Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peripheral lung resistance in normal and asthmatic subjects.

In obstructive lung disease, peripheral airways are a major site of pathologic abnormalities. However, resistance to airflow in small airways in the periphery of the lung accounts for only a small fraction of total airway resistance. Consequently, abnormalities of small airway function may not be readily detected using routine pulmonary function testing. In the present study, resistance of the peripheral lung was examined directly in six normal subjects and nine mildly asthmatic subjects. There were no significant differences between the normal and asthmatic groups in pulmonary function assessed by spirometry (FEV1, FVC) and body plethysmography (specific airway conductance). Direct measurements of peripheral lung function were made using a fiberoptic bronchoscope wedged into a subsegmental, right upper lobe bronchus. Using a double-lumen catheter inserted into the instrument channel of the bronchoscope, pressures (PB) produced by three or more different levels of gas flow (V) (5% CO2 in air) between 50 and 500 ml/min were measured. All pressure measurements were made at a constant lung volume (i.e., functional residual capacity) confirmed by monitoring transpulmonary pressure with an esophageal balloon. The pressure-flow relationship in both normal and asthmatic subjects could be approximated by a straight line through the origin, demonstrating these airways to be relatively nondistensible. Peripheral lung resistance (Rp) was defined by PB/V and averaged for three or more levels of flow. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
DegS-DegU and ComP-ComA modulator-effector pairs control expression of the Bacillus subtilis pleiotropic regulatory gene degQ

Production of a class of both secreted and intracellular degradative enzymes in Bacillus subtilis is regulated at the transcriptional level by a signal transduction pathway which includes the DegS-DegU two-component system and at least two additional regulatory genes, degQ and degR, encoding polypeptides of 46 and 60 amino acids, respectively. Expression of degQ was shown to be controlled by DegS-DegU. This expression is decreased in the presence of glucose and increased under any of the following conditions: growth with poor carbon sources, amino acid deprivation, phosphate starvation, and growth in the presence of decoyinine, a specific inhibitor of GMP synthetase. In addition, expression of degQ is shown to be positively regulated by the ComP-ComA two-component system. Separate targets for regulation of degQ gene expression by DegS-DegU and ComP-ComA were located by deletion analysis between positions -393 and -186 and between positions -78 and -40, respectively. Regulation of degQ expression by amino acid deprivation was shown to be dependent upon ComA. Regulation by phosphate starvation, catabolite repression, and decoyinine was independent of the two-component systems and shown to involve sequences downstream from position -78. The ComP-ComA and DegS-DegU two-component systems seem to be closely related, sharing several target genes in common, such as late competence genes, as well as the degQ regulatory gene. Sequence analysis of the degQ region revealed the beginning of an open reading frame directly downstream from degQ. Disruption of this gene, designated comQ, suggests that it also controls expression of degQ and is required for development of genetic competence.
Open Source Software as Consumer Integration into Production

Open source software is emerging as a potentially important competitive force in the software industry, capturing the attention of venture capitalists and computing industry executives. Yet very little is known about how open source software, which is created collectively by individual volunteers, will compete with closed source software. This paper models open source software as consumer integration into production, in which users organize to produce a good for themselves. The model predicts that open source software will not compete in all product markets, but where it does, will be of higher quality than closed source software. An empirical study finds support for these predictions.
Compact Resonant Slot Array Antenna Using Partial H-Plane Waveguide

In this letter, a resonant slot array antenna using a compact partial H-plane waveguide is proposed. To design the antenna, the conductance value of a longitudinal shunt slot on the partial H-plane waveguide is numerically estimated using a commercial electromagnetic (EM) simulator and the analytic conductance equation. The partial H-plane slot array antenna behaves as a resonant 1-D structure with longitudinal shunt slots and has almost the same characteristics as a conventional waveguide slot antenna even though it has a one-quarter cross section. The antenna is fabricated in the S-band, and the measured results are in good agreement with simulated results.
Recovery kinetics throughout successive bouts of various exercises in elite cyclists.

PURPOSE In the present study we investigated whether a high volume of cycling training would influence the metabolic changes associated with a succession of three exhaustive cycling exercises. METHODS Seven professional road cyclists (VO2max: 74.3 +/- 3.7 mL.min.kg; maximal power tolerated: 475 +/- 18 W; training: 22 +/- 3 h.wk) and seven sport sciences students (VO2max: 54.2 +/- 5.3 mL.min.kg; maximal power tolerated: 341 +/- 26 W; training: 6 +/- 2 h.wk) performed three different exhaustive cycling exercise bouts (progressive, constant load, and sprint) on an electrically braked cycloergometer positioned near the magnetic resonance scanner. Less than 45 s after the completion of each exercise bout, recovery kinetics of high-energy phosphorylated compounds and pH were measured using P-MR spectroscopy. RESULTS Resting values for phosphomonoesters (PME) and phosphodiesters (PDE) were significantly elevated in the cyclist group (PME/ATP: 0.82 +/- 0.11 vs 0.58 +/- 0.19; PDE/ATP: 0.27 +/- 0.03 vs 0.21 +/- 0.05). Phosphocreatine (PCr) consumption and inorganic phosphate (Pi) accumulation measured at end of exercise bouts 1 (PCr: 6.5 +/- 3.2 vs 10.4 +/- 1.6 mM; Pi: 1.6 +/- 0.7 vs 6.8 +/- 3.4 mM) and 3 (PCr: 5.6 +/- 2.4 vs 9.3 +/- 3.9 mM; Pi: 1.5 +/- 0.5 vs 7.7 +/- 3.3 mM) were reduced in cyclists compared with controls. During the recovery period after each exercise bout, the pH-recovery rate was larger in professional road cyclists, whereas the PCr-recovery kinetics were significantly faster for cyclists only for bout 3. DISCUSSION Whereas the PDE and PME elevation at rest in professional cyclists may indicate fiber-type changes and an imbalance between glycogenolytic and glycolytic activity, the lower PCr consumption during exercise and the faster pH-recovery kinetic clearly suggest an improved mitochondrial function.
Meeting different QoS requirements of vehicular networks: A D2D-based approach

The widely deployed cellular network, assisted with device-to-device (D2D) communications, can provide a promising solution to support efficient and reliable vehicular communications. In this paper, we identify differentiated requirements for different types of vehicular links, i.e., high capacity for vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) links and ultra reliability for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) links, and attempt to maximize the ergodic capacity of V2I connections while ensuring reliability guarantee for each V2V link. To account for fast channel variations caused by high mobility, we propose to perform spectrum sharing and power allocation based only on slowly varying large-scale fading information of wireless channels. A novel algorithm that yields optimal resource allocation and is robust to channel variations is proposed. Their desirable performance is confirmed by computer simulation.
Economic impact of switching to once-a-day milking on a dairy farm in northern Victoria

During recent years, there has been interest in once-a-day (OAD) milking. A comparison was made of OAD with twice-a-day (TAD) milking on a case study farm in northern Victoria. The comparison suggests that operating profit and internal rate of return are similar to TAD milking if the decrease in milk protein plus fat production, as a result of OAD milking, is less than 12 percent. Although a decrease in milk protein plus fat production of this magnitude may be achievable on some farms in Australia, the decrease is likely to be greater than this in many instances, resulting in reduced profit when changing from TAD to OAD milking. To achieve comparable operating profit with OAD milking, a farm system would need to be well suited to OAD milking, and the implementation well planned and executed. The profitability of switching to OAD milking is sensitive to the amount of genuine savings in labour costs or the ability to make real earnings from off-farm employment. For the case study farm analysed, increasing the stocking rate when switching to OAD milking was not an appropriate option when pasture consumption remained the same. On farms where stocking rates are lower or opportunities exist to increase pasture consumption or where cows are consuming less grain per cow and more pasture per cow, it may be profitable to increase stocking rate when switching to OAD milking.
Core Self-Evaluations in Germany: Validation of a German Measure and its Relationships with Career Success

The present study reports the results of a validation of a German version of the Core Self-Evaluations Scale (CSES) and its relationships with career success. Data were collected in three occupational samples to address various aspects of validation. Our results confirm the proposed one-factor structure of the scale as well as convergent, discriminant, criterion, and predictive validity. Furthermore, the German CSES shows incremental validity over the individual core traits (neuroticism, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and locus of control), the Big Five, and positive and negative affect. Thus, the German version of the Core Self-Evaluations Scale is a reliable, valid, and economic measure for both research and practical applications. Furthermore, hypothesised relationships of core self-evaluations with objective as well as subjective career success were confirmed. Possible explanations of these relationships are discussed.
Consumer Behaviour of Clients Travelling by Stena Line’s Ferries

In the era of tough competition, each company should closely follow the trends on the market and watch changing expectations of potential buyers of their goods and services. Only those organizations that are able to meet the customers’ needs and preferences, gain a competitive position on the market. The objective of the article is to assess purchasing behaviour of customers travelling by ferries to Sweden on the Gdynia-Karlskrona route which is operated by Stena Line. The article consists of four main parts. The objective and methodology of empirical researches that were carried out are presented in the first part of the article. Next, there are theoretical considerations on customers’ behaviour and factors influencing their decision making process. In the third part of the article, the analysis of selected elements of purchasing behaviour of people travelling by ferries based on the results of empirical research was presented. The article ends with the summary indicating the conclusions that arose thanks to analysis of the survey results.
BCG vaccine effectiveness in preventing tuberculosis and its interaction with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

BACKGROUND To explore Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG) as a protective factor against tuberculosis (TB) and how human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection modifies the effect of BCG on TB. METHODS Two matched case-control studies were conducted. One study compared TB cases and controls who were HIV positive. The second compared TB cases and controls who were HIV negative. The study population consisted of 88 TB cases and 88 controls among HIV-positive individuals and 314 TB cases and 310 controls among HIV-negative individuals. Cases were new TB diagnoses, confirmed by either bacteriology, pathology, radiology or clinical response to treatment; controls were selected from people without TB symptoms and who sought medical attention in the same institution where a case was enrolled. BCG was assessed by the presence of a typical scar. RESULTS The level of protection against all clinical forms of TB was 22% among HIV positive individuals (odds ratio [OR] = 0.78, 95% CI : 0.48-1.26) and 26% among HIV negatives (OR = 0.74, 95% CI : 0.52-1.05). There was a significant difference (P = 0.002) in the level of protection against extrapulmonary TB (ETB) between HIV-negative (OR = 0.54, 95% CI : 0.32-0.93) and HIV-positive individuals (OR = 1.36, 95% CI : 0.72-2.57). CONCLUSION BCG has a modest protective effect against all forms of TB independent of HIV status, and BCG confers protection against extrapulmonary TB among HIV-negative individuals. However, HIV infection seems to abrogate the protective effect of BCG against extrapulmonary TB. Our data support the public health importance of BCG vaccine in the prevention of extrapulmonary TB among immunocompetent individuals.
StructuredCoprimeFactorModelReductionbasedonLMIs ?

In this paper we discuss dynamic model reduction methods which preserve a certain structure in the underlying system. Specifically, we consider the situation where the reduction must be consistent with a partition of the system states. This is motivated, for instance, in situations where state variables are associated with the topology of a networked system, and the reduction should preserve this. We build on the observation that imposing block structure to generalized controllability and observability gramians automatically yields such state-partitioned model reduction. The difficulty lies in ensuring feasibility of the resulting Lyapunov inequalities, which is in general very restrictive. To overcome this, we consider coprime factor model reduction. We derive an LMI characterization of expansive and contractive coprime factorizations that preserve structure, and use this to build a more flexible method for structured model reduction. An example is given to illustrate the method.
T Cell Signaling Targets for Enhancing Regulatory or Effector Function

The PD-1 receptor in effector T cells and the transcription factor Foxp3 in Tregs are promising targets for therapies. To respond to infection, resting or naïve T cells must undergo activation, clonal expansion, and differentiation into specialized functional subsets of effector T cells. However, to prevent excessive or self-destructive immune responses, regulatory T cells (Tregs) are instrumental in suppressing the activation and function of effector cells, including effector T cells. The transcription factor Forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) regulates the expression of genes involved in the development and function of Tregs. Foxp3 interacts with other transcription factors and with epigenetic elements such as histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone acetyltransferases. Treg suppressive function can be increased by exposure to HDAC inhibitors. The individual contributions of different HDAC family members to Treg function and their respective mechanisms of action, however, remain unclear. A study showed that HDAC6, HDAC9, and Sirtuin-1 had distinct effects on Foxp3 expression and function, suggesting that selectively targeting HDACs individually or in combination may enhance Treg stability and suppressive function. Another study showed that the receptor programmed death 1 (PD-1), a well-known inhibitor of T cell activation, halted cell cycle progression in effector T cells by inhibiting the transcription of the gene encoding the substrate-recognition component (Skp2) of the ubiquitin ligase SCFSkp2. Together, these findings reveal new signaling targets for enhancing Treg or effector T cell function that may be helpful in designing future therapies, either to increase Treg suppressive function in transplantation and autoimmune diseases or to block PD-1 function, thus increasing the magnitude of antiviral or antitumor immune responses of effector T cells.
A Mesoscale Iron Enrichment in the Western Subarctic Pacific Induces a Large Centric Diatom Bloom

We have performed an in situ test of the iron limitation hypothesis in the subarctic North Pacific Ocean. A single enrichment of dissolved iron caused a large increase in phytoplankton standing stock and decreases in macronutrients and dissolved carbon dioxide. The dominant phytoplankton species shifted after the iron addition from pennate diatoms to a centric diatom, Chaetoceros debilis, that showed a very high growth rate, 2.6 doublings per day. We conclude that the bioavailability of iron regulates the magnitude of the phytoplankton biomass and the key phytoplankton species that determine the biogeochemical sensitivity to iron supply of high-nitrate, low-chlorophyll waters.
Energy metabolism transition in multi‐cellular human tumor spheroids

It is thought that glycolysis is the predominant energy pathway in cancer, particularly in solid and poorly vascularized tumors where hypoxic regions develop. To evaluate whether glycolysis does effectively predominate for ATP supply and to identify the underlying biochemical mechanisms, the glycolytic and oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) fluxes, ATP/ADP ratio, phosphorylation potential, and expression and activity of relevant energy metabolism enzymes were determined in multi‐cellular tumor spheroids, as a model of human solid tumors. In HeLa and Hek293 young‐spheroids, the OxPhos flux and cytochrome c oxidase protein content and activity were similar to those observed in monolayer cultured cells, whereas the glycolytic flux increased two‐ to fourfold; the contribution of OxPhos to ATP supply was 60%. In contrast, in old‐spheroids, OxPhos, ATP content, ATP/ADP ratio, and phosphorylation potential diminished 50–70%, as well as the activity (88%) and content (3 times) of cytochrome c oxidase. Glycolysis and hexokinase increased significantly (both, 4 times); consequently glycolysis was the predominant pathway for ATP supply (80%). These changes were associated with an increase (3.3 times) in the HIF‐1α content. After chronic exposure, both oxidative and glycolytic inhibitors blocked spheroid growth, although the glycolytic inhibitors, 2‐deoxyglucose and gossypol (IC50 of 15–17 nM), were more potent than the mitochondrial inhibitors, casiopeina II‐gly, laherradurin, and rhodamine 123 (IC50 > 100 nM). These results suggest that glycolysis and OxPhos might be considered as metabolic targets to diminish cellular proliferation in poorly vascularized, hypoxic solid tumors. J. Cell. Physiol. 216: 189–197, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The how and why of consumers' co-creation: evidence from the Fiat 500 case study

In the current business environment firms need to continuously renew their products to keep up with their competitive advantage. Increasingly, customers' needs are atomized and they change at an unprecedented pace. Thus, some companies have started to tap consumer knowledge over the internet. These companies are using the web and social media to build virtual spaces to connect with actual and potential customers in order to engage them at different stages of the new product development process. In such virtual spaces, consumers spontaneously decide to contribute with their knowledge, ideas and activities to company's cocreation initiatives. In marketing research, there is a dearth of studies on how companies are involving ordinary consumers in their innovation processes through internet applications. Moreover, few studies have investigated the implications of cocreation activities on innovation outputs and brand image. Thus, this study has adopted a single case study approach and has explored the how and why of cocreation in the Fiat 500 open innovation project (‘500 wants you'), and the results achieved in terms of innovation generated and impact on the corporate brand image.
Methodology to Evaluate the Robustness of Integrated Circuits under Cable Discharge Event

Cable Discharge Event (CDE) has been the main cause which damages the Ethernet interface. The transmission line pulsing (TLP) system has been the most important method to observe electric characteristics of the device under human-body-model (HBM) ESD stress. In this work, the long-pulse transmission line pulsing (LP-TLP) system is proposed to simulate the influence of CDE on the Ethernet integrated circuits, and the results are compared with conventional 100-ns TLP system. The experimental results have shown that the CDE robustness of NMOS device in a 0.25-μm CMOS technology is much worse than its HBM electrostatic discharge robustness.
Experiences of the psychological contract, work engagement and life satisfaction of learners in the chemical industry

The main aim of this article was to determine the expectation of learners in learnership differences in the levels of the psychological contracts, violation of the psychological contract, learners‟ expectations, employability, life satisfaction and work engagement between biographical variables (type of learnership contracts, gender, race, age, date of commencement of learnership, date of completion of learnership). A cross-sectional survey design was used. A total of 237 learners completed the questionnaire. The psychological contract scale, violation of the psychological contract scale, learners‟ expectations scale, employability scale, life satisfaction scale, work engagement scale, and biographical scale were administered. The results indicated a statistically significant difference for age, date of commencement of learnership, and date of completion of learnership, but no relationship with type of learnership contract, gender, or race.
Importance of health literacy in oncology

Health literacy refers to one's ability to obtain, process and understand health information and services to enable sound health decision‐making. This is an area of increasing importance due to the complexity of the health system, especially in the cancer setting. A certain level of health literacy is required for patients to fully understand health information and services to make sound decisions about their health care, including decisions about screening and treatment. Previous research has suggested that a significant proportion of the population may have limited health literacy. Suboptimal health literacy is an independent risk factor for poor health outcomes, including increased risk of hospitalization. Cancer patients with poor health literacy may have misconceptions about their disease and ineffective communication with their health professionals, leading to unnecessary interventions, under‐treatment or poor adherence to their treatment plans. In addition, cancer patients who have a poor understanding of their disease may experience greater anxiety and be more dissatisfied with their care. Various strategies have been suggested to assist cancer patients with low health literacy. However, more work needs to be done to support all cancer patients with varying levels of health literacy, thus enhancing health experiences and health outcomes.