Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reliability of ultra-short-term analysis as a surrogate of standard 5-min analysis of heart rate variability.

BACKGROUND Despite the increasing demands of ultra-short-term heart rate (HR) variability (HRV) for practical ambulatory applications, there have been few studies that have investigated R-R interval recording for less than 5 min for HRV analysis. It has not been extensively validated, and, currently, no normative data for ultra-short-term HRV exist. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between standard 5-min and ultra-short-term HRV by collecting data from a large population consisting of a wide range of age groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS The 5-min R-R interval series were obtained from 467 healthy volunteers ranging from 8 to 69 years of age. The original R-R interval was segmented into 270, 240, 210, 180, 150, 120, 90, 60, 30, 20, and 10 s, and those HRV features most commonly reported within the literature were calculated and compared with those using the original 5-min R-R interval series. The Pearson correlation r, the p value by the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Bland-Altman plot analysis computations were performed for each HRV variable calculated using different lengths of R-R interval series. RESULTS For each HRV variable, the minimum length of the R-R interval required to reliably estimate the 5-min HRV was identified. The results were different for each age group: 10 s for HR, 20 s for high-frequency, 30 s for root mean square difference, 60 s for proportion of the number of interval differences of successive NN intervals greater than 50 ms divided by total number of NNs, 90 s for low-frequency, normalized low-frequency, normalized high-frequency, and low-frequency/high-frequency, 240 s for standard deviation of successive NN interval differences and time-frequency, and 270 s for very low-frequency. In addition, the reference value for short-term HRV from normal healthy subjects was also presented. CONCLUSIONS Some HRV variables calculated from R-R interval series shorter than 5 min were well matched with those calculated from the 5-min R-R interval. Thus, ultra-short-term HRV is likely to be a good surrogate method to assess trends in HRV.
Binding and functional characteristics of two E‐box motifs within the S100A6 (calcyclin) gene promoter

S100A6 (calcyclin) is a small calcium‐binding protein of the S100 family often associated with cancer and metastasis. We have previously shown that the E‐box sequence at position −283/−278 of the S100A6 gene promoter interacts with USF transcription factor and contributes to promoter transcriptional activity. We now present evidence that a second E‐box motif at position −593/−588 of the promoter also binds USF and that the USF1/USF2 heterodimer is the prevailing dimeric form of the transcription factor bound. Using the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP), we show that USF is bound in vivo to the E‐box regulatory element(s). Depletion of the endogenous USF pool by means of a decoy oligonucleotide evokes a severe inhibition of S100A6 gene promoter activity. Furthermore, we show that S100A6 gene promoter activity can be stimulated by palmitate and that mutation of the −283/−278 E‐box sequence completely blocks this stimulation. J. Cell. Biochem. 97: 1017–1024, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Factors associated with aneurysm size in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage: effect of smoking and aneurysm location.

OBJECTIVE Intracranial aneurysm size is an important determinant of risk of rupture and outcome after rupture. Risk factors influencing aneurysm formation and growth are not well defined. In this study, we examined the association between known risk factors for cerebrovascular disease and size of intracranial aneurysms in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. METHODS We analyzed prospectively collected data from the placebo-treated group in a multicenter clinical trial conducted at 54 neurosurgical centers in North America. The presence, location, and size of intracranial aneurysms were determined by review of the admission angiograms. Pertinent information regarding the presence of various cerebrovascular risk factors was collected for each patient. Using logistic regression analysis, we identified independent determinants of aneurysm size from demographic, clinical, and angiographic characteristics of the participants. The impact of aneurysm size on 3-month mortality was analyzed after adjusting for potential confounding factors. RESULTS For 298 patients admitted with subarachnoid hemorrhage, the ruptured aneurysms were graded as small (<13 mm) in 235 patients (79%) and large (> or =13 mm) in 63 patients (21%). In the logistic regression model, both smoking at any time (odds ratio, 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-4.5) and middle cerebral artery origin (odds ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-4.9) were independently associated with large aneurysms. Neither hypertension, diabetes mellitus, nor alcohol and illicit drug use were associated with large-sized aneurysms. After adjusting for initial Glasgow Coma Scale score and age in the logistic regression model, the presence of large-sized aneurysms was independently associated with 3-month mortality (odds ratio, 2.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-4.8). CONCLUSION Cigarette smoking and middle cerebral artery origin seem to increase the risk for developing large aneurysms in patients predisposed to intracranial aneurysm formation. Further studies are required to investigate the mechanism underlying the association between cigarette smoking and intracranial aneurysm formation.
The anatomy of the posterior communicating artery as a risk factor for ischemic cerebral infarction.

BACKGROUND After the occlusion of an internal carotid artery the principal source of collateral flow is through the arteries of the circle of Willis, but the size and patency of these arteries are quite variable. Study of the anatomy of the collateral pathways in patients with internal-carotid-artery occlusion with or without infarction in the watershed area of the deep white matter may identify patterns that afford protection from ischemic infarction. METHODS Using conventional magnetic resonance imaging and three-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography, we evaluated 29 consecutive patients (32 hemispheres at risk) with angiographically proved occlusion of the internal carotid artery. Four collateral pathways to the occluded vessel were evaluated: the proximal segment of the anterior cerebral artery, the posterior communicating artery, the ophthalmic artery, and leptomeningeal collateral vessels from the posterior cerebral artery. RESULTS Only features of the ipsilateral posterior communicating artery were related to the risk of watershed infarction. The presence of posterior communicating arteries measuring at least 1 mm in diameter was associated with the absence of watershed infarction (13 hemispheres, no infarcts; P < 0.001). Conversely, there were 4 watershed infarcts in the 6 hemispheres with posterior communicating arteries measuring less than 1 mm in diameter and 10 infarcts in the 13 hemispheres with no detectable flow in the ipsilateral posterior communicating artery. CONCLUSIONS A small (< 1 mm in diameter) or absent ipsilateral posterior communicating artery is a risk factor for ischemic cerebral infarction in patients with internal-carotid-artery occlusion.
Evaluation of an International Entrepreneur Exchange Program: Impacts, Lessons Learned, and Implications for Agricultural Development

This study evaluated a two-way, visitor exchange project for entrepreneurship development between three African countries and the United States. The study’s purpose was to determine outcomes, understand lessons learned, and derive implications for international agricultural development. Findings of the study confirm visiting African Entrepreneur Fellows (AEFs) developed entrepreneurial knowledge, gained business skills, and acquired positive attitudes toward U.S. business and culture. The majority of AEFs had applied acquired knowledge and skills to improve their businesses and promoted open economic ideals, business ethics, and human rights in their businesses. As a result, AEFs were able to expand their business into new ventures, improve customer services, establish communication networks, and serve their communities. Visitor exchange, entrepreneurship-building programs are effective strategies in contributing to development efforts in developing countries. Paying due attention to the selection and matching of U.S. mentors with the business interests and learning needs of international fellows is necessary to ensure their learning expectations are met. It is important to assign international participants with suitable mentors for longer periods of time to increase the likelihood of receiving more in-depth learning experiences and develop lasting professional relationships to further collaboration. Realization of the potential of entrepreneurship-focused, visitor exchange programs between nations as a strategy for international agricultural development is the major implication of this study.
Highly specific gene silencing in a monocot species by artificial microRNAs derived from chimeric miRNA precursors

Summary Artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs) are used for selective gene silencing in plants. However, current methods to produce amiRNA constructs for silencing transcripts in monocot species are not suitable for simple, cost‐effective and large‐scale synthesis. Here, a series of expression vectors based on Oryza sativa MIR390 (OsMIR390) precursor was developed for high‐throughput cloning and high expression of amiRNAs in monocots. Four different amiRNA sequences designed to target specifically endogenous genes and expressed from OsMIR390‐based vectors were validated in transgenic Brachypodium distachyon plants. Surprisingly, amiRNAs accumulated to higher levels and were processed more accurately when expressed from chimeric OsMIR390‐based precursors that include distal stem–loop sequences from Arabidopsis thaliana MIR390a (AtMIR390a). In all cases, transgenic plants displayed the predicted phenotypes induced by target gene repression, and accumulated high levels of amiRNAs and low levels of the corresponding target transcripts. Genome‐wide transcriptome profiling combined with 5′‐RLM‐RACE analysis in transgenic plants confirmed that amiRNAs were highly specific.
Understanding and Analyzing Java Reflection

Java reflection has been widely used in a variety of applications and frameworks. It allows a software system to inspect and change the behaviour of its classes, interfaces, methods, and fields at runtime, enabling the software to adapt to dynamically changing runtime environments. However, this dynamic language feature imposes significant challenges to static analysis, because the behaviour of reflection-rich software is logically complex and statically hard to predict. As a result, existing static analysis tools either ignore reflection or handle it partially, resulting in missed, important behaviours, i.e., unsound results. Therefore, improving or even achieving soundness in static reflection analysis—an analysis that infers statically the behaviour of reflective code—will provide significant benefits to many analysis clients, such as bug detectors, security analyzers, and program verifiers. In this article, we provide a comprehensive understanding of Java reflection through examining its underlying concept, API, and real-world usage, and, building on this, we introduce a new static approach to resolving Java reflection effectively in practice. We have implemented our reflection analysis in an open-source tool, called SOLAR, and evaluated its effectiveness extensively with large Java programs and libraries. Our experimental results demonstrate that SOLAR is able to (1) resolve reflection more soundly than the state-of-the-art reflection analyses; (2) automatically and accurately identify the parts of the program where reflection is resolved unsoundly or imprecisely; and (3) guide users to iteratively refine the analysis results by using lightweight annotations until their specific requirements are satisfied.
Impact of environmental factors on knee injuries in male and female recreational skiers

In alpine skiing, the knee represents the dominant injury location with marked gender differences. Snow, slope and weather conditions as well as altitude and low temperatures are thought to influence the prevalence of knee injuries. Therefore, ski patrol injury reports were used to compare gender‐specific prevalence of knee injuries with regard to several environmental factors including the actual air temperatures. A total of 1039 non‐contact knee injuries were reported with a corresponding prevalence of knee injuries of 44.4% (males: 30.1%; females: 57.4%). Temperature quartiles of all recorded injuries were calculated to compare gender‐specific prevalence of knee injury with regard to temperatures. Comparing the first quartile (mean temperature −11 °C) with the fourth quartile (mean temperature +3 °C), the prevalence of knee injury in female skiers was higher at low ambient temperatures (61% vs 50%, odds ratio: 1.60, 95% confidence interval: 1.16–2.22; P=0.005) while no such association was found for male skiers. Additionally, knee‐injured females showed a twofold prevalence when skiing during snowfall compared with females with other injuries (15.4% vs 8.6%; P=0.001). No other environmental factor showed a significant association with the gender‐specific prevalence of knee injury. In conclusion, low ambient temperature and snowfall are important environmental risk factors for knee injuries in female skiers.
Attachment and Fusion Inhibitors Potently Prevent Dendritic Cell-Driven HIV Infection

Dendritic cells (DCs) efficiently transfer captured (trans) or de novo-produced (cis) virus to CD4 T cells. Using monocyte-derived DCs, we evaluated entry inhibitors targeting HIV envelope (BMS-C, T-1249) or CCR5 (CMPD167) for their potency to prevent DC infection, DC-driven infection in T cells in trans and cis, and direct infection of DC-T-cell mixtures. Immature DC-T-cell cultures with distinct mechanisms of viral transfer yielded similar levels of infection and produced more proviral DNA compared with matched mature DC-T-cell cultures or infected immature DCs. Although all compounds completely blocked HIV replication, 16 times more of each inhibitor (250 vs 15.6 nM) was required to prevent low-level infection of DCs compared with the productive DC-T-cell cocultures. Across all cell systems tested, BMS-C blocked infection most potently. BMS-C was significantly more effective than CMPD167 at preventing DC infection. In fact, low doses of CMPD167 significantly enhanced DC infection. Elevated levels of CCL4 were observed when immature DCs were cultured with CMPD167. Viral entry inhibitors did not interfere with Candida albicans-specific DC cytokine/chemokine responses. These findings indicate that an envelope-binding small molecule is a promising tool for topical microbicide design to prevent the infection of early targets needed to establish and disseminate HIV infection.
On Social Distress, Littering and Nature Conservation: The Case of Jisr A-Zarka

Abstract Studying perceptions of litter and littering behavior among marginalized, poor and undeveloped communities is important since these populations frequently inhabit important conservation sites. Jisr-A-Zarqa ("Jisr"), is a coastal town on the Mediterranean shores of Israel and one of Israel’s poorest, densely populated communities. Litter accumulation in the streets and beach of Jisr is a known problem, and its proximity to the nearby stream and beach makes the study of littering important for the conservation of the coastal and marine habitats. I studied residents’ perceptions of litter and littering practices and found that littering and waste accumulation are surface indicators of profound underlying social, economic and political constraints, problems and distresses. These must be considered as an integrated context and addressed when designing litter-reducing interventions.
The Role of Chonsei as a Price Protector in the Korean Housing Market

ABSTRACT In this study, we investigate whether ‘Chonsei,’ the distinctive type of housing contract system in Korea, has a favorable impact on house prices during a market downturn. We show the mechanism in which Chonsei prevents a sharp drop in house prices based on sellers’ loss aversion behavior. Moreover, using data on the Seoul condominium (i.e. apartment) market during the 2006–2017 period, we find that Chonsei prices have a negative impact on the housing trade volume in a market recession. This finding is consistent with our argument that loss aversion behavior appears with regard to the rise in Chonsei prices and thereby Chonsei functions as a price protector in the Korean housing market.
Differential distribution of olfactory receptor neurons in goldfish: Structural and molecular correlates

The olfactory system of many terrestrial vertebrates comprises a main olfactory organ and a vomeronasal organ each containing a morphologically distinct type of olfactory receptor neuron (ORN). The two cell types also differ in the expression of G‐proteins and odorant receptor molecules. Fish do not have a vomeronasal organ, and their olfactory neurons—three different morphological types—are contained in one epithelium. The olfactory organ of goldfish appears as a rosette, with the sensory epithelium lying along the proximal portion of each lamella, where it attaches to the midline raphe. Using immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization, and electron microscopy, we tested whether a correlation exists between receptor cell morphology, distribution of cell type within the sensory epithelium, and expression of odorant receptors and G‐proteins. A strong correlation exists between ORN morphology, type of odorant receptor and G‐protein expressed and the distribution of sensory cells within the olfactory epithelium. The Buck and Axel type of odorant receptor and Gαolf are expressed in tall ciliated ORNs distributed homogenously across the entire sensory epithelium. In contrast, microvillous ORNs expressing V2R‐like receptors, and Gαo, Gαq, or Gαi‐3, and crypt type ORNs expressing Gαo and Gαq, are preferentially located along the dorsal margin of the epithelium and near the midline raphe. V2R‐ and OR‐type receptor molecules do not colocalize in one cell, and only crypt‐type ORNs express more than one G‐protein. J. Comp. Neurol. 477:347–359, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Importance of vasomotor tone to myocardial function and regional metabolism during constant flow ischaemia in swine.

STUDY OBJECTIVE The aim was to test the hypothesis that the release of vascular tone with adenosine during constant flow ischaemia alters both transmural function and regional metabolism in a detrimental way. DESIGN In one group of anaesthetised swine, the effects of graded reductions of flow on segmental left ventricular function, myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2), and lactate production in the distribution of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) were determined. In a second group, a model of constant flow ischaemia was induced to test how altering vascular tone with adenosine changed the relationship of flow, function, and metabolism. EXPERIMENTAL MATERIAL The experiments were performed in 20 open chest, anaesthetised swine. Protocol A consisted of 11 animals and protocol B of nine animals. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS In protocol A, during graded ischaemia, reductions in flow, % systolic wall thickening (WTh), normalised MVO2 and % lactate extraction (%LE) correlated well with reductions in coronary perfusion pressure when fitted with 3rd order polynominal curves (r = 0.78, 0.87, 0.85 and 0.81 respectively; p less than 0.00001). In protocol B, during constant flow ischaemia, at control, % WTh was 33 (SD 11)%, mean coronary artery pressure was 72(10) mm Hg, mean LAD transmural flow was 0.99(0.43) ml.min-1.g-1, and % LE was +14(9)%. With inflation of a hydraulic occluder on the LAD, perfusion pressure was lowered to 38(5) mm Hg and transmural flow dropped to 0.76(0.31) ml.min-1.g-1 (intact vasomotion). During an infusion of intracoronary adenosine with flow held constant (absent vasomotion), %WTh was further reduced from 27(9) to 13(10) (p less than 0.001), and %LE from -18(42) to -70(61) (p less than 0.05). MVO2 with and without vasomotion did not differ significantly at 3.14(0.75) and 3.18(0.86) ml.min-1.g-1 respectively. CONCLUSION In swine coronary circulation, reductions in regional function, MVO2 and lactate production correlate well with reductions in flow and perfusion pressure during ischaemia with vasomotor tone intact. The effect of adenosine on vascular tone during constant flow ischaemia caused dramatic reductions in function and lactate extraction without altering MVO2. This emphasises the important role of vascular tone in protecting both transmural function and regional metabolism during moderate ischaemia.
Migration of nanosized layered double hydroxide platelets from polylactide nanocomposite films

Melt-extruded L-polylactide (PLA) nanocomposite films were prepared from commercially available PLA and laurate-modified Mg–Al layered double hydroxide (LDH-C12). Three films were tested for total migration as well as specific migration of LDH, tin, laurate and low molecular weight PLA oligomers (OLLA). This is the first reported investigation on the migration properties of PLA-LDH nanocomposite films. The tests were carried out as part of an overall assessment of the suitability of such films for use as food contact materials (FCM). Total migration was determined according to a European standard method. All three films showed migration of nanosized LDH, which was quantified using acid digestion followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric (ICP–MS) detection of 26Mg. Migration of LDH from the films was also confirmed by examining migrates using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and was attributed indirectly to the significant PLA molecular weight reduction observed in extruded PLA-LDH-C12 films. Migration of tin was detected in two of the film samples prepared by dispersion of LDH-C12 using a masterbatch technique and migration of the laurate organomodifier took place from all three film types. The results indicate that the material properties are in compliance with the migration limits for total migration and specific lauric acid migration as set down by the EU legislation for FCM, at least if a reduction factor for fresh meat is taken into consideration. The tin detected arises from the use of organotin catalysts in the manufacture of PLA.