Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of Dystrophin in Airway Smooth Muscle Phenotype, Contraction and Lung Function

Dystrophin links the transmembrane dystrophin-glycoprotein complex to the actin cytoskeleton. We have shown that dystrophin-glycoprotein complex subunits are markers for airway smooth muscle phenotype maturation and together with caveolin-1, play an important role in calcium homeostasis. We tested if dystrophin affects phenotype maturation, tracheal contraction and lung physiology. We used dystrophin deficient Golden Retriever dogs (GRMD) and mdx mice vs healthy control animals in our approach. We found significant reduction of contractile protein markers: smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (smMHC) and calponin and reduced Ca2+ response to contractile agonist in dystrophin deficient cells. Immunocytochemistry revealed reduced stress fibers and number of smMHC positive cells in dystrophin-deficient cells, when compared to control. Immunoblot analysis of Akt1, GSK3β and mTOR phosphorylation further revealed that downstream PI3K signaling, which is essential for phenotype maturation, was suppressed in dystrophin deficient cell cultures. Tracheal rings from mdx mice showed significant reduction in the isometric contraction to methacholine (MCh) when compared to genetic control BL10ScSnJ mice (wild-type). In vivo lung function studies using a small animal ventilator revealed a significant reduction in peak airway resistance induced by maximum concentrations of inhaled MCh in mdx mice, while there was no change in other lung function parameters. These data show that the lack of dystrophin is associated with a concomitant suppression of ASM cell phenotype maturation in vitro, ASM contraction ex vivo and lung function in vivo, indicating that a linkage between the DGC and the actin cytoskeleton via dystrophin is a determinant of the phenotype and functional properties of ASM.
Quality versus Quantity Debate in Swimming: Perceptions and Training Practices of Expert Swimming Coaches

Abstract The debate over low-volume, high-intensity training versus high-volume, low-intensity training, commonly known as Quality versus Quantity, respectively, is a frequent topic of discussion among swimming coaches and academics. The aim of this study was to explore expert coaches’ perceptions of quality and quantity coaching philosophies in competitive swimming and to investigate their current training practices. A purposeful sample of 11 expert swimming coaches was recruited for this study. The study was a mixed methods design and involved each coach participating in 1 semi-structured interview and completing 1 closed-ended questionnaire. The main findings of this study were that coaches felt quality training programmes would lead to short term results for youth swimmers, but were in many cases more appropriate for senior swimmers. The coaches suggested that quantity training programmes built an aerobic base for youth swimmers, promoted technical development through a focus on slower swimming and helped to enhance recovery from training or competition. However, the coaches continuously suggested that quantity training programmes must be performed with good technique and they felt this was a misunderstood element. This study was a critical step towards gaining a richer and broader understanding on the debate over Quality versus Quantity training from an expert swimming coaches’ perspective which was not currently available in the research literature.
Evaluation of dual purpose cowpea varieties for dry season feeding of ruminant animals

i Summary/Zusammenfassung ii Summary Evaluation of dual purpose cowpea varieties for dry season feeding of ruminant animals Cowpea is of major importance to the livelihoods of millions of people in the tropics. Resource-poor smallholder farmers derive food, animal feed, cash and manure from the crop. Dual purpose cowpea has the potential to function as a key integrating factor in intensifying systems through supplying protein in human diets, and fodder for livestock, as well as bringing N into the farming system through biological fixation. Going beyond its importance for food and feed, cowpea can be regarded as a fulcrum of sustainable farming in regions characterized by systems for farming that make limited use of purchased inputs. Dual purpose cowpea can sufficiently satisfy the tripartite need of providing (i) food for the farmer (ii) fodder for livestock especially during the critical period of the year (dry season) and (iii) fertility replenishment for the soil (through nitrogen fixation) which will ensure sustainable use of the farmer's limited land (for a longer period without much depletion of its nutrients). performance and nutritive quality of some varieties of dual purpose cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) grown in marginal land without fertilization. The experiment was arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial design with 2 seasons (wet and dry) and 2 groups (commercial and improved) of cowpea haulm varieties. Three improved (ITA2, ITA6 and ITA8) and three commercial (Oloyin, Peu and Sokoto) cowpea varieties were used for the study. The cowpea varieties were evaluated for biomass and grain yields, green leaf retention, chemical composition, secondary metabolites, in vitro and in sacco degradation. Biomass harvested during the wet season was used in a feeding study involving thirty West African dwarf sheep. The haulms were fed as supplements to a basal diet of Pennisetum purpureum. Sheep fed commercial cowpea haulms had better feed conversion ratio than those fed improved haulms but all the sheep were in positive nitrogen balance. Results from the feeding study showed that inclusion of cowpea haulms in the diet of sheep had no deleterious effects while improving the haematological and serum biochemical variables. Both biomass and grain yields were higher in the improved varieties harvested in the wet season. Improved varieties were able to retain more leaves into the dry season than their commercial counterparts. Secondary metabolites in the haulms were considerably low and of no nutritional significance. The inability to detect condensed and …
Regional thalamic neuropathology in patients with hippocampal sclerosis and epilepsy: A postmortem study

Clinical, experimental, and neuroimaging data all indicate that the thalamus is involved in the network of changes associated with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), particularly in association with hippocampal sclerosis (HS), with potential roles in seizure initiation and propagation. Pathologic changes in the thalamus may be a result of an initial insult, ongoing seizures, or retrograde degeneration through reciprocal connections between thalamic and limbic regions. Our aim was to carry out a neuropathologic analysis of the thalamus in a postmortem (PM) epilepsy series, to assess the distribution, severity, and nature of pathologic changes and its association with HS.
UNIT ROOT LOG PERIODOGRAM REGRESSION BY PETER C. B. PHILLIPS COWLES FOUNDATION PAPER NO. 1197 COWLES FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH IN ECONOMICS

Log periodogram (LP) regression is shown to be consistent and to have a mixed normal limit distribution when the memory parameter d 1⁄4 1. Gaussian errors are not required. The proof relies on a new result showing that asymptotically infinite collections of discrete Fourier transforms (dft’s) of a short memory process at the fundamental frequencies in the vicinity of the origin can be treated as asymptotically independent normal variates, provided one does not include too many dft’s in the collection. r 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. JEL classification: C22
Contact representations of planar graphs with cubes

We prove that every planar graph has a representation using axis-parallel cubes in three dimensions in such a way that there is a cube corresponding to each vertex of the planar graph and two cubes have a non-empty intersection if and only if their corresponding vertices are adjacent. Moreover, when two cubes have a non-empty intersection, they just touch each other. This result is a strengthening of a result by Thomassen which states that every planar graph has such a representation using axis-parallel boxes.
Mixed-matrix membranes with enhanced antifouling activity: probing the surface-tailoring potential of Tiron and chromotropic acid for nano-TiO2

Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) were developed by impregnating organofunctionalized nanoadditives within fouling-susceptible polysulfone matrix following the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The facile functionalization of nanoparticles of anatase TiO2 (nano-TiO2) by using two different organoligands, viz. Tiron and chromotropic acid, was carried out to obtain organofunctionalized nanoadditives, FT-nano-TiO2 and FC-nano-TiO2, respectively. The structural features of nanoadditives were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which established that Tiron leads to the blending of chelating and bridging bidentate geometries for FT-nano-TiO2, whereas chromotropic acid produces bridging bidentate as well as monodentate geometries for FC-nano-TiO2. The surface chemistry of the studied membranes, polysulfone (Psf): FT-nano-TiO2 UF and Psf: FC-nano-TiO2 UF, was profoundly influenced by the benign distributions of the nanoadditives enriched with distinctly charged sites (−SO3−H+), as evidenced by superior morphology, improved topography, enhanced surface hydrophilicity and altered electrokinetic features. The membranes exhibited enhanced solvent throughputs, viz. 3500–4000 and 3400–4300 LMD at 1 bar of transmembrane pressure, without significant compromise in their rejection attributes. The flux recovery ratios and fouling resistive behaviours of MMMs towards bovine serum albumin indicated that the nanoadditives could impart stable and appreciable antifouling activity, potentially aiding in a sustainable ultrafiltration performance.
Phenolic Compounds in the Potato and Its Byproducts: An Overview

The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a tuber that is largely used for food and is a source of different bioactive compounds such as starch, dietary fiber, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and phenolic compounds. Phenolic compounds are synthetized by the potato plant as a protection response from bacteria, fungi, viruses, and insects. Several works showed that these potato compounds exhibited health-promoting effects in humans. However, the use of the potato in the food industry submits this vegetable to different processes that can alter the phenolic content. Moreover, many of these compounds with high bioactivity are located in the potato’s skin, and so are eliminated as waste. In this review the most recent articles dealing with phenolic compounds in the potato and potato byproducts, along with the effects of harvesting, post-harvest, and technological processes, have been reviewed. Briefly, the phenolic composition, main extraction, and determination methods have been described. In addition, the “alternative” food uses and healthy properties of potato phenolic compounds have been addressed.
ALD Al2O3 based nanolaminates for solar cell applications

Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> based nanolaminates provide new functionalities for silicon surface passivation layers in future high-efficient cell concepts. This work presents two different applications: (I) Symmetrical passivation layers for application on p- and n-type Si are realized with thin HfO<sub>2</sub> and Al-doped SiO<sub>2</sub> interface layers between Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and Si. These stacks have excellent chemical passivation but zero fixed charges. Consequently, no surface inversion layer is formed in n-type Si and low surface recombination velocities below 2 cm/s are achieved in low injection. (II) Conductive passivation layers are realized with Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-TiO<sub>2</sub> double and multilayers. The optimum material combination and post deposition treatment results in a current density of 0.5 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> at 10 mV with a surface recombination velocity of about 15 cm/s. This conductivity is more than eight orders of magnitude higher than for pure Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>.
THE PRECISION ARRAY FOR PROBING THE EPOCH OF RE-IONIZATION: EIGHT STATION RESULTS

We are developing the Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Re-ionization (PAPER) to detect 21 cm emission from the early universe, when the first stars and galaxies were forming. We describe the overall experiment strategy and architecture and summarize two PAPER deployments: a four-antenna array in the low radio frequency interference (RFI) environment of Western Australia and an eight-antenna array at a prototyping site at the NRAO facilities near Green Bank, WV. From these activities we report on system performance, including primary beam model verification, dependence of system gain on ambient temperature, measurements of receiver and overall system temperatures, and characterization of the RFI environment at each deployment site. We present an all-sky map synthesized between 139 MHz and 174 MHz using data from both arrays that reaches down to 80 mJy (4.9 K, for a beam size of 2.15e−5 sr at 156 MHz), with a 10 mJy (620 mK) thermal noise level that indicates what would be achievable with better foreground subtraction. We calculate angular power spectra (Cℓ) in a cold patch and determine them to be dominated by point sources, but with contributions from galactic synchrotron emission at lower radio frequencies and angular wavemodes. Although the sample variance of foregrounds dominates errors in these power spectra, we measure a thermal noise level of 310 mK at ℓ = 100 for a 1.46 MHz band centered at 164.5 MHz. This sensitivity level is approximately 3 orders of magnitude in temperature above the level of the fluctuations in 21 cm emission associated with re-ionization.
Sarcopenia: Definition, Epidemiology, and Pathophysiology

The epidemiological trends that characterize our generation are the aging of the population. Aging results in a progressive loss of muscle mass and strength called sarcopenia, which is Greek for 'poverty of flesh'. Sarcopenia could lead to functional impairment, physical disability, and even mortality. Today, sarcopenia is a matter of immense public concern for aging prevention. Its prevalence continues to rise, probably as a result of increasing elderly populations all over the world. This paper addressed the definition and epidemiology of sarcopenia and its underlying pathophysiology. In addition, we summarized the abundant information available in the literature related to sarcopenia, together with results from Korean sarcopenic obesity study (KSOS) that we performed.
Soldiers Marching Down the Garden Path: Comprehension of Complex Language in Veterans with MTBI

This investigation examined the comprehension of complex language in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) soldiers, who have been diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury upon return from deployment. This experiment used the sentence structure known as a garden path sentence, where the ambiguity of the sentence leads the mind down the path to the wrong interpretation, to test the language comprehension skills of veterans diagnosed with mTBI and controls. Accuracy and reaction time were measured by answering comprehension questions about both garden path sentences and non-garden path sentences. Results demonstrated that the subjects with mTBI had difficulty with complex language which did not contain strong pragmatic cues, but that reaction times were not significantly different compared to the control subjects.
The inventory as a core element in the further development of the science curriculum in the Mannheim Reformed Curriculum of Medicine

Introduction: The German Council of Science and Humanities as well as a number of medical professional associations support the strengthening of scientific competences by developing longitudinal curricula for teaching scientific competences in the undergraduate medical education. The National Competence Based Catalogue of Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM) has also defined medical scientific skills as learning objectives in addition to the role of the scholar. The development of the Mannheim science curriculum started with a systematic inventory of the teaching of scientific competences in the Mannheim Reformed Curriculum of Medicine (MaReCuM). Methods: The inventory is based on the analysis of module profiles, teaching materials, surveys among experts, and verbatims from memory. Furthermore, science learning objectives were defined and prioritized, thus enabling the contents of the various courses to be assigned to the top three learning objectives. Results: The learning objectives systematic collection of information regarding the current state of research, critical assessment of scientific information and data sources, as well as presentation and discussion of the results of scientific studies are facilitated by various teaching courses from the first to the fifth year of undergraduate training. The review reveals a longitudinal science curriculum that has emerged implicitly. Future efforts must aim at eliminating redundancies and closing gaps; in addition, courses must be more closely aligned with each other, regarding both their contents and their timing, by means of a central coordination unit. Conclusion: The teaching of scientific thinking and working is a central component in the MaReCuM. The inventory and prioritization of science learning objectives form the basis for a structured ongoing development of the curriculum. An essential aspect here is the establishment of a central project team responsible for the planning, coordination, and review of these measures.
RBM-based Silhouette Encoding for Human Action Modelling

In this paper we evaluate the use of Restricted Bolzmann Machines (RBM) in the context of learning and recognizing human actions. The features used as basis are binary silhouettes of persons. We test the proposed approach on two datasets of human actions where binary silhouettes are available: ViHASi (synthetic data) and Weizmann (real data). In addition, on Weizmann dataset, we combine features based on optical flow with the associated binary silhouettes. The results show that thanks to the use of RBM-based models, very informative and shorter feature vectors can be obtained for the classification tasks, improving the classification performance.
P-Glycoprotein Efflux Transporter Activity Often Displays Biphasic Dose-Response Relationships

The occurrence of P-glycoprotein efflux transporter systems is recognized as playing critical roles in chemotherapy, drug pharmacokinetics, and the bioavailability of environmental toxins. This article reveals that P-glycoprotein efflux transporter activity commonly displays a biphasic dose response, with low doses being stimulatory and high doses inhibiting. The quantitative features of these biphasic dose responses are consistent with the hormetic dose-response model and are independent of biological model and chemical class. These findings provide further support for the generalizability of the hormetic dose-response model while having important biological and clinical implications, including transport through the blood–brain barrier.
Channel Estimation for 3-D Lens Millimeter Wave Massive MIMO System

Channel estimation for 3-D lens millimeter wave massive MIMO system is investigated. First, the structure of beamspace channel is analyzed to show that the dominant entries of beamspace channel matrix form a dual crossing (DC) shape. Then, a DC-based channel estimation algorithm is proposed to iteratively refine the selection of dominant entries until the stop condition is met. Simulation results show that the DC-based algorithm outperforms the existing algorithms, including orthogonal matching pursuit and adaptive support detection (ASD). At signal-to-noise ratio of 15 dB, the DC-based algorithm has 57.7% improvement in terms of normalized mean squared error compared with ASD while the computational complexity is only half of ASD due to fast computation of least squares estimation.
Financial Performance and Outreach: A Global Analysis of Leading Microbanks

Microfinance contracts have proven able to secure high rates of loan repayment in the face of limited liability and information asymmetries, but high repayment rates have not translated easily into profits for most microbanks. Profitability, though, is at the heart of the promise that microfinance can deliver poverty reduction while not relying on ongoing subsidy. The authors examine why this promise remains unmet for most institutions. Using a data set with unusually high quality financial information on 124 institutions in 49 countries, they explore the patterns of profitability, loan repayment, and cost reduction. The authors find that institutional design and orientation matter substantially. Lenders that do not use group-based methods to overcome incentive problems experience weaker portfolio quality and lower profit rates when interest rates are raised substantially. For these individual-based lenders, one key to achieving profitability is investing more heavily in staff costs-a finding consistent with the economics of information but contrary to the conventional wisdom that profitability is largely a function of minimizing cost.
Multiple Conclusions

I argue for the following four theses. (1) Denial is not to be analysed as the assertion of a negation. (2) Given the concepts of assertion and denial, we have the resources to analyse logical consequence as relating arguments with multiple premises and multiple conclusions. Gentzen’s multiple conclusion calculus can be understood in a straightforward, motivated, non-question-begging way. (3) If a broadly anti-realist or inferentialist justification of a logical system works, it works just as well for classical logic as it does for intuitionistic logic. The special case for an anti-realist justification of intuitionistic logic over and above a justification of classical logic relies on an unjustified assumption about the shape of proofs. Finally, (4) this picture of logical consequence provides a relatively neutral shared vocabulary which can help us understand and adjudicate debates between proponents of classical and non-classical logics.
Impact of the handset form factor on inverted-F antennas performance

This paper describes the portability of a multiband antenna design over a printed circuit board (PCB) of different sizes. The antenna consists of two inverted-F antennas (IFA) operating at the same resonance frequency, for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) operation. The frequency range presented in this paper is EGSM900 for the low band and IMT-E for the high band, but the results can be extended to bands 5 and 6 with a tunable antenna. Simulations of the antenna behavior with increasing-size ground plane will be compared to the measurements of three common ground plane sizes: the Candybar (100 × 40 mm2), the Smartphone (119 × 59 mm2) and the Tablet (240 × 186 mm2) formats. The investigation shows that the bandwidth requirements are always fulfilled across the devices.