Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The relationship between aerobic fitness level and metabolic profiles in healthy adults.

SCOPE Application of metabolomics to nutrition and health research is increasing and while much effort has been invested in understanding factors that influence the metabolomic profile there is relatively little known about the impact of fitness level. This study aimed to examine the relationship between fitness level, substrate oxidation rates, and the metabolic profile. METHODS AND RESULTS Two hundred and fourteen healthy adults (18-60 years) were recruited and 65 subjects were selected based on their estimated maximal oxygen consumption levels. Metabolomic analysis was performed. The subjects were split into fitness groups according to their maximal oxygen consumption levels (mL/kg/min) and analysis revealed significant differences in normalized fat and carbohydrate oxidation levels between the groups. Urinary metabolomic analysis revealed significantly different profiles in the groups with 15 amino acids significantly higher in the low fitness groups. Effects of fitness level in the plasma metabolic profiles were also demonstrated. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates a relationship between fitness level and the amino acid profile. Moreover, the metabolite changes show that a reduced excretion of amino acids in adults is associated with increased fitness levels and an increased fat oxidation rate during exercise. Interestingly, higher levels of branched chain amino acids were associated with lower fitness levels and higher insulin resistance.
A preliminary evaluation of the Confident Kids Program – a stand alone component of the Exploring Together Program

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Confident Kids Program , as a separate component of the multi-group Exploring Together Program (ETP). Confident Kids aims to reduce children’s behavioural and emotional difficulties through a group program for primary school children that meets once weekly for 10 weeks. This report presents an analysis of pre-post data collected from 39 parents whose children attended the Confident Kids programs and 48 teachers in the state of Victoria. Following the program, significant improvements were noted in parent reports of children’s internalising and externalising difficulties, levels of parenting satisfaction and parenting styles. Teachers also reported a significant improvement in children’s internalising behaviour from pre- to post-program. The benefits of offering both multi-group and single component interventions in school and community settings are also discussed.
Improving oil slick detection by SAR imagery using ancillary data

The main trouble of oil spill detection systems based on synthetic aperture radar image is the discrimination of true oil slicks from other surface phenomena giving a similar signature. Most of these systems consist of three main stages: dark areas detection, features extraction and classification. The aim of this work is to improve the classification performance by using additional data in order to define a more accurate training set and identifying the features with the highest discrimination capability. It was used 27 ENVISAT ASAR images of the Prestige oil spill together with data from other sources and meteorological or oceanographic models. Results show that the radiometric features seem to work better in order to distinguish between oil slicks and look-alikes, and also that itis possible identify as look-alikes using ancillary data up to 10% of the dark areas previously detected.
70 kHz, 15 kW silicon-carbide MOSFET inverter for industrial induction heating systems

This paper discusses the applicability of SiC MOSFET to high-frequency induction heating applications. In this paper, a 15-kW, 70-kHz SiC MOSFET inverter prototype is constructed to evaluate the performance of the SiC MOSFETs. Power loss breakdown is also conducted from the experimental results. As a results, the inverter prototype has exhibited a power conversion efficiency as high as 98.5% at the rated power operation, and demonstrated the possibility of applications of SiC MOSFETs to high-frequency induction heating systems.
Neural network based particle swarm optimizer for design of dual resonance X/Ku band stacked patch antenna

With the increase in number of layers in a stacked patch microstrip antenna, for multiband operation, the number of parameters, deciding the frequency of operation, increases. Then it becomes a difficult task to optimize all the parameters simultaneously for specified frequencies of operation. In this paper, a particle swarm optimization (PSO) based algorithm have been developed to decide the patch dimensions of dual band square stacked patch antenna (SPA) operating in the X/Ku band. The cost function for the PSO is evaluated with the help of trained neural network (NN) to reduce the lengthy simulation time. The results from this PSO based CAD model have been cross verified with the experimental results for some typical stacked patch antennas.
Interioractive: Smart Materials in the Hands of Designers and Architects for Designing Interactive Interiors

The application of Organic User Interface (OUI) technologies will revolutionize interior design, through the development of interactive and actuated surfaces, furnishings and decorative artefacts. However, to adequately explore these new design landscapes we must support multidisciplinary collaboration between Architects, Interior Designers and Technologists. Herein, we present the results of two workshops, with a total of 45 participants from the disciplines of Architecture and Interior Design, supported by a group of HCI researchers. Our objective was to study how design disciplines can productively engage with smart materials as a design resource using an evolving set of techniques to prototype new interactive interior spaces. Our paper reports on our experiences across the two workshops and contributes an understanding of techniques for supporting multidisciplinary collaboration when designing interactive interior spaces.
THE TOLERANCE-HYPERBARIC TEST: A CHRONOBIOLOGIC APPROACH FOR IMPROVED DIAGNOSIS OF HYPERTENSION

Blood pressure (BP) displays predictable large-amplitude circadian variability. Thus, the identification and the proper definition of hypertension are highly ambiguous when based on single time-unspecified measurements. One way to deal with such variability in the diagnosis of hypertension is to replace the commonly used constant limits of BP by a time-specified reference interval based on the normal circadian BP rhythm assessed by ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM). A proper reference limit can be constructed, for instance, as a tolerance interval computed for every specific time interval throughout the 24 h. Once such a threshold (given by the upper limit of the tolerance interval) is constructed, a hyperbaric index (HBI) can be computed by numerical integration of the total area of any given patient's BP profile above threshold. The HBI plus the duration of excess within the 24h day serves as nonparametric endpoints for assessing hypertension. Both retrospective and prospective evaluation of this tolerance-hyperbaric test validate its high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of hypertension. We describe the theory of the HBI as well as a newly created dedicated software program that automatically derives the tolerance intervals from a reference database of normotensive subjects and calculates the HBI and other potentially valuable parameters based on data obtained by ABPM. The establishment of time-qualified tolerance limits and the assessment of the extent and timing of BP elevation represents a valuable tool for the more accurate diagnosis of hypertension as well as means of gauging response to treatment.
Collateral Damage? Decreasing House Prices and Entrepreneurial Lending

We study the effect of housing collateral on entrepreneurial lending in the Netherlands. This residential collateral channel is especially relevant for sole proprietors for whom there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business. We make use of unique administrative data on outstanding bank credit of all Dutch sole proprietorships in the period 2007 - 2012. Our estimates indicate that home owning entrepreneurs were hit less severe in the times of crisis than renting entrepreneurs. Relative to renters, during the economic crisis, the incidence of having outstanding bank credit decreased 2% percent less for home owners. Home owners also experience a 40 basis points weaker increase in costs of credit compared to renters. Within the group of home owners higher LTVs only go along with higher prices during the crisis relative to lower LTVs.
Information security culture in healthcare informatics: A preliminary investigation

Information security culture becomes an enabler towards an effective security practice. Human factors are recognised as one of the factors in addressing the issue of information security in healthcare informatics. Inculcating information security culture among healthcare practitioners is identified to be one of the solutions for a better security practice. Thus, identifying the issues and factors that influence information security culture are important. A preliminary investigation involving six healthcare professionals and academics have been carried out for better understanding on the critical factors that may influence the information security culture. In-depth interview method is chosen in this study. Thematic coding was conducted to characterise the themes and asses the factor that found to be influential. Results from the indepth interviews with healthcare expertise showed that four main themes may influence the degree to which information security may be cultivated. Security behaviour, security value, security awareness, and enforcement of security policy are the themes addressed by the key informants as the influential factors inculcating information security culture. This study also found that various level of healthcare professional exhibited different outcomes in information security culture. Findings from this study may provide guidance to the healthcare organisation to ensure their employee inculcate information security culture in holistic manner.
3D-Resurf: The integration of a p-channel LDMOS in a standard CMOS process

This paper presents an isolated high voltage (HV) p- channel lateral double diffused MOS (LDMOS) transistor integrated in a commercial 0.35mum CMOS process without any additional mask or implant steps and thus without increasing process complexity. It is shown that by the introduction of carefully controlled PWELL stripes in the drift region, an increase in breakdown voltages (VB) of LDMOS transistors from 10 to up to 25 V can be achieved. For the huge field of power management and automotive applications this approach of integration allows optimization for multiple voltage domains and guarantees high quality levels at an economical price level.
Acute pharmacological treatment strategies for bipolar depression

Besides maintaining long-term stability, the most difficult aspect in the management of bipolar affective disorder is the depressive phase. The similarities in the cluster of symptoms with unipolar depression, as well as factors related to the patient, psychiatrist and the treatment itself could make the tasks of diagnosing and treating bipolar depression extremely challenging. A lack of clear guidance makes the choice of medication even harder, especially with the presence of conflicting recommendations. In this review we will explore the evidence base for available medication options, from antidepressants, lithium, anticonvulsants and antipsychotics as well as from other groups. However, any conclusions and guidance still suffer from some degree of uncertainty due to the limitations of evidence for some drugs, especially the relative lack of head-to-head comparisons.
Effects of Inventory Policies on Supply Chain Design

This thesis is motivated by an industrial problem faced by Bombardier Inc. in designing a two-echelon supply chain. The upper echelon is a plant that operates under batch ordering inventory policy. The lower echelon is a set of service centers which operate under base stock inventory policy. The problem is to decide which service centers to open and how to assign customers to open service centers based on their preference. The stock level at each open service center is decided to meet a specified mean target response time requirement. The objective is to minimize the total cost including the location-allocation cost, the ordering cost at the plant, the holding cost, and the backorder cost at both the plant and open service centers. The inventory-location problem is formulated as a mixed-integer programing problem with stochastic variables and mean target response time constraint. A cuttingplane algorithm is proposed to solve the model. Numerical testing is performed on industry instances and instances from the literature to evaluate the effectiveness of the cutting-plane algorithm and to investigate the effects of different inventory replenishment policies.
Multisite cost analysis of a school-based voluntary alcohol and drug prevention program.

OBJECTIVE This article estimates the societal costs of Project CHOICE, a voluntary after-school alcohol and other drug prevention program for adolescents. To our knowledge, this is the first cost analysis of an after-school program specifically focused on reducing alcohol and other drug use. METHOD The article uses microcosting methods based on the societal perspective and includes a number of sensitivity analyses to assess how the results change with alternative assumptions. Cost data were obtained from surveys of participants, facilitators, and school administrators; insights from program staff members; program expenditures; school budgets; the Bureau of Labor Statistics; and the National Center for Education Statistics. RESULTS From the societal perspective, the cost of implementing Project CHOICE in eight California schools ranged from $121 to $305 per participant (Mdn = $238). The major cost drivers included labor costs associated with facilitating Project CHOICE, opportunity costs of displaced class time (because of in-class promotions for Project CHOICE and consent obtainment), and other efforts to increase participation. Substituting nationally representative cost information for wages and space reduced the range to $100-$206 (Mdn = $182), which is lower than the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's estimate of $262 per pupil for the "average effective school-based program in 2002. " Denominating national Project CHOICE costs by enrolled students instead of participants generates a median per-pupil cost of $21 (range: $14-$28). CONCLUSIONS Estimating the societal costs of school-based prevention programs is crucial for efficiently allocating resources to reduce alcohol and other drug use. The large variation in Project CHOICE costs across schools highlights the importance of collecting program cost information from multiple sites.
Identifying Customer Loyalty Supporting Factors in the Retail Banking Context: An Empirical Examination

ABSTRACT This article aims to identify factors which support customer loyalty, either through dedication or by imposing constraints, and subsequently empirically analyzes the relationship between identified factors and the attitudinal and behavioral component of loyalty in the context of retail banking. Data collected from a sample of 293 retail banking customers have been analyzed through structural equation modeling. The study results suggested two constraint promoting factors and one dedication promoting factor which supported loyalty. The study contributes to knowledge by empirically testing the qualitative model and coming out with empirically proven dedication-promoting and constraint-promoting loyalty supporting factors.
Niosomal Drug Delivery System: The Magic Bullet

The concept of drug targeting or site specific drug delivery was introduced first time by Paul Elrich in 1909, when he reported ‘magic bullet’ to deliver a drug to the desired site of action without affecting the non target organs or tissues (Juliano, 1980) by associating the drug with a pharmacologically “inactive carrier” capable of conveying the drug selectively towards its target cells. The methods of preparation of niosomes such as hand shaking, ether injection and sonication (developed on the basis of liposome production technique) have been reviewed by Khandare et al., 1994. The hand shaking method form vesicles with greater diameter [0.35 – 13m] as compared to those prepared by ether injection method [50-1000nm]. The film formation method was used for the preparation of the niosomes due to simplicity, reproducibility and high drug entrapment efficiency.
BRAND VALUE AND MARKETING WELLNESS OF DEPOSIT MONEY BANKS

A cardinal objective of marketing is to create value for customers and to capture value from customers in return; and building strong brands facilitate the achievement of this objective. Strong brands win customers’ preference through the assurance of value. The focus of this study is to examine the association between brand value and marketing wellness measured in terms of new product success, sales growth and market share. The study utilised data collected from sixty-six (66) respondents comprising of branch managers, marketing managers and inside sales officers of deposit money banks using a structured questionnaire. The P(r) was employed as the test statistic. All the statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS version 20.0. The study found positive and statistically significant correlation between brand value and all the three indices of marketing wellness considered in the study, with marketing share showing the strongest link with brand value. The study thus concludes that brand value influences marketing wellness and recommends that banks that seek marketing wellness measured in terms of market share, new product success and sales growth should build strong brands that consumers will hold in high repute and that also assure value for consumers. JEL: M31, M20 Article visualizations:
Financial Analyst Accuracy: An Examination by Industry

Prior research into the accuracy of analyst forecasts has spanned several decades. Obrien (1990) conducted a comprehensive analysis of forecast accuracy among financial analysts in nine industries during the period 1975-1982. Sinha, Brown, and Das (1997) reexamined this issue of forecast accuracy among financial analysts during the period 1984-1990, consistent of the fourteen largest industries at the time. These studies reported no or minimal significant differences in forecast accuracy across industries. This study extends the above research and assesses forecast accuracy for eight distinct industries during the period 2010-2015 from the perspectives of: 1. Comparison over forecast horizon 2. Comparison by industry 3. Comparison within industry
Base Excision Repair in the Mitochondria

The 16.5 kb human mitochondrial genome encodes for 13 polypeptides, 22 tRNAs and 2 rRNAs involved in oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), unlike its nuclear counterpart, is not packaged into nucleosomes and is more prone to the adverse effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during oxidative phosphorylation. The past few decades have witnessed an increase in the number of proteins observed to translocate to the mitochondria for the purposes of mitochondrial genome maintenance. The mtDNA damage produced by ROS, if not properly repaired, leads to instability and can ultimately manifest in mitochondrial dysfunction and disease. The base excision repair (BER) pathway is employed for the removal and consequently the repair of deaminated, oxidized, and alkylated DNA bases. Specialized enzymes called DNA glycosylases, which locate and cleave the damaged base, catalyze the first step of this highly coordinated repair pathway. This review focuses on members of the four human BER DNA glycosylase superfamilies and their subcellular localization in the mitochondria and/or the nucleus, as well as summarizes their structural features, biochemical properties, and functional role in the excision of damaged bases. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 1490–1499, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOMER NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS IN ACHIEVING TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT: A STRATEGIC VIEW FOR FUTURE TRENDS

The study aims to assess the impact of customers (internal and external) on total quality management in a service organization. The measuring instrument, that is, questionnaires were distributed to three levels of managerial employees. Overall, whilst there is evidence of utmost focus on customer needs and expectations in this organization, there is also greater focus on external customers than internal customers. Yet, an added insight to the study is that internal customer needs and expectations are influenced by managers’ current position. Hence the higher the managerial level, the stronger the perceptions that internal customer needs and expectations are met in this organization. In conclusion, the article reflects on scholarly views, recommends strategies and provides profound insight when probing into a similar field of study.
Nontoxic Shiga Toxin Derivatives from Escherichia coli Possess Adjuvant Activity for the Augmentation of Antigen-Specific Immune Responses via Dendritic Cell Activation

ABSTRACT Shiga toxin (Stx) derivatives, such as the Stx1 B subunit (StxB1), which mediates toxin binding to the membrane, and mutant Stx1 (mStx1), which is a nontoxic doubly mutated Stx1 harboring amino acid substitutions in the A subunit, possess adjuvant activity via the activation of dendritic cells (DCs). Our results showed that StxB1 and mStx1, but not native Stx1 (nStx1), resulted in enhanced expression of CD86, CD40, and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules and, to some extent, also enhanced the expression of CD80 on bone marrow-derived DCs. StxB1-treated DCs exhibited an increase in tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-12 (IL-12) production, a stimulation of DO11.10 T-cell proliferation, and the production of both Th1 and Th2 cytokines, including gamma interferon (IFN-γ), IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10. When mice were given StxB1 subcutaneously, the levels of CD80, CD86, and CD40, as well as MHC class II expression by splenic DCs, were enhanced. The subcutaneous immunization of mice with ovalbumin (OVA) plus mStx1 or StxB1 induced high titers of OVA-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG1, and IgG2a in serum. OVA-specific CD4+ T cells isolated from mice immunized with OVA plus mStx1 or StxB1 produced IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10, indicating that mStx1 and StxB1 elicit both Th1- and Th2-type responses. Importantly, mice immunized subcutaneously with tetanus toxoid plus mStx1 or StxB1 were protected from a lethal challenge with tetanus toxin. These results suggest that nontoxic Stx derivatives, including both StxB1 and mStx1, could be effective adjuvants for the induction of mixed Th-type CD4+ T-cell-mediated antigen-specific antibody responses via the activation of DCs.
articleUnderstanding of research : a Sri Lankan perspective

Background: Lack of proper understanding on the part of researchers about public understanding of research and informed consent will increase the potential for malpractice. As a part of a larger study on ethics and informed consent in Sri Lanka, this study aimed to ascertain the level of understanding of 'research' by exploring the views of the public