Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spontaneous eyelid movements (ELMS) during sleep are related to dream recall on awakening

The present study aimed to test whether spontaneous eyelid movements (ELMs) during stage 2 and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep are related to more frequent and vivid reports of visual mentation on awakening. Participants were awakened 15 s after an ELM was observed during ongoing REM and stage 2 sleep and immediately asked for a mentation report and to rate the visual vividness of any imagery they could remember. These reports were compared with control reports collected after a period of ELM quiescence before awakening (noELM). Significantly greater frequencies of imagery reports were collected after ELM awakenings compared with noELM awakenings from stage 2, but not REM sleep. When imagery was reported, imagery ratings were not significantly different between ELM and noELM conditions, regardless of sleep stage. The average amount of electroencephalogram (EEG) arousal 15 s after stage 2 awakenings was significantly higher in the ELM compared with noELM conditions. In addition, within the stage 2 ELM condition, EEG arousal was significantly higher when visual imagery was reported compared with reports without imagery; suggesting that the observed increase in imagery reporting from the stage 2 ELM condition could have been mediated by the level of brain arousal. Such arousal possibly provides better conditions to attend and recall previous mental activity from NREM sleep. However, there was no ELM/arousal effect within REM sleep, possibly because this state is already at maximum sleeping levels of arousal, attention and resulting dream recall.
Desensitization, internalization, and signaling functions of β-arrestins demonstrated by RNA interference

β-Arrestins bind to activated G protein-coupled receptor kinase-phosphorylated receptors, which leads to their desensitization with respect to G proteins, internalization via clathrin-coated pits, and signaling via a growing list of “scaffolded” pathways. To facilitate the discovery of novel adaptor and signaling roles of β-arrestins, we have developed and validated a generally applicable interfering RNA approach for selectively suppressing β-arrestins 1 or 2 expression by up to 95%. β-Arrestin depletion in HEK293 cells leads to enhanced cAMP generation in response to β2-adrenergic receptor stimulation, markedly reduced β2-adrenergic receptor and angiotensin II receptor internalization and impaired activation of the MAP kinases ERK 1 and 2 by angiotensin II. This approach should allow discovery of novel signaling and regulatory roles for the β-arrestins in many seven-membrane-spanning receptor systems.
A Burkholderia cenocepacia Orphan LuxR Homolog Is Involved in Quorum-Sensing Regulation

ABSTRACT Burkholderia cenocepacia utilizes quorum sensing to control gene expression, including the expression of genes involved in virulence. In addition to CepR and CciR, a third LuxR homolog, CepR2, was found to regulate gene expression and virulence factor production. All B. cenocepacia strains examined contained this orphan LuxR homolog, which was not associated with an adjacent N-acyl-homoserine lactone synthase gene. Expression of cepR2 was negatively autoregulated and was negatively regulated by CciR in strain K56-2. Microarray analysis and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR determined that CepR2 did not influence expression of cepIR or cciIR. However, in strain K56-2, CepR2 negatively regulated expression of several known quorum-sensing-controlled genes, including genes encoding zinc metalloproteases. CepR2 exerted positive and negative regulation on genes on three chromosomes, including strong negative regulation of a gene cluster located adjacent to cepR2. In strain H111, which lacks the CciIR quorum-sensing system, CepR2 positively regulated pyochelin production by controlling transcription of one of the operons required for the biosynthesis of the siderophore in an N-acyl-homoserine lactone-independent manner. CepR2 activation of a luxI promoter was demonstrated in a heterologous Escherichia coli host, providing further evidence that CepR2 can function in the absence of signaling molecules. This study demonstrates that the orphan LuxR homolog CepR2 contributes to the quorum-sensing regulatory network in two distinct strains of B. cenocepacia.
Betriebsräte und andere Formen der betrieblichen Mitarbeitervertretung – Substitute oder Komplemente?

Leseprobe ----- Zusammenfassung Der Beitrag untersucht anhand des IAB-Betriebspanels (2004-2013) die Verbreitung, Entwicklung und Interdependenz von Betriebsraten und anderen, meist betriebsinitiierten Formen der Mitarbeitervertretung (wie z.B. Runde Tische). In der Privatwirtschaft sind Betriebsrate gleich haufig zu finden wie andere Mitarbeitervertretungen, doch kommt eine gleichzeitige Existenz beider Gremien in einem Betrieb kaum vor. Okonometrische Analysen mit rekursiven Probit-Modellen verdeutlichen, dass z.T. unterschiedliche Faktoren das Vorhandensein dieser alternativen Formen der Mitarbeitervertretung erklaren und dass bezuglich ihrer Existenz, Grundung und Auflosung Betriebsrate und andere Mitarbeitervertretungen negativ miteinander korrelieren. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass zwischen beiden Formen der Arbeitnehmerpartizipation eine uberwiegend substitutive Beziehung besteht. ----- Works Councils and other Plant-specific Forms of Employee Participation – Substitutes or Complements? Abstract Using data from the IAB Establishment Panel (2004-2013), this paper analyses the incidence, development and interdependence of works councils and other, typically managementinitiated forms of employee participation (such as round tables) in Germany. In the private sector, the incidence of works councils and other forms of participation is similar, but in very few establishments both bodies exist simultaneously. Econometric analyses based on recursive probit models indicate that partly different factors explain the existence of works councils and other forms of participation. Both bodies correlate negatively with respect to their incidence, foundation, and dissolution. This suggests that there exists a predominantly substitutive relationship between works councils and other forms of employee participation. Keywords: employee representation, works councils, plant-specific forms of participation (JEL: J50, J53) ----- Bibliographie: Ertelt, Sebastian/Hirsch, Boris/Schnabel, Claus: Betriebsrate und andere Formen der betrieblichen Mitarbeitervertretung – Substitute oder Komplemente? , Industrielle Beziehungen, 3-2017, S. 296-320. https://doi.org/10.3224/indbez.v24i3. 03
Screening for lipid disorders

Summary Lipid disorders, also known as dyslipidaemias, are abnormalities of lipoprotein metabolism and include elevations of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride, and reductions in high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and can be acquired or familial in nature. Dyslipidaemia is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Australia. Dyslipidaemia is defined by laboratory testing and using statistically determined criteria. Although the benefits of detecting and treating dyslipidaemia in patients with known CVD is clear, controversy remains regarding screening asymptomatic individuals who are not known to be at increased cardiovascular risk. This review examines the role of screening in the detection and treatment of individuals with lipid disorders.
Limb hemodynamics are not predictive of functional capacity in patients with PAD

To the practicing clinician, it seems obvious that limb hemodynamics would be the primary determinant of walking distance. However, other determinants, such as skeletal muscle metabolism, may play a role. Accordingly, in the current study, we examined the relationship between measures of limb hemodynamics and walking capacity in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). We measured toe and ankle pressures for calculation of toe-(TBI) and ankle (ABI)-brachial indices; basal and hyperemic calf blood flow (CBF; by plethysmography); and initial (ICT) and absolute (ACT) claudication time using the Skinner-Gardner protocol. As expected, PAD patients had impaired limb hemodynamics with reduced TBI, ABI and a reduction in ABI post-exercise. However, there was no relationship between any of the hemodynamic variables (including ABI, ABI reduction post-exercise, TBI, baseline or maximal CBF) and walking distance as assessed by ICT or ACT. A subset of PAD patients with an ACT >750 s (n =16; ‘long claudicators’) were compared with a subset of PAD patients with an ACT <260 s (n = 16; ‘short claudicators’). The average ACT in the long claudicants was over fivefold greater than the short claudicators. Surprisingly, there were no differences between the two groups in any of the hemo-dynamic variables. There was also no relationship between the initial ABI, TBI, toe pressure, baseline or hyperemic CBF, and the improvement in ACT over the 3-month course of the study. This study found little relationship between hemodynamic variables and functional capacity in PAD. Accordingly, to assess the response to therapeutic interventions, exercise performance and functional status need to be directly measured, and cannot be predicted from hemodynamic measurements.
Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma for Chronic Tennis Elbow

Background: Elbow tenderness and pain with resisted wrist extension are common manifestations of lateral epicondylar tendinopathy, also known as tennis elbow. Previous studies have suggested platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to be a safe and effective therapy for tennis elbow. Purpose: To evaluate the clinical value of tendon needling with PRP in patients with chronic tennis elbow compared with an active control group. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A total of 230 patients with chronic lateral epicondylar tendinopathy were treated at 12 centers over 5 years. All patients had at least 3 months of symptoms and had failed conventional therapy. There were no differences in patients randomized to receive PRP (n = 116) or active controls (n = 114). The PRP was prepared from venous whole blood at the point of care and contained both concentrated platelets and leukocytes. After receiving a local anesthetic, all patients had their extensor tendons needled with or without PRP. Patients and investigators remained blinded to the treatment group throughout the study. A successful outcome was defined as 25% or greater improvement on the visual analog scale for pain. Results: Patient outcomes were followed for up to 24 weeks. At 12 weeks (n = 192), the PRP-treated patients reported an improvement of 55.1% in their pain scores compared with 47.4% in the active control group (P = .163). At 24 weeks (n = 119), the PRP-treated patients reported an improvement of 71.5% in their pain scores compared with 56.1% in the control group (P = .019). The percentage of patients reporting significant elbow tenderness at 12 weeks was 37.4% in the PRP group versus 48.4% in the control group (P = .143). Success rates for patients at 12 weeks were 75.2% in the PRP group versus 65.9% in the control group (P = .104). At 24 weeks, 29.1% of the PRP-treated patients reported significant elbow tenderness versus 54.0% in the control group (P = .009). Success rates for patients with 24 weeks of follow-up were 83.9% in the PRP group compared with 68.3% in the control group (P = .037). No significant complications occurred in either group. Conclusion: No significant differences were found at 12 weeks in this study. At 24 weeks, however, clinically meaningful improvements were found in patients treated with leukocyte-enriched PRP compared with an active control group.
Uncertain Tax Benefits, International Tax Risk, and Audit Specialization: Evidence from US Multinational Firms

The purpose of this study is twofold. First, it examines the association between income‐shifting arrangements consisting of transfer pricing aggressiveness, tax haven use and foreign tax rate differentials, and Financial Interpretation No. 48 (FIN48, now ASC740–10‐25) unrecognized tax benefits (UTBs). Second, it analyzes the impact of audit specialization on the association between income‐shifting arrangements and UTBs. Using a dataset of 286 US multinational firms over the 2007–2016 period (2,097 firm‐years), our regression results show that income‐shifting arrangements represented by transfer pricing aggressiveness, tax haven use and foreign tax rate differentials are significantly positively associated with UTBs. We also observe that audit specialization magnifies the positive association between transfer pricing aggressiveness and UTBs, and foreign tax rate differentials and UTBs. Finally, in additional analysis we provide some evidence that the positive association between income‐shifting arrangements and UTBs is magnified in the post‐2010 uncertain tax position reporting requirement period. Overall, our study extends prior research on the topic of audit characteristics (i.e., audit specialization) and tax aggressiveness.
Rapid, automated analysis of 13C and 18O of CO2 in gas samples by continuous-flow, isotope ratio mass spectrometry.

A rapid automated method for isotopic analysis of 13C and 18O in CO2 has been developed. A variety of gas samples containing CO2 can be swept from serological tubes into a helium carrier flow; impurities are separated on a GC column so that a pure pulse of CO2 in He flows into the mass spectrometer. Isotopic ratio determinations are carried out as the pulse passes through the mass spectrometer, allowing a sample to be measured approximately every 4 min. A double, concentric needle-probe is used to flush the sample from the tube so that 100% sample recovery is achieved, maximizing sensitivity and preventing the possibility of fractionation. The precision of the technique, sigma(m-1), is better than 0.2% (0.0002 atom per cent excess) for 13C and 0.4% (0.83 p.p.m.) for 18O for 10 micromol of CO2 at natural abundance. Samples containing only atmospheric concentrations of CO2 can also be analyzed.
Prospective Clinical Assessment Using Sideline Concussion Assessment Tool-2 Testing in the Evaluation of Sport-Related Concussion in College Athletes

Objective:To evaluate the utility of the Sideline Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT)-2 in collegiate athletes with sport-related concussion. Design:Prospective cross-sectional study with baseline testing and serial repeat testing after concussion in contact sport athletes and non-concussed control athletes. Setting:Division I University. Participants:Male and female club rugby and varsity athletes. Interventions:Baseline measures of concussion symptoms, cognitive function, and balance were obtained using the SCAT-2. Serial postinjury testing was conducted as clinically indicated. Main Outcome Measures:The SCAT-2 total and subset scores were calculated and evaluated at baseline and after injury. Results:The total SCAT-2 score and the composite scores of symptoms, symptom severity, and balance were significantly different in concussed groups after injury when compared with baseline. When comparing performance in concussed versus control athletes, all subcomponents of the SCAT-2 were significantly different. No differences in baseline SCAT-2 scores were seen based on self-reported history of concussion. At baseline, anxiety and depression screening scores were associated with higher symptom scores. When compared with baseline, a 3.5-point drop in SCAT-2 score had 96% sensitivity and 81% specificity in detecting concussion. When examined to exclude baseline scores, a cutoff value of 74.5 was associated with 83% sensitivity and 91% specificity in predicting concussion versus control status. Conclusions:The SCAT-2 total composite score and each subcomponent are useful in the assessment of concussion. As SCAT-3 is similar to SCAT-2, it is expected that it too will be a useful tool.
Conceptualizing and Validating the Malaysian Vocational College Leaders’ Strategic Leadership Inventory (MVCLSLI)

The main purpose of the study is to explore, conceptualizing and validating the Malaysian Vocational College Leaders’ Strategic Leadership Inventory (MVCLSLI). The study employed a survey approach, and the data were collected using adapted five-point Likert scale survey questionnaire. Data were collected from 65 vocational colleges throughout Malaysia. A total of 500 school leaders (208 males and 209 females) participated in the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and Structural Equation Modeling. The findings of the study revealed that the Malaysian Vocational College leaders possess high-level of strategic leadership practices. It also indicated that the Malaysian Vocational College leaders possessed seven out of nine characteristics of strategic leadership. Thus, MVCLSLI constitutes a seven-factor model comprised strategic orientation, strategic alignment, strategic intervention, restlessness, absorptive capacity, adaptive capacity, and wisdom. This present study initiated the development of the strategic leadership practices model in the Malaysian educational context.
Cross-Platform Resource Scheduling for Spark and MapReduce on YARN

While MapReduce is inherently designed for batch and high throughput processing workloads, there is an increasing demand for non-batch processes on big data, e.g., interactive jobs, real-time queries, and stream computations. Emerging Apache Spark fills in this gap, which can run on an established Hadoop cluster and take advantages of existing HDFS. As a result, the deployment model of Spark-on-YARN is widely applied by many industry leaders. However, we identify three key challenges to deploy Spark on YARN, inflexible reservation-based resource management, inter-task dependency blind scheduling, and the locality interference between Spark and MapReduce applications. The three challenges cause inefficient resource utilization and significant performance deterioration. We propose and develop a cross-platform resource scheduling middleware, iKayak, which aims to improve the resource utilization and application performance in multi-tenant Spark-on-YARN clusters. iKayak relies on three key mechanisms: reservation-aware executor placement to avoid long waiting for resource reservation, dependency-aware resource adjustment to exploit under-utilized resource occupied by reduce tasks, and cross-platform locality-aware task assignment to coordinate locality competition between Spark and MapReduce applications. We implement iKayak in YARN. Experimental results on a testbed show that iKayak can achieve 50 percent performance improvement for Spark applications and 19 percent performance improvement for MapReduce applications, compared to two popular Spark-on-YARN deployment models, i.e., YARN-client model and YARN-cluster model.
Effect of nitrogen narcosis on free recall and recognition memory in open water.

RATIONALE Previous research has demonstrated that nitrogen narcosis causes decrements in memory performance but the precise aspect of memory impaired is not clear in the literature. OBJECTIVE The present research investigated the effect of narcosis on free recall and recognition memory by appling signal detection theory (SDT) to the analysis of the recognition data. METHODS Using a repeated measures design, the free recall and recognition memory of 20 divers was tested in four learning-recall conditions: shallow-shallow (SS), deep-deep (DD), shallow-deep (SD) and deep-shallow (DS). The data was collected in the ocean offDahab, Egypt with shallow water representing a depth of 0-10m (33ft) and deep water 37-40m (121-131ft). The presence of narcosis was independently indexed with subjective ratings. RESULTS In comparison to the SS condition there was a clear impairment of free recall in the DD and DS conditions, but not the SD condition. Recognition memory remained unaffected by narcosis. CONCLUSIONS It was concluded narcosis-induced memory decrements cannot be explained as simply an impairment of input into long term memory or of self-guided search and it is suggested instead that narcosis acts to reduce the level of processing/encoding of information.
Modeling the Business and Financial Cycle in a Multivariate Structural Time Series Model

We consider a multivariate unobserved component time series model to disentangle the short-term and medium-term cycle for the G7 countries and the Netherlands using four key macroeconomic and financial time series. The novel aspect of our approach is that we simultaneously decompose the short-term and medium-term dynamics of these variables by means of a combination of their estimated cycles. Our results show that the cyclical movements of credit volumes and house prices are mostly driven by the medium-term cycle, while the macroeconomic variables are equally driven by the short-term and medium-term cycle. For most countries, the co-movement between the cycles of the financial and macroeconomic variables is mainly present in the medium-term. First, we find strong co-cyclicality between the medium-term cycles of house prices and GDP in all countries we analyzed. Second, the relation between the medium-term cycles of GDP and credit is more complex. We find strong concordance between both cycles in only three countries. However, in three other countries we find 'indirect' concordance, i.e. the medium-term cycles of credit and house prices share co-cyclicality, while in turn the medium-term cycles of house prices and GDP share commonality. This outcome might indicate that the house price cycle is -at least partly- driven by the credit cycle. Lastly, the cross-country concordance of both the short-term cycles and the medium-term cycles of GDP, house prices and credit is low. Hence, the bulk of the cyclical movements seem to be driven by domestic rather than global factors.
Fecal Elastase: Pancreatic Status Verification and Influence on Nutritional Status in Children with Cystic Fibrosis

Objectives: To evaluate fecal elastase 1 (FE) levels in young children with cystic fibrosis and pancreatic insufficiency and to explore the relationship between FE and growth, nutrition, pulmonary status and fat absorption over a 24-month period. Methods: FE, indicating pancreatic lipase activity, was assessed in children (6.0 to 8.9 years of age) with cystic fibrosis and pancreatic insufficiency. FE >15 μg/g stool was defined as residual pancreatic activity, suggesting some pancreatic function, and FE ≤15 μg/g stool was defined as no pancreatic activity, suggesting pancreatic insufficiency. Seven-day weighed food records were collected and coefficient of fat absorption was calculated using dietary records and 72-hour stool collection. Height adjusted for mid-parental height, weight, body mass index, upper arm muscle area and upper arm fat area were measured and Z scores were calculated. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second was the measure of pulmonary function. Results: Ten children (12%) had residual pancreatic activity (range, 17 to 667 μg/g stool) and 75 had no pancreatic activity. Children with no pancreatic activity had significantly lower coefficients of fat absorption than did those with residual pancreatic activity (81% ± 14% versus 94% ± 3%; P = 0.009) and significantly lower adjusted height Z score (−0.8 ± 1.0 versus −0.1 ± 1.3; P = 0.03). Children with residual pancreatic activity had significantly greater improvement in weight for age Z scores, upper arm muscle area Z scores, and upper arm fat area Z scores than children with no pancreatic activity (P ≤ 0.01). Children with no pancreatic activity were significantly (P = 0.007) more likely to have the ΔF508/ΔF508 genotype than were those with residual pancreatic activity (61% versus 11%). Conclusions: These data suggest that a substantial number (12% in this sample) of children with cystic fibrosis have a misclassified pancreatic status. Children with residual FE had greater fat absorption and improved growth and nutritional status over 24 months. FE assessment should be used to verify pancreatic status in patients with cystic fibrosis.