Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Associations among aspects of impulsivity and eating factors in a nonclinical sample.

OBJECTIVE Impulsivity has been well documented as a factor in the behavior of eating-disordered populations and is likely to influence normal eating patterns as well. The current study attempted to clarify the relationship between the three elements of impulsivity (nonplanning, attentional, and motor) and the three factors of eating (cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and hunger) in a nonclinical sample. METHOD Data were collected from a sample (N = 112) of volunteer participants from the community who answered two self-report instruments related to impulsivity (the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Version 11) and eating (the Eating Inventory). Partial correlations were performed on the data to control for age, sex, and education. Cognitive restraint did not correlate with any element of impulsivity. Disinhibition was positively correlated with both attentional impulsivity (r = .40, p < .001) and motor impulsivity (r = .32, p < .01). Attentional impulsivity was also positively correlated with hunger (r = .24, p < .05). DISCUSSION The lack of association between cognitive restraint and impulsivity suggests that they are functionally distinct. Disinhibition is most closely associated with impulsivity, consistent with findings from clinical samples. Further clarification of the relationship between impulsivity and eating in nonclinical populations could facilitate a better understanding of the relationship between personality variables and normal eating behavior.
IRAK-4: A novel member of the IRAK family with the properties of an IRAK-kinase

Toll/IL-1 receptor family members are central components of host defense mechanisms in a variety of species. One well conserved element in their signal transduction is Ser/Thr kinases, which couple early signaling events in a receptor complex at the plasma membrane to larger signalosomes in the cytosol. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has one member of this family of kinases, termed Pelle. The complexity of this pathway is vastly increased in vertebrates, and several Pelle homologs have been described and termed IL-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK). Here we report the identification of a novel and distinct member of the IRAK family, IRAK-4. IRAK-4 is the closest human homolog to Pelle. Endogenous IRAK-4 interacts with IRAK-1 and TRAF6 in an IL-1-dependent manner, and overexpression of IRAK-4 can activate NF-κB as well as mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathways. Most strikingly, and in contrast to the other IRAKs, IRAK-4 depends on its kinase activity to activate NF-κB. In addition, IRAK-4 is able to phosphorylate IRAK-1, and overexpression of dominant-negative IRAK-4 is blocking the IL-1-induced activation and modification of IRAK-1, suggesting a role of IRAK-4 as a central element in the early signal transduction of Toll/IL-1 receptors, upstream of IRAK-1.
Effect of short-term carbohydrate overfeeding and long-term weight loss on liver fat in overweight humans.

BACKGROUND Cross-sectional studies have identified a high intake of simple sugars as an important dietary factor predicting nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). OBJECTIVE We examined whether overfeeding overweight subjects with simple sugars increases liver fat and de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and whether this is reversible by weight loss. DESIGN Sixteen subjects [BMI (kg/m²): 30.6 ± 1.2] were placed on a hypercaloric diet (>1000 kcal simple carbohydrates/d) for 3 wk and, thereafter, on a hypocaloric diet for 6 mo. The subjects were genotyped for rs739409 in the PNPLA3 gene. Before and after overfeeding and after hypocaloric diet, metabolic variables and liver fat (measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy) were measured. The ratio of palmitate (16:0) to linoleate (18:2n-6) in serum and VLDL triglycerides was used as an index of DNL. RESULTS Carbohydrate overfeeding increased weight (±SEM) by 2% (1.8 ± 0.3 kg; P < 0.0001) and liver fat by 27% from 9.2 ± 1.9% to 11.7 ± 1.9% (P = 0.005). DNL increased in proportion to the increase in liver fat and serum triglycerides in subjects with PNPLA3-148IIbut not PNPLA3-148MM. During the hypocaloric diet, the subjects lost 4% of their weight (3.2 ± 0.6 kg; P < 0.0001) and 25% of their liver fat content (from 11.7 ± 1.9% to 8.8 ± 1.8%; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Carbohydrate overfeeding for 3 wk induced a >10-fold greater relative change in liver fat (27%) than in body weight (2%). The increase in liver fat was proportional to that in DNL. Weight loss restores liver fat to normal. These data indicate that the human fatty liver avidly accumulates fat during carbohydrate overfeeding and support a role for DNL in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. This trial was registered at www.hus. fi as 235780.
Streptococcus pneumoniae Folate Biosynthesis Responds to Environmental CO2 Levels

ABSTRACT Although carbon dioxide (CO2) is known to be essential for Streptococcus pneumoniae growth, it is poorly understood how this respiratory tract pathogen adapts to the large changes in environmental CO2 levels it encounters during transmission, host colonization, and disease. To identify the molecular mechanisms that facilitate pneumococcal growth under CO2-poor conditions, we generated a random S. pneumoniae R6 mariner transposon mutant library representing mutations in 1,538 different genes and exposed it to CO2-poor ambient air. With Tn-seq, we found mutations in two genes that were involved in S. pneumoniae adaptation to changes in CO2 availability. The gene pca, encoding pneumococcal carbonic anhydrase (PCA), was absolutely essential for S. pneumoniae growth under CO2-poor conditions. PCA catalyzes the reversible hydration of endogenous CO2 to bicarbonate (HCO3−) and was previously demonstrated to facilitate HCO3−-dependent fatty acid biosynthesis. The gene folC that encodes the dihydrofolate/folylpolyglutamate synthase was required at the initial phase of bacterial growth under CO2-poor culture conditions. FolC compensated for the growth-phase-dependent decrease in S. pneumoniae intracellular long-chain (n > 3) polyglutamyl folate levels, which was most pronounced under CO2-poor growth conditions. In conclusion, S. pneumoniae adaptation to changes in CO2 availability involves the retention of endogenous CO2 and the preservation of intracellular long-chain polyglutamyl folate pools.
A Model for evaluating strategic maturity of the local government

Summary A significant level of uniqueness and variability of the carried out tasks compel the management of contemporary organizations to continuously search for methods and concepts allowing to increase flexibility in adapting their organizations to ongoing changes. One of such concepts oriented at increasing the levels of flexibility of an organization is strategy, which up to the end of the last century was used mainly in organizations driven by financial results. Yet the analysis of the phenomena taking place in both the closer and more removed environment of the local administration allows us to observe that these entities, operating under public scrutiny and political pressure, have to face up to increasingly complex requirements regarding the reduction of time spent on the realization of tasks in hand having limited financial resources at their disposal and ensuring the high quality of the services rendered which is possible, among others, due to locating their activities in strategic space. However it should be noted that in order to obtain results expected from the strategy, it is necessary to adjust the level of its advancement to both external and internal conditions, which in turn demands evaluating its strategic maturity. The aim of this article is to present the authors’ proposal of a model for evaluation of strategic maturity of the local government, based on the assumptions of the good governance concept. On the basis of the analysed subject literature, the authors addressed the essence of the concept of good governance, pointed out the role of maturity models in the process of improving an organization and discussed the importance of strategy in the local administration. The demonstrated need for conducting evaluation of the levels of maturity in the strategy of local government, as well as the advisability of including in the process of evaluation the main assumptions of the good governance concept raised in this study, provided the basis for the proposed model of evaluating strategic maturity of the local government.
A k-space method for large-scale models of wave propagation in tissue

Large-scale simulation of ultrasonic pulse propagation in inhomogeneous tissue is important for the study of ultrasound-tissue interaction as well as for development of new imaging methods. Typical scales of interest span hundreds of wavelengths. This paper presents a simplified derivation of the k-space method for a medium of variable sound speed and density; the derivation clearly shows the relationship of this k-space method to both past k-space methods and pseudospectral methods. In the present method, the spatial differential equations are solved by a simple Fourier transform method, and temporal iteration is performed using a k-t space propagator. The temporal iteration procedure is shown to be exact for homogeneous media, unconditionally stable for "slow" (c(x)/spl les/c/sub 0/) media, and highly accurate for general weakly scattering media. The applicability of the k-space method to large-scale soft tissue modeling is shown by simulating two-dimensional propagation of an incident plane wave through several tissue-mimicking cylinders as well as a model chest wall cross section. A three-dimensional implementation of the k-space method is also employed for the example problem of propagation through a tissue-mimicking sphere. Numerical results indicate that the k-space method is accurate for large-scale soft tissue computations with much greater efficiency than that of an analogous leapfrog pseudospectral method or a 2-4 finite difference time-domain method. However, numerical results also indicate that the k-space method is less accurate than the finite-difference method for a high contrast scatterer with bone-like properties, although qualitative results can still be obtained by the k-space method with high efficiency. Possible extensions to the method, including representation of absorption effects, absorbing boundary conditions, elastic-wave propagation, and acoustic nonlinearity, are discussed.
LmrCD is a major multidrug resistance transporter in Lactococcus lactis

When Lactococcus lactis is challenged with drugs it displays a multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype. In silico analysis of the genome of L. lactis indicates the presence of at least 40 putative MDR transporters, of which only four, i.e. the ABC transporters LmrA, LmrC and LmrD, and the major facilitator LmrP, have been experimentally associated with the MDR. To understand the molecular basis of the MDR phenotype in L. lactis, we have performed a global transcriptome analysis comparing four independently isolated drug‐resistant strains of L. lactis with the wild‐type strain. The results show a strong and consistent upregulation of the lmrC and lmrD genes in all four strains, while the mRNA levels of other putative MDR transporters were not significantly altered. Deletion of lmrCD renders L. lactis sensitive to several toxic compounds, and this phenotype is associated with a reduced ability to secrete these compounds. Another gene, which is strongly upregulated in all mutant strains, specifies LmrR (YdaF), a local transcriptional repressor of lmrCD that belongs to the PadR family of transcriptional regulators and that binds to the promoter region of lmrCD. These results demonstrate that the heterodimeric MDR ABC transporter LmrCD is a major determinant of both acquired and intrinsic drug resistance of L. lactis.
The student journey, skill development when appraising graduate destination data

This paper will examine the findings of a project which tracked the career journeys of sports graduates from 2000-2015 but from a student researcher and now postgraduate research student's perspective. While a final year undergraduate, one of the co-authors was employed to collect and organise the output for an employability transitions project. This paper will consider some of the output from the project, as the co-author is also now a sport graduate, but will more specifically focus on personal skill development and preparedness for the transition to postgraduate study.
How is Government Stability Affected by the State of the Economy? Payoff Structures, Government Type and Economic State

To what extent are incumbent governments affected by the state of the economy when it comes to premature dissolution? This article investigates this research question using a data set on parties and governments for 18 West European countries for the period 1945–2013. In addition to investigating the general effect of the state of the economy on government termination, we hypothesize that macroeconomic conditions affect cabinet termination in different ways depending on the type of government that is in power. Using Cox proportional hazards models to estimate how different government types are impacted by the same changes in the economy, our results indicate that economic changes do matter, but that they mainly affect coalition governments. Our results also indicate that there is a difference between minority and majority governments when it comes to the type of termination. Minority coalition governments resolve to early elections, not replacements, presumably because a minority government does not survive defection. Majority coalition governments, in contrast, show sensitivity towards both types of terminations.
A Voltage Space Vector Diagram Formed by Nineteen Concentric Dodecagons for Medium-Voltage Induction Motor Drive

In this paper, a multilevel dodecagonal voltage space vector structure with nineteen concentric dodecagons is proposed for the first time. This space vector structure is achieved by cascading two sets of asymmetric three-level inverters with isolated H-bridges on either side of an open-end winding induction motor. The dodecagonal structure is made possible by proper selection of dc link voltages and switching states of the inverters. The proposed scheme retains all the advantages of multilevel topologies as well as the advantages of dodecagonal voltage space vector structure. In addition to that, a generic and simple method for calculation of pulsewidth modulation timings using only sampled reference values (vα and vβ) is proposed. This enables the scheme to be used for any closed-loop application such as vector control. In addition, a new method of switching technique is proposed, which ensures minimum switching while eliminating the fifth-and seventh-order harmonics and suppressing the eleventh and thirteenth harmonics, eliminating the need for bulky filters. The motor phase voltage is a 24-stepped waveform for the entire modulation range thereby reducing the number of switchings of the individual inverter modules. Experimental results for steady-state operation, transient operation, including start-up have been presented and the results of fast Fourier transform analysis is also presented for validating the proposed concept.
The Stop Arthritis Very Early (SAVE) trial, an international multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on glucocorticoids in very early arthritis

Background Glucocorticoids (GCs) are often used as early arthritis treatment and it has been suggested that they induce remission or at least delay the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the need to start disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Objective To test the effect of GCs on patients with very early arthritis (symptom duration of <16 weeks) in a randomised controlled trial. Methods Patients received a single intramuscular injection of 120 mg methylprednisolone or placebo (PL) and were followed up for 52 weeks. Primary end point was drug-free clinical remission, both at weeks 12 and 52. Among secondary outcomes were fulfilment of remission criteria at weeks 2, 12 or 52, time course of ‘core set variables’ and proportion of patients starting DMARDs. Results 17.0% of all analysed subjects (65/383) achieved persistent remission: 17.8% (33/185) of the PL group, 16.2% (32/198) of the patients receiving methylprednisolone (OR=1.13, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.92, p=0.6847). Analyses of secondary end points showed significant clinical benefits of the GC only at week 2. These differences subsequently disappeared. DMARDs were started in 162 patients: 50.3% methylprednisolone and 56.7% PL patients had to start DMARD treatment (OR=0.78, 95% CI 0.49 to 1.22, p=0.30). Significantly more patients with polyarthritis than with oligoarthritis received DMARDs (OR=2.84, 95% CI 1.75 to 4.60, p<0.0001). Conclusions Neither remission nor development of RA is delayed by GC treatment. Remission is rare in the first year of very early arthritis, occurring in <20% of the patients. Also, the need to start DMARDs was not influenced by GC treatment.
Exposure to predicted precipitation patterns decreases population size and alters community structure of cyanobacteria in biological soil crusts from the Chihuahuan Desert

Cyanobacteria typically colonize the surface of arid soils, building biological soil crust (biocrusts) that provide a variety of ecosystem benefits, ranging from fertilization to stabilization against erosion. We investigated how future scenarios in precipitation anticipated for the Northern Chihuahuan Desert affected abundance and composition of biocrust cyanobacteria in two grassland ecosystems. Scenarios included a decrease in precipitation and a delay of monsoon rainfall. After three years, both treatments negatively affected cyanobacteria, although the effects of monsoon delay were milder than those of decreased precipitation. Mature biocrusts in black grama grassland suffered severe losses in cyanobacterial biomass and diversity, but compositionally simpler biocrusts in blue grama-dominated grassland maintained biomass, only suffering diversity losses. This could be partially explained by the differential sensitivity of cyanobacterial taxa: nitrogen-fixing Scytonema spp. were the most sensitive, followed by phylotypes in the Microcoleus steenstrupii complex. Microcoleus vaginatus was the least affected in all cases, but is known to be very sensitive to warming. We predict that altered precipitation will tend to prevent biocrusts from reaching successional maturity, selecting for M. vaginatus over competing M. steenstrupii, among pioneer biocrust-formers. A shift towards heat-sensitive M. vaginatus could ultimately destabilize biocrusts when precipitation changes are combined with global warming.
A territorial perspective of SME’s default prediction models

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test whether the qualitative variables regarding the territory and the firm–territory relationship can improve the accuracy rates of small business default prediction models. Design/methodology/approach The authors apply a logistic regression to a sample of 141 small Italian enterprises located in the Marche region, and the authors build two different default prediction models: one using only financial ratios and one using jointly financial ratios and variables related to the relationship between firm and territory. Findings Including variables regarding the relationships between firms and their territory, the accuracy rates of the default prediction model are significantly improved. Research limitations/implications The qualitative variables data collected are affected by subjective judgments of respondents of the firms studied. In addition, neither other qualitative variables (such as those regarding competitive strategies, or managerial skills) are included nor those variables regarding the relationships between firms and financial institutions are included. Practical implications The study suggests that financial institutions should include territory qualitative variables, and, above all, qualitative variables regarding the firm–territory relationship, when constructing business default prediction models. Including this type of variables, it could be able to reduce the tendency to place unnecessary restrictions on credit. Originality/value The field of business failure prediction modeling using variables regarding the relationship between firm–territory is a unexplored area as it count of a very few studies.
A New Minimal Solution for the Extrinsic Calibration of a 2D LIDAR and a Camera Using Three Plane-Line Correspondences

In this paper, we present a new minimal solution for the extrinsic calibration of a 2D light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor and a perspective camera. This problem is formulated as registering three planes and the corresponding coplanar lines. All existing algorithms solve this problem by its geometric structure in the original or the dual 3D space. In contrast, our algorithm directly exploits the algebraic structure of the polynomial system to resolve this problem. This new algorithm is more abstract, however, and provides a more broadly applicable method to other problems that need to handle the similar polynomial system. The rotation matrix is estimated first. Then, the translation vector can be calculated by solving a system of three linear equations. Although the new approach is conceptually simple, it has 720 different versions caused by different permutations of variables. This results in different computational orders and affects the numerical behavior of the algorithm. A simple heuristic scheme is proposed to select the permutation of variables that yields numerically stable computational order with respect to the given input. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of accuracy and numerical stability.