Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of prolonged aerobic exercise on serum adipokine levels during an ultra-marathon endurance race

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of prolonged intensive aerobic exercise and acute energy deficit (180 km ultra-marathon race) on serum leptin, adiponectin, resistin and visfatin levels and their association and interaction with serum cortisol and insulin levels in highly trained ultra-endurance runners. DESIGN: The study included 17 highly trained ultra-endurance male athletes (mean age 51.29±6.84 years and body mass index (BMI) 23.51±1.90) participating in the 5th Olympian Race held in Greece on May 2010. Anthropometric values were assessed; serum cortisol, insulin, leptin, adiponectin, resistin and visfatin levels were measured at baseline, post-exercise and ∼20 hours after the end of the race. RESULTS: All hormonal values of the post-exercise and recovery status were corrected for plasma volume changes. The estimated energy deficit during the ultra-endurance event was about 5000 Kcal. At the end of the race serum resistin levels were elevated (p<0.001) and serum leptin levels were reduced (p<0.001) and failed to reach pre-exercise levels, although showing a tendency towards restoration. No significant changes were noted in serum adiponectin and visfatin levels. CONCLUSIONS: Ultra-endurance aerobic exercise and acute negative energy balance lead to an up-regulation of serum resistin levels and a down-regulation of serum leptin levels.
Physical activity, immune function and inflammation in kidney patients (the PINK study): a feasibility trial protocol

Introduction Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) display increased infection-related mortality and elevated cardiovascular risk only partly attributed to traditional risk factors. Patients with CKD also exhibit a pro-inflammatory environment and impaired immune function. Aerobic exercise has the potential to positively impact these detriments, but is under-researched in this patient population. This feasibility study will investigate the effects of acute aerobic exercise on inflammation and immune function in patients with CKD to inform the design of larger studies intended to ultimately influence current exercise recommendations. Methods and analysis Patients with CKD, including renal transplant recipients, will visit the laboratory on two occasions, both preceded by appropriate exercise, alcohol and caffeine restrictions. On visit 1, baseline assessments will be completed, comprising anthropometrics, body composition, cardiovascular function and fatigue and leisure time exercise questionnaires. Participants will then undertake an incremental shuttle walk test to estimate predicted peak O2 consumption (VO2peak). On visit 2, participants will complete a 20 min shuttle walk at a constant speed to achieve 85% estimated VO2peak. Blood and saliva samples will be taken before, immediately after and 1 hour after this exercise bout. Muscle O2 saturation will be monitored throughout exercise and recovery. Age and sex-matched non-CKD ‘healthy control’ participants will complete an identical protocol. Blood and saliva samples will be analysed for markers of inflammation and immune function, using cytometric bead array and flow cytometry techniques. Appropriate statistical tests will be used to analyse the data. Ethics and dissemination A favourable opinion was granted by the East Midlands-Derby Research Ethics Committee on 18 September 2015 (ref 15/EM/0391), and the study was approved and sponsored by University Hospitals of Leicester Research and Innovation (ref 11444). The study was registered with ISRCTN (ref 38935454). The results will be presented at relevant conferences, and it is anticipated that the reports will be published in appropriate journals in 2018.
Drought Stress Classification Using 3D Plant Models

Quantification of physiological changes in plants can capture different drought mechanisms and assist in selection of tolerant varieties in a high throughput manner. In this context, an accurate 3D model of plant canopy provides a reliable representation for drought stress characterization in contrast to using 2D images. In this paper, we propose a novel end-to-end pipeline including 3D reconstruction, segmentation and feature extraction, leveraging deep neural networks at various stages, for drought stress study. To overcome the high degree of self-similarities and self-occlusions in plant canopy, prior knowledge of leaf shape based on features from deep siamese network are used to construct an accurate 3D model using structure from motion on wheat plants. The drought stress is characterized with a deep network based feature aggregation. We compare the proposed methodology on several descriptors, and show that the network outperforms conventional methods.
Development of the Korean Pregnancy Stress Scale.

AIM This study was conducted in order to develop and evaluate a Pregnancy Stress Scale (PSS). METHODS The PSS was developed according to Devellis' scale development process. Data that were collected from 388 pregnant women were used to evaluate the validity and reliability of the tool. An item analysis, factor analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and Cronbach's α were used. RESULTS The PSS comprised seven factors that can be applied to all pregnant women, with one additional factor that is dedicated specifically for working pregnant women, resulting in a total of eight factors with 43 items: physical and psychological changes, coping in daily life, health of the mother and baby, maternal role, family support, healthcare services, social atmosphere, and reconciliation of work life. The criterion validity was supported by the Revised Prenatal Distress Questionnaire and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. The reliability of the overall scale was adequate. CONCLUSION This scale would be useful for understanding the complex factors that contribute to pregnant women's stress and also would contribute to the process of developing nursing interventions to reduce pregnancy stress.
Synthesis of large-area graphene improved with TiO2 for a novel photonic response by the ultrasonic method via CVD

ABSTRACT This study reports that large-area graphene (LAG) improved with TiO2 (LAG/TiO2) was synthesized by a simple CVD method and ultrasonic steps at low temperatures under atmospheric pressure. The surface structure, crystal phase, and elemental identification of these obtained LAG/TiO2 composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, Raman spectra, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The photonic activity was investigated to degradation with methylene blue (MB). The degradation performance of MB solution was determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry.
Update on the distribution of the co-invasive Schyzocotyle acheilognathi (= Bothriocephalus acheilognathi), the Asian fish tapeworm, in freshwater fishes of Mexico

Abstract The Asian fish tapeworm, Schyzocotyle acheilognathi (syn. Bothriocephalus acheilognathi) represents a threat to freshwater fish, mainly cyprinids, across the globe. This tapeworm possesses an extraordinary ability to adapt to different environmental conditions and, because of that, from its natural geographical origin in mainland Asia, it has colonized every continent except Antarctica. It is thought that this pathogenic tapeworm was first co-introduced into Mexico in 1965 from China, with the grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella, although the first formal record of its presence was published in 1981. Over the past 35 years, the Asian fish tapeworm has invaded about 22% of the freshwater fish in Mexico. Because fish communities in Mexico are characterized by high species richness and levels of endemism, S. acheilognathi is considered as a co-introduced and co-invasive species. In this review, we update the geographic distribution and host spectrum of the Asian fish tapeworm in Mexico. Up until December 2016, the tapeworm had been recorded in 110 freshwater fish species (96 native and 14 introduced), included in 51 genera, 11 families and 4 orders; it was also widely distributed in all types of aquatic environments, and has been found in 214 localities. We present novel data from a survey aimed at establishing the distribution pattern of the tapeworm in native freshwater fishes of two rivers in north-central Mexico, and the genetic variation among individuals of this co-invasive species collected from different host species and localities. We discuss briefly the factors that have determined the remarkable invasive success of this parasite in freshwater systems in Mexico.
Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) describes a distinct group of T cell lymphomas characterised by cell surface expression of CD30. At least three entities of ALCL exist, with similar cellular morphology but varying clinical courses and pathology: systemic ALCL, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive, systemic ALCL ALK − and primary cutaneous ALCL. A fourth provisional entity associated with breast implants has been proposed, named breast implant-associated (BIA)-ALCL. ALCL have varying clinical outcomes, affect both children and adults, and range from being well-characterised at the genetic level to relatively unknown, predominantly due to the relative rarity of this group of malignancies. Current therapeutic approaches include standard chemotherapeutic agents as well as novel drugs including monoclonal antibodies and kinase inhibitors.
MODELING OF LINEAR PROPERTIES OF VISCOUS FLUID MATERIAL IN SMALL STRAIN

The characteristic formula of viscous damper force is often the nonlinear viscous element model in seismic time history response analyses of structures having the dampers, but it is not always accurate. Damping force depends on properties of viscous material and its components, but the formula is not compounded from them. To make the formula more correct, the previous thesis had demonstrated some viscous material characteristics with detailed experiments. It indicated that viscous force depended on strains and frequencies, and its hysteresis loop was like that of viscoelastic in small strains. This paper shows modeling of viscous material properties with viscoelastic theories that are fractional derivative and mechanical elements models.
Network of nutrient-sensing pathways and a conserved kinase cascade integrate osmolarity and carbon sensing in Neurospora crassa

Significance Microbes have evolved complex signaling networks to identify and prioritize utilization of available energy sources. For many fungi, such as Neurospora crassa, this entails distinguishing between an array of carbon sources, including insoluble carbohydrates in plant cell walls. Here, we identified a repressor of the cellulose-response pathway in N. crassa. Using this derepressed mutant, we implicated the conserved hyperosmotic-response MAP kinase pathway in regulating the response of N. crassa to insoluble carbohydrates. We hypothesize that fungal species that degrade plant biomass use osmolarity as a proxy for soluble sugar in the environment to regulate their nutritional responses, enabling tailored production of lignocellulases. This finding could help in battling fungal plant diseases and in the production of second-generation biofuels. Identifying nutrients available in the environment and utilizing them in the most efficient manner is a challenge common to all organisms. The model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa is capable of utilizing a variety of carbohydrates, from simple sugars to the complex carbohydrates found in plant cell walls. The zinc binuclear cluster transcription factor CLR-1 is necessary for utilization of cellulose, a major, recalcitrant component of the plant cell wall; however, expression of clr-1 in the absence of an inducer is not sufficient to induce cellulase gene expression. We performed a screen for unidentified actors in the cellulose-response pathway and identified a gene encoding a hypothetical protein (clr-3) that is required for repression of CLR-1 activity in the absence of an inducer. Using clr-3 mutants, we implicated the hyperosmotic-response pathway in the tunable regulation of glycosyl hydrolase production in response to changes in osmolarity. The role of the hyperosmotic-response pathway in nutrient sensing may indicate that cells use osmolarity as a proxy for the presence of free sugar in their environment. These signaling pathways form a nutrient-sensing network that allows N. crassa cells to tightly regulate gene expression in response to environmental conditions.
Carbamide promoted polyol synthesis and transmittance properties of silver nanocubes

In this work, silver (Ag) nanocubes with different sizes were rapidly synthesized with a modified HCl-based polyol approach by employing carbamide (CO(NH2)2) as the additive or promoter, which could shorten the reaction time from about 25 h to less than 4 h and the method could be confirmed as facile and robust. In the reaction system, the NH3 molecules play the role of aggregating Ag+ and [Ag(NH3)2]+ could gradually release Ag+, which in turn results in formation of a more homogeneous product in a short time (50 min–4 h). Some factors affecting the synthesis including the concentration, reaction time and agitator speed have also been investigated, which could be adjusted to control the size, morphology, purity and uniformity of the Ag nanocubes. A mechanism for the rapid synthesis of the Ag nanocubes was proposed. To overcome the lower repeatability of reported methods, we have supplied a robust method to synthesize Ag nanocubes and this procedure may provide a useful guide for the future synthesis of Ag or other metal nanoparticles. The transmittance properties of the different Ag nanocubes have also been detected, which demonstrated that the transmittance of the Au film coupled with the Ag nanocubes is very sensitive to not only the size of the Ag nanocubes but also the thickness of the polyelectrolyte molecular spacer layers.
Magnetization Reversal in Film-Nanostructure Architectures

The concept of percolated perpendicular media (PPM) for magnetic data storage is expected to surpass the areal storage density of 1Tbit in−2, which is regarded as the fundamental limit of conventional granular CoCrPt:oxide based recording media. PPM consist of a continuous ferromagnetic thin film with densely distributed defects acting as pinning sites for magnetic domain walls. In this study, practical realizations of PPM were fabricated by the deposition of [Co/Pt]8 multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy onto nanoperforated templates with various perforation diameters and periods. The structural defects given by the templates serve as pinning sites for the magnetic domain walls within the [Co/Pt]8 multilayers. Magnetometry at both the integral and the local level was employed to investigate the influence of the template on the magnetization reversal and the domain wall pinning. It was found, that magnetic domains can be pinned at the ultimate limit, between three adjacent pinning sites. The coercivity and the depinning field, which both are a measure for the strength of the magnetic domain wall pinning, were found to increase with increasing perforation diameter. The size of magnetic domains within the magnetic film appeared not to depend solely on the diameter of the nanoperforations or on the period of the template, but on the ration between diameter and period. By means of micromagnetic simulations it was found, that the presence of ferromagnetic material within the pinning site given supports the pinning of magnetic domain walls, compared to a pinning site that is solely given by a hole in the magnetic thin film. Investigation of the evolution of the magnetization in magnetic fields smaller than the coercive field revealed, that the energy barrier against thermally induced magnetization reversal is sufficiently large to provide long-term (> 10 years) stability of an arbitrary magnetization state. This could also be qualitatively supported by micromagnetic simulations. Static read/write tests with conventional hard disk recording heads revealed the possibility of imprinting bit patterns into the PPM under study. The minimum bit pitch that could be read back thereby depended on the period of the nanoperforated template.
Respiratory manifestations and respiratory diseases: prevalence and risk factors among pig farmers in Braço do Norte, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To describe the prevalence of signs and symptoms of respiratory disease among pig farmers in Braço do Norte, Santa Catarina, Brazil, evaluating the characteristics of swine confinement buildings and identifying potential risk factors. METHODS An exploratory, cross-sectional, observational study involving interviews and pulmonary function tests (spirometry). Aspects related to job history, work conditions, and environment, as well as to respiratory status and smoking, were evaluated. Odds ratios were used to estimate the chances of exposure when comparing pig farmers according to the signs and symptoms of respiratory disease. RESULTS The prevalence of clinical signs and symptoms of respiratory disease was 84.3%, clinical manifestations of bronchial asthma were detected in 5.6% of the farmers evaluated, and chronic bronchitis was diagnosed in 5.1% of the workers over the age of 40. Only 2.6% used specific individual respiratory protection devices. Respiratory disease was positively associated with low socioeconomic level, low level of education, smoking, the use of wood stoves, and the use of disinfectants. Work load and length of employment were both apparently associated with a lower prevalence of respiratory disease. CONCLUSION The association between duration of employment and lower prevalence of respiratory disease can be attributed to the healthy worker effect. However, the evident respiratory impairment among pig farmers and the limited use of personal protective equipment draw attention to the need to implement a program to monitor exposure and regulate environmental factors.
Saccadic eye movements: what do they tell us about aging cognition?

ABSTRACT Although the relationship between age-related cognitive decline and saccadic eye movement (SEM) deficits has been outlined, specific cognitive alterations underlying age-related changes in saccadic performance remain unclear. This study attempted to better understand the nature of aging effects on SEMs. We compared SEMs in younger and older adults in prosaccade (PS) and antisaccade (AS) tasks under gap, step, and overlap conditions. We also examined relationships between these performances and several neuropsychological scores. Twenty-eight younger adults (YA), 24 older adults under 65 years (OA<65) and 24 over 65 years (OA>65) of age completed a neuropsychological evaluation, PS and AS tasks. Our results showed that latencies, AS cost, time to correct AS errors, and uncorrected AS, increased with aging. YA showed higher overlap effects than OA>65 and OA<65. Importantly, correlations and regressions revealed close relationships not only between latencies and processing speed measures but also between the AS cost and the inhibition process measures. Correct saccades and the time to correct AS errors were closely related to the inhibition process and cognitive flexibility measures. These findings suggest that the progressive age-related decline of processing speed and executive attention are associated with, and can be highlighted though SEMs in PS and AS tasks.
A WRKY transcription factor from Withania somnifera regulates triterpenoid withanolide accumulation and biotic stress tolerance through modulation of phytosterol and defense pathways.

Withania somnifera produces pharmacologically important triterpenoid withanolides that are derived via phytosterol pathway; however, their biosynthesis and regulation remain to be elucidated. A jasmonate- and salicin-inducible WRKY transcription factor from W. somnifera (WsWRKY1) exhibiting correlation with withaferin A accumulation was functionally characterized employing virus-induced gene silencing and overexpression studies combined with transcript and metabolite analyses, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. WsWRKY1 silencing resulted in stunted plant growth, reduced transcripts of phytosterol pathway genes with corresponding reduction in phytosterols and withanolides in W. somnifera. Its overexpression elevated the biosynthesis of triterpenoids in W. somnifera (phytosterols and withanolides), as well as tobacco and tomato (phytosterols). Moreover, WsWRKY1 binds to W-box sequences in promoters of W. somnifera genes encoding squalene synthase and squalene epoxidase, indicating its direct regulation of triterpenoid pathway. Furthermore, while WsWRKY1 silencing in W. somnifera compromised the tolerance to bacterial growth, fungal infection, and insect feeding, its overexpression in tobacco led to improved biotic stress tolerance. Together these findings demonstrate that WsWRKY1 has a positive regulatory role on phytosterol and withanolides biosynthesis, and defense against biotic stress, highlighting its importance as a metabolic engineering tool for simultaneous improvement of triterpenoid biosynthesis and plant defense.
Non-Newtonian and running-in wear effects in journal bearings operating under mixed lubrication

For the study of mixed lubrication in dynamically loaded journal bearings, this paper employs a combined experimental and simulative approach. Extensive measurements on a journal bearing test rig with a low-viscosity 0W20 multi-grade lubricant with a strong Non-Newtonian behaviour provide the basis for the investigation of the lubrication conditions in journal bearings. In this paper, temperature effects and the influence of running-in (breaking-in) wear are investigated. To this task, a high dynamic load is applied to the journal bearing under test. To vary the lubrication conditions, only the journal speed is changed. To investigate the lubrication conditions a detailed and validated simulation approach is utilized that takes into account both the piezoviscous effect and the non-Newtonian behaviour of the investigated lubricant as well is able to describe metal–metal contact. With this combined approach the run-in process of the journal bearing under test can be investigated as well as the role of temperature settling effects.
Agnostic Estimation for Misspecified Phase Retrieval Models

The goal of noisy high-dimensional phase retrieval is to estimate an $s$-sparse parameter $\boldsymbol{\beta}^*\in \mathbb{R}^d$ from $n$ realizations of the model $Y = (\boldsymbol{X}^{\top} \boldsymbol{\beta}^*)^2 + \varepsilon$. Based on this model, we propose a significant semi-parametric generalization called misspecified phase retrieval (MPR), in which $Y = f(\boldsymbol{X}^{\top}\boldsymbol{\beta}^*, \varepsilon)$ with unknown $f$ and $\operatorname{Cov}(Y, (\boldsymbol{X}^{\top}\boldsymbol{\beta}^*)^2) > 0$. For example, MPR encompasses $Y = h(|\boldsymbol{X}^{\top} \boldsymbol{\beta}^*|) + \varepsilon$ with increasing $h$ as a special case. Despite the generality of the MPR model, it eludes the reach of most existing semi-parametric estimators. In this paper, we propose an estimation procedure, which consists of solving a cascade of two convex programs and provably recovers the direction of $\boldsymbol{\beta}^*$. Our theory is backed up by thorough numerical results.