Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resistance training does not contribute to improving the metabolic profile after a 6-month weight loss program in overweight and obese postmenopausal women.

CONTEXT Limited data are available regarding the impact of caloric restriction (CR) in combination with resistance training (RT) on the metabolic profile of postmenopausal women. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to determine whether RT adds to CR in improving body composition and the metabolic profile. DESIGN AND SETTING This was a 6-month, randomized, clinical trial. PATIENTS Patients included 107 postmenopausal women (body mass index >27 kg/m(2)). INTERVENTION The intervention was a 6-month CR alone or in combination with a RT program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Fat mass (FM), lean body mass (LBM), abdominal sc fat and visceral fat, fasting lipids, insulin sensitivity, resting blood pressure, and inflammation markers were measured. RESULTS Both groups were similar at baseline and significantly decreased body weight, body mass index, FM, percent FM, abdominal sc fat, and visceral fat after the study (P < 0.001), with greater losses of percent FM and trunk FM in the CR + RT group (P < 0.05). LMB significantly decreased in the CR (-0.9 +/- 2.4 kg) and the CR+RT (-0.4 +/- 2.2 kg) groups (P < 0.005), with no difference between them. Both groups significantly improved plasma triglycerides, fasting insulin level, glucose disposal, and markers of the inflammation profile after weight loss (P < 0.05), with no difference between groups. No improvements were observed for the other variables of interest in both groups. CONCLUSIONS CR+RT was associated with greater losses in percent FM and trunk FM compared with CR alone. However, CR+RT was not associated with additional improvements in the metabolic profile compared with CR alone.
Xunet 2: lessons from an early wide-area ATM testbed

This paper is a retrospective on the design of Xunet 2, one of the earliest functional wide-area asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks. Work on Xunet 2 began in 1989 and the network, consisting of experimental ATM switches, IP routers, and 45 Mb/s transmission lines, has been operational since October 1991. The network serves as a "laboratory without walls" for eight research groups across the United States. While Xunet 2 has only a small number of nodes, it was designed as a prototype of a nationwide ATM network. This paper reviews some of the design decisions and lessons learned in the project and points out the research directions motivated by this work, focusing on the areas of traffic management, ATM switch design, network control, and the implementation of an IP router.
Adrenergic receptor blockade reverses right heart remodeling and dysfunction in pulmonary hypertensive rats.

RATIONALE Most patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) die from right heart failure. Beta-adrenergic receptor blockade reduces mortality by about 30% in patients with left-sided systolic heart failure, but is not used in PAH. OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of the adrenergic receptor blocker carvedilol on the pulmonary circulation and right heart in experimental pulmonary hypertension in rats. METHODS Angioproliferative pulmonary hypertension was induced in rats by combined exposure to the vascular endothelial growth factor-receptor antagonist SU5416 and hypoxia. Carvedilol treatment was started after establishment of pulmonary hypertension and right heart dysfunction. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Compared with vehicle-treated animals, treatment with carvedilol resulted in increased exercise endurance; improved right ventricular (RV) function (increased tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and decreased RV dilatation); and an increased cardiac output. The morphology of the pulmonary vessels and the RV afterload were not affected by carvedilol. Carvedilol treatment was associated with enhancement of RV fetal gene reactivation, increased protein kinase G (PKG) activity, and a reduction in capillary rarefaction and fibrosis. Metoprolol had similar but less pronounced effects in the SU5416 and hypoxia model. Cardioprotective effects were noted of both carvedilol and metoprolol in the monocrotaline model. In the case of carvedilol, but not metoprolol, part of these effects resulted from a prevention of monocrotaline-induced lung remodeling. CONCLUSIONS Adrenergic receptor blockade reverses RV remodeling and improves RV function in experimental pulmonary hypertension. Beta-adrenergic receptor blockers are not recommended in humans with PAH before their safety and efficacy are assessed in well-designed clinical trials.
Sexual Differentiation of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis in Humans May Extend into Adulthood

Gonadal steroids have remarkable developmental effects on sex-dependent brain organization and behavior in animals. Presumably, fetal or neonatal gonadal steroids are also responsible for sexual differentiation of the human brain. A limbic structure of special interest in this regard is the sexually dimorphic central subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTc), because its size has been related to the gender identity disorder transsexuality. To determine at what age the BSTc becomes sexually dimorphic, the BSTc volume in males and females was studied from midgestation into adulthood. Using vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and somatostatin immunocytochemical staining as markers, we found that the BSTc was larger and contains more neurons in men than in women. However, this difference became significant only in adulthood, showing that sexual differentiation of the human brain may extend into the adulthood. The unexpectedly late sexual differentiation of the BSTc is discussed in relation to sex differences in developmental, adolescent, and adult gonadal steroid levels.
Themed Issue Article: Stress in Vertebrates Stress hormone concentration in Rocky Mountain populations of the American pika (Ochotona princeps)

The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is considered a sentinel species for detecting ecological effects of climate change. Pikas are declining within a large portion of their range, but previous studies have focused only on local pika extinction as a metric of change. We designed a procedure which can provide an earlier warning signal, based on non-invasive sampling and analysis of physiological stress in living pikas. Pikas were sampled at several locations in the Rocky Mountains for the measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites (GCMs) in faeces. Using a time series of faecal pellets from 12 individuals, we detected a significant increase in faecal GCM level in response to capture, thus biologically validating the use of a corticosterone enzyme immunoassay. We also established baseline, peak, and post-peak GCM concentrations for pikas in the Rocky Mountains, which varied according to gender and individual. This is the first study to measure stress hormone metabolites in any species of pika. The methods developed and validated in this study can be used to add non-invasive measurements of physiological stress to pika monitoring programmes and other research designed to assess pika vulnerability to predicted changes in climate. Pika monitoring programmes currently in place use a protocol that relates current site use by pikas with data on local habitat characteristics, such as elevation, to infer potential effects of climate change. Data generated by these monitoring studies can be used to identify the trends in site use by pikas in relationship to habitat covariates. However, this approach does not take into account the role of behavioural thermoregulation and the pika’s use of microhabitats to ameliorate variations in climate. Incorporating a stress metric, such as GCM concentration, will provide relatively direct evidence for or against the hypothesis that pikas can be stressed by climate regardless of behavioural adaptations.
1 Banking Sector Openness and Economic Growth

Banking sector openness may directly affect growth by improving the access to financial services and indirectly by improving the efficiency of financial intermediaries, both of which reduce the cost of financing, and in turn, stimulate capital accumulation and economic growth. The objective of the paper is to empirically reinvestigate these direct and indirect links, using a more advanced econometric technique (GMM dynamic panel estimators). An illustrative model is presented to link financial market development with investment. The empirical results confirm the presence of direct and indirect links, and thus provide support for countries planning to open their banking sector for international competition. JEL Classification: G21; O16; O40; F10; F21.
INJECTION VELOCITY CONTROL BASED-ON AN ITERATIVE LEARNING AND FEEDBACK COMBINED CONTROLLER

Abstract Injection velocity is a key variable in injection molding process. The dynamics of injection velocity is largely affected by the control valves used in the hydraulic system. Previously, it has been controlled precisely using advanced control algorithms based on servo-valves. However, this increased significantly the capital and maintenance costs. In this paper, the injection velocity was controlled using economical but slow response proportional valves. Iterative learning control is adopted to exploit the repetitive nature of the process for control performance improvement with the slow valves. Most nonlinearity is handled by the ILC control, with a simple feedback control incorporated to provide within-cycle disturbance rejection. Experiments show that the proposed method can work well over a wide range of operating conditions.
Evaluating Workplace Mandates with Flows versus Stocks: An Application to California Paid Family Leave

Employer mandates and other labor demand/supply shocks typically have small effects on wages and employment. These effects should be more discernible using data on employment transitions and wages among new hires rather than incumbents. The Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) dataset provides county by quarter by demographic group data on the number and earnings of new hires, separations, and recalls (i.e., extended leaves). We use the QWI to examine the labor market effects of California's paid family leave (CPFL) policy. Implemented in July 2004, it was the first such policy mandated in the U.S. The analysis compares outcomes for young women in California to those for other workers in California and to workers throughout the U.S. Relative earnings for young female new hires were largely unaffected by CPFL. We find strong evidence that separations (of at least three months) and hiring of young women increased substantively. Many young women who separated later returned to the same firm. CPFL appears to have led not only to increased time with children, but also to a decline in job lock, enhanced mobility, and increased worker flows following universal paid family leave.
Parametric 3D Object Representation and Applications

Despite intensive research, 3D representation is still an open research issue in computer graphics. In this paper, we propose a novel B-spline surface modelling technique. Unlike previous work, our approach deals with unstructured point cloud data. By representing objects in a common parameter space, one of the most challenging problems, i.e. automatic dense correspondence between objects, is solved with little effort. Supporting level of detail (LOD) control, our approach is particularly efficient for 3D object rendering. Furthermore, the representation is compact - over 90% compression rate is achieved. It also allows efficient 3D objects comparison and metamorphosis.
A SURVEY OF MEDICAL IMAGE REGISTRATION ON MULTI-CORE AND GPU

∗NICTA is a research centre funded by the Australian Government through Backing Australia’s Ability and the ICT Research Centre of Excellence programs. together with those acquired during a procedure for best re37 sults. In brain surgery, for example, the main challenge is to 38 remove as much as the malignant tissue as possible without 39 affecting critical structures and while minimizing damage to 40 healthy tissue. The surgeon uses high quality CT and MR 41 scans of the patient to carefully plan a procedure. During 42 a procedure, however, the brain undergoes varying levels of 43 deformations at different stages of the surgery known as the 44 brain shift. This brain shift, a result of change in the intracra45 nial pressure, leakage of cerebrospinal fluid and removal of 46 tissue, affects the accuracy of earlier planning and needs to be 47 compensated for. The surgeon may take a number of intra48 operative scans to correct the plan based on patient’s current 49 state and also to detect complications such as bleeding. To 50 support the surgeon, the IGT system needs to register intraop51 erative scans with the patient and with preoperative images. 52
Increased All-Cause Mortality in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes and High-Expression Mannan-Binding Lectin Genotypes: A 12-Year Follow-up Study

OBJECTIVE Mannan-binding lectin (MBL) is a complement-activating carbohydrate-recognizing molecule associated with diabetic nephropathy. MBL is associated with all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetes, but whether MBL is associated with mortality in type 1 diabetes remains unknown. We therefore aimed to investigate this. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We studied an existing 12-year prospective cohort with type 1 diabetes with 198 patients with diabetic nephropathy (121 men, age 41 years [95% CI 40–42], estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] 67 mL/min/1.73 m2 [95% CI 63–70]) and 174 normoalbuminuric patients (103 men, age 43 years [95% CI 41–44], eGFR 93 mL/min/1.73 m2 [95% CI 91–95]). Mortality rates were compared according to the concentration-determining MBL2 genotype or the MBL concentration. Patients were classified as having high or low MBL expression genotypes. The effect of MBL concentration was estimated by comparing patients with MBL concentrations above or below the median. RESULTS Ninety-eight patients died during follow-up. The unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality was 1.61 (95% CI 1.07–2.43) for patients with high MBL expression genotypes versus patients with low MBL expression genotypes (P = 0.023). All-cause mortality was higher in patients with MBL concentrations above the median than in patients with MBL concentrations below the median (unadjusted HR 1.90 [95% CI 1.26–2.87], P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS High MBL expression genotypes and high MBL concentrations are both associated with increased mortality rates in type 1 diabetes compared with low MBL expression genotypes and low MBL concentrations.
Oxygen-dependent, alternative promoter controls translation of tco1+ in fission yeast

Eukaryotic cells respond to changes in environmental oxygen supply by increasing transcription and subsequent translation of gene products required for adaptation to low oxygen. In fission yeast, the ortholog of mammalian sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP), called Sre1, activates low-oxygen gene expression and is essential for anaerobic growth. Previous studies in multiple organisms indicate that SREBP transcription factors function as positive regulators of gene expression by increasing transcription. Here, we describe a unique mechanism by which activation of Sre1-dependent transcription downregulates protein expression under low oxygen. Paradoxically, Sre1 inhibits expression of tco1+ gene product by activating its transcription. Under low oxygen, Sre1 directs transcription of tco1+ from an alternate, upstream promoter and inhibits expression of the normoxic tco1+ transcript. The resulting low-oxygen transcript contains an additional 751 nt in the 5′ untranslated region that is predicted to form a stable, complex secondary structure. Interestingly, polysome profile experiments revealed that this new longer transcript is translationally silent, leading to a decrease in Tco1 protein expression under low oxygen. Together, these results describe a new mechanism for oxygen-dependent control of gene expression and provide an example of negative regulation of protein expression by an SREBP homolog.
Krüppel acts as a developmental switch gene that mediates Notch signalling‐dependent tip cell differentiation in the excretory organs of Drosophila

Cell proliferation in the excretory organs of Drosophila, the Malpighian tubules (MT), is under the control of a neural tip cell. This unique cell is singled out from equivalent MT primordial cells in response to Notch signalling. We show that the gene Krüppel (Kr), best known for its segmentation function in the early embryo, is under the control of the Notch‐dependent signalling process. Lack‐of‐function and gain‐of‐function experiments demonstrate that Kr activity determines the neural fate of tip cells by acting as a direct downstream target of proneural basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) proteins that are restricted in response to Notch signalling. We have identified a unique cis‐acting element that mediates all spatial and temporal aspects of Kr gene expression during MT development. This element contains functional binding sites for the restricted proneural bHLH factors and Fork head protein which is expressed in all MT cells. Our results suggest a mechanism in which these transcription factors cooperate to set up a unique cell fate within an equivalence group of cells by restricting the activity of the developmental switch gene Kr in response to Notch signalling.
Contrasting Effects of Static and Pulsatile Pressure on Carotid Baroreceptor Activity in Dogs

The purpose of this study was to contrast the effects of static and pulsatile pressure on carotid baroreceptor activity over a wide range of mean arterial pressure. Static and pulsatile pressure were applied to the isolated carotid sinus of dogs anesthetized with chloralose. Recordings were obtained from single baroreceptor units as well as from the whole sinus nerve or a large strand of the nerve. Three observations are reported. First, in single units the pulsatile pressure threshold, which averaged 48 ± 8 (SEM) mm Hg, was far below the static pressure threshold, which averaged 79 ± 8 mm Hg (p<0.05, n=15). Thus, pulsatility decreased the threshold by an average of 31 mm Hg in contrast to the minimal or lack of decrease in threshold reported by others in aortic baroreceptors. Second, at moderate arterial pressures a shift from static to pulsatile pressure caused a decrease in single and multiple unit activities. In single units, the decrease approximated 15% (from 42.0 ± 2.1 to 35.5 ± 1.9 spikes/sec, p<0.05, n = 25). In all units, there was no diastolic nerve activity (“silence”) when diastolic pressure was 1 to 10 mm Hg above static pressure threshold; 80% of the units exhibited "diastolic silence" when diastolic pressure was 20-30 mm Hg above threshold and 40% of the units showed silence at-diastolic pressures 40-50 mm Hg above threshold. In whole nerve recordings, pulsatility increased activity from 57 ± 15 to 142 ± 29 spikes/sec (p<0.05) at low mean arterial pressures (50 and 75 mm Hg), as expected from the reduction in pressure threshold noted in single units, and decreased activity approximately 15% (from 373 ± 69 to 320 ± 55 spikes/sec, p<0.05, n = 9) at mean arterial pressures of 125 and 150 mm Hg. This decrease in activity with a shift from static to pulsatile pressure at moderate arterial pressures has not been reported previously. Third, the static pressure-activity curve was sigmoid, and its gain peaked sharply at 75-100 mm Hg; in contrast, the pulsatile pressure-activity curve was linear between 25 and 150 mm Hg, and its maximum gain was half the maximum gain during static pressure. These differences between the static pressure-activity curve and the pulsatile pressure-activity curve were noted during both increases and decreases in carotid sinus pressure; both curves exhibited some hysteresis during the decreases in pressure. (Circulation Research 1987:61:648-658)
Microbial sulfate reduction in a liquid-solid fluidized bed reactor.

A liquid-solid fluidized bed reactor was used to carry out sulfate reduction with a mixed culture of sulfate reducing bacteria. The bacteria were immobilized on porous glass beads. Stable fluidized bed operation with these biofilm-coated beads was possible. The low specific gravity of the hydrated beads allowed operation at low liquid recirculation rates. H(2)S level in the reactor was controlled by N(2) sparging, which also served as the location for liquid feed and removal. Ethanol was used as the electron donor/carbon source for the bacteria. Sulfate reduction rates up to 6.33 g sulfate L(-1) day(-1) were attained in the reactor at a hydraulic retention time of 5.1 h. The effect of hydraulic retention time and biomass loading on the beads, on reactor performance, and efficiency were examined. The efficiency of sulfate reduction increases considerably as the hydraulic retention increases, until the bacteria became very strongly substrate-limited at 55h HRT. The effect of bead biomass loading on bed expansion at various liquid superficial velocities was studied. A model for the reactor was developed. Simulations of the continuous flow experiments indicate that the model can describe the system well, and thus could be used in the design/scale-up of such reactors. The model suggests that a significant increase in the sulfate reduction capacity of the system is possible by increasing the volume of the bed relative to the total liquid volume of the system.
Intravascular Ultrasound: Principles and Cerebrovascular Applications

SUMMARY: Intravascular sonography is a valuable tool for the morphologic assessment of coronary atherosclerosis and the effect of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions on the progression or stabilization of atherosclerosis. An analysis of the different modes, applications, and limitations is provided on the basis of review of existing data from multiple clinical case studies, trials, and mechanistic studies. Intravascular sonography has been used to assess the outcomes of different percutaneous interventions, including angioplasty and stent implantation, and to provide detailed characterization of atherosclerotic lesions, aneurysms, and dissections within the cerebrovascular circulation. Evolution of intravascular sonographic technology has led to the development of more sophisticated diagnostic tools such as color-flow, virtual histology, and integrated backscatter intravascular sonography. The technologic advancement in intravascular sonography has the potential of providing more accurate information prior, during, and after a medical or endovascular intervention. Continued assessment of this diagnostic technique in both the intracranial and extracranial circulation will lead to increased use in clinical practice with the intent to improve outcomes.
Propane-1,3-diammonium bis[aquachlorido(4-hydroxypyridine-2,6-dicarboxylato-κ3 O 2,N,O 6)mercurate(II)] tetrahydrate

The reaction of mercury(II) chloride dihydrate, propane-1,3-diamine and 4-hydroxypyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid in a 1:1:1 molar ratio in aqueous solution, resulted in the formation of the title compound, (C3H12N2)[Hg(C7H3NO5)Cl(H2O)]2·4H2O or (pnH2)[Hg(hypydc)Cl(H2O)]2·4H2O (where pn is propane-1,3-diamine and hypydcH2 is 4-hydroxypyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid). The metal atom is coordinated by one chloride group, one water molecule cis to the chloride ligand and one (hypydc)2− ligand. The coordinated water molecule is almost perpendicular to the plane of the aromatic ring of (hypydc)2−. The geometry of the resulting HgClNO3 coordination can be described as distorted square-pyramidal. This structure also contains propane-1,3-diammonium (site symmetry 2) as a counter-ion and four uncoordinated water molecules. There is a wide range of non-covalent interactions consisting of hydrogen bonding [of the types O—H⋯O, N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O, with D⋯A ranging from 2.548 (5) to 3.393 (6) Å] and ion pairing.