Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of a New Functional Domain in Angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) and Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) Involved in Binding and Inhibition of Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL)

Angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) and angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) are secreted proteins that regulate triglyceride (TG) metabolism in part by inhibiting lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Recently, we showed that treatment of wild-type mice with monoclonal antibody (mAb) 14D12, specific for ANGPTL4, recapitulated the Angptl4 knock-out (-/-) mouse phenotype of reduced serum TG levels. In the present study, we mapped the region of mouse ANGPTL4 recognized by mAb 14D12 to amino acids Gln29–His53, which we designate as specific epitope 1 (SE1). The 14D12 mAb prevented binding of ANGPTL4 with LPL, consistent with its ability to neutralize the LPL-inhibitory activity of ANGPTL4. Alignment of all angiopoietin family members revealed that a sequence similar to ANGPTL4 SE1 was present only in ANGPTL3, corresponding to amino acids Glu32–His55. We produced a mouse mAb against this SE1-like region in ANGPTL3. This mAb, designated 5.50. 3, inhibited the binding of ANGPTL3 to LPL and neutralized ANGPTL3-mediated inhibition of LPL activity in vitro. Treatment of wild-type as well as hyperlipidemic mice with mAb 5.50. 3 resulted in reduced serum TG levels, recapitulating the lipid phenotype found in Angptl3-/- mice. These results show that the SE1 region of ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL4 functions as a domain important for binding LPL and inhibiting its activity in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, these results demonstrate that therapeutic antibodies that neutralize ANGPTL4 and ANGPTL3 may be useful for treatment of some forms of hyperlipidemia.
HORIZONTAL AXIS MARINE CURRENT TURBINE DESIGN FOR WIND-ELECTRIC HYBRID SAILING BOAT

In this study, while maintaining functional requirements, an initial and detailed design (mechanic and hydrodynamic), of an MCT fixed on a sailing boat and at sail which extracts power from the flow around the boat, is undertaken. In the design stages, for analysis and optimization of the marine turbine blade design, the Momentum Blade Element Method is utilized. The Horizontal Axis Marine Turbine (HAMT), determined by the initial and mechanical design, is illustrated with its components included. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses, covering turbine pod geometry at required flow rates and turbine speeds are performed. These analyses are performed very close to real conditions, considering sailing with and without the turbine running (on and off states). The alternator is determined from the results, and the final design which meets the design requirements, is obtained.
Training transfer: Training characteristic, training design and work environment evaluation

Training transfer is refers to the trainees ability to accept what has been taught in the course of training and transfer them to actual working situation and be able to retain it for a certain period of time. The evaluation is to identify the relationship between trainee characteristics, training design and work environment towards transfer of training among employee. The findings of the study suggest trainee characteristics, training design and work environment play significant roles in the training transfer. We then offer research and suggest for future research directions.
Scaleable GIS data transmission and visualisation

Distributed geographic information systems typically handle large amounts of data; therefore the transmission and visualisation techniques used need to be scaleable to provide quick, interactive feedback. We introduce such techniques based on the data hierarchy (levels of detail). Namely, we describe focus-and-context visualisation and progressive transmission. The main aim is to discuss the combination of these techniques for different data types and for mixture of these data types.
New approach to delay-dependent stability of two-dimensional discrete-time systems with interval time-varying delays

A Lyapunov-based method: new finite-sum inequality approach is proposed to reduce the conservatism and the complexity of the stability result for one-dimensional (1D) time-delay systems. In this study, the authors further concern the analysis of delay-dependent stability for two-dimensional (2D) discrete-time systems with interval time-varying delays. By applying new finite-sum inequalities and the reciprocally convex combination inequality, a new delay-dependent stability criterion is derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Less decision variables are involved in the stability condition and our approach leads to better results than the existing methods. Finally, the advantage of employing the proposed approach is illustrate via a numerical example.
The Mediating Effects of Feedback and Procedural Justice on the Relationship between Formal Performance Evaluation System and Trust between Superior and Subordinate Managers

Trust is an important aspect of social interaction, especially in the workplace. Trust between superiors and subordinates may allow increasing cooperation and information dissemination between subordinates and superiors. Eventhough the superior has trust in his/her subordinates, trust alone is not enough to ensure that the work will reach the target without further scrutiny. Therefore, a monitoring and evaluation mechanism should exist to formally monitor the performance of subordinates. With the performance evaluation, the extent to which performance is achieved can be compared to the set target. This study examines the mediating effect of feedback and procedural justice on the relationship between formal performance evaluation system and trust between superior and subordinate managers. We argue that the application of formal performance evaluation system will enhance trust between superior and subordinate managers through feedback and procedural justice.Using Partial Least Squares (PLS) as an analitycal method, 93 responses from managers of Banks in Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia, were analyzed. The findings of this study appear to support the significant role of feedback and procedural justice on trust between superior and subordinate. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013. v4n10p497
ANALYSIS OF THE DISCONTINUOUS PWM CONTROLLED D-STATCOM FOR REACTIVE POWER COMPENSATION APPLICATIONS

Original scientific paper The scope of this paper covers the investigations of discontinuous PWM (DPWM) control of the Distribution Static Synchronous Compensator (D-STATCOM). Various DPWM methods have been widely used in motor drives for controlling the inverter and reducing power losses. With the rising demand for energy, energy efficiency has currently become an issue of vital importance. As a result, the use of the D-STATCOM in distribution systems is becoming increasingly common. In this study, DPWM methods were used for the D-STATCOM inner control. For the outer control, phase angle control was used and PWM methods were adapted to this control algorithm. In addition, conventional continuous PWM (CPWM) methods were applied to the D-STATCOM for comparison purposes. All simulations were performed in the MATLAB-Simulink software environment. Power losses have a significant impact on the D-STATCOM; therefore, a simulation model was developed to calculate the conduction and switching losses in order to investigate the effectiveness of DPWM methods in reducing the D-STATCOM power losses. Results showed that the utilization of different DPWM methods in the D-STATCOM was suitable for high modulation indexes. This clearly illustrates that, according to different DPWM methods, a reduction of from 14 % up to 50 % in D-STATCOM switching losses can be achieved. Furthermore, this study proposes the use of CPWM and DPWM methods in low and high modulation indexes, respectively, according to the requirements of the distribution system.
Reassessing the Mechanisms of Negative-Bias Temperature Instability by Repetitive Stress/Relaxation Experiments

A major intrinsic limitation of the reaction-diffusion (R-D) model for negative-bias temperature instability (NBTI) is revealed through dynamic stress experiments. We found no evidence of self-limiting recovery, one of the key features of the transport-based R-D model, after repeating the stress and relaxation cycles alternately for many times. The amount of recovery per cycle of the parameter of interest (e.g., threshold voltage shift, change in the charge-pumping (CP) current, etc.) is shown to remain constant, independent of the number of stress/recovery cycles. Under repeated cycling of the test device between stress and recovery, it is also found that the amount of parametric shift induced by the stress cycle becomes nearly identical to that recovered during the relaxation cycle, i.e., the parametric evolution under a fixed set of stress and recovery intervals is cyclic in nature. In conjunction with the thermal activation result, this cyclic behavior of the dynamic NBTI is ascribed to an ensemble of switching hole traps having broad spectra of characteristic trapping and detrapping time constants. The same group of traps responds under a fixed set of experimental conditions, giving rise to the cyclic behavior. The interface state generation was also investigated using a CP current measurement and is found to be permanent within the range of timing examined. It is also shown that the variation in the power-law exponent of the as-measured change in the CP current with temperature could be consistently explained by considering the different thermal activation of the hole trapping and interface state components. In view of these new evidences, previous claims of consistency between the generation/recovery of the interface states and the R-D model or its dispersive counterpart must be reviewed.
Physical signs of diffuse airways obstruction and lung distension

The following are physical signs which can be elicited in patients with chronic airways obstruction: a reduction in the length of the trachea palpable above the sternal notch; tracheal descent with inspiration; excessive use of the scalene and sternomastoid muscles; excavation of the suprasternal and supraclavicular fossae during inspiration; jugular venous filling during expiration; loss of bucket-handle movement of the upper ribs; paradoxical movement of the lower ribs; and prolonged forced expiratory time.
Therapeutic drug monitoring of anti-TNF-α agents in inflammatory bowel diseases

Introduction: The elaboration of effective and cost-saving algorithms for anti-TNF optimization in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) represents one of the biggest challenges over the last few years. Recently, many studies have been focused on the identification of an optimal trough level (TL) for most used anti-TNF agents and on the role of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs), especially in the management of patients who lose response to biological treatments. Therapeutic drug monitoring may potentially help to also prevent lose of clinical benefit overtime and to reduce health-related costs. Areas covered: Current evidence about the correlation between clinical outcomes and anti-TNF TLs, the role of ADAs in the context of safety and loss of response to anti-TNF, the utility of therapeutic drug monitoring in clinical practice. Expert opinion: The data available so far support the utility of TL and ADA measurement for the management of IBD patients with loss of response to anti-TNF but does not currently authorizes a routine application in clinical practice of proactive therapeutic monitoring in patients in clinical remission. However, this remains a promising approach to optimize anti-TNF therapies and possibly to reduce health-related costs, then further prospective studies are strongly expected.
Measuring Children'S Food Security In U.S. Households, 1995-99

The capacity to accurately measure the food security status of children in household surveys is an essential tool for monitoring food insecurity and hunger at the most severe levels in U.S. households and for assessing programs designed to prevent or ameliorate these conditions. USDA has developed a children's food security scale to meet this measurement need. The scale is calculated from 8 questions in the 18-item food security survey module that ask specifically about food-related experiences and conditions of children. The scale measures the severity of food insecurity among children in surveyed households and identifies - in the most severe range of the scale - households in which children have been hungry at times because of a lack of household resources for food. The reliability of the children's food security scale is assessed, and the scale is compared with the household-level food security scale. Details are provided on how to calculate the children's food security scale from the questions in the standard food security survey module. The prevalence of hunger among children in U.S. households is estimated by applying the newly developed children's food security scale to data from the nationally representative Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements for the years 1995-99. Prevalence estimates are presented for all U.S. households and for subgroups defined by household structure, race and ethnicity, income, and rural/urban residence.
ARIMA-Based Frequency-Decomposed Modeling of Wind Speed Time Series

In this paper, a modified auto regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modeling procedure that can capture time correlation and probability distribution of observed wind-speed time-series data is presented. The procedure introduces frequency decomposition (splitting the wind-speed data into high frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) components), shifting, and limiting in addition to differencing and power transformation which are used in the standard ARIMA modeling procedure. The modified modeling procedure is applied to model 10 minute average measured wind-speed data from three locations in the Baltic Sea area and the results show that the procedure can capture time correlation and probability distribution of the data. In addition, it is shown that, for 10-min average wind-speed data in the Baltic Sea area, it could be sufficient to use ARIMA(6,0,0) and ARIMA(0,1,6) to model the HF and LF components of the data, respectively. It is also shown that, in the Baltic Sea area, a model developed for an observed wind-speed data at one location could be used to simulate wind-speed data at a nearby location where only the average wind-speed is known.
Prevention of cardiac events caused by surgical stress in aged rats: simultaneously activating β2-adrenoceptor and inhibiting β1-adrenoceptor

Abstract Increased plasma catecholamine levels are associated with a high risk of perioperative cardiac events in aged individuals undergoing non-cardiac surgical interventions. Given the different effects of β1-adrenoreceptor (β1AR) and β2-adrenoreceptor (β2AR) stimulation by catecholamine in cardiomyocytes, this study evaluated whether simultaneous inhibition of β1AR and activation of β2AR is better than separate application in reducing the risk of perioperative cardiac events in aged rats undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Male aged Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were divided into five groups. Normal group received no treatment. Surgery group received an abdominal surgery with hypoxia. group, group and group received surgery and hypoxia with metoprolol (100 mg/kg·d), fenoterol (250 μg/kg·d) or both, respectively. The drugs were given three days before surgery with treatment continued through post-surgical day 7. The results showed that simultaneous activation of β2AR with a β2AR agonist and inhibition of β1AR with a selective β1AR blocker normalized myocardial oxygen consumption, decreased myocardial damage, augmented cardiomyocyte survival, improved cardiac function, reduced the incidence of arrhythmia, thus decreasing the occurrence of cardiac events in perioperative aged rats undergoing non-cardiac surgery. The results demonstrated that combined use of β2AR agonist and β1AR blocker achieved better general effects than use of either one alone. Our results provide a new insight into preventing perioperative cardiac events for elderly patients undergoing surgical stress.
Pitfalls of statistical hypothesis testing: multiple testing

The effectiveness of a home based intervention on children’s body mass index (BMI) at age 2 years was investigated. A randomised controlled superiority trial was used. The intervention consisted of eight home visits from specially trained community nurses in the first 24 months after birth. The aim of the intervention was to improve the health and wellbeing of parents and children. The intervention was in addition to the usual childhood nursing service from community health service nurses. The control group received the usual childhood nursing service alone. Participants were first time mothers and their infants.1 The primary outcome measures were children’s anthropometric measures, including BMI, weight, and length, at age 2 years. Secondary outcomes comprised eight measures of dietary behaviour and four measures of physical activity and television watching for the child at age 2 years. These included eating habits (intake of fruit and vegetables, consumption of chips and snacks), having a meal in front of the TV, time spent watching TV, and active play time. Secondary outcomes also included seven measures of dietary behaviour, time spent watching TV, and physical activity for the mother 24 months after giving birth. It was reported that mean BMI at age 2 years was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (P=0.04). At 24 months after birth, dietary behaviours and TV watching were significantly different for children in the intervention group compared with the control group. Children in the intervention group ate more vegetables (P=0.03), whereas using food as a reward (P=0.03), TV being on during mealtimes (P=0.02), eating dinner in front of the TV (P=0.01), and watching TV for more …
Neuronal cell apoptosis by a receptor-binding domain peptide of ApoE4, not through low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein.

Since an apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) peptide composed of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-related protein (LRP)-binding domain [ApoE4(141-149)(2) or ApoE(141-155)(2)] exerts neurotoxicity in primary neurons and neuronal cell lines, it has been controversial whether these effects are mediated by LRP. Here, we examined whether ApoE4(141-149)(2)-induced toxicity is mediated by LRP in a neuronal cell system where ApoE4 toxicity is mediated by LRP: serum-deprived F11 neuronal cells. In these cells, where ApoE4 exerted toxicity by apoptosis in a manner sensitive to both caspase inhibitors and pertussis toxin (PTX), ApoE4(141-149)(2) also caused cell death by apoptosis but in a caspase-inhibitor-resistant, PTX-resistant manner. ApoE4(141-149)(2)-induced death was not inhibited by antisense oligonucleotides to LRP. Therefore, we conclude that ApoE4(141-149)(2) is able to exert neurotoxicity without involving LRP.
Belgium through the Lens of Rail Travel Requests: Does Geography Still Matter?

This paper uses on-line railway travel requests from the iRail schedule-finder application for assessing the suitability of that kind of big data for transportation planning and to examine the temporal and regional variations of the travel demand by train in Belgium. Travel requests are collected over a two-month period and consist of origin-destination flows between stations operated by the Belgian national railway company in 2016. The Louvain method is applied to detect communities of tightly-connected stations. Results show the influence of both the urban and network structures on the spatial organization of the clusters. We also further discuss the implications of the observed temporal and regional variations of these clusters for transportation travel demand and planning.
Multiparametric assessment of Cd2+ cytotoxicity using MTT‐based microfluidic image cytometry

A modified MTT protocol‐based microfluidic image cytometry (μFIC) was performed to assess Cd2+ induced cytotoxicity. The expanded capabilities of μFIC, such as in situ measurement, high‐throughput, and multiparametric analysis of adherent cells under precisely controlled chemical environments of microfluidic channels, were demonstrated in this study. Multiparametric analysis of μFIC data has enabled us to categorize the progress of cell death into at least four different subgroups based on their morphology and metabolic activity. These advantages of the MTT‐based μFIC as a simpler, cheaper, and faster in vitro cell‐based assay tool have many implications in biomedical, pharmaceutical, toxicological, and biological application areas, and we propose this technique as a future high throughput–high content screening (HT‐HCS) platform for cytotoxicity assays and drug screening. © 2012 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Experience of methadone therapy in 100 consecutive chronic pain patients in a multidisciplinary pain center.

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to describe the experience of methadone use in 100 consecutive chronic pain patients managed in a single multidisciplinary center. DESIGN A chart review of chronic pain patients on methadone therapy initiated at the Wasser Pain Management Center from January 2001 to June 2004. SETTING, PATIENTS, AND INTERVENTION: Outpatients receiving methadone for chronic pain management in a tertiary multidisciplinary pain center. OUTCOME MEASURE Effects on pain relief and function, conversion ratio from other opioids, side effects, and disposition were reviewed. RESULTS Charts of 100 methadone patients (age 45 +/- 11 years old; M/F: 3/7; duration of pain 129 +/- 110 months) managed by five physicians and one nurse were reviewed. The main reason for the initiation of methadone therapy was opioid rotation (72%). The average oral morphine equivalent dose was 77 mg/day before methadone therapy, and the methadone dose after initial stabilization was 42 mg with no consistent conversion ratio observed. The mean duration of methadone therapy was 11 months. Most of the patients (91%) were taking concomitant adjuvant analgesics or psychotropic agents, mostly antidepressants and anticonvulsants. The average Numeric Verbal Rating Score before and after methadone treatment was 7.2 +/- 1.7 and 5.2 +/- 2.5 (P < 0.0001). Thirty-five patients discontinued their methadone treatment mainly because of side effects, ineffectiveness, or both. CONCLUSION From our experience, methadone is an effective alternative to conventional opioids for chronic pain management when used by experienced clinicians in a setting that allows for close monitoring and careful dose initiation and adjustment.
Practical time‐gated luminescence flow cytometry. II: Experimental evaluation using UV LED excitation

In the previous article [Part 1 (8)], we have modelled alternative approaches to design of practical time‐gated luminescence (TGL) flow cytometry and examined the feasibility of employing a UV LED as the excitation source for the gated detection of europium dye labelled target in rapid flow stream. The continuous flow‐section approach is well suited for rare‐event cell counting in applications with a large number of nontarget autofluorescent particles. This article presents details of construction, operation and evaluation of a TGL flow cytometer using a UV LED excitation and a gated high‐gain channel photomultiplier tube (CPMT) for detection. The compact prototype TGL flow cytometer was constructed and optimised to operate at a TGL cycle rate of 6 kHz, with each cycle consisting of 100 μs LED pulsed excitation and ∼60 μs delay‐gated detection. The performance of the TGL flow cytometer was evaluated by enumerating 5.7 μm Eu3+ luminescence beads (having comparable intensity to europium‐chelate‐labeled Giardia cysts) in both autofluorescence‐rich environmental water concentrates and Sulforhodamine 101 (S101) solutions (broadband red fluorescence covering the spectral band of target signals), respectively.