Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High frequency ultrasonic attenuation and backscatter measurements of rat blood

There has recently been a great deal of interest in noninvasive high-frequency ultrasound imaging of small animals such as rats due to them being the preferred animal model for gene therapy and cancer research. Imaging rats using high-frequency ultrasound at frequencies above 30 MHz has become a crucial tool in many preclinical studies. Consequently, a clear understanding of the high frequency ultrasound backscattering and attenuation properties of rat blood is crucial for the design and future development of high frequency ultrasound Doppler and power Doppler imaging systems for rats. In the present study, the attenuation and backscattering coefficients of rat (Wistar rats) red blood cell (RBC) suspensions and whole blood with hematocrits ranging from 6% to 40% were measured between 30 and 60 MHz. Due to the focused transducers were used, a modified substitution approach was used for accurately measuring these ultrasonic parameters. The attenuation coefficients of rat blood were found to increase linearly with frequency and hematocrit. The average attenuation coefficient of rat whole blood with a hematocrit of 40% increased from 0.26 Nepers/mm at 30 MHz to 0.47 Nepers/mm at 60 MHz. The maximum backscattering coefficients of rat RBC suspensions were between 10% and 15% hematocrits at all frequencies. The fourth-power dependence of backscatter on frequency was approximately valid for rat RBC suspensions with hematocrits between 6% and 40%. The backscattering coefficient plateaued for hematocrits higher than 20% in rat whole blood, and shifted to a hematocrit of 10% at a higher speed. Due to the low RBC aggregation level in rat blood, the scattering properties of rat RBCs in plasma are similar to those of RBCs in saline at a higher rotation speed.
Effect of endurance exercise training on left ventricular size and remodeling in older adults with hypertension.

BACKGROUND It is not known whether exercise training can induce a reduction of blood pressure (BP) and a regression of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in older hypertensive subjects. This study was designed to determine whether endurance exercise training, by lowering BP, can induce regression of LVH and left ventricular (LV) concentric remodeling in older hypertensive adults. METHODS We studied 11 older adults with mild to moderate hypertension (BP 152.0 +/- 2.5/91.3 +/- 1.5 mm Hg, mean +/- SE), 65.5 +/- 1.2 years old, who exercised for 6.8 +/- 3.8 months. Seven sedentary hypertensive (BP 153 +/- 3/89 +/- 2 mm Hg) subjects, 68.5 +/- 1 years old, served as controls. LV size and geometry and function were assessed with the use of two-dimensional echocardiography. RESULTS Exercise training increased aerobic power by 16% (p < .001), and it decreased systolic (p < .05) and diastolic (p < .05) BP, LV wall thickness (from 12.8 +/- 0.4 mm to 11.3 +/- 0.3 mm; p < .05), and the wall thickness-to-radius (h/r) ratio (from 0.48 +/- 0.02 to 0.41 +/- 0.01; p < .05). There were no significant changes in the controls. The changes in LV mass index (deltaLVMI) were different between the two groups. LV mass index decreased in the exercise group (deltaLVMI - 14.3 +/- 3.3 g) but not in the controls (deltaLVMI 1.4 +/- 4.1 g; p = .009). A multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that among clinical and physiological variables including changes in resting systolic BP, aerobic power, body mass index, and systolic BP during submaximal and maximal exercise, only the reduction in resting systolic BP correlated significantly with a regression of concentric remodeling (delta h/r ratio r = .80; p = .003). The other variables did not add to the ability of the model to predict changes in the h/r ratio. CONCLUSIONS The data suggest that exercise training can reduce BP and induce partial regression of LVH and LV concentric remodeling in older adults with mild or moderate hypertension.
Restoring America's Lagging Investment in Capital Goods

THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION FOUNDATION | OCTOBER 2013 Investment in new equipment and software is the primary means through which innovation—the key driver of economic growth—diffuses throughout the economy. Without new capital investment refreshing a nation’s capital stock, innovation loses its power, productivity growth stagnates, and national economic competitiveness declines. It is troubling, then, that over the past decade, business investment rates in the United States have stagnated. Between 1980 and 1989, business investment in equipment, software and structures grew by 2.7 percent per year on average and 5.2 percent per year between 1990 and 1999. But between 2000 and 2011 it grew by just 0.5 percent per year—less than a fifth of that of the 1980s and less than one tenth that of the 1990s. Moreover, as a share of GDP, business investment has declined by more than three percentage points since 1980.
Mycoplasma genitalium incidence, organism load, and treatment failure in a cohort of young Australian women.

BACKGROUND Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) is an emerging sexually transmitted infection (STI) that is potentially associated with reproductive tract sequelae in women. This study aimed to estimate MG incidence and treatment failure and provide estimates of organism load in infection. METHODS 1110 women aged 16-25 years were recruited from primary care clinics in Australia. Women were tested for MG at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months, and MG organism load was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). MG-positive cases were screened for MG 23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene point mutations shown to confer azithromycin resistance using high-resolution melt following PCR. RESULTS MG incidence rate was 1.3 per 100 person-years (n=14; 95% confidence interval [CI], .8-2.3); women reporting 3 or more sex partners in the last 12 months had an increased rate of incident infection (rate ratio [RR], 5.1; 95% CI, 1.3-19.6]). There were 3 cases of MG reinfection (0.8 per 100 person-years [95% CI, .1-.9]. Organism load was higher for prevalent than incident infection (P=.04). There were 3 cases of treatment failure (9.4% [95% CI, 2.0-25.0]); organism load was higher in cases with treatment failure than in successfully treated cases (P<.01). An MG 23S rRNA mutation was detected in 5 cases (3 cases of treatment failure and 2 successfully treated). CONCLUSIONS Although MG incidence was relatively low, testing should be recommended for women considered to be at increased risk based on sexual history. Our results also suggest that organism load might be important in azithromycin treatment failure.
Analysis of studies on the travel motivations of senior tourists from 1980 to 2017: progress and future directions

ABSTRACT As the global senior population expands, there is increasing scholarly interest in the intersection between tourism and the aging population. After nearly four decades of scholarly inquiry, there is the need for a comprehensive review of emerging studies. Therefore, this study was initiated to investigate publications on senior tourists’ motivations from 1980 to 2017. Specific objectives include the identification of publication trends over the years, the identification of research methodologies, and an analysis of the nature of the motivations that have emerged over the past three decades. To accomplish these, a systematic and snow-balling process was employed to identify relevant publications on travel motivations. Furthermore, a classification of senior tourists’ motivations into domains is provided. The findings suggest a potential increase in publications in the coming decades, domination of certain markets, including the USA, Australia, and China, the emergence of four broad senior travel motivation domains divided into 13 sub-domains, and some distinctiveness and similarities in senior travel motivations in comparison with other motivation schemes. These motives vary across different generations of seniors. The variables identified in this study provide a useful theoretical understanding of the senior travel phenomenon and for future studies.
Conceptions of Social Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurship in Europe and the United States: Convergences and Divergences

Abstract The concepts of social enterprise and social entrepreneurship are making amazing breakthroughs in EU countries and the United States. Until recently, the debates on both sides of the Atlantic have taken place in parallel trajectories with few connections among them. In the first part of the paper, we describe the European and US historical landscapes in which those concepts took root. In the second part, we analyse how the various conceptualizations have evolved. This analysis paves the way for the third part, in which we highlight the conceptual convergences and divergences among regions as well as within the US and European landscapes.
Severity of Autism is Related to Children's Language Processing

Problems in language processing have been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with some research attributing the problems to overall language skills rather than a diagnosis of ASD. Lexical access was assessed in a looking‐while‐listening task in three groups of 5‐ to 7‐year‐old children; two had high‐functioning ASD (HFA), an ASD severe (ASD‐S) group (n = 16) and an ASD moderate (ASD‐M) group (n = 21). The third group were typically developing (TD) (n = 48). Participants heard sentences of the form “Where's the x? ” and their eye movements to targets (e.g., train), phonological competitors (e.g., tree), and distractors were recorded. Proportions of looking time at target were analyzed within 200 ms intervals. Significant group differences were found between the ASD‐S and TD groups only, at time intervals 1000–1200 and 1200–1400 ms postonset. The TD group was more likely to be fixated on target. These differences were maintained after adjusting for language, verbal and nonverbal IQ, and attention scores. An analysis using parent report of autistic‐like behaviors showed higher scores to be associated with lower proportions of looking time at target, regardless of group. Further analysis showed fixation for the TD group to be significantly faster than for the ASD‐S. In addition, incremental processing was found for all groups. The study findings suggest that severity of autistic behaviors will impact significantly on children's language processing in real life situations when exposed to syntactically complex material. They also show the value of using online methods for understanding how young children with ASD process language. Autism Res 2014, 7: 687–694. © 2014 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of dietary fatty acids on insulin sensitivity and secretion

Globalization and global market have contributed to increased consumption of high‐fat, energy‐dense diets, particularly rich in saturated fatty acids( SFAs). Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) regulate fuel partitioning within the cells by inducing their own oxidation through the reduction of lipogenic gene expression and the enhancement of the expression of those genes controlling lipid oxidation and thermogenesis. Moreover, PUFAs prevent insulin resistance by increasing membrane fluidity and GLUT4 transport. In contrast, SFAs are stored in non‐adipocyte cells as triglycerides (TG) leading to cellular damage as a sequence of their lipotoxicity. Triglyceride accumulation in skeletal muscle cells (IMTG) derives from increased FA uptake coupled with deficient FA oxidation. High levels of circulating FAs enhance the expression of FA translocase the FA transport proteins within the myocites. The biochemical mechanisms responsible for lower fatty acid oxidation involve reduced carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) activity, as a likely consequence of increased intracellular concentrations of malonyl‐CoA; reduced glycogen synthase activity; and impairment of insulin signalling and glucose transport. The depletion of IMTG depots is strictly associated with an improvement of insulin sensitivity, via a reduced acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (ACC) mRNA expression and an increased GLUT4 expression and pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity. In pancreatic islets, TG accumulation causes impairment of insulin secretion. In rat models, β‐cell dysfunction is related to increased triacylglycerol content in islets, increased production of nitric oxide, ceramide synthesis and β‐cell apoptosis. The decreased insulin gene promoter activity and binding of the pancreas‐duodenum homeobox‐1 (PDX‐1) transcription factor to the insulin gene seem to mediate TG effect in islets. In humans, acute and prolonged effects of FAs on glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion have been widely investigated as well as the effect of high‐fat diets on insulin sensitivity and secretion and on the development of type 2 diabetes.
Tactifloor: design and evaluation of vibration signals for doorway reminder systems

The forgetting of objects is an everyday problem. Current research projects develop doorway reminder systems which are supposed to remind the user of certain objects or events before leaving home. At present the focus of research is mainly on the technical design of the recognition of persons and objects. For this reason we are concentrating on the design and evaluation of possible system feedback. In particular, the target group of the digital natives is familiar with the concept of tactile feedback for reminder functions. Therefore known vibration patterns were used, which are to be transferred to the user via the floor. This solution was implemented in a first prototype. A user study with 19 volunteers showed a general acceptance of tactile feedback via floor panel and the cognitive link of the vibration patterns with reminder notifications.
NON‐AFRICAN BURKITT'S LYMPHOMA IN A YOUNG WOMAN

Non‐African Burkitt's lymphoma is presented in a 29‐year‐old, unmarried woman, who developed tumors in both breasts and ovaries, ascites and pleural effusion. Assessment of B cells in the tumor cells, derived from ascites, pleural effusion and tumor tissue is 90%, surface IgM being consisted of 86%, in an average. Histologically, the tumor tissue demonstrates prominent, so‐called starry‐sky effect, and cytologically, tumor cells are poorly‐differentiated lymphocytoid ceUs in their features.
Williams syndrome: ophthalmological examination and review of systemic manifestations.

PURPOSE To evaluate the frequency and severity of ophthalmic manifestations and associated diseases, as well as the epidemiological data in patients with Williams syndrome. METHODS The authors prospectively studied 30 patients clinically diagnosed as having Williams syndrome as confirmed by the fluorescence in situ hybridization test. Patient history included gender, age, race, education level, previous illnesses, and surgeries. The ophthalmologic examination included best-corrected visual acuity, dynamic and static refraction, extraocular motility test, stereopsis test (Titmus and Lang), and direct and indirect funduscopy. RESULTS Thirty patients were included in this study. The mean age was 14.5 ± 1.38 years (range: 7 to 26 years). Fifty percent of the patients were male and 50% were female. Among the children examined, 77% had a refractive error. Hyperopia and astigmatism were noted in 67% and 20% of the patients, respectively, and myopia in 7%. Only one case of amblyopia was noted. On external examination, 23% of children had epicanthus; via biomicroscopy, 3 children with stellate patterns of the irides were observed. Eleven patients (36.6%) had measurable strabismus, 9 (82%) had esotropia, and 2 (18%) had exotropia. Binocular vision was abnormal in 43% of patients. Diffuse arteriovenous tortuosity on funduscopy was observed in 27% of patients. CONCLUSIONS Williams syndrome is rare and is associated with multiple phenotypes and diseases that are susceptible to treatment. Multidisciplinary clinical management is critical and, in some cases, surgical intervention is required.
Laboratory calibration and validation of the Biotrainer and Actitrac activity monitors.

PURPOSE The Biotrainer and Actitrac activity monitors (IM Systems) offer potential research advantages over existing accelerometry-based activity monitors, but they have not been tested under controlled conditions. The purpose of this study was to develop and test laboratory-based prediction equations for both monitors to estimate energy expenditure (EE) for walking/running movements. METHODS Participants in the study wore a Biotrainer and Actitrac monitor on both hips and completed three paced bouts on the treadmill (3, 4, and 6 mph for 6 min each). Metabolic data collected using an indirect calorimetry system were used as the criterion measure. Multiple regression techniques were performed to develop prediction equations, and these equations were then applied to data from a separate sample for cross-validation purposes. Reliability was also examined. RESULTS The correlations between the raw counts from each monitor and the measured metabolic variables ranged from r = 0.74-0.88 for the Biotrainer and from r = 0.81-0.91 for the Actitrac. The equations predicting EE (kcal x min-1) from counts yielded strong validation results for both the Biotrainer (R2 = 0.88, SEE = 1.47) and the Actitrac (R2 = 0.91, SEE = 1.24). When used on the cross-validation sample, the correlations between measured and predicted EE were r = 0.93 (Biotrainer) and r = 0.94 (Actitrac). Intraclass reliability coefficients computed between the left and right monitors ranged from 0.60 to 0.71 (Biotrainer) and 0.80 to 0.87 (Actitrac). When the equation developed from one side was applied to data from the monitor on the other side, there were no significant differences in predicted and measured EE for most comparisons. CONCLUSION The results support the validity of Biotrainer and Actitrac monitors for estimating energy expenditure under controlled conditions.
Identification of common words to improve self-confidence in Japanese students with subthreshold depression

Abstract Background Subthreshold depression (StD) is more common than major depressive disorder. Objective The study aimed to identify common words to improve self-confidence in Japanese university students with StD for developing a smartphone application to help those with StD. Methods In this cross-sectional study, words participants used to improve their self-confidence were gathered using self-report questionnaires in 154 university students in Japan. The words used to improve self-confidence were categorized using a computerized text analysis method based on the frequency of appearance. Results Participants were 154 male and females [StD group (n = 82) and healthy control (HC) group (n = 72); median age = 20 years]. A total of 290 words for improving self-confidence were identified. In the StD group, the keywords that appeared with the highest frequencies were “can”, “let’s try”, “good luck”, “able”, and “don’t worry”. The keywords that occurred with the highest frequencies (the top eight) were common across both groups. The keywords were grouped into eight categories. The “encouragement” and “praise” categories were found in the responses of more than 80% of participants in both groups. Frequencies of the “determination” and “trust” categories were significantly higher in the StD group than in the HC group. Conclusions We conclude that “can”, “let’s try”, and “good luck” are the most common words that Japanese students with StD use when describing how they improve their self-confidence. Future work will use these common words to develop a smartphone application to help those suffering from StD.
Stuttering treatment research 1970-2005: I. Systematic review incorporating trial quality assessment of behavioral, cognitive, and related approaches.

PURPOSE To complete a systematic review, with trial quality assessment, of published research about behavioral, cognitive, and related treatments for developmental stuttering. Goals included the identification of treatment recommendations and research needs based on the available high-quality evidence about stuttering treatment for preschoolers, school-age children, adolescents, and adults. METHOD Multiple readers reviewed 162 articles published between 1970 and 2005, using a written data extraction instrument developed as a synthesis of existing standards and recommendations. Articles were then assessed using 5 methodological criteria and 4 outcomes criteria, also developed from previously published recommendations. RESULTS Analyses found 39 articles that met at least 4 of the 5 methodological criteria and were considered to have met a trial quality inclusion criterion for the purposes of this review. Analysis of those articles identified a range of stuttering treatments that met speech-related and/or social, emotional, or cognitive outcomes criteria. CONCLUSIONS Review of studies that met the trial quality inclusion criterion established for this review suggested that response-contingent principles are the predominant feature of the most powerful treatment procedures for young children who stutter. The most powerful treatments for adults, with respect to both speech outcomes and social, emotional, or cognitive outcomes, appear to combine variants of prolonged speech, self-management, response contingencies, and other infrastructural variables. Other specific clinical recommendations for each age group are provided, as are suggestions for future research.
Taking Time Use Seriously: Income, Wages and Price Discrimination

The American Time Use Survey 2003-15, the French Enquete Emploi du Temps, 2009-10, and the German Zeitverwendungserhebung, 2012-13, have sufficient observations to allow examining the theory of household production in much more detail than ever before. We identify income effects on time use by non-workers, showing that relatively time-intensive commodities—sleep and TV-watching—are inferior. For workers we identify income and substitution effects separately, with both in the same direction on these commodities as the income effects among non-workers. We rationalize the results by generalizing Becker’s (1965) “commodity production” model, allowing both substitution between time and goods in household production and substitution among commodities in utility functions. We then use the evidence of price discrimination in product markets against minorities in the U.S. and immigrants in France to motivate an extension of the model that predicts how household production differs between members of these groups and the majority. We find the predicted results—minorities engage in more time-intensive activities, sleep and TV-watching, than otherwise identical majority-group members.