Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How does exercise support dietary approaches to weight loss and better health?

The rapid global rise of obesity incurs a heavy personal and healthcare burden due to obesity-associated morbidities and shortening of life. The purpose of this review is to provide evidence-based strategies for prevention, reversal, and mitigation of obesity and its sequelae. To that end, this review highlights the features of human physiology that favor fat accretion and interfere with fat loss. Strategies for prevention of obesity include understanding the basis for the strong motivating properties of palatable food, for human inability to consciously detect calories eaten or calories expended through exercise, for metabolic and hormonal adaptations to negative energy balance that drive weight regain, and for evolutionary natural selection which likely led to high human capacity for fat storage. Reversal of obesity is difficult primarily due to metabolic, hormonal, and behavioral reactions to body fat loss. Reduced resting metabolic rate presents a physiological challenge whether the weight loss is achieved through dietary restriction or energy expenditure of exercise. Increased insulin sensitivity after body fat loss drives resynthesis of storage substrates including triglycerides in the adipose tissue, muscle glycogen, and proteins, thus contributing to weight regain. Reduced basal plasma leptin concentration elicits a strong hunger drive. Mitigation of obesity-associated morbidities involves adding exercise energy expenditure to deliberate control of the quantity of food eaten, reducing postprandial hyperinsulinemia by lowering the carbohydrate load of the diet, and exercising after, rather than before, the meals to facilitate improved glucose tolerance.
Clinical Application of Shear Wave Elastography in Breast Masses

Background: Quantitative shear wave elastography (SWE) has been developed and utilized to aid in the differentiation between benign and malignant breast lesions based on their stiffness. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effects of the additional use of SWE to conventional ultrasound (US) according to the maximum (Emax) and mean (Emean) elasticitiy values. Methods: A total 115 patients with 133 lesions were assessed using conventional US and SWE. All patients underwent US-guided core needle biopsy or surgery, and the pathological results were used as reference standards. We compared the diagnostic values including sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values (PPVs) and negative predictive values (NPVs) and accuracies of conventional US and SWE according to the Emax and Emean values. Next, we obtained the optimal Emax and Emean cutoff values for SWE. Using these cutoff values, we analyzed the clinical effects of the additional use of SWE to conventional US based on the corrected results. Results: Of the 133 breast lesions, 32 were malignant and 101 were benign. In the differentiation of benign and malignant lesions, conventional US resulted in sensitivity of 100 %, specificity of 43.0 %, PPV of 57.1 %, NPV of 36.7 %, and accuracy of 100 %. Regarding SWE, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy values based on Emax were 84.4 %, 89.1 %, 71.1 %, 94.7 %, and 88.0 %, respectively, and the corresponding values based on Emean were 84.8 %, 93.0 %, 91.0 %, 80.0 %, and 94.9 %, respectively. The optimal Emax and Emean cutoff values were 81.3 and 60.7 kPa, respectively. However, there was no significant difference between Emax and Emean. The corrected results related to the additional use of SWE to conventional US indicated 97.0 % sensitivity, 93.0 % specificity, 82.1 % PPV, 98.9 % NPV, and 94.0 % accuracy (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: The additional use of SWE to conventional US resulted in marked improvements in specificity, PPV, and accuracy and slight diminutions in sensitivity and NPV for the differentiation benign and malignant breast lesions. Both Emax and Emean were effective diagnostic parameters, and there was no significant difference between these two parameters.
Striatal direct and indirect pathway neurons differentially control the encoding and updating of goal-directed learning

The posterior dorsomedial striatum (pDMS) is necessary for goal-directed action, however the role of the direct (dSPN) and indirect (iSPN) spiny projection neurons in the pDMS in such action remains unclear. In this series of experiments, we examined the role of pDMS SPNs in goal-directed action and found that, whereas dSPNs were critical for goal-directed learning and for energizing the learned response, iSPNs were involved in updating that learning to support response flexibility. Instrumental training elevated expression of the plasticity marker Zif268 in dSPNs only, and chemogenetic suppression of dSPN activity during training prevented goal-directed learning. Unilateral optogenetic inhibition of dSPNs induced an ipsilateral response bias in goal-directed action performance. In contrast, although initial goal-directed learning was unaffected by iSPN manipulations, optogenetic inhibition of iSPNs, but not dSPNs, impaired the updating of this learning and attenuated response flexibility after changes in the action-outcome contingency.
The mode B structure of streamwise vortices in the wake of a two-dimensional blunt trailing edge

The structure of streamwise vortices that arise due to secondary instabilities in the wake of a two-dimensional blunt body with a chord-to-thickness ratio of 12.5 was investigated using high-speed stereoscopic particle image velocimetry. Reynolds numbers spanning an order of magnitude from $Re(h)=2600$ to 25 800 were considered, where $h$ is the height of the blunt trailing edge. A modified two-dimensional $Q$-criterion ($Q^{\prime }=\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}_{x}Q/|\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}_{x}|$) was applied to identify the streamwise vortices. The wavelength of the streamwise vortices, defined as the spanwise distance between adjacent streamwise vortex pairs in the wake, was investigated by applying an autocorrelation algorithm to snapshots of $Q^{\prime }$. The most probable wavelength was found to range from $0.67h$ to $0.85h$ with increasing $Re$, and the mean wavelengths increased from $0.77h$ to $0.96h$. These wavelength values appeared to increase asymptotically. Visual inspection and cross-correlation analyses based on $Q^{\prime }$ showed that the streamwise vortices maintain their directions of rotation during primary shedding cycles. The latter analysis was carried out at low $Re$ because of a large amount of wake distortion and the absence of time-resolved data at high $Re$. The characteristics of the streamwise vortex structure found here match those of mode B, which, at similar $Re$, dominates the wakes of circular and square cylinders and has also recently been shown to exist in the wake of an elongated blunt body with a larger chord-to-thickness ratio of 46.5 (Gibeau et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 846, 2018, pp. 578–604).
Sensitivity to change and responsiveness of the Stroke and Aphasia Quality-of-Life Scale (SAQOL) in a Singapore stroke population

ABSTRACT Background: The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of people with aphasia (PWA) in Singapore is unknown. Aims: To compare outcomes between stroke survivors with and without aphasia in Singapore and examine the sensitivity and responsiveness to change of the Stroke and Aphasia QOL Scale (SAQOL-39g) and its Singapore (Mandarin) variant, SAQOL-CSg. Methods & Procedures: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted with stroke survivors with and without aphasia. Participants underwent a series of questionnaires at 3 and 12 months post-stroke including SAQOL-39g/SAQOL-CSg, Barthel Index, Modified Rankin Scale (MRS), Mini Mental State Examination, Frontal Assessment Battery, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the EQ-5D. The following data analyses were conducted: comparison of stroke outcomes between participants with and without aphasia, computation of floor and ceiling effects, calculation of effect sizes (ESs) to determine sensitivity to change and estimation of minimally important differences (MIDs) for examining responsiveness. Outcomes & Results: A total of 78 participants (29.5% female, 29.5% PWA, mean age 64.1 years) completed all the assessments on both occasions. At 12 months post-stroke, PWA had higher levels of disability on the MRS (Mann–Whitney U = 294.5, p < 0.01) and reported significantly lower quality of life on the SAQOL-39g/SAQOL-CSg (U = 349, p < 0.01) and the EQ-5D index (U = 447, p < 0.05). In terms of sensitivity to change, the SAQOL-39g/SAQOL- 35CSg showed a small degree of improvement for the entire sample (ES, r = 0.22) but change was only significant for participants without aphasia. MID estimates for improvement were 0.21 on the SAQOL-39g/SAQOL-CSg and 0.17 on the EQ-5D index. Conclusions: PWA reported poorer HRQoL even when physical function was comparable. SAQOL-39g/SAQOL-CSg was found to have adequate sensitivity to change (i.e., reflect at least small change) up to 12 months post-stroke. MID estimates of the SAQOL-39g/SAQOL-CSg may assist in the interpretation of changes in scores in the clinical setting.
Bacterial cellulose coated ST-cut quartz surface acoustic wave humidity sensor with high sensitivity, fast response and recovery

A Love mode surface acoustic wave (SAW) humidity sensor based on bacterial cellulose (BC) coated ST-cut quartz was developed in this study. The BC film is composed of ultrafine interwoven fibers to form a highly porous network, and its surface contains a large amount of hydroxyl groups, which significantly improve the adsorption capability of SAW sensing layer for water molecules. This results in significant mass loading effects and enhanced responsivity of the SAW sensor. The resonant frequency of the sensor changes linearly with RH at lower relative humidity (RH) values (e.g. RH < 30%), but when RH > 80%, an exponential increase in frequency shift as a function of RH is obtained due to the enhanced mass loading effect. A frequency shift of 89.8 kHz was measured using a sensor with a BC film with a thickness of 148 nm thick when the RH was increased from 30% to 93%. The frequency of the sensor can be fully shifted back to the original reading when the RH was returned back to 30%, with the response and recovery times of 12 s and 5 s, respectively. The SAW sensor also exhibits good short-term repeatability and long-term stability for humidity sensing.
A rational bubble screen design approach for mitigation of underwater explosion near waterborne infrastructure

Underwater explosions pose a significant threat to waterborne infrastructure. The potential for damage to nearby infrastructure is dependent on parameters such as the peak incident pressure, energy flux density, radial standoff distance, and dynamic material strength and structural response. Bubble screens have been shown to be an effective means to attenuate specific shock wave characteristics such as the peak incident pressure and energy flux density to safe levels. This paper presents a comprehensive, rational design approach for protecting waterborne infrastructure using bubble screens. The paper presents an improved methodology to predict peak incident pressure and energy flux density produced by shock waves, which includes depth effects. In addition, the damage potential to various structural materials is established based on the equivalent dynamic loads and dynamic material strength. The results are compiled to form a step-by-step procedure for the design and implementation of a bubble screen system.
Response Time Concealed Information Test on Smartphones

The Response Time-Based Concealed Information Test (RT-CIT) can reveal when a person recognizes a relevant (probe) item among other, irrelevant items, based on comparatively slower responding to the probe item. Thereby, if a person is concealing the knowledge about the relevance of this item (e.g., recognizing it as a murder weapon), this deception can be revealed. So far, the RT-CIT has been used only on desktop computers. In Experiment 1 (n = 72; within-subject), we compare the probe-irrelevant differences when using the conventional desktop-based CIT to using a smartphone-based CIT, demonstrating practical equivalence. In Experiment 2 (n = 116; within-subject), we demonstrate that using thumbs for responses (while holding the smartphone) leads to equally efficient CIT results as using conventional index finger responses. At the same time, this second experiment also demonstrates how smartphone-based studies may be efficiently run in large groups, using the participants’ own smartphones. Finally, as an interesting addition, here for the first time we also measured keypress durations (i.e., the time durations of holding down the response keys) in the RT-CIT, which we found to be significantly shorter for probe than for irrelevant items.
Got no milk? Exploring consumer involvement and brand identity of the non-dairy brands Oatly and Alpro

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine consumer involvement with brands in the non-dairy product category and to identify the notable facets of the brands identity in this low-involvement product category. Methodology: Literature review, two case studies (Oatly and Alpro), four semi-structured interviews. Findings: This research paper identified different aspects of involvement and their notable brand identity facets. The findings were as follows: Perceived product importance - physique and culture facets; brand sensitivity - relationship and culture facets; symbolic value - reflection and self-image facets; emotional value - relationship, culture and self-image facets. The interviews of this study suggest that Oatly has more symbolic and emotional value attached to their brand compared to Alpro. This paper identifies Oatly’s aggressive depositioning of the dairy industry as a means of creating symbolic and emotional value for consumers. In contrast, Alpro is part of a larger corporate group (Danone) which includes dairy brands in their portfolio. Thus, in order to create the same level of symbolic and emotional value, Alpro would need to find a different cause to align with their culture, enabling them to build meaningful relationships with consumers. Original/value: This research paper applies two case studies to an original framework, which allows for valuable insights in identifying notable facets of brand identity that affect involvement in a low-involvement category.
Comparing oil condition in diesel and gasoline engines

This paper aims to compare the conditions of in-service oils from diesel and gasoline engines, with focus on nitration. ,Oil conditions of seven engine oil samples from five diesel-fueled vehicles and nine oil samples from eight gasoline-fueled vehicles with total mileage ranging from 13,600 to 30,000 km were determined via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy as well as neutralization number (NN) and total base number titration. ,Chemical deterioration was characterized by significant differences in oxidation, nitration, NN increase and residual aminic antioxidant contents. ,Submitted in connection with the Special Issue, “Young Tribologists – Insights into the work of the new generation”. ,Uncovering differences in the oil degradation of oils from gasoline and diesel engines enables improved condition-based maintenance strategies and the prediction of oil condition dependent tribological performance.
Influence of Energy Deficiency on the Molecular Processes of Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta Cell for Understanding Parkinsonian Neurodegeneration: A Comprehensive Biophysical Computational Model

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most prominent neurodegenerative disease around the world. Although it is known that PD is caused by the loss of dopaminergic cells in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), the decisive cause of this inexorable cell loss is not clearly elucidated. We hypothesize that “Energy deficiency at a sub-cellular/cellular/systems level can be a common underlying cause for SNc cell loss in PD. ” Here, we propose a comprehensive computational model of SNc cell which helps us to understand the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration at subcellular level in PD. The proposed model incorporates a rich vein of molecular dynamics related to SNc neurons such as ion channels, active pumps, ion exchangers, dopamine turnover processes, energy metabolism pathways, calcium buffering mechanisms, alpha-synuclein aggregation, Lewy body formation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, levodopa uptake, and apoptotic pathways. The proposed model was developed and calibrated based on experimental data. The influx of glucose and oxygen into the model was controlled, and the consequential ATP variations were observed. Apart from this, the dynamics of other molecular players (alpha-synuclein, ROS, calcium, and dopamine) known to play an important role in PD pathogenesis are also studied. The aim of the study was to see how deficits in supply of energy substrates (glucose and oxygen) lead to a deficit in ATP, and furthermore, deficits in ATP are the common factor underlying the pathological molecular-level changes including alpha-synuclein aggregation, ROS formation, calcium elevation, and dopamine dysfunction. The model suggests that hypoglycemia plays a more crucial role in leading to ATP deficits than hypoxia. We believe that the proposed model provides an integrated modelling framework to understand the neurodegenerative processes underlying PD.
A New Transformerless Inverter With Leakage Current Limiting and Voltage Boosting Capabilities for Grid-Connected PV Applications

In this article, a new transformerless inverter is proposed for grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) applications. The proposed topology, which is called Asghar inverter, is combined of four active switches and two diodes. The leakage current, which is one of the main problems in grid-connected PV applications, is deservedly limited in Asghar inverter. Furthermore, the proposed inverter can develop a four-level voltage, and thus, it can reduce the total harmonic distortion of the output voltage, and filter size. Voltage boosting capability is the other interesting feature of the Asghar inverter. The developed peak value of the output voltage can reach to 1.5 times the input dc voltage. The feasibility and viability of the Asghar inverter is proven through simulation and experimental tests.
Drug-induced Disparities in Cell Restoration and Debridement: Ethanol-Triggered Nuclear Misreading of the Restitution Cues

The consequences of the drug-triggered cues from nucleus to cytosol in the restoration of intracellular organelles, cell structure, and function were investigated. The synthesis of the ER-assembled transporters in the cytosol, primed by incubation with nuclei in the presence of ethanol, was manifested by a 26% decrease in the assembly of cell organelle-restoring vesicles, 30% decline in the transport of basolateral cargo, and a 34% amplification in production of the vesicles retained by endosomes. The disparity in the assembly of the Golgi organelle-, cell membrane-, and endosome-directed transporters was in the concurrence with the weakened potential of Golgi-membrane glycosyltransferases and sphingomyelin synthase, amplified acidic sphingomyelinase, and the increased apoptosis. Inadvertently, the composition of the vesicular cohort arriving to Golgi was dictated by ethanol-induced cues released from nuclei to the cytosol that from the outset produced in ER the core assemblies unlike controls.
Are inequalities in representation lower under compulsory voting?

ABSTRACT In recent years, there has been considerable scholarly interest in inequalities in representation between rich and poor citizens. Just over 20 years ago, Lijphart argued that compulsory voting could reduce such inequalities by boosting the turnout of the poor. We measure the efficacy of Lijphart’s proposal with regard to three measures of representation; (1) ideological congruence, (2) an indicator of whether a citizen’s preferred party enters government and (3) an indicator of how much citizens like governing parties compared to opposition parties. We find that the extent to which the rich are better represented than the poor varies strongly across countries. We also find that the income gap in representation is smaller in the compulsory voting countries in our sample. However, turnout is not a significant predictor of inequalities in representation.
Enhanced ethanol production from sugarcane molasses by industrially engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae via replacement of the PHO4 gene

Replacement of a novel candidate ethanol fermentation-associated regulatory gene, PHO4, from a fast-growing strain MC15, as determined through comparative genomics analysis among three yeast strains with significant differences in ethanol yield, is hypothesised to shorten the fermentation time and enhance ethanol production from sugarcane molasses. This study sought to test this hypothesis through a novel strategy involving the transfer of the PHO4 gene from a low ethanol-producing, yet fast-growing strain MC15 to a high ethanol-producing industrial strain MF01 through homologous recombination. The results indicated that PHO4 in the industrially engineered strain MF01-PHO4 displayed genomic stability with a mean maximum ethanol yield that rose to 114.71 g L−1, accounting for a 5.30% increase in ethanol yield and 12.5% decrease in fermentation time in comparison with that in the original strain MF01, which was the current highest ethanol-producing strain in SCM fermentation in the reported literature. These results serve to advance our current understanding of the association between improving ethanol yield and replacement of PHO4, while providing a feasible strategy for industrially engineered yeast strains to improve ethanol production efficiently.
Sensorless Starting Control of Brushless Synchronous Starter/Generators for the Full-Speed Range

Signal injection degrades the starting performance of the brushless synchronous starter/generator (BSSG), and reversible magnetic saliency of the main generator (MG) leads to failure for most traditional sensorless methods. A novel full-speed sensorless starting control method of BSSG is proposed to solve these problems. The main exciter (ME), mechanically coupled to MG, is used as a position sensor of MG at low speed. The position of ME is extracted from the hexagonal trajectory of the rotor current space vector and then converted into the rotation angle of MG. At standstill, a fast initial position detection of MG is conducted with the electromotive force (EMF) of MG, induced by the establishment of the field current of MG. Then, the continuous position of MG is the sum of the estimated rotation angle and initial position. At high speed, flux weakening of MG is achieved by changing the structure of ME, invalidating the approach dependent on ME. Thus, estimations at low speed are replaced by ones based on extended EMF of MG gradually before the structure change. Signal injection is not needed and effects of reversible magnetic saliency are avoided in this approach. The effectiveness of this method is verified by experiments.
Lanreotide Depot in the Management of Acromegalic Patients

Somatostatin analogs exert their effects on growth hormone (GH)-secreting tumors by binding to somatostatin receptors expressed on cell surface membranes. Receptor subtypes 2 and 5 are involved in the control of GH secretion in normal and in more than half of tumoral GH-secreting cells. Expression of the type 2 receptor seems to correlate with clinical responsiveness in patients with acromegaly. In addition to inhibiting GH secretion, activation of somatostatin receptors appears to have beneficial antiproliferative effects on GH-secreting tumors. Histopathological studies have demonstrated that somatostatin analogs induce cell cycle arrest and thus reduce the mitotic rate, may inhibit angiogenesis, and slightly reduce the size of GH-producing cells.