Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of caffeine on metabolic and cardiovascular responses to submaximal exercise in lean and obese men

Effect of caffeine on metabolic and cardiovascular responses to submaximal exercise in lean and obese men Study aim: To compare the effects of caffeine on metabolic and cardiovascular responses to exercise in lean and obese subjects. Material and methods: In a double blind random design, 6 lean (BMI<20) and 6 obese (BMI>28) sedentary young men performed treadmill running for 30 min at similar exercise intensities (60% VO2max) one hour after caffeine (5 mg/kg body mass) or placebo ingestion. Gas exchange was measured by indirect calorimetry/open-circuit spirometry. Heart rate (HR) was measured throughout the exercise. Blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken at baseline, 1 h after caffeine/placebo ingestion and immediately after exercise. Repeated measures ANOVA was used in data analysis. Results: Caffeine significantly (p<0.05 - 0.01) increased the exercise-induced oxygen uptake, energy expenditure, systolic blood pressure and heart rate in both groups, the respiratory exchange ratio remaining unchanged. The effects of caffeine were in both groups alike. Conclusions: Caffeine activates metabolism without inducing major changes in fat/carbohydrate oxidation. The differences in body fat content seem not to affect the caffeine-induced effects in a submaximal exercise.
172 The Role of Bioactive Sphingolipids in Vascular Calcification

Vascular calcification is the formation of mineralised tissue within the walls of arteries and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The pathology involves the osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and matrix mineralisation. The development of vascular calcification has many similarities to bone formation; although the exact mechanisms are not fully understood. Recent studies have demonstrated that the bioactive sphingolipids, ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), are regulators of bone formation. The levels of ceramide are controlled by neutral sphingomyelinases (nSMase) and the levels of S1P by sphingosine kinases (SK). Our aim was to investigate whether sphingolipid signalling is involved in VSMC matrix mineralisation. Bovine aortic VSMCs were cultured in the presence of beta-glycerophosphate (BGP) to induce osteogenic differentiation and matrix mineralisation; control VSMCs were cultured minus BGP. Osteogenic differentiation was confirmed by down-regulation of VSMC markers (alpha-SMA, SM22-alpha) and up-regulation of osteogenic markers (Runx2, Msx2). Matrix mineralisation was detected using alizarin red and quantified by dye elution. mRNA expression of nSMase-1and3 and SK-1and2 isoforms was determined by Q-PCR and nSMase activity was measured using a fluorescent in vitro assay. Ceramide species and S1P levels were measured by mass spectroscopy. nSMase activity was inhibited by GW4869 (1–10 µM). Total SK activity was inhibited by Ski-II (1 µM), SK1 specific activity by SK1-I (1 µM) and SK2 specific activity by ABC294640 (5 µM). At the onset of matrix mineralisation, nSMase1, nSMase3 and SK2 mRNA expression increased significantly by 50% (P < 0.05); no changes were detected in SK1 mRNA expression. nSMase activity also increased by 25% at the onset of mineralisation. During matrix mineralisation the levels of long-chain ceramide species increased and when mineralisation was wide-spread the level of S1P increased two-fold, compared to controls. Pharmacological inhibition of nSMase activity significantly increased matrix mineralisation in a dose-dependent manner (1 µM P < 0.05; 10 µM P < 0.01). Inhibition of total SK activity also increased mineralisation by 50% (P < 0.05). The specific SK2 inhibitor, ABC294640 increased mineralisation by 20% (P < 0.05); in contrast, the specific SK1 inhibitor, SK1-I, had no effect. These data demonstrate for the first time that bioactive sphingolipids modulate VSMC matrix mineralisation. The pharmacological inhibition of nSMase and SK2 activity imply that bioactive sphingolipids are inhibitors of matrix mineralisation. The results of this study may identify novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of vascular calcification.
Social Health Content and Activity on Facebook

Facebook (FB) is a popular communication medium and community building tool for health outreach, promotion, and support groups for patients with chronic and rare conditions. Medical writers and health communication specialists are often tasked to write the content and support community interactions in health-related FB interventions. However, studies have reported mixed results at sustaining patient participation and engagement in FB interventions. Questions remain about the relationship between health behavior and FB usage and best strategies for evaluating health-related FB interventions. Furthermore, few studies examine health-related FB usage of people not designated as patients, which might help identify native activities that can sustain participants’ interest in and engagement with FB interventions. This study examines offline and online health-related activities of FB to identify characteristics shared by people who use FB for health-related purposes. The data from 455 users indicate that offline social health activities do not transfer online; privacy issues, interaction preferences, and differences between FB and offline networks may be barriers. FB campaigns and interventions should have modest and focused goals, such as supplementing offline activities and increasing preexisting FB activity. Designing FB interventions for networks and social groups with preexisting emotional ties and trust would be ideal.
Osteological analysis of a skeleton with intentional dental modifications, exhumed from Largo do Carmo (17th–18th centuries), Lisbon

This paper presents the osteological analysis of a young adult exhumed from the cemetery associated to Igreja do Carmo, Lisbon, Portugal, during the second archaeological intervention in 2010/2011. Although the cemetery had been used between the beginning of the 15 century and 1755 A.D., the archaeological context of the burial allows us to gauge its dating between the 17 and the 18 centuries. The skeleton is distinguished by a cranial morphology suggestive of an African origin and intentional dental modifications. These consist of the removal of both incisal angles of the upper incisors, which corresponds to a practice related to culture, commonly made in sub-Saharan Africa since prehistoric times to the present. A periapical lesion was associated to the maxillary right central incisor that was apparently healthy but modified. The left clavicle showed bone remodelling along the shaft. Five ribs displayed new bone deposition, and the sternal end of the first left rib was deformed and destroyed. The differential diagnosis of the lesions gave rise to several possible pathological conditions, namely, treponematosis and chronic respiratory disease, particularly tuberculosis. Various macroscopic aspects and the geographical context lead us to consider venereal syphilis as the most probable diagnose. Considering that, during the 16 century, Lisbon has become a fundamental part of the intercontinental maritime routes it is not surprising that African people were buried in the cemeteries of Lisbon, allowing us to learn more about their lives and deaths.
Topic extraction based on continuous speech recognition in broadcast-news speech

The paper reports on topic extraction in Japanese broadcast news speech. We studied, using continuous speech recognition, the extraction of several topic words from broadcast news. A combination of multiple topic words represents the content of the news. This is more detailed and more flexible than a single word or a single category. A topic extraction model shows the degree of relevance between each topic word and each word in the articles. For all words in an article, topic words which have high total relevance score are extracted from the article. We trained the topic extraction model with five years of newspapers, using the frequency of topic words taken from headlines and words in articles. The degree of relevance between topic words and words in articles is calculated on the basis of statistical measures, i.e., mutual information or the /spl chi//sup 2/ value. In topic extraction experiments for recognized broadcast news speech, we extracted five topic words using a /spl chi//sup 2/ based model and found that 75% of them agreed with topic words chosen by subjects.
Blended Learning: Is Game-Based Learning an Effective Instructional Strategy to Engage Students in Higher Education in Singapore? A Pilot Study

Today’s Internet Generation is accustomed to multi-tasking, graphics, fun, and fantasy. Educators in Asia are finding it increasingly challenging to engage and motivate students with traditional modes of teaching. One tool that may help them in this endeavor is game-based learning, which is beginning to catch on in K-12 schools and higher education. This paper examined whether game-based learning is an effective instructional strategy for engaging and motivating students in higher education in Singapore. Findings indicate that game-based learning can be a useful strategy to motivate students, because the challenge of a game fosters competition between groups and collaboration within groups.
This is the Partnership for a Drug-Free America: Any Questions?

The paper examines the impact and possible unintended side effects of the privately sponsored Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) media campaign to reduce illicit drug abuse. The paper describes the history, goals, organization, production processes, and process and outcome evaluations of the PDFA advertising campaign. It also reviews major criticisms that have been leveled at the PDFA campaign, including its dissemination of false information, the narrow scope of its message, a number of unintended iatrogenic side-effects, potential conflicts of interest arising from the sources of its funding, and the agenda-setting function of the PDFA campaign in defining which drugs are dangerous and how the attendant problems should be addressed.
An efficient robust stereophonic acoustic echo canceler based on parallel subgradient projection techniques

A robust adaptive filtering algorithm was established recently (see Yamada, I. et al., Proc. IEEE ICASSP, 2001), based on the interactive use of statistical noise information and ideas developed originally for efficient algorithmic solutions to convex feasibility problems. The algorithm is computationally efficient and robust to noise because it requires only an iterative parallel projection onto a series of closed half spaces highly expected to contain the unknown system to be identified and is free from the computational load of solving a system of linear equations. We show the potential applicability of the algorithm to the stereophonic acoustic echo cancellation (SAEC) problem that has commonly been recognized as one of the most challenging adaptive filtering problems due to the nonuniqueness problem. The numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed algorithm realizes stereophonic acoustic echo cancelers (SAECRs) showing dramatically fast and stable convergence for highly coloured excited speech-like input signals in severely noisy environments.
The Impact of Using Technology on Student Achievement: Teaching Functions with the TI-Nspire to 9th Grade Algebra Students.

THE IMPACT OF USING TECHNOLOGY ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT: TEACHING FUNCTIONS WITH THE TI-NSPIRE TO 9 GRADE ALGEBRA STUDENTS Barbara Renee Buckner April 4, 2011 The purpose of this study was to determine the effect ofTI-Nspire graphing calculator use on student achievement and on teacher behavior variables of planning, teaching, and assessing. This study investigated the teaching of functions by teachers using the TI-Nspire graphing calculator versus teachers using a non-graphing scientific calculator. A review of the literature found that the emergence of calculators and computers has changed the way mathematics is both done and used (Ellington, 2006; Thorpe, 1989; & Kieran, 1992). Research also showed that students can effectively use a graphing calculator as an instructional tool to make and understand different types of representations (Choi-Koh, 2003; Colgan, 1993; and Drijvers & Doorman, 1996). Other studies have shown how graphing calculator use has engaged students in higher level thinking skills (Dessart, DeRidder, Charleen, & Ellington, 1999; Ellington, 2006; Graham & Thomas, 1998; Keller & Hirsch, 1998; Huntley, Rasmussen, Villarubi, Sangtong, & Fey, 2000; & Ronau et aI., 2008). Since it is a relatively new tool, there is a limited amount of research on the classroom use of the TI-Nspire. The TI-Nspire is
from Wild Animals

Coyote's new suit By Thomas King PZ 7 . K564 Coy 2004 Coyote loves his soft, toasty-brown suit? at least until Raven hints that it might not be the finest in the forest. Suddenly, Coyote is noticing suits wherever he looks: Bear's is certainly impressive, Porcupine's is sporty, Raccoon's is positively chic, and Skunk's is perfect for formal occasions. No one would mind if he borrowed them for awhile, would they?
Attitudes of Functionally Independent Residents Toward Residents Who Were Disabled in Old Age Homes: The Role of Separation Versus Integration

The issue of attitudes of elderly people toward their peers, particularly in residential settings, has been the subject of few investigations. This study examines the extent to which residents who are functionally independent express positive and negative attitudes toward residents who live in the nursing wards of the same facilities and investigates the factors that best explain the differences in their attitudes, in particular the effect of type of the facility. The study was conducted in two facilities, one characterized by integration between the residents who are functionally independent and the residents who are disabled, and the second by separation. In each facility a sample of 70 residents who are functionally independent was selected and interviewed face-to-face, using a structured questionnaire. The findings showed that, with regard to positive attitudes, no significant differences were found between the residents of the two types of facilities; however, those who lived in the integrated facility expressed more negative attitudes toward the residents who were disabled than their peers in a separated facility. The variables that best explained interindividual variability in attitudes toward the residents who were disabled were the type of facility, the preference of the respondent for the type of facility in which to live, economic status, and gender.
Automatic generation of average models for power electronics systems in VHDL-AMS and Modelica modelling languages

Models of Power electronic converters are useful in a large set of studies. They are used for component sizing, as well for control adjustment, control or behaviour simulation. In this context, average models are a good compromise between complexity, computation time and acceptable accuracy for the study of power electronics systems. However, they may be difficult to create, especially when the structures of the studied converters are complexes and their control involves uncontrolled commutations. In this way, the paper deals with a methodology to automate such a modelling. Using an a priori on the static converter behaviour, it focuses on exact (i.e. with ideal switches) and average models. These models are automatically built from the topological description, the operating mode and the control of the static converter. This automatic modelling has been implemented in a tool named AMG . It allows to gather together the generated models with the models of their environment without considering the equations of the loads and sources of the static converter. It also proposes to profit of non causal modelling languages as Modelica or VHDL-AMS. So, the generated models are translated into text file (C), VHDL-AMS and Modelica languages. These generated models has been implemented in Matlab/Simulink ® C-S function, VHDL-AMS and Modelica; and some simulation results are shown.
Not in My Neighborhood: A User Equipment Perspective of Cellular Planning Under Restrictive EMF Limits

The installation of base station (BS) sites is regulated by a variety of laws at international, national, and local levels. While international regulations are already severe, the national and local laws applied in many countries and regions follow precautionary principles and enforce electromagnetic field (EMF) constraints that are even more restrictive. This legal environment results in substantial constraints affecting the planning of cellular networks, as requests for new BS site installation are easily denied by national or local authorities. In this paper, we consider the problem of cellular planning under restrictive EMF limits from the user equipment (UE) viewpoint. We focus on outdoor urban areas and first evaluate the impact of the current, non-optimal network planning at the UE side through a quantitative measurement-driven analysis of the quality of service (QoS) observed by users in heterogeneous, large-scale urban scenarios. We then perform a qualitative assessment of the perceived QoS and generated EMF levels at one UE transferring data from/to a BS based on its position with respect to the serving BS. Finally, we run a what-if analysis by comparing the existing planning with the one where new BS sites can be installed, thanks to a relaxation of the restrictive EMF constraints. Our results clearly show that a cellular planning driven by restrictive EMF constraints forces UE to experience large distances from the serving BS, frequent non-line-of-sight conditions, and poor received signal. In turn, this entails a very negative combination of high electric field activity (EFA) levels generated by the UE and low QoS perceived by the user. We show that, by relaxing the restrictive EMF constraints, the problem could be sensibly mitigated with a positive impact on the UE channel conditions and consequently on the perceived QoS and the UE EFA.
Bispectral index monitoring in isoflurane anesthesia in laparoscopic cholecystectomy of morbid obese patients

Morbid obesity is associated with a some of significant comorbidities. Early and uneventful postoperative recovery of obese patients remains a challenge for anesthesiologists. It seems Bispecteral Index (BIS) monitoring may reduce drug usage and hasten recovery time in inhalation anesthesia. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of BIS monitoring on intraoperative isoflurane utilization and the early recovery profile. Methods: Fifty morbidly obese adult patients (Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 kg/m2 or grater) undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Urmia Imam Khomeini Hospital were enrolled in this prospective, Cohort and single blind study. Duration of this study was six months between April to September 2012. Patients were randomly divided two groups (25 patients per group). In the first phase of the study, patients were anesthetized without the use of BIS monitoring and isoflurane being administered according to standard clinical practice (this group formed the control group). In a second phase, with use of BIS monitoring isoflurane was titrated to maintain a BIS value between 40 and 60 during surgery, and then 60-70 during 15 min before the end of surgery (this group formed the BIS group). Isoflurane consumption and recovery time were compared between two groups. Results: All patients completed the study. No differences were noted between demographic data. The isoflurane consumption in the BIS group was 30-35% lower than in the control group (P< 0.001). The time to awakening and duration of extubation in the BIS group were significantly less than the control group (P< 0.001). Furthermore, analgesic consumption in the recovery room and sedation score during postoperative phase were similar between the groups. Significant differences were noted in recovery time between two groups (P< 0.001). Conclusion: The addition of Bispectral index monitoring to standard monitoring reduced isoflurane usage. We found use of BIS hastened recovery time after isoflurane anesthesia.
Laboratory Manual of Pediatric Micro-Biochemical Techniques

This useful manual has been published in its first revision since 1962. It is written to be used by the pediatric clinician and in the laboratory oriented to pediatrics. After short sections on "Normal and Therapeutic Values" and "Apparatus and Practical Points," a series of about 100 sections on procedures are detailed in more or less alphabetical order (bilirubin, bile pigments, blood volume, serum bromide, and bromide space). Each of these procedure-sections includes a "Clinical Commentary" which is expanded in the current edition, a useful "Technical Commentary," "Normal Values," details of the procedure (s), and adequate "References. " The volume covers a diverse spectrum of determinations from usual (bilirubin, glucose, and electrolytes) to abnormal hemoglobins and red cell enzymes, intestinal enzymes, urinary metabolites, measurement of body water, determination of tolbutamide tolerance, etc. The book should be a bible for the pediatric investigator in his search for procedures to solve special problems.
Impact and Compensation of Sample Clock Offset on Uplink SC-CDMA Systems

Single-carrier code division multiple access (SC- CDMA), also named cyclic-prefix CDMA in the literature, is a promising air interface for the up-link of the 4G cellular wireless communication systems. It enables the high capac- ity intrinsically offered by CDMA by making the equaliza- tion of the multi-path channels and the mitigation of the re- sulting interference possible at a low complexity. This paper studies the impact of multi-user sample clock offset on the performance of up-link SC-CDMA and proposes a compen- sation strategy at the receiver. It is shown that clock offset leads to an unacceptable degradation of the performance if it is not compensated. In a simultaneous multi-user up-link system, the sample clock offset is usually pre-compensated at the transmitters. This paper demonstrates that the com- pensation can also be done at the receiver. In a first step the optimal linear multi-user joint detector is designed ac- cording to the MMSE criterion, taking the effect of clock offset into account. In a second step the MMSE joint de- tector is simplified to a low complexity detector incurring a negligible loss of performance.