Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring stress tolerance and occurrences of upper respiratory illness in basketball players by means of psychometric tools and salivary biomarkers

The aim of the study was to evaluate the possible relationships between stress tolerance, training load, banal infections and salivary parameters during 4 weeks of regular training in fifteen basketball players. The Daily Analysis of Life Demands for Athletes' questionnaire (sources and symptoms of stress) and the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey were used on a weekly basis. Salivary cortisol and salivary immunoglobulin A (SIgA) were collected at the beginning (before) and after the study, and measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Ratings of perceived exertion (training load) were also obtained. The results from ANOVA with repeated measures showed greater training loads, number of upper respiratory tract infection episodes and negative sensation to both symptoms and sources of stress, at week 2 (p < 0.05). Significant increases in cortisol levels and decreases in SIgA secretion rate were noted (before to after). Negative sensations to symptoms of stress at week 4 were inversely and significantly correlated with SIgA secretion rate. A positive and significant relationship between sources and symptoms of stress at week 4 and cortisol levels were verified. In summary, an approach incorporating in conjunction psychometric tools and salivary biomarkers could be an efficient means of monitoring reaction to stress in sport. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lithocholic bile acid selectively kills neuroblastoma cells, while sparing normal neuronal cells

Aging is one of the major risk factors of cancer. The onset of cancer can be postponed by pharmacological and dietary anti-aging interventions. We recently found in yeast cellular models of aging that lithocholic acid (LCA) extends longevity. Here we show that, at concentrations that are not cytotoxic to primary cultures of human neurons, LCA kills the neuroblastoma (NB) cell lines BE(2)-m17, SK-n-SH, SK-n-MCIXC and Lan-1. In BE(2)-m17, SK-n-SH and SK-n-MCIXC cells, the LCA anti-tumor effect is due to apoptotic cell death. In contrast, the LCA-triggered death of Lan-1 cells is not caused by apoptosis. While low concentrations of LCA sensitize BE(2)-m17 and SK-n-MCIXC cells to hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptotic cell death controlled by mitochondria, these LCA concentrations make primary cultures of human neurons resistant to such a form of cell death. LCA kills BE(2)-m17 and SK-n-MCIXC cell lines by triggering not only the intrinsic (mitochondrial) apoptotic cell death pathway driven by mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization and initiator caspase-9 activation, but also the extrinsic (death receptor) pathway of apoptosis involving activation of the initiator caspase-8. Based on these data, we propose a mechanism underlying a potent and selective anti-tumor effect of LCA in cultured human NB cells. Moreover, our finding that LCA kills cultured human breast cancer and rat glioma cells implies that it has a broad anti-tumor effect on cancer cells derived from different tissues and organisms.
Microbiological and Epidemiological Characterization of Imipenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains from a Brazilian Tertiary Hospital: Report from the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program

Abstract OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility profile, the genetic similarity, and the mechanisms of carbapenem resistance among imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates collected from a Brazilian tertiary teaching hospital. METHODS: Seventy-eight consecutive samples of P. aeruginosa were evaluated during 2000 and 2001. The antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated by reference broth microdilution methods and the imipenem-resistant isolates were screened for metallo-β-lactamase (MβL) production throughout disc approximation test and MβL Etest® strips and isolates with positive screen test result were submitted to PCR assays using primers bla IMP-1, bla VIM-1, bla VIM-2 e bla SPM-1. The genetic similarity of MβL-producing strains was evaluated by automated ribotyping for epidemiological typing purpose. RESULTS: Resistance rates were high to the majority of antimicrobial agents tested except polymyxin B, which inhibited all samples at the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute breakpoint (≤ 2 μg/ml). Twenty-nine (37.2%) isolates were resistant to imipenem and these isolates showed great genomic variability. MβL production was demonstrated in two imipenem-resistant isolates, which were detected using bla SPM-1 and bla IMP-2-specific primers. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of bla SPM-1 and a novel bla IMP-type gene, bla IMP-16. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed high resistance rates to the majority of antimicrobial agents among P. aeruginosa samples. High imipenem resistance rates were probably due to continuous selection of resistant mutants. The production of MβL did not represent a frequent mechanism of carbapenem resistance in this medical center; but a novel MβL was identified. Continued antimicrobial surveillance and infection control measures should be emphasized to minimize the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance.
Declarative knowledge acquisition in immersive virtual learning environments

The author investigated the interaction effect of immersive virtual reality (VR) in the classroom. The objective of the project was to develop and provide a low-cost, scalable, and portable VR system containing purposely designed and developed immersive virtual learning environments for the US Army. The purpose of the mixed design experiment was to compare lecture-based and immersive VR-based multimedia instruction, in terms of declarative knowledge acquisition (i.e. learning) of basic corrosion prevention and control with military personnel. Participants were randomly assigned to the control group (N = 115) or investigational group (N = 25) and tested immediately before and after training. The author accessed learning outcomes from the pre-exam and post-exam scores and VR system usability from exit questionnaires. Results indicate that both forms of instruction will increase learning. VR-based did produce higher gain scores and there was a statistically significant interaction between instruction type and time.
Myosin XIK is a major player in cytoplasm dynamics and is regulated by two amino acids in its tail

It has recently been found that among the 17 Arabidopsis myosins, six (XIC, XIE, XIK, XI-I, MYA1, and MYA2) have a major role in the motility of Golgi bodies and mitochondria in Nicotiana benthamiana and Nicotiana tabacum. Here, the same dominant negative tail fragments were also found to arrest the movement of Gogi bodies when transiently expressed in Arabidopsis plants. However, when a Golgi marker was transiently expressed in plants knocked out in these myosins, its movement was dramatically inhibited only in the xik mutant. In addition, a tail fragment of myosin XIK could inhibit the movement of several post-Golgi organelles, such as the trans-Golgi network, pre-vacuolar compartment, and endosomes, as well as total cytoplasmic streaming, suggesting that myosin XIK is a major player in cytoplasm kinetics. However, no co-localization of myosin tails with the arrested organelles was observed. Several deletion truncations of the myosin XIK tail were generated to corroborate function with localization. All deletion mutants possessing an inhibitory effect on organelle movement exhibited a diffuse cytoplasmic distribution. Point mutations in the tail of myosin XIK revealed that Arg1368 and Arg1443 are essential for its activity. These residues correspond to Lys1706 and Lys1779 from mouse myosin Va, which mediate the inhibitory head–tail interaction in this myosin. Therefore, such an interaction might underlie the dominant negative effect of truncated plant myosin tails and explain the mislocalization with target organelles.
When the Leader Leaves

This case study asks readers to consider what leadership actions might help to sustain success for immigrant students in a small urban high school when the leader leaves. Principal Michael Perez, the founding principal of Romero High School, has been recruited to become the superintendent of a first-ring suburban district with rapidly changing demographics. Describing himself as a hands-on “humanistic” leader, Perez established innovative curriculum and organizational structures at Romero High School to meet the language learning needs of the school’s teenage immigrant students. His impending departure requires Principal Perez, school district leaders, and his successor to determine what knowledge and skills are needed to sustain school improvements and navigate the leadership succession process.
What Is a Case?: Exploring the Foundations of Social Inquiry

Introduction 1. Cases of 'what is a case? ' Charles C. Ragin Part I. Cases Are Found: 2. Small Ns and community case studies Douglas Harper 3. What do cases do? Some notes on activity in sociological analysis Andrew Abbott Part II. Cases Are Objects: 4. Small Ns and big conclusions: an examination of the reasoning in comparative studies based on a small number of cases Stanley Lieberson 5. Theory elaboration: the heuristics of case analysis Diane Vaughan Part III. Cases Are Made: 6. Case studies: history or sociology? Michel Wieviorka 7. Making theoretical cases John Walton Part IV. Cases Are Conventions: 8. Cases on cases . of cases Jennifer Platt 9. Cases are for identity, for explanation, or for control Conclusion 10. Cases, causes, conjunctures, stories and imagery Howard C. White.
Personal, Situational, and Contextual Correlates of Coping in Adolescence

In this study, we used cross-sectional and longitudinal data to examine the personal, situational, and contextual correlates of coping in a sample of 315 adolescents. Participants completed questionnaires at two points in time (1 year apart) that assessed approach and avoidance coping in response to the mast important focal stressor experienced in the previous year. We also assessed temperament, perceived characteristics of the focal stressor, chronic stressors, ongoing resources, and negative life events. The extent to which particular coping responses were used depended on age and sex, temperament, characteristics of the problem being managed, and conditions of adolescents' social ecology. Moreover, approach- and avoidance-coping efforts were associated with different sets of personal, situational, and contextual factors. Youth who used more approach-coping responses were older, were more active, appraised the focal stressor as controllable and as a challenge, and had more ongoing social resources. Yout.
Definitional Research on African American Students and Sexual Harassment

A total of 100 African American undergraduate students were given the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ) (Fitzgerald et al., 1988) and an open-ended question assessing experiences of sexual harassment. Results showed a significant frequency of sexual imposition (19%), particularly sexual touching. Participants also clearly delineated a new category of sexual harassment previously untapped by largely Caucasian studies: comments or sexual attention based solely on racial stereotypes or racially based physical features. In conclusion, the reported differences with regard to experiences and definitions of sexual harassment indicate that previous assumptions of homogeneity of experience (with Caucasian women being the standard) appear to be incorrect.
FPGA based design of area efficient router architecture for Network on Chip (NoC)

FPGA Based design of area efficient router architecture for NoC is proposed in the present work. Design entry of the proposed router is done using Verilog Hardware Description Language (Verilog HDL). In the designed router four channels (east, west, north and south) are present. Each channel consists of first in first out (FIFO) buffers and multiplexers. Buffers are used to store data in binary form and multiplexers are used to control the data inputs and outputs. After designing the channels, crossbar switch has been designed and all the components have been integrated to form the complete router architecture. Modelsim simulator is used to simulate the proposed router and Xilinx ISE 14.1 is used to obtain the RTL view of the proposed design. The synthesis of the proposed design is done by using SPARTAN-6 FPGA. In the proposed work area of the router has been reduced by reducing the number of LUTs. Number of LUTs used in the crossbar switch is obtained by synthesis report. Obtained results show that the proposed router is area efficient.
Astrocyte-Specific Expression of Aquaporin-9 in Mouse Brain is Increased after Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Aquaporin-9 (AQP9) is a new member of the aquaporin family of water-selective channels mainly expressed in liver and testis, presenting the characteristic of also being permeable to various solutes, particularly lactate. Recent data have shown the presence of AQP9 on tanycytes in the rat brain. In the current study, the authors show the expression of AQP9 in astrocytes in the mouse brain and changes in its expression after cerebral ischemia. Indeed, in control mouse, the AQP9 immunolabeling is present on astrocytic processes bordering the subarachnoid space and ventricles. The labeling also is observed on astrocytes in the white matter, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and lateral septum. After focal transient ischemia, an increase of the immunolabeling is detected on astrocytes in periinfarct areas. This AQP9 distribution study in mouse brain suggests a role of AQP9 in water homeostasis in the central nervous system. Furthermore, the overexpression of AQP9 on astrocytes surrounding an ischemic lesion suggests that AQP9 may also play a role in the regulation of postischemia edema and, in view of its permeability to monocarboxylates, in the clearance of lactate from the ischemic focus.
Maximal Activation of Skeletal Muscle Thin Filaments Requires Both Rigor Myosin S1 and Calcium*

The regulation by calcium and rigor-bound myosin-S1 of the rate of acceleration of 2′-deoxy-3′-O-(N-methylanthraniloyl)ADP (mdADP) release from myosin-mdADP-Pi by skeletal muscle thin filaments (reconstituted from actin-tropomyosin-troponin) was measured using double mixing stopped-flow fluorescence with the nucleotide substrate 2′-deoxy-3′-O-(N-methylanthraniloyl). The predominant mechanism of regulation is the acceleration of product dissociation by a factor of ∼200 by thin filaments in the fully activated conformation (bound calcium and rigor S1) relative to the inhibited conformation (no bound calcium or rigor S1). In contrast, only 2–3-fold regulation is due to a change in actin affinity such as would be expected by “steric blocking” of the myosin binding site of the thin filament by tropomyosin. The binding of one ligand (either calcium or rigor-S1) produces partial activation of the rate of product dissociation, but the binding of both is required to maximally accelerate product dissociation to a rate similar to that obtained with F-actin in the absence of regulatory proteins. The data support an allosteric regulation model in which the binding of either calcium or rigor S1 alone to the thin filament shifts the equilibrium in favor of the active conformation, but full activation requires binding of both ligands.
Special report : Can we copy the brain? - A road map for the artificial brain

Brain - inspired computing is having a moment. Artificial neural network algorithms like deep learning, which are very loosely based on the way the human brain operates, now allow digital computers to perform such extraordinary feats as translating language, hunting for subtle patterns in huge amounts of data, and beating the best human players at Go. But even as engineers continue to push this mighty computing strategy, the energy efficiency of digital computing is fast approaching its limits. Our data centers and supercomputers already draw megawatts-some 2 percent of the electricity consumed in the United States goes to data centers alone. The human brain, by contrast, runs quite well on about 20 watts, which represents the power produced by just a fraction of the food a person eats each day. If we want to keep improving computing, we will need our computers to become more like our brains.
Association Between Hormones and Metabolic Syndrome in Older Italian Men

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether low levels of testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and high levels of cortisol and leptin would be associated with metabolic syndrome (MS).
Implications of postmodernism for science, or, science as progressive discourse

Postmodernism's rejecting of the possibility of an objective stance has led some educators to begin treating scientific knowledge as merely a matter of elite consensus ("Most scientists believe that ."). Objectivity, I argue, is not an essential claim of science, but progress is. Whether theory B is an improvement over theory A is a question that can be discussed profitably without appeal to objective truth. Such discussion constitutes what I call progressive discourse, which depends on a set of quasi-moral commitments that amount to a devotion to progress in knowledge. Among other things, this view of science as progressive discourse provides more sensible and humane ways of dealing with misconceptions, scientific methodology, and authoritative texts than does the elite consensus view.
The differential use of Spanish and Portuguese along the Uruguayan–Brazilian border

Abstract Since the late 1800s, the Uruguayan Government has attempted to enforce cultural and linguistic norms along the border with Brazil through the prohibition of Portuguese, especially in schools, despite the fact that this is the heritage language of most border residents. This research focuses on the differential use of Spanish and Portuguese in Rivera, the largest city on the border. Using self-reported data and metalinguistic commentaries extracted from interviews with 63 Spanish–Portuguese bilinguals, the use of both languages in various domains (home, school, work spaces) and with diverse interlocutors (family, friends, co-workers, superiors) is analyzed. Quantitative and qualitative analysis reveals that Portuguese, which has been marginalized for decades, is more frequently used in the home with relatives and close friends. The use of Portuguese in more formal domains, including schools, is much less frequent. The results from this study corroborate a perception within the community that Portuguese lacks the prestige of Spanish and provide further evidence of its status as a primarily home language. The current research does not show a progressive shift toward Spanish in Rivera nor does it support claims by other researchers that this community is diglossic.
Potentiation of Coronary Vasoconstriction by Beta–adrenergic Blockade in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Although,β-adrenergic blocking agents reduce myocardial oxygen consumption and symptoms of myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), propranolol has been reported to exacerbate coronary artery spasm in some patients with variant angina. To determine whether increased coronary vasomotor tone can be induced by β-adrenergic blockade, we measured the changes in coronary vascular resistance (CVR) during cold pressor testing (CPT) in 15 patients, nine with severe CAD and six with normal left coronary anatomy, before and after i.v. propranolol (0.1 mg/kg). Coronary blood flow was measured by coronary sinus thermodilution. CVR was calculated as mean arterial pressure divided by coronary sinus blood flow. Heart rate was maintained constant at a paced subanginal rate of 95 ± 5 beats/min.Before propranolol, CPT induced significant increases in coronary vascular resistance in patients with CAD (15.0 ± 2.2%, p < 0.02), but no increase in CVR in the normal patients. After propranolol, the CVR change during CPT was augmented for patients with CAD (29 ± 6%, p < 0.01) and for the normal population (9 ± 5%, NS). The potentiated increase in CVR occurred without significant changes in resting CVR or in the magnitude of the hypertensive response to CPT.We conclude that,β-adrenergic blockade with propranolol can potentiate coronary artery vasoconstriction in some patients with CAD, possibly mediated by unopposed α-adrenergic vasomotor tone. These changes may be important in patients in whom intense adrenergic stimulation may increase coronary artery tone and adversely influence the balance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand.
Nuclear size control in fission yeast

Along-standing biological question is how a eukaryotic cell controls the size of its nucleus. We report here that in fission yeast, nuclear size is proportional to cell size over a 35-fold range, and use mutants to show that a 16-fold change in nuclear DNA content does not influence the relative size of the nucleus. Multi-nucleated cells with unevenly distributed nuclei reveal that nuclei surrounded by a greater volume of cytoplasm grow more rapidly. During interphase of the cell cycle nuclear growth is proportional to cell growth, and during mitosis there is a rapid expansion of the nuclear envelope. When the nuclear/cell (N/C) volume ratio is increased by centrifugation or genetic manipulation, nuclear growth is arrested while the cell continues to grow; in contrast, low N/C ratios are rapidly corrected by nuclear growth. We propose that there is a general cellular control linking nuclear growth to cell size.
Late-Night Learning: Do Entertainment Programs Increase Political Campaign Knowledge for Young Viewers?

The fragmenting media landscape has led many, particularly younger citizens, to identify entertainment-based programs as key sources of political information. This research used national survey data to examine whether exposure to comedy and late-night programs actually informs viewers, focusing on two kinds of political knowledge thought to differ depending on the media used: recall and recognition. Some support was found for the prediction that the consumption of such programs is more associated with recognition of campaign information than with actual recall. Age, however, demonstrated modest interaction effects with viewing.
Intrinsic properties of a Burridge-Knopoff model of an earthquake fault.

We present a detailed numerical study of certain fundamental aspects of a one-dimensional homogeneous, deterministic Burridge-Knopoff model. The model is described by a massive wave equation, in which the key nonlinearity is associated with the stick-slip velocity-weakening friction force at the interface between tectonic plates. In this paper, we present results for the statistical distribution of slipping events in the limit of a very long fault and infinitesimally slow driving rates. Typically, we find that the magnitude distribution of smaller events is consistent with the Gutenberg-Richter law, while the larger events occur in excess of this distribution. The crossover from smaller to larger events is identified with a correlation length describing the transition from localized to delocalized events. We also find that there is a sharp upper cutoff describing the maximum large event. We identify how the correlation length and this upper cutoff scale with the parameters in the model. We find that both are independent of system size, while both do depend on the spatial discretization. In addition to the magnitude distribution, we present a series of measurements of other seismologically relevant quantities, including the event duration, the size of the rupture zone, and the energy release, and discussmore » the relationship between our measurements and the corresponding empirical laws in seismology. « less