected by the web survey.