Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skeletal muscle dysfunction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a debilitating disease characterized by inflammation-induced airflow limitation and parenchymal destruction. In addition to pulmonary manifestations, patients with COPD develop systemic problems, including skeletal muscle and other organ-specific dysfunctions, nutritional abnormalities, weight loss, and adverse psychological responses. Patients with COPD often complain of dyspnea on exertion, reduced exercise capacity, and develop a progressive decline in lung function with increasing age. These symptoms have been attributed to increases in the work of breathing and in impairments in gas exchange that result from airflow limitation and dynamic hyperinflation. However, there is mounting evidence to suggest that skeletal muscle dysfunction, independent of lung function, contributes significantly to reduced exercise capacity and poor quality of life in these patients. Limb and ventilatory skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD patients has been attributed to a myriad of factors, including the presence of low grade systemic inflammatory processes, nutritional depletion, corticosteroid medications, chronic inactivity, age, hypoxemia, smoking, oxidative and nitrosative stresses, protein degradation and changes in vascular density. This review briefly summarizes the contribution of these factors to overall skeletal muscle dysfunction in patients with COPD, with particular attention paid to the latest advances in the field.
Metasurface Superstrate Antenna With Wideband Circular Polarization for Satellite Communication Application

A new wideband circularly polarized antenna using metasurface superstrate for C-band satellite communication application is proposed in this letter. The proposed antenna consists of a planar slot coupling antenna with an array of metallic rectangular patches that can be viewed as a polarization-dependent metasurface superstrate. The metasurface is utilized to adjust axial ratio (AR) for wideband circular polarization. Furthermore, the proposed antenna has a compact structure with a low profile of 0. 07λ0 ( λ0 stands for the free-space wavelength at 5.25 GHz) and ground size of 34.5×28 mm2. Measured results show that the -10-dB impedance bandwidth for the proposed antenna is 33.7% from 4.2 to 5.9 GHz, and 3-dB AR bandwidth is 16.5% from 4.9 to 5.9 GHz with an average gain of 5.8 dBi. The simulated and measured results are in good agreement to verify the good performance of the proposed antenna.
Time, Money and the Gender Order: Work Orientations and Working‐Time Preferences in Britain

In the context of economic restructuring and the reorganization of working time, the question of working-time preferences is emerging as an important component of both academic and policy debates. Much of the debate about preferences is based upon conjuncture or inadequate indicators, often drawing oppositional models of gender differences in preferences which neglect the similarities between the sexes. This article starts by developing a framework for interpreting preference formation and change, with particular emphasis on the societal institutional system and existing national working-time regime in which individuals' behaviour and preferences are located. This framework is then applied to highlight the particular features of the national working-time regime and associated ‘gender order’ in Britain, followed by an analysis of gender similarities and differences in work orientations and working-time preferences in this country. The results show that work orientations and working-time preferences are related to labour market circumstances for both sexes. Similarity between women and men in the influences of workplace variables coexists with a gender-differentiated effect of household circumstances on the types of work schedules preferred; childcare and domestic responsibilities figure more largely in women's accounts of their preferences than in men's. For both, however, the most popular reform would be increased time sovereignty in the organization of their work schedules.
On the cross-biorthogonal representation

A novel cross term deleted Wigner representation can be obtained by expanding the Wigner distribution (WD) in terms of two complementary Gabor coefficients of the signal and a translated set of Wigner basis functions. Two such complementary Gabor coefficients of a signal can be obtained by reversing the role of the Gabor synthesis window h(t) and its biorthogonal function b(t). Such a representation is defined here, as the cross-biorthogonal representation (XBIO). Details of derivation of this new representation is provided in this paper. The choice of the synthesis functions and their corresponding biorthogonal functions with respect to (i) concentration/resolution capabilities, (ii) redundancy vs. minimum-dimension tradeoffs, (iii) noise reduction and (iv) basis set properties of the XBIO representation are also discussed. Simulation results are provided to substantiate the theoretical findings.
Fat-Associated Lymphoid Clusters in Inflammation and Immunity

Fat-associated lymphoid clusters (FALCs) are atypical lymphoid tissues that were originally identified in mouse and human mesenteries due to that they contain a high number of type 2 innate lymphoid cells/nuocytes/natural helper cells. FALCs are located on adipose tissues in mucosal surfaces such as the mediastinum, pericardium, and gonadal fat. Importantly, these clusters contain B1, B2 and T lymphocytes as well as myeloid and other innate immune cell populations. The developmental cues of FALC formation have started to emerge, showing that these clusters depend on a different set of molecules and cells than secondary lymphoid tissues for their formation. Here, we review the current knowledge on FALC formation, and we compare FALCs and omental milky spots and their responses to inflammation.
Computer aided breast cancer diagnosis system with fuzzy multiple-parameter support vector machine

Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) system has been proven that it can be utilized as the secondary option for physicians for early breast cancer detection. A typical CAD system consists of several phases like image segmentation, feature extraction and selection, classification. Among those phases, the classification phase is one of the important phases that directly affect the performance of the entire system. Therefore the main issue is to enhance the classification phase to construct better decision-making procedure comparing to conventional classification phase by assigning enhanced logic. In this paper, we propose a Fuzzy Multiple-parameter Support Vector Machine (SVM), which will be used in the CAD system. The proposed method uses fuzzy membership to tune up each training data points by assigning proper weight, corresponding to its feature, and adopts multiple parameters as a classifier for SVM, which further improves the machine-learning process to a more robust level. The experimental result shows that the proposed method is far more superior to the existing SVM in terms of performance, sensitivity and accuracy. Additionally, the result suggests for more sophisticated and complex approach to the current classification for CAD system.
Effect of Bending Rigidity on the Knotting of a Polymer under Tension

A coarse-grained computational model is used to investigate how the bending rigidity of a polymer under tension affects the formation of a trefoil knot. Thermodynamic integration techniques are applied to demonstrate that the free-energy cost of forming a knot has a minimum at nonzero bending rigidity. The position of the minimum exhibits a power-law dependence on the applied tension. For knotted polymers with nonuniform bending rigidity, the knots preferentially localize in the region with a bending rigidity that minimizes the free energy.
Living Apart (or) Together? Coresidence of Elderly Parents and Their Adult Children in Europe

Coresidence of elderly parents and adult children is a special form of intergenerational relations that is not uncommon in European societies. Why do adult children and parents live together? In what way do individual characteristics, family structures, and cultural contexts play a crucial role? How can differences between countries be explained? Are there discrepancies between adult generations sharing the same household and those who live in separate homes within the same building (“near coresidence”)? The empirical analyses reported in this article are based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. The findings prove the importance of individual needs and opportunities of children and parents as well as the relevance of family structures. Country comparisons show that welfare-state arrangements have a substantial effect. In fact, coresidence appears to be a response to economic insecurities at both individual and societal levels.
Is the CVI an acceptable indicator of content validity? Appraisal and recommendations.

Nurse researchers typically provide evidence of content validity for instruments by computing a content validity index (CVI), based on experts' ratings of item relevance. We compared the CVI to alternative indexes and concluded that the widely-used CVI has advantages with regard to ease of computation, understandability, focus on agreement of relevance rather than agreement per se, focus on consensus rather than consistency, and provision of both item and scale information. One weakness is its failure to adjust for chance agreement. We solved this by translating item-level CVIs (I-CVIs) into values of a modified kappa statistic. Our translation suggests that items with an I-CVI of . 78 or higher for three or more experts could be considered evidence of good content validity.
H.I.V.E.: Higher Institute of Villainous Education (review)

Book file PDF easily for everyone and every device. You can download and read online H.I. V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education) file PDF Book only if you are registered here. And also you can download or read online all Book PDF file that related with H.I. V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education) book. Happy reading H.I. V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education) Bookeveryone. Download file Free Book PDF H.I. V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education) at Complete PDF Library. This Book have some digital formats such us :paperbook, ebook, kindle, epub, fb2 and another formats. Here is The Complete PDF Book Library. It's free to register here to get Book file PDF H.I. V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education).
The behavior of young children in a strange situation

The social behavior of young children was assessed in a strange situation which was to become increasingly more stressful. The strange-situation procedure reported by Ainsworth & Wittig (1969) was repeated as closely as possible. Children between 1 and 11/2 years were accompanied by their mothers or by a female stranger in various combinations, or were alone, according to a prearranged sequence. The data were subjected to a commonality analysis (Masters & Wellman, 1974). Common changes in the frequencies of 20 behavior items were noted across the different episodes. The physicaldistance relationship between the child and its companion, the exploratory behavior of the child, and individual differences among the children were analyzed in light of Bowlby's attachment theory. The results gave some support to the findings reported by Ainsworth and her group, but also pointed to functional differences between the behavior items examined. The results on crying were compared with those of Ainsworth & Wittig (1969), showing a fair degree of agreement. Finally, the subjects were divided into groups according to an operationalization of the criteria given by Ainsworth et al. (1971). Often children, only three could unequivocally be placed in one of eight groups. This suggests that it may be difficult to use the group characterization proposed by Ainsworth et al.
Effects of Dark Brooders on Behavior and Fearfulness in Layers

Simple Summary Chicks require heat to maintain body temperature during the first weeks after hatch. Heat is normally provided by use of heating lamps or whole-house heating, but an alternative is dark brooders, i.e. horizontal heating elements equipped with curtains. The effects of providing layer chicks with dark brooders during the brooding period on behavior and fearfulness were investigated. Brooders resulted in chicks showing less locomotive activity, feather pecking and fleeing. Also, a long-term reduction of fearfulness in brooder birds was found. Results support the suggestion that rearing with dark brooders can be a successful method of reducing or preventing some of the major welfare problems in layers. Abstract Chicks require heat to maintain body temperature during the first weeks after hatch. This may be provided by dark brooders; i.e., horizontal heating elements equipped with curtains. The objective was to test effects of rearing layer chicks with dark brooders on time budget and fearfulness. Behavioral observations were performed during the first six weeks of age. Three different fear tests were conducted when the birds were age 3–6, 14–15 and 26–28 weeks. During the first four days, brooder chicks rested more than control chicks whereas they spent less time drinking, feather pecking and on locomotion (p ≤ 0.009). On days 16, 23, 30 and 42, brooder chicks spent less time on feather pecking, locomotion and fleeing (p ≤ 0.01) whereas foraging and dust bathing occurred more often on day 42 (p ≤ 0.032). Brooder birds had shorter durations of tonic immobility at all ages (p = 0.0032), moved closer to the novel object at age 15 weeks (p < 0.0001), and had shorter latencies to initiate locomotion in the open-field test at age 28 weeks (p < 0.0001). Results support the suggestion that dark brooders can be a successful method of reducing or preventing fear and feather pecking in layers.
Physical Activity- and Alcohol-dependent Association Between Air Pollution Exposure and Elevated Liver Enzyme Levels: An Elderly Panel Study

Objectives: The deleterious effects of air pollution on various health outcomes have been demonstrated. However, few studies have examined the effects of air pollution on liver enzyme levels. Methods: Blood samples were drawn up to three times between 2008 and 2010 from 545 elderly individuals who regularly visited a community welfare center in Seoul, Korea. Data regarding ambient air pollutants (particulate matter ≤2.5 μm [PM2.5], nitrogen dioxide [NO2], ozone [O3], carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide) from monitoring stations were used to estimate air pollution exposure. The effects of the air pollutants on the concentrations of three liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase [AST], alanine aminotransferase [ALT], and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase [γ-GTP)]) were evaluated using generalized additive and linear mixed models. Results: Interquartile range increases in the concentrations of the pollutants showed significant associations of PM2.5 with AST (3.0% increase, p=0.0052), ALT (3.2% increase, p=0.0313), and γ-GTP (5.0% increase, p=0.0051) levels; NO2 with AST (3.5% increase, p=0.0060) and ALT (3.8% increase, p=0.0179) levels; and O3 with γ-GTP (5.3% increase, p=0.0324) levels. Significant modification of these effects by exercise and alcohol consumption was found (p for interaction <0.05). The effects of air pollutants were greater in non-exercisers and heavy drinkers. Conclusions: Short-term exposure to air pollutants such as PM2.5, NO2, and O3 is associated with increased liver enzyme levels in the elderly. These adverse effects can be reduced by exercising regularly and abstinence from alcohol.
Learning the CAPM through Bubbles

Bubbles are generally considered the outcome of investor irrationality or informational asymmetry, both objectionable in efficient markets with rational investors. We introduce an Intertemporal-CAPM with market clearing between high- and low-risk-averse rational investors who learn the CAPM under incomplete, yet symmetric information. Periodic equilibrium prices make a lognormal price process that nests the classic CAPM with a potential for endogenous bubbles through learning. The absence of comparables through the introductory phase of new technologies results in unstable return dynamics that might burst to bubbles or decline to near-zero, â€œpink-sheetâ€ valuations. When the technology shifts phase to generate real profits the return dynamics is convergent, revealing the classic CAPM. Once the real technology return is observable, over- and under-pricing can be assessed, resulting in prompt positive or negative price adjustments toward the CAPM valuation. Correspondence with the Abreu and Brunnermeier (2003) model of bubbles with rational arbitrageurs is presented as well.
Curcumin: A Naturally Occurring Modulator of Adipokines in Diabetes

Curcumin, the bioactive component of turmeric, has been used for the treatment of several diseases including diabetes and its complications. Curcumin has been shown to exert pleiotropic effects by modulating different signaling molecules, including transcription factors, chemokines, cytokines, and adipokines. Disturbed regulation of adipokines, which include adiponectin, leptin, resistin, and visfatin, are implicated in the development of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Here, we review the findings of in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies on the modulating effects that curcumin treatment exerts on adipokines. Additionally, we examine the potential beneficial effects of the activity of curcumin in the prevention and treatment of diabetes and its comorbidities. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 4170–4182, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Stability of Rotors and Focal Sources for Human Atrial Fibrillation: Focal Impulse and Rotor Mapping (FIRM) of AF Sources and Fibrillatory Conduction

Several groups report electrical rotors or focal sources that sustain atrial fibrillation (AF) after it has been triggered. However, it is difficult to separate stable from unstable activity in prior studies that examined only seconds of AF. We applied phase‐based focal impulse and rotor mapping (FIRM) to study the dynamics of rotors/sources in human AF over prolonged periods of time.
Investigating the attentional blink with predicted targets

• Targets were red letters while distractors were black letters. • Trial began with a green letter predicting either T1 or T2 (See Figure 1). • Validity of correct prediction varied (See Table 1). • SOA was 96 ms (24 ms letter duration with 72 ms blank ISI). Lags were 1-5. • Confirm strategy: subjects self-reported using green letter to identify target. Ignore strategy: subjects self-reported not using green letter to identify target. Figure 2: Experiment 1: T1 predicted on 75% of trials
Performance of work conserving schedulers and scheduling of some synchronous dataflow graphs

We know a lot about competitive or approximation ratios of scheduling algorithms. This, though, cannot be translated into direct bounds on the schedule produced by a scheduling algorithm, because often the optimal solution is intractable. We derive a methodology to find absolute bounds on the scheduling of jobs with precedence constraints on parallel identical machines. Our bounds hold for a large class of online and offline scheduling algorithms: the "work conserving" scheduling algorithms. We apply this methodology to prove that an important class of synchronous dataflow graphs $the parallelized pipelines -has very good performance characteristics when scheduled by a work conserving scheduler. Real time guarantees and granularity design for these dataflow graphs are discussed. We argue that parallelized pipelines should be dynamically scheduled on multiprocessor architectures.
Effect of propionate on fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis and on acetate metabolism in isolated rat hepatocytes

In the present study the actual role of propionic acid in the control of fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis was investigated in isolated liver cells from fed rats maintained in the presence of near-physiological concentrations of glucose, glutamine and acetate. Using 3H2O for lipid labelling, propionate appears as an effective inhibitor of fatty acid synthesis and to a lesser extent of cholesterol synthesis, even at the lowest concentration used (0·6 mmol/l). Butyrate is a potent activator of both synthetic pathways, and the activating effect was not counteracted by propionate. Using 1-[14C]acetate, it was observed that propionate at a moderate concentration, or 1 mmol oleate/l, are both very effective inhibitors of 14C incorporation into fatty acid and cholesterol. This incorporation was drastically inhibited when propionate and oleate were present together in the incubation medium. The net utilization of acetate by rat hepatocytes was impaired by propionate, in contrast to oleate. 1-[14C]butyrate was utilized at a high rate for fatty acid synthesis, but to a lesser extent for cholesterol synthesis; both processes were unaffected by propionate. Intracellular citrate concentration was not markedly depressed by propionate, whereas it was strongly elevated by butyrate. In conclusion, propionate may represent an effective inhibitor of lipid synthesis when acetate is a major source of acetyl-CoA, a situation which is encountered with diets rich in readily-fermentable fibres. The present findings also suggest that propionate may be effective at concentrations close to values measured in vivo in the portal vein.
Protein Arginine Methylation in Candida albicans: Role in Nuclear Transport

ABSTRACT Protein arginine methylation plays a key role in numerous eukaryotic processes, such as protein transport and signal transduction. In Candida albicans, two candidate protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) have been identified from the genome sequencing project. Based on sequence comparison, C. albicans candidate PRMTs display similarity to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hmt1 and Rmt2. Here we demonstrate functional homology of Hmt1 between C. albicans and S. cerevisiae: CaHmt1 supports growth of S. cerevisiae strains that require Hmt1, and CaHmt1 methylates Npl3, a major Hmt1 substrate, in S. cerevisiae. In C. albicans strains lacking CaHmt1, asymmetric dimethylarginine and ω-monomethylarginine levels are significantly decreased, indicating that Hmt1 is the major C. albicans type I PRMT1. Given the known effects of type I PRMTs on nuclear transport of RNA-binding proteins, we tested whether Hmt1 affects nuclear transport of a putative Npl3 ortholog in C. albicans. CaNpl3 allows partial growth of S. cerevisiae npl3Δ strains, but its arginine-glycine-rich C terminus can fully substitute for that of ScNpl3 and also directs methylation-sensitive association with ScNpl3. Expression of green fluorescent protein-tagged CaNpl3 proteins in C. albicans strains with and without CaHmt1 provides evidence for CaHmt1 facilitating export of CaNpl3 in this fungus. We have also identified the C. albicans Rmt2, a type IV fungus- and plant-specific PRMT, by amino acid analysis of an rmt2Δ/rmt2Δ strain, as well as biochemical evidence for additional cryptic PRMTs.