Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barriers and Enablers to Physical Activity Participation in Patients With COPD: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

PURPOSE: Physical activity (PA) has been shown to improve symptoms in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Despite the high health and financial costs, the uptake of management strategies, particularly participation in PA and pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), are low. The review objective here was to identify potential barriers and enablers, which people with COPD report being associated with their participation in PA programs, including PR. METHODS: A systematic search was undertaken to identify studies (published Jan 2000 to Aug 2011) reporting any barriers and enablers experienced by people with COPD regarding participation in PA and PR. Methodological quality of the studies was appraised using McMaster critical appraisal tools. A narrative summary of findings was undertaken reporting on individual study characteristics, country of origin, participants, and potential barriers and enablers. RESULTS: Eleven studies (8 qualitative and 3 quantitative) met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Several methodological issues (small sampling, poor description of data collection and analysis, issues with generalizability of the research findings) were common among included studies. Barriers identified included changing health status, personal issues, lack of support, external factors, ongoing smoking, and program-specific barriers. Enablers identified included social support, professional support, personal drivers, personal benefit, control of condition, specific goals, and program-specific enablers. CONCLUSION: The findings from this review may assist health professionals, patients, care givers and the wider community to develop effective strategies to promote participation in PA and PR among people with COPD.
[Determination of free fatty acids in milk and dairy products by reversed-phase HPLC with fluorescence detection].

A highly sensitive HPLC with fluorescence detection was developed for the determination of free fatty acids (FFAs) in milk and dairy products. For this purpose, the FFAs were extracted from small amounts of milk (1.0 mL), cheese (0.5 g) and butter (0.5 g) using Sep-Pak cartridge columns, and then derivatized to 9-anthrylmethyl esters with 9-anthryldiazomethane (ADAM). Good separations of the ADAM derivatives of 16 FFAs (C4-C18) that exist in milk, cheese and butter, which permitted quantitative estimation of their individual FFAs, were achieved by HPLC on a C18 column (Cadenza CD-C18, 150 x 3 mm i.d.) using gradient elution with methanol and water. The acid values calculated from the contents of individual FFAs were in good agreement with those obtained by the conventional titration method. These results demonstrate that the present HPLC method is simple, sensitive and precise, and could be utilized widely for determination of the FFAs in milk and dairy products.
Postmaturity in the Rat: Glucose Metabolism in the Fetus and the Neonate

Summary: The present study was designed to investigate glucose metabolism in the postmature fetus and newborn. In the fetus, the decreased hepatic glycogen content together with the decrease by the same percentage of total hepatic glycogen radioactivity from directly injected [6-3H]glucose demonstrate that fetal glycogenolysis occurs during prolonged gestation. Moreover, fetal glycogen synthesis as tested by in vivo [6-3H]glucose incorporation experiments is inhibited. In vivo experiments with [14C]lactate are consistent with gluconeogenesis, being inactive in the postmature fetus as well as in the normal-term fetus. During the first hr after delivery, our in vivo data about conversion of [14C]lactate to glucose show that the gluconeogenic pathway is not functioning in spite of very high phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity in the postmature. By 3 hr postpartum, the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity, the blood lactate level, the percentage of conversion, and the rate of gluconeogenesis are very elevated in the postmatures as compared to the term neonates. By 6 hr postpartum, despite maintained phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity, gluconeogenic rate becomes very weak in postmatures kept fasting. This is the time characterized by a profound hypoglycemia. In contrast, fed postmature neonates exhibit normal blood glucose levels by 6 and 12 hr postpartum as a result of sustained rate of gluconeogenesis.Speculation: In utero hepatic glycogenolysis of the postmature rat leads to impaired capacity to cope with neonatal fasting. Gluconeogenic pathway, as measured under normal blood oxygenation of the mother, is not operating in the postmature as well as in the term fetus.
SERPINA1 gene variants in individuals from the general population with reduced alpha1-antitrypsin concentrations.

BACKGROUND Individuals with severe deficiency in serum alpha(1)-antitrypsin (AAT) concentrations are at high risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), whereas those carrying the PI*MZ genotype are at slightly increased risk. Testing appropriate subgroups of the population for AAT deficiency (AATD) is therefore an important aspect of COPD prevention and timely treatment. We decided to perform an exhaustive investigation of SERPINA1 gene variants in individuals from the general population with a moderately reduced serum AAT concentration, because such information is currently unavailable. METHODS We determined the Z and S alleles of 1399 individuals enrolled in the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA) with serum AAT concentrations < or = 1.13 g/L and submitted 423 of these samples for complete exon 2-->5 sequencing. RESULTS We found that 900 of 1399 samples (64%), carried the normal PI*MM genotype, whereas 499 samples (36%) carried at least 1 SERPINA1 deficiency variant. In the subpopulations in which AAT concentrations ranged from > 1.03 to < or = 1.13 and from > 0.93 to < or = 1.03 g/L, individuals with the PI*MM genotype represented the majority (86.5% and 53.8%, respectively). The PI*MS genotype was predominant (54.9%) in the AAT range of 0.83 to 0.93 g/L, whereas PI*MZ represented 76.4% in the AAT range of > 0.73 to < or = 0.83 g/L. CONCLUSIONS This analysis provided a detailed molecular definition of intermediate AATD, which would be helpful in the diagnostic setting.
Lack of Association of –55CT Polymorphism of UCP3 Gene with Fat Distribution in Obese Patients

Background and Aims: Some studies have pointed to a role of UCP3 in the regulation of whole-body energy homeostasis and regulation of fat distribution. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of –55CT polymorphism of UCP3 gene on fat distribution and classical cardiovascular risk factors in obese patients. Design: A population of 225 obese patients was analyzed in a prospective way. A nutritional evaluation was performed. Dietary intake and exercise were recorded. The genotype of UCP3 gene –55CT was studied. Results: 225 patients gave informed consent and were enrolled. 178 (53 males/125 females) (79.1%) had genotype 55CC (wild group) and 47 patients (14 males/33 females) (20.9%) 55CT (mutant group). In the mutant group, resting metabolic rate was higher than in the wild group. However, resting metabolic rate corrected by fat-free mass was similar. No differences were detected in fat mass or other anthropometric parameters. C-reactive protein was higher in the mutant group than in the wild group (5.1 ± 5.7 vs. 6.9 ± 6.8 mg/dl; p < 0.05). Conclusion: In the mutant group of –55CC UCP3 gene patients, C-reactive protein was higher than in the wild-type patients. However, no differences in anthropometric parameters were detected in either group.
Knowledge creation in knowledge-intensive small and medium sized enterprises

The paper presents insights into the knowledge creation process in three Icelandic knowledge-intensive small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Data were obtained through a case study methodology. The findings indicate that the three knowledge-intensive companies use complex, non-routine knowledge to deal with complex problems. Often, practical problems are a starting point for new ideas and knowledge development. Brainstorming, collaboration, teamwork, informal and formal gathering and other knowledge creation activities are used in the knowledge creating process. The companies showed many characteristics of SMEs with little formal structure and strategies. The subject of knowledge creation has received little attention in the literature. Thus, the study responds to this situation by giving insights into the knowledge creation processes in knowledge intensive SMEs.
SCH529074, a Small Molecule Activator of Mutant p53, Which Binds p53 DNA Binding Domain (DBD), Restores Growth-suppressive Function to Mutant p53 and Interrupts HDM2-mediated Ubiquitination of Wild Type p53

Abrogation of p53 function occurs in almost all human cancers, with more than 50% of cancers harboring inactivating mutations in p53 itself. Mutation of p53 is indicative of highly aggressive cancers and poor prognosis. The vast majority of mutations in p53 occur in its core DNA binding domain (DBD) and result in inactivation of p53 by reducing its thermodynamic stability at physiological temperature. Here, we report a small molecule, SCH529074, that binds specifically to the p53 DBD in a saturable manner with an affinity of 1–2 μm. Binding restores wild type function to many oncogenic mutant forms of p53. This small molecule reactivates mutant p53 by acting as a chaperone, in a manner similar to that previously reported for the peptide CDB3. Binding of SCH529074 to the p53 DBD is specifically displaced by an oligonucleotide with a sequence derived from the p53-response element. In addition to reactivating mutant p53, SCH529074 binding inhibits ubiquitination of p53 by HDM2. We have also developed a novel variant of p53 by changing a single amino acid in the core domain of p53 (N268R), which abolishes binding of SCH529074. This amino acid change also inhibits HDM2-mediated ubiquitination of p53. Our novel findings indicate that through its interaction with p53 DBD, SCH529074 restores DNA binding activity to mutant p53 and inhibits HDM2-mediated ubiquitination.
Recent Progress in Green Cement Technology Utilizing Low-Carbon Emission Fuels and Raw Materials: A Review

The cement industry is facing numerous challenges in the 21st century due to depleting natural fuel resources, shortage of raw materials, exponentially increasing cement demand and climate linked environmental concerns. Every tonne of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) produced releases an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. In this regard, cement manufactured from locally available minerals and industrial wastes that can be blended with OPC as substitute, or full replacement with novel clinkers to reduce the energy requirements is strongly desirable. Reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions during cement manufacturing can be achieved by introducing alternative cements. The potential of alternative cements as a replacement of conventional OPC can only be fully realized through detailed investigation of binder properties with modern technologies. Seven prominent alternative cement types are considered in this study and their current position compared to OPC has been discussed. The study provides a comprehensive analysis of options for future cements, and an up-to-date summary of the different alternative fuels and binders that can be used in cement production to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, the practicalities and benefits of producing the low-cost materials to meet the increasing cement demand are discussed.
Evaluating discourse annotation: Some recent insights and new approaches

Annotated data is an important resource for the linguistics community, which is why researchers need to be sure that such data are reliable. However, arriving at sufficiently reliable annotations appears to be an issue within the field of discourse, possibly due to the fact that coherence is a mental phenomenon rather than a textual one. In this paper, we discuss recent insights and developments regarding annotation and reliability evaluation that are relevant to the field of discourse. We focus on characteristics of coherence that impact reliability scores and look at how different measures are affected by this. We discuss benefits and disadvantages of these measures, and propose that discourse annotation results be accompanied by a detailed report of the annotation process and data, as well as a careful consideration of the reliability measure that is applied.
Production of Stabilized Virulence Factor-Negative Variants by Group A Streptococci during Stationary Phase

ABSTRACT Many of the virulence factors associated with fulminant group A streptococci (GAS) infection are expressed under in vitro exponential growth conditions. However, the survival of GAS in tissue and intracellularly, as well as colonization of asymptomatic carriers, has been reported for GAS. The bacteria associated with these niches may encounter high-density, low-nutrient-flowthrough conditions that may more closely mimic in vitro stationary-phase conditions than exponential growth. Therefore, the behavior of GAS in stationary-phase culture was examined. We observed that after 24 h in stationary phase, GAS serotypes M49 and M2 developed a unstable colony dimorphism of typical large and atypical small colonies. Between days 4 and 5, we isolated stabilized atypical small colonies which remained stable for up to nine passages (approximately 200 generations) on fresh medium before fully reverting to the large-colony phenotype. Upon analysis, the small colonies showed no difference in cell number per colony, growth rate, survival in prolonged stationary-phase culture, or antibiotic sensitivity. However, the small colonies showed decreased transcription of hyaluronic acid capsule, the global positive virulence factor regulator gene mga, themga-regulated emm mRNA (M-protein structural gene), and speB (cysteine protease). Accordingly, the small colonies were completely sensitive in a traditional phagocytosis assay. The production of virulence factors and phagocytosis resistance of the small-colony isolates was recovered when, after several passages on fresh medium, the colony morphology began to revert.
Oxalobacter formigenes and Its Potential Role in Human Health

ABSTRACT Oxalate degradation by the anaerobic bacterium Oxalobacter formigenes is important for human health, helping to prevent hyperoxaluria and disorders such as the development of kidney stones. Oxalate-degrading activity cannot be detected in the gut flora of some individuals, possibly because Oxalobacter is susceptible to commonly used antimicrobials. Here, clarithromycin, doxycycline, and some other antibiotics inhibited oxalate degradation by two human strains of O. formigenes. These strains varied in their response to gut environmental factors, including exposure to gastric acidity and bile salts. O. formigenes strains established oxalate breakdown in fermentors which were preinoculated with fecal bacteria from individuals lacking oxalate-degrading activity. Reducing the concentration of oxalate in the medium reduced the numbers of O. formigenes bacteria. Oxalate degradation was established and maintained at dilution rates comparable to colonic transit times in healthy individuals. A single oral ingestion of O. formigenes by adult volunteers was, for the first time, shown to result in (i) reduced urinary oxalate excretion following administration of an oxalate load, (ii) the recovery of oxalate-degrading activity in feces, and (iii) prolonged retention of colonization.
Variable neighborhood search for automatic density-based clustering

Clustering is a well studied data mining task. Many effective clustering algorithms have been proposed over the years. However, most of them suffer from the problems of arbitrary shaped data. Although, density-based clustering algorithms can identify clusters of arbitrary shapes and handle noise (or outliers) very effectively, one difficulty is that it is hard to choose parameter values, such as the density threshold. In this paper, we propose a variable neighborhood search heuristic to handle arbitrary shaped data automatically, without using any parameter values. This heuristic has been tested on seven selected datasets from the literature. It appears that it produces high quality clustering. Using a clustering validation index as fitness criteria, experiments show that our approach achieves better performance compared with six other clustering methods from the literature.
Understanding movements of hand-over between two persons to improve humanoid robot systems

To enable personal robots to operate in human spaces, it is necessary that robots support everyday tasks like handing over an object. Studies show that robots have to move and behave human-like, to improve social acceptance. Therefore, it is necessary to study and model human movements. This paper studies and analyses the movements of arms during hand-over between two persons in order to extract the characteristic features (elementary movements of joints, duration, angular and linear velocities, etc.). In the present study, we are using inertial measurement units with 6-axis (gyroscope and accelerometer) on wrist, elbow and shoulder to measure the movements and evaluate them. Our results show a general movement pattern for hand-overs between humans with two variants of twisting the elbow. The results of our study provide a basis for developing a human-like handover controller for humanoid robot systems or human like manipulators.
Relationship of tumor PD‐L1 (CD274) expression with lower mortality in lung high‐grade neuroendocrine tumor

Programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) promotes immunosuppression by binding to PD‐1 on T lymphocytes. Although tumor PD‐L1 expression is a potential predictive marker of clinical response to anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 therapy, little is known about its association with clinicopathological features, including prognosis, in high‐grade neuroendocrine tumors (HGNETs), including small‐cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and large‐cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), of the lung. We immunohistochemically examined the membranous of expression of PD‐L1 in 115 consecutive surgical cases of lung HGNET (74 SCLC cases and 41 LCNEC cases). We examined the prognostic association of tumor PD‐L1 positivity using the log‐rank test as well as Cox proportional hazards regression models to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) for mortality. Programmed death‐ligand 1 immunostaining (at least 5% tumor cells) was observed in 25 (21%) of the 115 HGNET cases. In a univariable analysis, PD‐L1 positivity was associated with lower lung cancer‐specific (univariable HR = 0.23; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.056–0.64; P = 0.0028) and overall (univariable HR = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.11–0.60; P = 0.0005) mortality. Additionally, in a multivariable analysis, PD‐L1 positivity was independently associated with lower lung cancer‐specific (multivariable HR = 0.24; 95% CI = 0.058–0.67; P = 0.0039) and overall (multivariable HR = 0.29; 95% CI = 0.11–0.61; P = 0.0006) mortality. Our study demonstrated the prevalence of PD‐L1 positivity in lung HGNET cases, and the independent association of tumor PD‐L1 positivity with lower mortality in lung HGNET cases. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.
An efficient spatial domain fusion scheme for multifocus images using statistical properties of neighborhood

In this paper we present a spatial domain method to fuse multifocus images. Here the fused image pixel is selected from one of the source images based on a novel selection criterion that utilizes the statistical properties of the neighborhood. The eigen value of the unbiased estimate of the covariance matrix of an image block depends on the strength of edges in the block and thus provides a good base for selecting/ rejecting a pixel, giving preference to the pixel with the higher eigen value and thus the sharper neighborhood. To prevent a noise pixel from getting selected as a fused image pixel, a continuity constraint is imposed on the selection criteria. The performance of the method have been extensively tested on several pairs of multifocus images and compared quantitatively with existing methods. Experimental results show that the proposed method improves fusion quality by reducing loss of information by almost 50% and noise by more than 95%. It also show that evaluation based on widely used criteria like entropy, gradient, deviation, may not be enough; as in some cases, these criteria are not consistent with the ground truth. It demonstrates that Petrovic metrics are in correlation with the ground truth as well as visual quality.
Development and validation of a food frequency questionnaire for dietary intake assessment among multi-ethnic primary school-aged children.

INTRODUCTION This study aimed to develop and validate a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess habitual diets of multi-ethnic Malaysian children aged 7-12 years. METHODS A total of 236 primary school children participated in the development of the FFQ and 209 subjects participated in the validation study, with a subsample of 30 subjects participating in the reproducibility study. The FFQ, consisting of 94 food items from 12 food groups, was compared with a three-day dietary record (3DR) as the reference method. The reproducibility of the FFQ was assessed through repeat administration (FFQ2), seven days after the first administration (FFQ1). RESULTS The results of the validation study demonstrated good acceptance of the FFQ. Mean intake of macronutrients in FFQ1 and 3DR correlated well, although the FFQ intake data tended to be higher. Cross-classification of nutrient intake between the two methods showed that < 7% of subjects were grossly misclassified. Moderate correlations noted between the two methods ranged from r = 0.310 (p < 0.001) for fat to r = 0.497 (p < 0.001) for energy. The reproducibility of the FFQ, as assessed by Cronbach's alpha, ranged from 0.61 (protein) to 0.70 (energy, carbohydrates and fat). Spearman's correlations between FFQ1 and FFQ2 ranged from rho = 0.333 (p = 0.072) for protein to rho = 0.479 (p < 0.01) for fat. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that the FFQ is valid and reliable for measuring the average intake of energy and macronutrients in a population of multi-ethnic children aged 7-12 years in Malaysia.
A Novel Non-conventional Heat Shock Element Regulates Expression of MDJ1 Encoding a DnaJ Homolog in Saccharomyces cerevisiae *

The heat shock factor (HSF) is a pivotal transcriptional factor that regulates the expression of genes encoding heat shock proteins (HSPs) via heat shock elements (HSEs). nGAAnnTTCnnGAAn functions as the minimum consensus HSE (cHSE)in vivo. Here we show that the expression ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae MDJ1 encoding a mitochondrial DnaJ homolog is regulated by HSF via a novel non-consensus HSE (ncHSEMDJ1), which consists of three separated pentameric nGAAn motifs, nTTCn-(11 bp)-nGAAn-(5 bp)-nGAAn. This is the first evidence to show that the immediate contact of nGAAn motifs is dispensable for regulation by HSF in vivo. ncHSEMDJ1 confers different heat shock responsesversus cHSE and, unlike cHSE, definitively requires a carboxyl-terminal activation domain of HSF in the expression. ncHSEMDJ1-like elements are found in promoter regions of some other DnaJ-related genes. The highly conserved HSF/HSE system suggests that similar ncHSEs may be used for the expression of HSP genes in other eukaryotes including humans.