Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Targeting aerosol deposition to and within the lung airways using excipient enhanced growth.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have characterized the size increase of combination submicrometer particles composed of a drug and hygroscopic excipient when exposed to typical airway thermodynamic conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the deposition and size increase characteristics of excipient enhanced growth (EEG) aerosols throughout the tracheobronchial (TB) airways and to evaluate the potential for targeted delivery. METHODS Submicrometer particles composed of a poorly water-soluble drug (insulin) and hygroscopic excipient (sodium chloride) were considered at drug:excipient mass ratios of 50:50 and 25:75. A previously validated computational fluid dynamics model was used to predict aerosol size increase and deposition in characteristic geometries of the mouth-throat (MT), upper TB airways through the third bifurcation (B3), and remaining TB airways through B15. Additional validation experiments were also performed for albuterol sulfate:mannitol particles. Both growth of combination particles and deposition are reported throughout the conducting airways for characteristic slow and deep (SD) and quick and deep (QD) inhalations. RESULTS For all EEG cases considered, MT deposition was less than 1% of the drug dose, which is at least one order of magnitude lower than with state-of-the-art and conventional inhalers. Final aerosol sizes exiting the TB region and entering the alveolar airways were all greater than 3 μm. For SD inhalation, deposition fractions of 20% were achieved in the lower TB region of B8-B15, which is a factor of 20-30×higher than conventional delivery devices. With QD inhalation, maximum alveolar delivery of 90% was observed. CONCLUSIONS Increasing the dose delivered to the lower TB region by a factor of 20-30×or achieving 90% delivery to the alveolar airways was considered effective aerosol targeting compared with conventional devices. The trend of higher flow rates resulting in better alveolar delivery of aerosols is unique to EEG and may be used to design highly efficient dry powder inhalers.
Associations of anti-beta2-glycoprotein I autoantibodies with HLA class II alleles in three ethnic groups.

OBJECTIVE To determine any HLA associations with anti-beta2-glycoprotein I (anti-beta2GPI) antibodies in a large, retrospectively studied, multiethnic group of 262 patients with primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or another connective tissue disease. METHODS Anti-beta2GPI antibodies were detected in sera using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HLA class II alleles (DRB1, DQA1, and DQB1) were determined by DNA oligotyping. RESULTS The HLA-DQB1*0302 (DQ8) allele, typically carried on HLA-DR4 haplotypes, was associated with anti-beta2GPI when compared with both anti-beta2GPI-negative SLE patients and ethnically matched normal controls, especially in Mexican Americans and, to a lesser extent, in whites. Similarly, when ethnic groups were combined, HLA-DQB1*0302, as well as HLA-DQB1*03 alleles overall (DQB1*0301, *0302, and *0303), were strongly correlated with anti-beta2GPI antibodies. The HLA-DR6 (DR13) haplotype DRB1*1302; DQB1*0604/5 was also significantly increased, primarily in blacks. HLA-DR7 was not significantly increased in any of these 3 ethnic groups, and HLA-DR53 (DRB4*0101) was increased in Mexican Americans only. CONCLUSION Certain HLA class II haplotypes genetically influence the expression of antibodies to beta2GPI, an important autoimmune response in the APS, but there are variations in HLA associations among different ethnic groups.
Using TPACK to assess integration of remote experiments in Basic Education

Even though many researchers point to the lack of appropriate models for guidance on the integration of technology in education, this article seeks to point toward a model through actions that show the need for teachers being multifaceted regarding the new educational paradigm. To do so, it will be considered the contributions of TPACK framework on integration of technology in Basic Education in public schools. Even before pointing solutions ready for the use of technology in education, it is necessary to know and make the teachers know themselves, making them realize their convictions and technological knowledge, and bring them to assess the necessity of improvement, in order to achieve efficiency in the process of integrating digital media and computer knowledge in their didactic and pedagogical practice, such as in the use of resources such as Mobile Learning or Remote Experimentation. The study highlights the importance of the three types of knowledge - technological, pedagogical and content - to the teachers committed to the efficient integration of technology into their lessons. In addition to investigating the teachers' perception of the technological resources and their own teaching practices, this study presents a detailed picture of the actual situation through analysis of the results obtained through the questionnaire TPACK, in the Basic Education in Santa Catarina, Brazil.
An empirical study of e-government diffusion in Fiji: a holistic and integrative approach

ABSTRACT Pacific Island countries (PICs) are facing certain unique challenges in e-government diffusion due to their geographic, cultural, social, and economic environments. However, very few rigorous empirical studies have been published about e-government diffusion issues in the region. To address the knowledge gap, we conducted a case study of Fiji. Drawing on Fountain’s technology enactment framework as a theoretical lens, we identified and investigated in a holistic and integrative way the major issues and challenges which influenced e-government diffusion and outcomes in Fiji. The study has significant implications both for research and practices not only in Fiji but also in the PICs.
Marital Patterns and Income Inequality

We investigate the role of marital patterns in explaining rising income inequality using a structural marriage matching model with unobserved heterogeneity. This allows us to consider both the extensive and intensive margins of the marriage market, i.e. who remains single and who marries whom. Using US data from 1962 to 2017, we show that marital patterns can explain about 1/3 of the rise in income inequality. The intensive margin (educational assortative mating) has only played a minor role (5%), the extensive margin being the main driver of the contribution of marital patterns (95%).
Demographic change and income inequality in the United States, 1976-1989.

"The U.S. economy experienced significant increases in the degree of income inequality over the past two decades. In this paper we consider the effects of race, age, female headship, and college education on the distribution of family income by developing a multivariate methodology that allows us to gauge the influence of one factor while holding other determinants of family incomes constant. Over the period studied we find that race had only a minor effect on the overall size distribution of income. Age had a somewhat greater effect than race. In contrast, the impact of female heads and college education were quite substantial. The multivariate estimates reveal that the effects of female heads and college education both increase the Gini to a much greater extent than the progressivity of federal income taxes decreases it. The effects of college education and female headed families on inequality have grown larger across time, while the influence of age has declined. We find that the effects of race on inequality have changed little over the 1976 to 1989 period. "
Helix 8 of leukotriene B4type‐2 receptor is required for the folding to pass the quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum

Many G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) possess a putative cytoplasmic helical domain, termed helix 8 (H8), at the proximal region of the C‐terminal tail. However, the significance of this domain is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate the requirement of H8 for the proper folding of GPCRs for passage through the quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In the human leukotriene B4type‐2 receptor (hBLT2), lack of H8 led to an accumulation of the receptor (KBLT2/AH8) in the ER. Similar results were obtained in two representative human GPCRs, dopaminetype‐1 and lysophosphatidic acidtype‐2 receptors, which were engineered to lack H8. Treatment with the several ligands, which act as pharmacological chaperones, facilitated the surface expression of hBLT2/AH8. The surface‐trafficked hBLT2/AH8 exhibited an agonist‐evoked increase in Ca2+, demonstrating that H8 is not critical for ligand binding and activation of coupled G proteins. Thus, these results suggest that the H8 region of hBLT2 plays an important role in transport‐competent receptor folding. — Yasuda, D. , Okuno, T. , Yokomizo, T. , Hori, T. , Hirota, N. , Hashidate, . T, Miyano, M. , Shimizu, T. , Nakamura, M. Helix 8 of leukotriene B4type‐2 receptor is required for the folding to pass the quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum. FASEB J. 23, 1470–1481 (2009)
Bayesian Dynamic Interactions and Predictions: U.S., BRIC, and Frontier Equity Markets

This study attempts to highlight short-run dynamic interactions (return spillover effects) and predictions among the U.S. and other developing economies, that is, BRIC and frontier equity markets, by employing a Bayesian VAR framework along with its branches. The findings report the existence of spillover effects among the equity markets, whereby the contribution of the U.S. equity market in explaining forecasted error variances increases over a period of time in the BRIC and frontier equity markets. Considerable cross-market variance effects are recorded among the U.S., BRIC, and frontier equity markets. The out-of-sample forecasted values point toward optimism in the markets in the coming one year. All these findings have strong implications for market participants regarding portfolio management and asset allocation decisions.
In vivo expression of cytokine mRNA in rats infected with Schistosoma mansoni

As an animal model, rat schistosomiasis mansoni has provided considerable knowledge of immune mechanisms involved in the expulsion of worms and in a subsequent development of immunity to reinfection. Although it is clear that ADCC mechanisms participate in immunity to reinfection; the nature of the cytokines involved in immunity is unknown. To analyse the pattern of cytokines involved, the mRNA levels of different cytokines were assessed by RT‐PCR as they occur within tissues during the course of infection. In spleens from infected rats, a significant elevation in IL‐2 and IL‐5 mRNA was observed during the early phase of infection (day 7). Analysis of pulmonary cytokine responses showed a dramatic increase in IL‐4 and IL‐5 on day 7. This was accompanied with a low but significant increase in IL‐2 (day 11) and IL‐12 (day 7) in the absence of augmented IFN‐γ expression. The cytokine expression patterns of draining lymph nodes (LN) from infected rats showed a significant increase of IL‐2, IL‐4 and IL‐5 on day 21. Analysis of IL‐10 expression showed exclusively a significant increase in LN on day 11. IFN‐γ mRNA was not detected in any tissue sample. Thus, rats develop a predominately Th2‐type cytokine response during a primary infection which may be involved at least in part, in the expression of immunity against Schistosoma mansoni infection.
The LET Procedure for Prosthetic Myocontrol: Towards Multi-DOF Control Using Single-DOF Activations

Simultaneous and proportional myocontrol of dexterous hand prostheses is to a large extent still an open problem. With the advent of commercially and clinically available multi-fingered hand prostheses there are now more independent degrees of freedom (DOFs) in prostheses than can be effectively controlled using surface electromyography (sEMG), the current standard human-machine interface for hand amputees. In particular, it is uncertain, whether several DOFs can be controlled simultaneously and proportionally by exclusively calibrating the intended activation of single DOFs. The problem is currently solved by training on all required combinations. However, as the number of available DOFs grows, this approach becomes overly long and poses a high cognitive burden on the subject. In this paper we present a novel approach to overcome this problem. Multi-DOF activations are artificially modelled from single-DOF ones using a simple linear combination of sEMG signals, which are then added to the training set. This procedure, which we named LET (Linearly Enhanced Training), provides an augmented data set to any machine-learning-based intent detection system. In two experiments involving intact subjects, one offline and one online, we trained a standard machine learning approach using the full data set containing single- and multi-DOF activations as well as using the LET-augmented data set in order to evaluate the performance of the LET procedure. The results indicate that the machine trained on the latter data set obtains worse results in the offline experiment compared to the full data set. However, the online implementation enables the user to perform multi-DOF tasks with almost the same precision as single-DOF tasks without the need of explicitly training multi-DOF activations. Moreover, the parameters involved in the system are statistically uniform across subjects.
Substance use and psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia among new enrollees in the NIMH CATIE study.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the relationship between substance use and psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia. METHODS Participants were enrolled in the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness. This study used baseline assessments and examined psychosocial functioning assessed by the Quality of Life Scale. Participants were classified as being abstinent, using substances, or having a substance use disorder. RESULTS Of the 1,460 participants, 23 percent used substances and 37 percent had a substance use disorder. Of the 544 with a substance use disorder, 87 percent used alcohol, 44 percent used marijuana, and 36 percent used cocaine. Compared with participants who used substances, those with a substance use disorder had higher rates of polysubstance use. Compared with those who were abstinent, those who used substances had higher overall psychosocial functioning, and those with a substance use disorder had similar overall functioning but lower scores on the common objects and activities subscales. Among participants with a substance use disorder, those who used cocaine had lower overall functioning. CONCLUSIONS Compared with abstinence, substance use and substance use disorder, unless they involved cocaine use, were generally associated with higher or equivalent overall psychosocial functioning. Patterns of substance use were similar to those in the community, suggesting that treatment of substance use disorders in schizophrenia should focus on reconnecting substance users to nonusing peer groups.
The relationship of hope and illness-related uncertainty to emotional adjustment and adherence among pediatric renal and liver transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVE To examine, using partial least squares (PLS) modeling, the associations among hope, illness-related uncertainty, anxiety, depression, and adherence in a sample of children with renal and liver transplantations. METHODS Seventy pediatric renal and liver transplant recipients and their caregivers participated in a 3-month study which involved completing questionnaires and monitoring adherence via self-report and electronic monitoring (MEMS caps). A PLS estimation procedure was used to examine the associations among constructs in the theoretical model. RESULTS Hope and uncertainty were associated with both depressive symptoms and anxiety, and depressive symptoms were associated with treatment adherence. The association of hope and adherence to treatment was fully mediated by depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest mechanisms for identifying patients that may be at risk for nonadherence and components for intervention programs to improve adherence rates among pediatric transplant recipients.
Influence of Genetic Resistance of the Chicken and Virulence of Marek's Disease Virus (MDV) on Nitric Oxide Responses After MDV Infection

SUMMARY. Nitric oxide (NO), a free radical produced by the enzyme NO synthase (NOS), is a potent antiviral agent in addition to having immune regulating functions. Recently, it was reported that chickens resistant (N2a, MHC: B21B21) to the development of Marek's disease (MD) had a greater potential to produce NO than MD-susceptible chickens (P2a, MHC: B19B19). This difference was shown by measuring NO levels in chick embryo fibroblast cultures obtained from these chickens after treatment with lipopolysaccharide and recombinant chicken interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). To extend these results, the levels of NO in blood plasma from N2a and P2a chickens inoculated with the nonattenuated JM-16 strain of MD virus (MDV) were examined. In four out of five experiments, N2a chickens had increased NO levels at 7 days postinoculation (DPI). In contrast, P2a chickens challenged with JM-16 had a significant increase in NO in only one of four experiments, and in that experiment the increase was delayed (10 DPI) compared with N2a chickens. Attenuation abrogated MDV-induced NO in chickens. Inoculation with MDV strains ranging from mild to very virulent plus showed that the more virulent strains induced the highest level of NO in blood plasma, suggesting a role of NO in the pathogenesis of MD with more virulent strains. On the basis of quantitative real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays for analysis of mRNA expression, IFN-γ does not appear to be the primary inducer of inducible (i)NOS gene expression during MDV infection. iNOS gene expression and NO production are mediated during the cytolytic phase of MDV infection on the basis of real-time RT-PCR assays with primers specific for glycoprotein B, a late gene expressed only during the cytolytic phase of MDV infection. These findings implicate NO as a factor potentially involved in increasing virulence of MDV, possibly through immune suppression.
A New Evaluation Criterion for Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access in 5G Software Defined Networks

In this paper, a new evaluation criterion is developed to investigate the performance of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) from an information theoretic point of view. In particular, the relations among the capacity region of the broadcast channel and two rate regions achieved by NOMA and time-division multiple access (TDMA) are first illustrated. Based on these relations, a new evaluation criterion is proposed for NOMA in wireless fading scenarios, where the key idea is to compare NOMA with TDMA statistically in terms of not only the sum rate but also the individual rates. In a wireless downlink scenario with user pairing, the developed analytical results show that NOMA can outperform TDMA not only in terms of the sum rate but also in terms of each user's individual rate, particularly when the difference between the users' channels is large. The optimal power allocation for a special case of NOMA user pairing is also established.
Extracting textural features from tactile sensors

This paper describes an experiment to quantify texture using an artificial finger equipped with a microphone to detect frictional sound. Using a microphone to record tribological data is a biologically inspired approach that emulates the Pacinian corpuscle. Artificial surfaces were created to constrain the subsequent analysis to specific textures. Recordings of the artificial surfaces were made to create a library of frictional sounds for data analysis. These recordings were mapped to the frequency domain using fast Fourier transforms for direct comparison, manipulation and quantifiable analysis. Numerical features such as modal frequency and average value were calculated to analyze the data and compared with attributes generated from principal component analysis (PCA). It was found that numerical features work well for highly constrained data but cannot classify multiple textural elements. PCA groups textures according to a natural similarity. Classification of the recordings using k nearest neighbors shows a high accuracy for PCA data. Clustering of the PCA data shows that similar discs are grouped together with few classification errors. In contrast, clustering of numerical features produces erroneous classification by splitting discs between clusters. The temperature of the finger is shown to have a direct relation to some of the features and subsequent data in PCA.
Emotional suppression explains the link between early life stress and plasma oxytocin

Early life stress (ELS) has been found to be associated with lower concentrations of plasma oxytocin (OT) in adulthood. It is not yet clear, however, what mechanisms underlie this association. The goal of the present study was to test the role of emotional suppression as an intervening variable between ELS in childhood and plasma OT. In a nonclinical sample of 90 men, ELS, emotional suppression, and plasma OT were assessed. Emotional suppression was positively associated with ELS (r = 0.37, p < 0.001) and negatively associated with plasma OT concentrations (r = −0.30, p < 0.01). In contrast, cognitive reappraisal – an alternative emotion regulation strategy – was not correlated with ELS or plasma OT concentrations. Cross-sectional regression analyses revealed that the ELS explained variance in plasma OT via emotional suppression. Moderation analyses revealed that the combination of high ELS and high emotional suppression was associated with the lowest concentrations of plasma oxytocin. These findings are consistent with the view that emotional suppression may be one pathway linking ELS and OT.
Experiences That Develop the Ability to Think Strategically

&NA; The ability to think strategically is an admired and a sought‐after leadership require requirement, yet we know little about how it develops. The purpose of this study is to iden identify specific experiences that contribute to the development of an individual's ability to think strategically. We identified eight work experiences, including different types of organizational projects, processes, and relationships, that contribute to an individual's strategic thinking ability. We also delineate specific characteristics material to each experi experience. These characteristics indicate that considerable time and focus are required to develop the ability to think strategically. In addition, the experiences are not all accessed equally: Women are less likely to have nonrelational experiences, while chief executive officers are more likely to have the most challenging ones. In addi addition, we found differences regarding work‐related continuing education activities. Respondents rated nonhealthcare conferences and reading behind all other identified experiences that contribute to strategic thinking ability. Individuals can implement several strategies to improve their strategic thinking ability, including deliberately incorporating the requisite experiences into their devel development plans, ensuring that the experiences incorporate the required characteristics, and improving the benefit received from attending educational programs in non nonhealthcare industries. Organizations can implement several strategies to ensure the experiences are as effective as possible, such as appraising gender differences across the experiences and reviewing the organization's strategic planning processes for the characteristics that best encourage strategic thinking.