Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coaching Commitment and Turnover: A Comparison of Current and Former Coaches

Abstract Although coaching continuity is thought to be important in developing and sustaining quality sport programs, coach turnover is not well understood. Consequently, we used a commitment model to address why some coaches maintain their involvement while others discontinue coaching. For this study, 469 USA Swimming age-group coaches completed a mail survey designed to assess commitment model constructs, including coaching satisfaction, benefits, costs, investments, alternative options, social constraints, and commitment. To test the commitment model, we first used structural equation modeling to assess whether the model provided an adequate fit to the data for current and former coaches. Overall, satisfaction and investments were significantly related to commitment. Moreover, the standardized path coefficients between benefits and costs and satisfaction were also significant. Multivariate analysis of variance and follow-up analyses revealed that current coaches reported higher commitment as well as less attractive alternative options, higher investments, and higher social constraints compared to former coaches. In replication of past research, we compared current and former coaches on the benefits and costs associated with coaching.
Pharmacokinetic evaluation of high pulmonary disposition of clarithromycin after systemic administration

1. The distribution characteristics of clarithromycin to the lung were investigated in vivo and in isolated lung perfusion experiments. The in-vivo integration plot analysis showed that the pulmonary uptake and extracellular distribution in the lung were significantly higher for clarithromycin than for erythromycin. 2. In the rat lung single-pass perfusion study, the pulmonary extraction ratio (Ess) of clarithromycin at steady-state was significantly higher than that of erythromycin, and the Ess of clarithromycin tended to decrease as the inflow concentration increased, suggesting the involvement of carrier-mediated transport in the pulmonary disposition of clarithromycin. 3. The outflow patterns of clarithromycin or erythromycin at various inflow concentrations were simultaneously analysed based on a pharmacokinetic model, which consists of the non-specific binding site, the specific binding site and the subsequent uptake process. The parameters obtained suggested that clarithromycin would have the higher affinity and higher capacity for the specific binding site, and the higher equilibrium constant for the non-specific binding site than erythromycin. 4. The simulation study using those parameters demonstrated that clarithromycin could be bound to the specific binding site and subsequently taken up more extensively than erythromycin. 5. A multiple-indicator dilution study also indicated that clarithromycin was more readily associated and extracted with the lung than with erythromycin. In the inhibition study, it was suggested that the pulmonary uptake of clarithromycin could be ascribed not only to the non-specific binding depending on its lipophilic nature, but also in part to some specialized mechanisms such as organic cation transporters.
Outcomes of Vaginal Hysterectomy With and Without Perceived Contraindications to Vaginal Surgery

Objective The aim of this study was to compare outcomes of vaginal hysterectomy between patients with and without the following perceived contraindications to vaginal surgery: uterine weight greater than 280 g, prior cesarean delivery, no vaginal parity, and obesity. Methods Retrospective cohort of benign vaginal hysterectomies between 2009 and 2013 was obtained. Outcomes included uterine debulking, transfusion, intraoperative complications, length of stay, and Accordion grade 2+ postoperative complications. For each outcome, the association between the presence of each contraindication and the outcome was evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Results Among 692 vaginal hysterectomies, 11% (76/691) had a uterine weight greater than 280 g, 11.3% (78/690) had no vaginal parity, 14.9% (103/690) had a history of cesarean delivery, and 37.7% (248/657) had a body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or greater; 110 (15.9%) had 2 or more contraindications. Uterine debulking occurred in 146 women (21.1%), and both uterine weight greater 280 g (adjusted odds ratio, 39.2; 95% confidence interval, 18.4–83.5) and prior cesarean delivery (adjusted odds ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–3.7) were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of uterine debulking after adjusting for age, hematologic disease, and preoperative diagnosis. None of the contraindications were significantly associated with need for a blood transfusion, presence of an intraoperative complication, length of stay greater than 2 days, or presence of an Accordion grade 2+ postoperative complication, which occurred in 2.7%, 2.5%, 14.0%, and 6.9% of all women, respectively. Conclusions Vaginal hysterectomy can be safely performed with favorable outcomes, even in women with a uterus greater than 280 g, prior cesarean delivery, no vaginal parity, and obesity. Our findings challenge several perceived contraindications to vaginal hysterectomy.
Novel sensitive nanocoatings based on SWCNT composites for advanced fiber optic chemo-sensors

In this contribution, the use of novel nanocoatings composed of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) embedded in Cadmium Arachidate (CdA) matrixes is proposed to improve the typical low adhesion of carbon nanotubes to the surface of standard optical fibers, thus enabling the development of highly sensitive, reliable and robust SWCNT-based fiber optic chemo-sensors. In particular, the sensing performance of optical chemo-sensors coated by such SWCNT nanocomposites have been here assessed against several chemicals both in air and water environments, at room temperature. The nanocomposite sensing layers have been transferred upon the distal end of standard optical fibers by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Single wavelength reflectance measurements (lambda=1310 nm) have been carried out to monitor chemical concentration through changes in the refractive index and thickness of the nanocoatings induced by its interaction with the molecules of target analytes. The experimental evidences demonstrate that such nanoscale overlays integrated with the optical fiber technology offers great potentialities for the room temperature detection of chemicals either in air or water environments and could lead to significant improvements of the traditional optoelectronic sensors based on SWCNTs layers.
Thioredoxin system in cell death progression.

SIGNIFICANCE The thioredoxin (Trx) system, comprising nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, Trx reductase (TrxR), and Trx, is critical for maintaining cellular redox balance and antioxidant function, including control of oxidative stress and cell death. RECENT ADVANCES Here, we focus on the research progress that is involved in the regulation of apoptosis by Trx systems. In mammalian cells, cytosolic Trx1 and mitochondrial Trx2 systems are the major disulfide reductases supplying electrons to enzymes for cell proliferation and viability. The reduced/dithiol form of Trxs binds to apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) and inhibits its activity to prevent stress- and cytokine-induced apoptosis. When Trx is oxidized, it dissociates from ASK1 and apoptosis is stimulated. The binding of Trx by its inhibitor Trx interacting protein (TXNIP) also contributes to the apoptosis process by removing Trx from ASK1. TrxRs are large homodimeric selenoproteins with an overall structure which is similar to that of glutathione reductase, and contain an active site GCUG in the C-terminus. CRITICAL ISSUES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS In the regulation of cell death processes, Trx redox state and TrxR activities are key factors that determine the cell fate. The high reactivity of Sec in TrxRs and its accessible location make TrxR enzymes emerge as targets for pharmaceutic drugs. TrxR inactivation by covalent modification does not only change the redox state and activity of Trx, but may also convert TrxR into a reactive oxygen species generator. Numerous electrophilic compounds including some environmental toxins and pharmaceutical drugs inhibit TrxR. We have classified these compounds into four types and propose some useful principles to understand the reaction mechanism of the TrxR inhibition by these compounds.
Residents' perspectives on professionalism.

BACKGROUND Research defining professionalism exists, yet little is known about how residents view this important attribute for medical practice. Knowing more about residents' interpretations of professionalism and about how they value professionalism would enhance definitions and facilitate support for the development of professionalism skills and behaviors at the graduate level. PURPOSE The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate how residents think about professionalism, how they value it, and how it plays out in their educational lives. METHODS This study uses qualitative methods, employing 5 focus groups representative of a range of disciplines. Methods include providing unstructured prompts, member checking and informant feedback to support credibility, and content analysis to discern significant patterns. RESULTS Content analysis supported that residents highly value professionalism and see it as a complex construct, dependent on the situation, discipline, and on personal experience. Challenges to professionalism are common in graduate medical education and a great concern for residents. CONCLUSIONS Physician educators often discuss professionalism as an overarching concept in medicine, especially in classes during the preclinical years. Although some general principles are applicable, residents relate more deeply to aspects of professionalism that concern their own clinical practice, situation, and specialty. Implications for measurement of professional skills and for further research are included in this report.
Interaction of sugars, polysaccharides and cells with boronate‐containing copolymers: from solution to polymer brushes

Interaction of mono‐ and disaccharides, polysaccharide particles and yeast cells with boronate‐containing copolymers (BCC) of N‐acryloyl‐m‐aminophenylboronic acid (NAAPBA) with N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) or N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) was studied. The binding of saccharides to BCC of NIPAM resulted in a shift of its phase transition temperature (ΔTP), which provided a quantitative measure for the complex formation. Among the sugars typical of non‐reducing ends of glycoproteins the ΔTP decreased in the order: N‐acetylneuraminic acid > xylose ≈ galactose > mannose ≈ fucose ≫ N‐acetylglucosamine. Strong specific adsorption of the BCC on the cross‐linked agarose gel Sepharose CL‐6B (15–30 mg/ml gel at pH 9.2) was registered. The copolymers adsorption was due to boronate‐sugar interactions and decreased with pH. Multivalent interaction of the BCC with the agarose gel has been proven by liquid column chromatography exhibiting a weak reversible adsorption of NAAPBA and almost irreversible adsorption of DMAA‐NAAPBA copolymer from 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.9. The two studied BCCs could be completely desorbed from the gel by 0.1 M fructose in aqueous buffered media with pH from 7.5 to 9.2. In turn, the agarose particles and yeast cells were found to adhere to siliceous supports end‐grafted with boronate‐BCC of N,N‐dimethylacrylamide at pH ≥7.5, due to the actions. Quantitative detachment of adhered particles or cells could be attained by addition of 20 mM or 100 mM fructose, respectively, in the pH range from 7.5 to 9.2. Affinity adhesion of micron‐size carbohydrate particles to boronate‐containing polymer brushes fixed on solid supports was considered as a model system suggesting a new approach to isolation and separation of living cells. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Posttranslational Modifications of FERREDOXIN-NADP+ OXIDOREDUCTASE in Arabidopsis Chloroplasts1[W][OPEN]

Enzymes that reduce NADP+ photosynthetically are regulated by multiple posttranslational modifications in a partially light-dependent manner. Rapid responses of chloroplast metabolism and adjustments to photosynthetic machinery are of utmost importance for plants’ survival in a fluctuating environment. These changes may be achieved through posttranslational modifications of proteins, which are known to affect the activity, interactions, and localization of proteins. Recent studies have accumulated evidence about the crucial role of a multitude of modifications, including acetylation, methylation, and glycosylation, in the regulation of chloroplast proteins. Both of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) leaf-type FERREDOXIN-NADP+ OXIDOREDUCTASE (FNR) isoforms, the key enzymes linking the light reactions of photosynthesis to carbon assimilation, exist as two distinct forms with different isoelectric points. We show that both AtFNR isoforms contain multiple alternative amino termini and undergo light-responsive addition of an acetyl group to the α-amino group of the amino-terminal amino acid of proteins, which causes the change in isoelectric point. Both isoforms were also found to contain acetylation of a conserved lysine residue near the active site, while no evidence for in vivo phosphorylation or glycosylation was detected. The dynamic, multilayer regulation of AtFNR exemplifies the complex regulatory network systems controlling chloroplast proteins by a range of posttranslational modifications, which continues to emerge as a novel area within photosynthesis research.
An economic and quality-of-life assessment of basiliximab vs antithymocyte globulin immunoprophylaxis in renal transplantation.

BACKGROUND Immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporin A has substantially improved clinical outcomes for renal transplantation. Whether basiliximab (a chimeric monoclonal antibody) demonstrates economic and quality-of-life advantages over other induction therapies has not yet been shown. METHODS A multi-centre open-label clinical trial was conducted among renal transplant recipients in the US, in which patients were randomized into two induction therapy regimens: basiliximab and antithymocyte globulin (ATG) as part of a quadruple immunosuppressive regimen. Medical resources used and a EuroQol visual analogue scale (VAS) rating of quality of life were collected prospectively for the 135 dosed subjects for a period of 1 year post-treatment. We analysed the differences between treatment groups in 1-year costs and 1-year quality-adjusted survival. We also conducted a post hoc analysis of outcomes among the subgroup of patients identified as high risk. RESULTS A significant difference was observed in first-year post-treatment costs (basiliximab, $45857; ATG, $54729; difference, $8872 (95% CI, $1169 to $16573). The savings from basiliximab can be attributed to the less expensive induction therapy (basiliximab, $2378; ATG, $8670; difference, $6292 (95% CI, $5165 to $7419)) and other savings during the initial hospitalization totalling $2609. One-year quality-adjusted survival was the same in both groups (basiliximab, 81.5; ATG, 81.1; difference, 0.45 (95% CI, -5.9 to 6.8)). The results of the post hoc analysis of the 48 high-risk patients were comparable to the analysis of all patients. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate lower first-year post-treatment costs in renal-transplant recipients receiving basiliximab compared to ATG with no differences in quality-adjusted survival. The results also suggest similar differences among high-risk subjects.
The gastrointestinal tract and glucose tolerance

Purpose of reviewThe development of incretin hormones and incretin analogues for the therapy of diabetes highlights the importance of the gastrointestinal tract in the maintenance of glucose tolerance. Recent findingsThe review focuses on recent information on the role of incretins and their breakdown products on insulin secretion, gastric emptying, and satiety. The importance of gastric emptying and its absorptive potential as well as of dietary composition on gastric emptying and glucose tolerance is highlighted. The concept of a portal glucose sensor in humans has been the subject of some controversy but has been recently revisited. SummaryThe gastrointestinal tract plays an important part in glucose tolerance. In this review we have examined how factors altering gastric emptying, insulin secretion in response to meal ingestion, and gastric emptying contribute to the maintenance and deterioration of glucose tolerance.
The rising impact of mathematical modelling in epidemiology: antibiotic resistance research as a case study

SUMMARY Mathematical modelling of infectious diseases has gradually become part of public health decision-making in recent years. However, the developing status of modelling in epidemiology and its relationship with other relevant scientific approaches have never been assessed quantitatively. Herein, using antibiotic resistance as a case study, 60 published models were analysed. Their interactions with other scientific fields are reported and their citation impact evaluated, as well as temporal trends. The yearly number of antibiotic resistance modelling publications increased significantly between 1990 and 2006. This rise cannot be explained by the surge of interest in resistance phenomena alone. Moreover, modelling articles are, on average, among the most frequently cited third of articles from the journal in which they were published. The results of this analysis, which might be applicable to other emerging public health problems, demonstrate the growing interest in mathematical modelling approaches to evaluate antibiotic resistance.
Regulation of Adaptive Immunity by the Innate Immune System

Twenty years after the proposal that pattern recognition receptors detect invasion by microbial pathogens, the field of immunology has witnessed several discoveries that have elucidated receptors and signaling pathways of microbial recognition systems and how they control the generation of T and B lymphocyte–mediated immune responses. However, there are still many fundamental questions that remain poorly understood, even though sometimes the answers are assumed to be known. Here, we discuss some of these questions, including the mechanisms by which pathogen-specific innate immune recognition activates antigen-specific adaptive immune responses and the roles of different types of innate immune recognition in host defense from infection and injury.
On Sequence Encodings for Positional Reasoning Task with Deep Neural Networks

This paper addresses the problem of encoding natural language in neural networks for the task of question answering on positional facts. Current state of the art works use many diﬀerent ways to encode their inputs in natural language. Most of them separate each fact and their interaction with the question is independent. Another common issue is that, when encoding is not based on bags of words, sequence of words is considered, but the eﬀect of alignment has not been particularly studied. In this paper we propose representing the intermediate states of a Recurrent Neural Network (Particularly a Long Short Term Memory network) as a matrix, and then using a convolutional layer on it. This architecture allows to experiment with diﬀerent strategies of word alignment, as well as diﬀerent modes of interaction between facts and questions, including a 3D convolution to combine word alignments and interaction of all facts and the question to be answered. We apply this model to the Positional Reasoning Task of bAbI to evaluate our proposed models. We found that alignment does not play a very important role in this task, but allowing interaction between all facts and question simultaneously is important to improve performance.
Muc2-deficient mice spontaneously develop colitis, indicating that MUC2 is critical for colonic protection.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Expression of mucin MUC2, the structural component of the colonic mucus layer, is lowered in inflammatory bowel disease. Our aim was to obtain insight in the role of Muc2 in epithelial protection. METHODS Muc2 knockout (Muc2(-/-)) and Muc2 heterozygous (Muc2(+/-)) mice were characterized and challenged by a colitis-inducing agent, dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). We monitored clinical symptoms, intestinal morphology, and differences in intestine-specific protein and messenger RNA levels. RESULTS The Muc2(-/-) mice showed clinical signs of colitis (as of 5 weeks), aggravating as the mice aged. Microscopic analysis of the colon of Muc2(-/-) mice showed mucosal thickening, increased proliferation, and superficial erosions. Colonic goblet cells in the Muc2(-/-) mice were negative for Muc2, but trefoil factor 3 was still detectable. In Muc2(-/-) mice, transient de novo expression of Muc6 messenger RNA was observed in the distal colon. On day 2 of DSS treatment, the histologic damage was more severe in Muc2(+/-) versus wild-type (Muc2(+/+)) mice, but the disease activity index was not yet different. By day 7, the disease activity index and histologic score were significantly elevated in Muc2(+/-) versus Muc2(+/+) mice. The disease activity index of the Muc2(-/-) mice was higher (versus both Muc2(+/+) and Muc2(+/-) mice) throughout DSS treatment. The histologic damage in the DSS-treated Muc2(-/-) mice was different compared with Muc2(+/+) and Muc2(+/-) mice, with many crypt abscesses instead of mucosal ulcerations. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that Muc2 deficiency leads to inflammation of the colon and contributes to the onset and perpetuation of experimental colitis.
Heterozygous HIF‐1α deficiency impairs carotid body‐mediated systemic responses and reactive oxygen species generation in mice exposed to intermittent hypoxia

Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) occurs in patients with sleep apnoea and has adverse effects on multiple physiological functions. Previous studies have shown that reflexes arising from carotid bodies mediate CIH‐evoked cardio‐respiratory responses, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) play important roles in eliciting systemic responses to CIH. Very little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying CIH. The transcriptional activator hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1 (HIF‐1) mediates a broad range of cellular and systemic responses to hypoxia, and HIF‐1 is activated in cell cultures exposed to IH. In the present study we examined whether CIH activates HIF‐1 and if so whether it contributes to cardio‐respiratory responses and ROS generation in mice. Experiments were performed on male littermate wild‐type (WT) and heterozygous (HET) mice partially deficient in HIF‐1α, the O2 regulated subunit of the HIF‐1 complex. Both groups of mice were exposed to either 10 days of CIH (15 s of hypoxia followed by 5 min of normoxia, 9 episodes h−1, 8 h day−1) or to 10 days of 21% O2 (controls). Carotid body response to hypoxia was augmented, and acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH) induced sensory long‐term facilitation (sLTF) of the chemoreceptor activity in CIH‐exposed WT mice. In striking contrast, hypoxic sensory response was unaffected and AIH was ineffective in eliciting sLTF in CIH‐exposed HET mice. Analysis of cardio‐respiratory responses in CIH‐exposed WT mice revealed augmented hypoxic ventilatory response, LTF of breathing, elevated blood pressures and increased plasma noradrenaline. In striking contrast these responses were either absent or attenuated in HET mice exposed to CIH. In CIH‐exposed WT mice, ROS were elevated and this response was absent in HET mice. Manganese (III) tetrakis(1‐methyl‐4‐pyridyl) porphyrin pentachloride, a potent scavenger of superoxide, not only prevented CIH‐induced increases in ROS but also CIH‐evoked HIF‐1α up‐regulation in WT mice. These results indicate that: (a) HIF‐1 activation is critical for eliciting CIH‐induced carotid body‐mediated cardio‐respiratory responses; (b) CIH increases ROS; and (c) the effects of CIH involve complex positive interactions between HIF‐1 and ROS.