Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How to improve the assessment of 24-h blood pressure variability

An increased 24-h blood pressure variability, expressed as SD of 24-h average ambulatory blood pressure values, is associated with target organ damage and cardiovascular risk in hypertension, while a physiological nocturnal blood pressure fall has been associated with reduced cardiovascular risk. Nocturnal blood pressure fall, however, may contribute markedly to the overall blood pressure variability. The aim of our study was to quantitatively assess the contribution of nocturnal blood pressure fall to 24-h blood pressure variability, and to propose a new method for computing 24-h blood pressure variability correcting for nocturnal blood pressure fall. From a large database of ambulatory blood pressure recordings obtained in two hypertension centres (Milan, Italy and Krakow, Poland), we selected 1995 recordings of a sufficiently high quality (≥70% valid readings, ≥1 measure/h). We calculated (1) blood pressure variability, as SD of 24-h mean blood pressure, both directly from all 24-h individual readings and as a weighted mean of separately computed daytime and night-time blood pressure SD; and (2) the size of nocturnal blood pressure fall. The weighted mean SD of 24-h blood pressure was significantly lower than the corresponding direct 24-h SD of blood pressure. The size of the difference between direct SD and weighted mean SD was strongly correlated with the absolute size of nocturnal blood pressure fall (SD: r=0.89 and 0.86 for systolic and diastolic blood pressures, respectively, P<0.001 for all). The 24-h SD of blood pressure is markedly influenced by the size of nocturnal blood pressure fall, while the weighted mean SD is not. The inclusion of nocturnal blood pressure fall in the calculation of 24-h blood pressure variability may thus lead to the overestimating of this phenomenon. Given that blood pressure variability and fall at night may have opposite prognostic significance, it may be advisable to calculate 24-h SD as the weighted mean of daytime and night-time values, which excludes the interference of night-time blood pressure fall on overall blood pressure variability and allows a more precise assessment of the clinical value of 24-h blood pressure variability. The actual clinical relevance of this new parameter has to be assessed by longitudinal outcome studies.
Puckered‐GAL4 driving in JNK‐active cells

c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) is an evolutionarily conserved protein kinase belonging to the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) superfamily. It regulates a number of cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in response to various growth-inducible and stressful stimuli (Davis, 2000). In a genetically amenable organism, fruit ﬂy Drosophila , a homolog of JNK (also known as Basket or DJNK) has been reported to control cell morphogenesis, planar cell polarity, apoptosis, and wound healing (Noselli, 1998; Ip and Davis, 1998; Ramet et al ., 2002). To understand the detailed molecular mechanism controlling these phenomena, it is important to examine how modiﬁcation of signaling affects these cellular responses. The GAL4/ UAS system (Brand and Perrimon, 1993), which functions in JNK-active cells, is a good tool to study in this respect. Here I engineer a GAL4 enhancer trap of the puckered ( puc ) gene, which encodes a MAPK phosphatase family member to inactivate JNK (Martı´n-Blanco et al ., 1998). The expression of puc is known to be induced by the JNK signal, thereby creating a negative regulatory circuit of JNK signaling. This new GAL4 line was named puc GAL4E69 .
Subwavelength elliptical focal spot generated by a binary zone plate

Using a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) with a small-aperture metal tip, we show that a glass zone plate having a focal length of one wavelength focuses a linearly polarized Gaussian beam into a weak ellipse with the Cartesian axis diameters FWHMx = (0.44 ± 0.02)λ and FWHMy = (0.52 ± 0.02)λ and the depth of focus DOF = (0.75 ± 0.02)λ, where λ is the incident wavelength. The comparison of the experimental and simulation results suggests that NSOM with a hollow pyramidal aluminum-coated tip (with 70° apex and 100-nm-diameter aperture) measures the transverse intensity, rather than the power flux or the total intensity. The conclusion that the small-aperture metal tip measures the transverse intensity can be inferred from the Bethe-Bouwkamp theory.
Increasing cyclic electron flow mediated by NDH is related to heat tolerance under low light in grape leaves

Examination of the effects of high temperature (42 °C) on the photoinhibition of photosystem II (PSII) in grape leaves revealed that the extent of photoinhibition of PSII was lower in the light (200 μmol m-2 s-1) than in the dark. Heat stress in the dark induced severe injury in the grapevines, as determined by the critical temperature (Tc). The maximal efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm) decreased significantly in the dark, but it decreased much less in the light. In addition, there was a lower level of degradation of the D1 protein in the light than in the dark. Furthermore, the NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH)-dependent cyclic electron ﬂow (CEF) was remarkably enhanced in the light, but it was suppressed in the dark. The half-time of P700+ re-reduction (t1/2) was reduced moer in in the light than in the dark during heat stress. Compared to the control leaves, the antimycin A (AA)-treated leaves showed much less of a decrease in Fv/Fm in the light than in the dark during heat stress; however, this increase seemed to disappear in methyl viologen (MV)-treated leaves. Based on these results, we propose a significant physiological function of the NDH-dependent CEF pathway under low light is the protection of PSII against heat-induced photoinhibition.
Regional patterns of birthweights in Papua New Guinea in relation to diet, environment and socio-economic factors

Regional differences in mean birthweight in rural Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the importance of differences in family diet and maternal education and socio-economic status on such patterns were explored using birthweight data collected by the 1982/83 PNG National Nutrition Survey. A total of 6137 birthweight measurements from 85 PNG districts were available, representing 22% of all children included in the survey. The nature of possible selection biases are assessed and their implications discussed. Hierarchical Bayesian spatial models based on conditional autoregressive (CAR) priors were used to model spatial patterns in birthweights and their relation to different sets of covariates. Birthweights were found to exhibit striking geographical differences. Children from the central PNG highlands and from affluent lowland areas had the highest birthweights, while they were lowest in the (largely lowland) Sepik, Western, Madang and Milne Bay Provinces and in remote highland fringe areas. Maternal education, socio-economic status and diet were all important predictors, but only differences in family diet were correlated with the observed spatial patterns. The results of the present study highlight the importance of nutrition and socio-economic status in explaining differences in birthweights in PNG. Besides improving maternal health, interventions for improving birthweights in PNG should therefore aim at strengthening the economic base of rural populations and promote the cultivation and consumption of high quality foods.
Impact of coupling capacitance on read operation of RRAM devices in 1D1R crossbar architectures

This paper presents a simulation-based study to understand the impact of coupling capacitance on the read operation of nanoscale RRAM devices in 1D1R crossbar memory architectures. Our simulation results show that the coupling capacitances can form additional sneak paths which can lead to RRAM HRS read failure. Increase in the coupling capacitance increases the transient charging current when an ultra-fast read pulse is used for the read operation. The transient charging current causes temporal reduction in LRS:HRS read current ratio which puts a limit on the read speed. This issue can be alleviated by using larger read pulses, however, this comes at the cost of higher read energy. Finally, the signature of coupling capacitance becomes more severe as the size of the crossbar increase.
Enabling devops for containerized data-intensive applications: an exploratory study

In an ever-changing landscape of software technology, new development paradigms, novel infrastructure technologies and emerging application domains reveal exciting opportunities, but also unprecedented challenges for developers, practitioners and software engineers. Amongst this innovation, containers as infrastructure support, data-intensive application as a domain and DevOps as a development paradigm have gained significant popularity recently. In this work, we focus on these concepts and present an exploratory study on how to develop such applications, deploy and deliver them in Docker containers and eventually manage them by enabling autoscaling on the container level. In the paper, we detail our experimental process pointing out the problems we encountered along with the solutions we used. Eventually, we present a set of stable experiments to demonstrate the autoscaling capabilities we achieved.
Evaluation of indoor guidance systems using eye tracking in an immersive virtual environment

In this article, we present a novel method for evaluating guidance systems using an immersive virtual environment in combination with a mobile eye tracking system. Accurate measurements of position, locomotion, viewing frustum, and gaze are captured in the virtual environment. They are applied to the projection of an attention map onto the virtual 3D environment for visualizing the fixation in the environment as well as the amount of time objects were fixated. To demonstrate the method's applicability, we conducted an experiment with 24 participants evaluating a guidance system of a large public infrastructure. The results show that our method allows for the creation of attention maps as well as for the identification of objects of interest based on eye tracking.
Power grids vulnerability analysis based on combination of degree and betweenness

This paper proposes an analysis method of power grids vulnerability based on complex networks. The method effectively combines the degree and betweenness of nodes or lines into a new index. Through combination of the two indexes, the new index can help to analyze the vulnerability of power grids. Attacking the line of the new index can obtain a smaller size of the largest cluster and global efficiency than that of the pure degree index or betweenness index. Finally, the fault simulation results of IEEE 118 bus system show that the new index can reveal the vulnerability of power grids more effectively.
Nature of DNA Damage in Ejaculated Human Spermatozoa and the Possible Involvement of Apoptosis1

Abstract Numerous studies have shown the presence of DNA strand breaks in human ejaculated spermatozoa. The nature of this nuclear anomaly and its relationship to patient etiology is however poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between nuclear DNA damage, assessed using the TUNEL assay and a number of key apoptotic markers, including Fas, Bcl-x, and p53, in ejaculated human spermatozoa from men with normal and abnormal semen parameters. We also determined the nature of the DNA damage by examining the percentage of ejaculated spermatozoa exhibiting DNA damage using the comet assay and by challenging sperm chromatin to attack by micrococcal nuclease S7 and DNase I. We show that TUNEL positivity and apoptotic markers do not always exist in unison; however, semen samples that had a low sperm concentration and poor morphology were more likely to show high levels of TUNEL positivity and Fas and p53 expression. In addition, the DNA damage in ejaculated human sperm is represented by both single- and double-stranded DNA breaks, and access to the DNA is restricted by the compacted nature of ejaculated spermatozoa. This DNA protection is poorer in men with abnormal semen parameters. We propose that the presence of DNA damage is not directly linked to an apoptotic process occurring in spermatozoa and arises due to problems in the nuclear remodeling process. Subsequently, the presence of apoptotic proteins in ejaculated spermatozoa may be linked to defects in cytoplasmic remodeling during the later stages of spermatogenesis.
How Has Politico-Economic Liberalization Affected Financial Allocation Efficiency? Fresh African Evidence

This paper investigates how financial, trade, institutional and political liberalization policies have affected financial efficiency in Africa. It uses updated data to appraise second generation reforms in order to gather fresh evidence and derive more updated policy implications. The ‘freedom to trade’ and ‘economic freedom’ indices are also employed. The following findings are established. (1) Financial liberalization mitigates financial allocation efficiency, with the magnitude of the de jure indicator (KAOPEN) higher than that of the de facto measurement (FDI). (2) Exports significantly improve financial efficiency. (3) Institutional liberalization has a positive effect on the efficiency of allocation while the effect of political liberalization is not significant. (4) Freedom of trade decreases (improves) financial (banking) system efficiency. (5) Economic freedom facilitates the transformation of mobilized financial resources (deposits) into credit for economic operators. Justifications for these nexuses are provided.
Paediatric weight estimation

Luscombe et al 1 have developed a more accurate age-based paediatric weight estimation tool than that was previously commonly used in the UK, and their formula has also been incorporated into the 5th edition of the Advanced Paediatric Life Support (APLS) manual, for 6–12-year-olds.2 It is important for readers to realise that in their article, the inaccurate ‘APLS formula’ refers …
Causes of International Production Fragmentation : Some Evidence 77 Causes of International Production Fragmentation : Some Evidence

What forces have driven international fragmentation of production in recent decades? Perhaps technological innovations in information technology have allowed the coordination of integrated production processes that are separated by vast distances. Perhaps reductions in transportation costs, tariffs and other trade barriers facilitated multi-stage production, allowing components to cross several international borders and/or long distances with relatively low accumulated transit costs. Perhaps changes in the political economy of new market economies (first in Eastern Europe and then in East Asia) have opened up new possibilities for specialization in different segments of the supply chain. Each of these explanations undoubtedly plays a role, of course, and the interaction of these effects is also important. This document attempts to identify evidence that points towards one or more of these theories as a leading cause. The definition of international product fragmentation used here follows Athukarola (2006): ‘the cross-border dispersion of component production/assembly within vertically integrated production processes. ’1 The nature of the phenomena of interest might be illustrated by an example. A major manufacturing export of St Kitt’s and Nevis, a small island nation in the Caribbean, is electrical switches. The major import commodities in St Kitt’s and Nevis include telephonic and telegraphic switching apparatus and electrical resistors, both presumably inputs into the production of switches bound for export. One can imagine that the switches exported from St Kitt’s and Nevis, upon reaching their destination, may well be incorporated into electrical components that are themselves exported for further processing. It is phenomena such as the specialization of St Kitt’s and Nevis within an international vertical production chain that is the topic of interest to this paper. The data available for an empirical assessment of these phenomena are imperfect, so we use different data series to evaluate different propositions. First, we use the OECD’s consistent country-level input-output tables to investigate changes within national economies. These data allow an assessment of the characteristics of industries that have seen growth in the degree to which they participate in global markets. Of specific interest is the question of whether manufacturing industries that have been exposed to greater innovations in key service sector activities are those that have seen greater international sourcing of parts. Our regression framework allows us to evaluate whether there is evidence of systematic changes across industries and countries that links structural changes
Using biomaterials to study stem cell mechanotransduction, growth and differentiation

Self‐renewal and differentiation are two fundamental characteristics of stem cells. Stem cell self‐renewal is critical for replenishing the stem cell population, while differentiation is necessary for maintaining tissue homeostasis. Over the last two decades a great deal of effort has been applied to discovering the processes that control these opposing stem cell fates. One way of examining the role of the physical environment is the use of biomaterial strategies that have the ability to manipulate cells without any requirement for chemical factors. The mechanism whereby cells have been found to respond to a mechanical stimulus is termed mechanotransduction, the process by which a mechanical cue (or alteration in cell spreading changing internal cellular mechanics, i.e. intracellular tension) is transduced into a chemical signal inside the cell, eliciting changes in gene expression. This can occur either directly, as a result of changes in the cell cytoskeleton, or indirectly through a series of biochemical signalling cascades. The main focus of this review is to examine the role of mechanotransduction in the differentiation and self‐renewal of stem cells. In particular, we will focus on the use of biomaterials as a tool for examining mechanotrandsuctive effects on self‐renewal and differentiation. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Willingness to Pay: Animal Welfare and Related Influencing Factors in China

Personal willingness to pay, an important research aspect on nonhuman animal welfare, is the foundation of animal welfare legislation. As China has no special laws on the issue, it is important to study animal welfare. This article assesses personal willingness to pay for animal welfare in China, using the Contingent Valuation Method. Based on collected data of 229 visitors from Heilongjiang Northeast Tiger Garden (Harbin), Beijing Zoo, Changchun Zoo and Botanical Garden, Dalian Forest Zoo, and Harbin North Forest Zoo, the study researched willingness to pay for animal welfare and associated influence factors in China. Results showed a high rate of personal willingness to pay (89.5%). Factors such as age, education, and income had obvious effects on personal willingness to pay; however, gender and career had only slight effects.
Terahertz wave generation in GaP waveguides by optical rectification with femtosecond bessel beam

Terahertz wave generation based on optical rectification in GaP waveguide emitters with a femtosecond zeroth-order Bessel beam was reported. The non-diffracting nature of the Bessel beam enabled an enhancement of the THz output power by factors of 3.46 and 3.34 from GaP waveguides of 6 and 10 mm, respectively, compared with a Gaussian beam having the same beam size and pump power as the central spot of the Bessel beam. The THz beams by both pumps featured a Gaussian distribution and the THz spectra by the Bessel beam showed evident red shifts.
Morphology and function of the feeding apparatus of the lungfish, Lepidosiren paradoxa (Dipnoi)

The feeding mechanism of the South American lungfish, Lepidosiren paradoxa retains many primitive teleostome characteristics. In particular, the process of initial prey capture shares four salient functional features with other primitive vertebrates: (1) prey capture by suction feeding, (2) cranial elevation at the cranio‐vertebral joint during the mouth opening phase of the strike, (3) the hyoid apparatus plays a major role in mediating expansion of the oral cavity and is one biomechanical pathway involved in depressing the mandible, and (4) peak hyoid excursion occurs after maximum gape is achieved.
Structure–activity relationship study of antioxidative peptides by QSAR modeling: the amino acid next to C‐terminus affects the activity

Screening, isolation and in vitro assays have been used for characterization of antioxidative peptides derived from food proteins, and incompatible deductions of structural characteristics derived from the isolated peptides have been brought forward. However, there is still little information concerning the structure‐activity relationship of antioxidative peptides. QSAR modeling was performed, respectively, on synthetic tripeptides and tetrapeptides related to LLPHH. According to cumulative squared multiple correlation coefficients (R2), cumulative cross‐validation coefficients (Q2) and relative standard deviation for calibration set (RSDc), two credible models for tripeptide and tetrapeptide databases, respectively, have been built with partial least squares (PLS) regression (R2 for models of tripeptide and tetrapeptide are 0.744 and 0.943, Q2 are 0.631 and 0.414, and RSDc are 0.323 and 0.111, respectively). Meanwhile, according to the cumulative multiple correlation coefficient for the predictive set ($R_{\rm {ext}}^{2}$) and the relative standard deviation for the predictive set (RSDp), the predictive ability of the model for tripeptides also is excellent ($R_{\rm {ext}}^{2}$ and RSDp are 0.719 and 0.450, respectively). Hydrogen bond property and hydrophilicity of the amino acid residue next to the C‐terminus, and the hydrophobicity as well as electronic propertyof the N‐terminus are more significant; meanwhile, the electronic property of the C‐terminus is beneficial for antioxidant activity. The structural characteristics we found are very useful in understanding and predicting the peptide structures responsible for activity and development of functional foods with peptides as active compounds, or antioxidative peptides as alternatives to other antioxidants. Copyright © 2011 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of Preferred Music on Agitation After Traumatic Brain Injury

Agitation is a common behavioral problem after traumatic brain injury (TBI), which threatens the safety of patients and caregivers and disrupts the rehabilitation process. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a preferred music intervention on the reduction of agitation in TBI patients and to compare the effects of preferred music with those of classical “relaxation” music. A single group, within-subjects, randomized crossover trial design was formed, consisting of 14 agitated patients with cognitive impairment after severe TBI. Patients listened to preferred music and classical “relaxation” music, with a wash-out period in between. Patients listening to the preferred music reported a significantly greater reduction in agitation compared with the effect seen during the classical “relaxation” music intervention (p = .046). These findings provide preliminary evidence that the preferred music intervention may be effective as an environmental therapeutic approach for reducing agitation after TBI.