Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Impact of Time of Day on Acute Exercise Response in COPD

Abstract The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the impact of time of day on the acute response to incremental exercise in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Fourteen subjects (nine men) aged 71 ± 7 years with moderate to severe airflow obstruction (FEV1: 58 ± 13% predicted) followed a counterbalanced randomized design, performing three symptom-limited incremental cycling tests at 8:00, 12:00, and 16:00 hours on different days, each preceded by a spirometry. COPD medications were withdrawn prior to testing. No overall time effect was found for peak exercise capacity (p = 0.22) or pulmonary function (FEV1, p = 0.56; FVC, p = 0.79). However, a large effect size (f = 0.48) was observed for peak exercise capacity and several pulmonary function parameters. For peak exercise capacity, the average within-subject coefficient of variation was 5.5 ± 3.9% and the average amplitude of change was 7 ± 5W. Seven subjects (50%) showed diurnal changes at levels equal to or beyond the minimal clinically important difference for both peak exercise capacity and pulmonary function. In this sub-group, peak exercise capacity was greatest at 16:00 hours (p = 0.03, ƒ = 1.04). No systematic time-of-day effect on peak exercise capacity was obtained in COPD patients in the present pilot study. However, based on the observed effect size and on the average amplitude of change and within-subject variations seen across testing times, the guidelines recommendation that time of day be standardized for repeat exercise testing in COPD should be maintained.
Oocyte Galα1,3Gal Epitopes Implicated in Sperm Adhesion to the Zona Pellucida Glycoprotein ZP3 Are Not Required for Fertilization in the Mouse (*)

The Galα13Gal structure is displayed on the zona pellucida glycoprotein ZP3 on murine oocytes. This trisaccharide has been implicated in sperm-zona pellucida adhesive events thought to be essential to fertilization in the mouse. To determine directly if this molecule is required for fertilization, we have generated mice that are deficient in a gene (α1,3GT) encoding the UDP-Gal:β-D-Gal-α13Gal-galactosyltransferase enzyme responsible for Galα13Gal synthesis and expression. These mice develop normally and exhibit no gross phenotypic abnormalities. The Galα13Gal epitope is absent from the vascular endothelium and other tissues in α1,3GT (−/−) adult mice. By contrast, α1,3GT (−/−) mice, like humans, develop naturally occurring anti-α-galactoside antibodies normally absent in wild type mice. Female α1,3GT (−/−) mice yield oocytes that are devoid of the Galα13Gal epitope; however, these mice are fully fertile. These observations indicate that the Galα13Gal moiety is not essential to sperm-oocyte interactions leading to fertilization or to essentially normal development. They further suggest that α1,3GT (−/−) mice will find utility for exploring approaches to diminish anti-Gal-dependent hyperacute xenograft rejection, which presents a major barrier to the use of porcine and other non-primate organs for xenotransplantation in humans.
Anger proneness predicts coronary heart disease risk: prospective analysis from the atherosclerosis risk in communities (ARIC) study.

BACKGROUND Increased research attention is being paid to the negative impact of anger on coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS AND RESULTS This study examined prospectively the association between trait anger and the risk of combined CHD (acute myocardial infarction [MI]/fatal CHD, silent MI, or cardiac revascularization procedures) and of "hard" events (acute MI/fatal CHD). Participants were 12 986 black and white men and women enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities study. In the entire cohort, individuals with high trait anger, compared with their low anger counterparts, were at increased risk of CHD in both event categories. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) (95% CI) was 1.54 (95% CI 1.10 to 2.16) for combined CHD and 1.75 (95% CI 1.17 to 2.64) for "hard" events. Heterogeneity of effect was observed by hypertensive status. Among normotensive individuals, the risk of combined CHD and of "hard" events increased monotonically with increasing levels of trait anger. The multivariate-adjusted HR of CHD for high versus low anger was 2.20 (95% CI 1.36 to 3.55) and for moderate versus low anger was 1.32 (95% CI 0.94 to 1.84). For "hard" events, the multivariate-adjusted HRs were 2.69 (95% CI 1.48 to 4.90) and 1.35 (95% CI 0.87 to 2.10), respectively. No statistically significant association between trait anger and incident CHD risk was observed among hypertensive individuals. CONCLUSIONS Proneness to anger places normotensive middle-aged men and women at significant risk for CHD morbidity and death independent of the established biological risk factors.
Amelioration of Experimental Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis in Rats by Neonatal FcR Blockade

The neonatal FcR (FcRn) plays a critical role in IgG homeostasis by protecting it from a lysosomal degradation pathway. It has been shown that IgG has an abnormally short half-life in FcRn-deficient mice and that FcRn blockade significantly increases the catabolism of serum IgG in mice. Therefore, reduction of serum IgG half-life may have therapeutic benefits in Ab-mediated autoimmune diseases. We have studied the therapeutic effects of an anti-rat FcRn mAb, 1G3, in two rat models of myasthenia gravis, a prototypical Ab-mediated autoimmune disease. Passive experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis was induced by administration of an anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) mAb, and it was shown that treatment with 1G3 resulted in dose-dependent amelioration of the disease symptoms. In addition, the concentration of pathogenic Ab in the serum was reduced significantly. The effect of 1G3 was also studied in an active model of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis in which rats were immunized with AChR. Treatment with 1G3 significantly reduced the severity of the disease symptoms as well as the levels of total IgG and anti-AChR IgG relative to untreated animals. These data suggest that FcRn blockade may be an effective way to treat Ab-mediated autoimmune diseases.
Risky Debt, Managerial Ownership and Capital Structure: New Fundamental Doubts on the Classical Agency Approach

The paper deals with Jensen and Meckling's [1976] classical "agency approach" to the optimal capital structure of the firm under conditions of moral hazard. We provide an analytical test of the three main Jensen and Meckling hypotheses: The hypothesis that the agency costs of debt (or equity, resp.) are a monotonically increasing (or decreasing, resp.) function of the firm's debt-ratio, and the hypothesis that the optimal capital structure is determined by the minimum of the total agency costs. The results appear to be rather disappointing: Theoretically, the three Jensen and Meckling hypotheses prove to be generally incorrect. (JEL: D 82, G 31, G 32)
Processing Female and Male Voices: A Word Spotting Experiment

Several previous studies showed that synthetic vowel identification is more difficult for voices with a high f0 (the lowest frequency that defines voice pitch), but it is not clear whether this means that female voices, which generally have a higher f0, are processed more slowly than male voices. A word spotting experiment was conducted with 25 French native listeners (8 men, 17 women; M age = 27.6 yr., SD = 10.8). Words produced by four male and four female speakers were played to the participants. Their task was to press a button every time they identified the target word “étage. ” Response times were collected and compared in four different conditions: male voice preceded by male voices, female voice preceded by female voices, male voice preceded by female voices, and female voice preceded by male voices. Results showed that both sexes' voices were processed equally fast. Moreover, no significant correlation was found between mean f0 of the target word and response time. Nevertheless, when a target word produced by a male speaker occurred after several words produced by a female speaker (or vice-versa) the listener's RT decreased, suggesting that male and female voices are processed as two different entities.
A low-frequency current comparator for precision resistance measurements

Two prototypes of a current comparator for operation at low frequencies in the 0.1 Hz to 1 Hz range and at room temperature have been realized. Experimental tests include the determination of the frequency-dependent sensitivity and a comparative measurement of the ratio of two standard resistors with nominal values of 1 kΩ and 100 Ω. The realized current comparator is the main ratio standard in a precision ac resistance bridge operated without need of liquid helium which will be one of the main measurement instruments for a future graphene-based quantum Hall resistance standard.
Jab1/CSN5 induces the cytoplasmic localization and degradation of RUNX3

Runt‐related (RUNX) transcription factors play pivotal roles in neoplastic development and have tissue‐specific developmental roles in hematopoiesis (RUNX1), osteogenesis (RUNX2), as well as neurogenesis and thymopoiesis (RUNX3). RUNX3 is a tumor suppressor in gastric carcinoma, and its expression is frequently inactivated by DNA methylation or its protein mislocalized in many cancer types, including gastric and breast cancer. Jun‐activation domain‐binding protein 1 (Jab1/CSN5), a component of the COP9 signalosome (CSN), is critical for nuclear export and the degradation of several tumor suppressor proteins, including p53, p27Kip1, and Smad4. Here, we find that Jab1 facilitates nuclear export of RUNX3 that is controlled by CSN‐associated kinases. RUNX3 sequestered in the cytoplasm is rapidly degraded through a proteasome‐mediated pathway. Our results identify a novel mechanism of regulating nuclear export and protein stability of RUNX3 by the CSN complex. J. Cell. Biochem. 107: 557–565, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Freezing of gait affects quality of life of peoples with Parkinson's disease beyond its relationships with mobility and gait

The aim of this study was to examine the association between freezing of gait (FOG) and quality of life (QoL) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). PD patients (n = 118) completed the PDQ‐39 (QoL) and FOG‐Q questionnaires. Disease severity was assessed by the Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) staging and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). The relations between those parameters were assessed using regression models. 66 men and 52 women (mean age 65.8 ± 10.2 years, UPDRS total score 48.4 ± 17.1, disease duration 8.5 ± 5.8 years, H&Y stage 2.7 ± 0.8) participated. FOG severity had a significant effect on QoL (P < 0.0015), accounting for disease severity assessed by UPDRS. Specifically, FOG severity was correlated with all the dimensions of the PDQ‐39 except for stigma and social support, as follows: with mobility, bodily discomfort, activity of daily living (ADL) (P < 0.005 in all), with emotional, communication, and cognition (P < 0.05 in all). FOG severity (FOG‐Q) was also found to affect a modified PDQ total score, without the mobility aspect (P = 0.0081). FOG should be viewed as a highly important symptom with regard to QoL of PD patients beyond its effect on gait and mobility. On the basis of the present results, special attention should be given to FOG in the treatment of patients with PD. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
Quantitative measurement of brain perfusion with intravoxel incoherent motion MR imaging.

PURPOSE To evaluate the sensitivity of the perfusion parameters derived from Intravoxel Incoherent Motion (IVIM) MR imaging to hypercapnia-induced vasodilatation and hyperoxygenation-induced vasoconstriction in the human brain. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was approved by the local ethics committee and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Images were acquired with a standard pulsed-gradient spin-echo sequence (Stejskal-Tanner) in a clinical 3-T system by using 16 b values ranging from 0 to 900 sec/mm(2). Seven healthy volunteers were examined while they inhaled four different gas mixtures known to modify brain perfusion (pure oxygen, ambient air, 5% CO(2) in ambient air, and 8% CO(2) in ambient air). Diffusion coefficient (D), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), perfusion fraction (f), and blood flow-related parameter (fD*) maps were calculated on the basis of the IVIM biexponential model, and the parametric maps were compared among the four different gas mixtures. Paired, one-tailed Student t tests were performed to assess for statistically significant differences. RESULTS Signal decay curves were biexponential in the brain parenchyma of all volunteers. When compared with inhaled ambient air, the IVIM perfusion parameters D*, f, and fD* increased as the concentration of inhaled CO(2) was increased (for the entire brain, P = .01 for f, D*, and fD* for CO(2) 5%; P = . 02 for f, and P = . 01 for D* and fD* for CO(2) 8%), and a trend toward a reduction was observed when participants inhaled pure oxygen (although P > .05). D remained globally stable. CONCLUSION The IVIM perfusion parameters were reactive to hyperoxygenation-induced vasoconstriction and hypercapnia-induced vasodilatation. Accordingly, IVIM imaging was found to be a valid and promising method to quantify brain perfusion in humans.
Monitoring of Oil Spill Trajectories With COSMO-SkyMed X-Band SAR Images and Model Simulation

The Shell North Sea Gannet Alpha platform oil spill accident occurred on August 10, 2011. This was the largest oil spill accident in United Kingdom waters in the last decade. The spills were observed on four COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired between August 17 and 22, 2011, with revisit time from 11 h to 3 days between the SAR acquisitions. The areas of oil slicks were extracted from SAR images using an existing image classification and segmentation algorithm. It was found that the oil slicks moved toward the southwest with slick size enlarging from 3.69 to 62.01 km2 in the first 24 h between the first and second SAR acquisitions. We tracked the oil spill trajectories using the General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) oil-drifting model. The 6-hourly surface wind fields from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis (ERA) Interim products and the 3-hourly ocean surface current fields from the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) global operational model were used to drive the GNOME model. The simulated oil slick movement was in good agreement with that observed by the CSK SAR images. Moreover, the simulation showed that the movement of oil spills was dominated by the surface winds in the North Sea.
Immunologic Requirements for the Adoptive Transfer of Ectromelia Virus Meningitis

Intracerebral infection with the Hampstead egg strain of ectromelia virus in mice produced a meningitis with clinical signs and death. A single injection of cyclophosphamide three days after infection delayed the onset of pathology and clinical signs. Adoptive transfer of immune spleen cells into preinfected recipients could induce the meningitis earlier. These donor-immune cells were virus-specific in their action. The Ig- population, deficient in B lymphocytes, could transfer meningitis; but donor-immune cells depleted of T lymphocytes by anti-theta treatment or the Ig+ population, deficient in T cells, were unsuccessful. Studies with labeled cells showed a preferential accumulation of labeled donor cells in cerebrospinal fluid in the first 24 hours post-transfer, whereas labeled recipient cells accumulated between 24 and 48 hours. The results demonstrated that the adoptive transfer of ectromelia virus meningitis was a cell-mediated inflammatory process.
HIV/SIV Enteropathy

ABSTRACT: Evidence is increasing that HIV/SIV‐induced changes in the highly differentiated gut‐associated immune system play a central role in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal manifestations in HIV/SIV infection. It has been shown in both humans infected with HIV and in nonhuman primates infected with SIV that a rapid, very early, and more pronounced loss of CD4+ T‐cells occurs in the mucosa in comparison to the peripheral blood. The loss of this important regulatory T‐cell subset might explain mucosal immunodeficiency with the consequence of opportunistic mucosal infections. In addition, there is evidence that small intestinal damage occurs independently of secondary infections (HIV/SIV enteropathy). In late‐stage human disease, HIV enteropathy is characterized by villous atrophy with hyporegeneration and dysmaturation of intestinal epithelial cells. In SIV infection of macaques, villous atrophy is a very early event; however, it is accompanied by crypt cell hyperproliferation. Early‐ and late‐stage enteropathy in immunodeficiency virus infection may represent two types of immunologically mediated mucosal transformation in which the number and state of activation of regulatory T cells determine whether hypo‐ or hyperproliferative villous atrophy occurs.
Dying From Cancer

Medical oncologists and patients with advanced cancer struggle to discuss prognosis, goals, options, and values in a timely fashion. As a consequence, many patients die receiving aggressive treatment potentially inconsistent with their fully informed preferences and experience increased symptom burden and distress. The goals of patient - oncologist communication include exchanging information, building relationship, and engaging in shared decisions. Empathy is perhaps especially essential to effective patient - oncologist communication when the end of life is approaching. We speculate that, in addition to being a skilled response to a patient’s negative emotions, empathy is an emergent property of the relationship that allows the patient and oncologist to imagine what it will be like to navigate the transition from living with to dying from cancer; and to prepare for the transition. We propose that effective empathy: 1) requires an attentive, curious and imaginative physician; 2) acknowledges the complex and shifting goals as the end of life approaches; and 3) begins with a willingness of physicians to check in and find out what she may have misunderstood or misperceived. Empathy in end of life conversations cultivates the shared experiences necessary to co-create the new goals of care that underlie excellent end of life care.
Legends in Urology.

Introduction My journey in life began in the state of Penang, in Malaysia, a small tranquil island to the North of the Malay Peninsula, in the then Straits Settlement under British Colonial Government. It was 50 days before World War II broke out in the Pacific region, and I was fortunate to survive infancy and early childhood. The war lasted for 3 years and 8 months. The population pyramid showed a significant dent in my age group! Part of my fortune to survive could be attributed to the fact that I was born into a big extended Hakka Family. The Hakka, an ethnic group of Chinese originally living in the North of China, in the Yellow River Basin, are known to be tough survivors. Due to famine and war, some of my ancestors migrated south to warmer climates in the Southern Provinces of China, where they became the Hakka, meaning “guest people”. They had to settle in the less fertile part of the land, the hilly regions far from the coast, and carve out a hard life. They terraced the hills to grow food and lived in large extended families. They built large houses like modern-day condominiums for mutual help and protection from bandits. These included large square dwellings and better-known round houses (tu lou) in the southern province of Fujian. This was where my ancestors settled and where the family tree, dating back about 600 years, can be traced to the village blacksmith! I am the 18th generation of the clan with the family name Hu, or Foo, spelled in Malay. My life journey
Risk Perception and Information Processing: The Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Assess Self‐Reported Information Processing

The role of information processing in understanding people's responses to risk information has recently received substantial attention. One limitation of this research concerns the unavailability of a validated questionnaire of information processing. This article presents two studies in which we describe the development and validation of the Information‐Processing Questionnaire to meet that need. Study 1 describes the development and initial validation of the questionnaire. Participants were randomized to either a systematic processing or a heuristic processing condition after which they completed a manipulation check and the initial 15‐item questionnaire and again two weeks later. The questionnaire was subjected to factor reliability and validity analyses on both measurement times for purposes of cross‐validation of the results. A two‐factor solution was observed representing a systematic processing and a heuristic processing subscale. The resulting scale showed good reliability and validity, with the systematic condition scoring significantly higher on the systematic subscale and the heuristic processing condition significantly higher on the heuristic subscale. Study 2 sought to further validate the questionnaire in a field study. Results of the second study corresponded with those of Study 1 and provided further evidence of the validity of the Information‐Processing Questionnaire. The availability of this information‐processing scale will be a valuable asset for future research and may provide researchers with new research opportunities.
An Empirical Test of the Effect of China′s Export Tax Rebate Policy in Textile and Apparel Industry

This paper selects the textile and apparel industry(TA) which is a representative in traditional labor-intensive industry as a research object,utilizes the sample data from January,2004 to August,2010,makes a Granger casualty test between the change of export tax rebate rates and the monthly growth rate of trade surplus,and finds that the frequent adjustment of export tax rebate policy in TA industry is useless.After making a deep analysis of the reason based on the result of the empirical test,it indicates that shifting the target of export tax rebate to structural adjustment and increasing the products′ added-value not only guarantee the effectiveness of export tax rebate policy,but give an impetus to the upgrading of TA industry.
Numerical Modeling of Pulsed Raman Fiber Converters at 2 $\mu{\hbox {m}}$

Theoretical modeling of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in fibers is presented for the near-infrared band around 2 mum, where pump and Stokes wave have different absorption. This model takes into account amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), SRS towards Stokes and anti-Stokes waves, absorption of the Raman medium and Rayleigh backscattering in fibers. Depending on the fiber configuration, this model includes the cavity parameters of either external or internal mirrors at the fiber ends. Input parameters are, among others, temporal profiles of the pump radiation, absorption, and gain curve of the Raman medium. The model agrees well with experimental results obtained with a GeO2 doped core fiber pumped by a pulsed and tunable Tm:silica fiber laser emitting around 2 mum.