Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response of the Senescent Heart to Stress: Clinical Therapeutic Strategies and Quest for Mitochondrial Predictors of Biological Age

Abstract: The aging heart has an impaired response to many kinds of stress. In clinical practice, there is a need for senescence‐specific therapies to protect against stress and for biochemical markers of senescence to identify those patients most in need of therapy. In isolated rat hearts, in human tissues, and in a clinical trial, we have shown previously that coenzyme Q10 has the ability to protect the heart against stress especially in senescence. We recently have devised a regimen of therapy to protect the senescent heart against stress, combining metabolic therapy (coenzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid, magnesium orotate, and omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) with physical exercise and mental stress reduction. The preliminary results of this program are promising. In an endeavor to predict the likely response of individual senescent hearts to stress, we correlated the tissue load of mitochondrial DNA deletions and total cellular mitochondrial DNA copy number in human cardiac tissue with recovery of the same tissue from ischemia/reperfusion stress. We found that these mitochondrial markers actually were less predictive of impaired response to stress than age alone. We conclude that the aging heart has a diminished capacity to recover from stress that is not readily predictable by cardiac content of intact mitochondrial DNA and that this recovery can be improved by metabolic therapy combined with physical exercise and mental stress reduction.
An investigation of the main factors to be considered in cloud computing adoption in Australian regional local councils

Technology plays an important role in helping organisations control quality and costs, and taking advantage of opportunities in a highly competitive and increasingly complex business environment. Cloud computing offers greater access to computing power, storage, software, and remote data centres through the web. This research aims to investigate the factors to be considered for cloud computing adoption by Australian regional councils. The research employed in-depth interviews with IT managers from selected local government councils. The major factors to be considered for the adoption of cloud computing were identified as Internet connectivity, data storage location, cost, integration, data back-up, provider dependability, employees’ knowledge, and transportability. The findings of this research may help managers increase their awareness about factors to be considered when planning to adopt cloud computing.
Perceptions of Wholesaler Functional Role Prescriptions in Marketing Channels

The role concept has been largely ignored in recent marketing channels literature. The authors address this issue from the wholesaling perspective, conceptualising the wholesaler′s role in terms of six marketing functions that they perform for manufacturers. Findings from a large sample mail survey of wholesaler and manufacturer members of the National Association of Wholesaler‐Distributors empirically support the authors′ expectations that wholesalers are perceived as important performers of each function by both wholesalers and manufacturers; that both wholesalers and manufacturers think the reliance on wholesalers to perform these functions has been increasing and will increase even further in the future; and that wholesalers perceive themselves to be more important performers of each marketing function than do manufacturers. The implications of these findings for channel roles, power, and conflict issues are then discussed.
Forest Certification and its Influence on the Forest Products Industry in China

Forest certification is becoming an important issue within the forest products industry and also a new trend in forest products markets. Although forest certification was initiated to confront the severe deforestation of tropical rain forests, certified forests are unbalanced in geographical locations, with 60% of certified forests being located in North America and 36% in Europe in 2006. The end markets for certified forest products, especially certified wood products, are also concentrated in European countries (particularly the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands) and North America, because the price premium for environmentally friendly products is only available in these mature and value-added markets. In manufacturing, countries such as Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, United States, Brazil, Japan and China are competitive in the area of certified wood products.
The changing face of heroin use in the United States: a retrospective analysis of the past 50 years.

IMPORTANCE Over the past several years, there have been a number of mainstream media reports that the abuse of heroin has migrated from low-income urban areas with large minority populations to more affluent suburban and rural areas with primarily white populations. OBJECTIVE To examine the veracity of these anecdotal reports and define the relationship between the abuse of prescription opioids and the abuse of heroin. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyzed (1) data from an ongoing study that uses structured, self-administered surveys to gather retrospective data on past drug use patterns among patients entering substance abuse treatment programs across the country who received a primary (DSM-IV) diagnosis of heroin use/dependence (n = 2797) and (2) data from unstructured qualitative interviews with a subset of patients (n = 54) who completed the structured interview. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES In addition to data on population demographics and current residential location, we used cross-tabulations to assess prevalence rates as a function of the decade of the initiation of abuse for (1) first opioid used (prescription opioid or heroin), (2) sex, (3) race/ethnicity, and (4) age at first use. Respondents indicated in an open-ended format why they chose heroin as their primary drug and the interrelationship between their use of heroin and their use of prescription opioids. RESULTS Approximately 85% of treatment-seeking patients approached to complete the Survey of Key Informants' Patients Program did so. Respondents who began using heroin in the 1960s were predominantly young men (82.8%; mean age, 16.5 years) whose first opioid of abuse was heroin (80%). However, more recent users were older (mean age, 22.9 years) men and women living in less urban areas (75.2%) who were introduced to opioids through prescription drugs (75.0%). Whites and nonwhites were equally represented in those initiating use prior to the 1980s, but nearly 90% of respondents who began use in the last decade were white. Although the "high" produced by heroin was described as a significant factor in its selection, it was often used because it was more readily accessible and much less expensive than prescription opioids. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE Our data show that the demographic composition of heroin users entering treatment has shifted over the last 50 years such that heroin use has changed from an inner-city, minority-centered problem to one that has a more widespread geographical distribution, involving primarily white men and women in their late 20s living outside of large urban areas.
Left ventricle remodeling in men with moderate to severe volume-dependent hypertension

We evaluated the influence of increased intravascular volume on the heart anatomy in salt-sensitive types of hypertension, represented by primary aldosteronism (PA) and low-renin essential hypertension (LREH). Echocardiography was performed in 128 males with moderate to severe or resistant hypertension: 44 patients had PA, 40 patients had LREH and 44 patients had normal-renin essential hypertension (NREH). Groups were comparable in demographic characteristics, blood pressure, duration of hypertension and previous antihypertensive treatment. Patients with PA and LREH, in comparison with NREH patients, showed both greater end-systolic (37.6±5.4 and 35.6±4.5 vs 32.6±4.4 mm, p<0.001 and p<0.05) and end-diastolic (56.1±4.5 and 54.0±4.8 vs 50.4±5.1 mm; p<0.001 and p<0.01) left ventricle (LV) diameter. There were no significant differences either in LV wall thicknesses or LV mass, although a higher percentage of patients with PA and LREH met the criteria of eccentric hypertrophy (p<0.001 and p<0.05 respectively). Aldosterone concentration was positively related to LV cavity dimensions, whether wall thicknesses were rather associated with blood pressure levels. In conclusion, plasma volume overload was identified as an important factor influencing LV remodeling in PA and LREH, whether due to excessive aldosterone levels in PA or other pathophysiological mechanisms.
Effects of cocaine administration on receptor binding and subunits mRNA of GABAA‐benzodiazepine receptor complexes

The effects of intermittent intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of cocaine (20 mg/kg) on GABAA‐benzodiazepine (BZD) receptors labeled by t‐[35S]butylbicyclophosphorothionate (TBPS), and on several types of mRNA subunits were investigated in rat brain by in vitro quantitative receptor autoradiography and in situ hybridization. Phosphor screen imaging with high sensitivity and a wide linear range of response was utilized for imaging analysis. There was a significant decrease in the level of α1, α6, β2, β3, and γ2 subunits mRNA, with no alteration of [35S]TBPS binding in any regions in the brain of rats at 1 h following a single injection of cocaine. In chronically treated animals, the mean scores of stereotyped behavior were increased with the number of injections. The level of β3 subunit mRNA was decreased in the cortices and caudate putamen, at 24 h after a final injection of chronic administrations for 14 days. In the withdrawal from cocaine, the frontal cortex and hippocampal complexes showed a significant increase in [35S]TBPS binding and α1 and β3 subunit mRNA in the rats 1 week after a cessation of chronic administration of cocaine. These findings suggest that the disruption of GABAA‐BZD receptor formation is closely involved in the development of cocaine‐related behavioral disturbances. Further studies on the physiological functions on GABAA‐BZD receptor complex will be necessary for an explanation of the precise mechanisms underlying the acute effects, development of hypersensitization, and withdrawal state of cocaine. Synapse 38:198–215, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Influence in Times of Crisis

In two scenario-based studies, we found that women and men evaluate glass-cliff positions (i.e., precarious leadership positions at organizations in crisis) differently depending on the social and financial resources available. Female and male participants evaluated a hypothetical leadership position in which they would have both social and financial resources, financial resources but no social resources, or social resources but no financial resources. Women evaluated the position without social resources most negatively, whereas men evaluated the position without financial resources most negatively. In Study 2, we found that women and men considered different issues when evaluating these leadership positions. Women’s evaluations and expected levels of influence as leaders depended on the degree to which they expected to be accepted by subordinates. In contrast, men’s evaluations and expected levels of acceptance by subordinates depended on the degree to which they expected to be influential in the position. Our findings have implications for the understanding of the glass-cliff phenomenon and gendered leadership stereotypes.
Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor Technology: Process Applications, Design, and Performance

The moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) can operate as a 2‐ (anoxic) or 3‐(aerobic) phase system with buoyant free‐moving plastic biofilm carriers. These systems can be used for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, aquaculture, potable water denitrification, and, in roughing, secondary, tertiary, and sidestream applications. The system includes a submerged biofilm reactor and liquid‐solids separation unit. The MBBR process benefits include the following: (1) capacity to meet treatment objectives similar to activated sludge systems with respect to carbon‐oxidation and nitrogen removal, but requires a smaller tank volume than a clarifier‐coupled activated sludge system; (2) biomass retention is clarifier‐independent and solids loading to the liquid‐solids separation unit is reduced significantly when compared with activated sludge systems; (3) the MBBR is a continuous‐flow process that does not require a special operational cycle for biofilm thickness, LF, control (e.g., biologically active filter backwashing); and (4) liquid‐solids separation can be achieved with a variety of processes, including conventional and compact high‐rate processes. Information related to system design is fragmented and poorly documented. This paper seeks to address this issue by summarizing state‐of‐the art MBBR design procedures and providing the reader with an overview of some commercially available systems and their components.
EVALUATION OF THE CAPITAL BUDGET PLANNING PRACTICE OF CONTRACTORS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Poor and unrealistic budgeting has been traced to the inefficiency and neck-deep poverty of contractors in the construction industry, this attributes to the economic decline of firms and capital disappearance in the industry. This research work seeks to evaluate the capital budget planning practice of contractors in the Nigerian construction industry. The research made use of questionnaires for data collection and the statistical tools employed in the analysis are frequency tables, percentages, cumulative percentages, and mean score ranking. The variables used for the evaluation include long-term capital budgets, capital budgeting manual/written procedures, formal bodies responsible for screening and reviewing projects, capital budgeting personnel and regular minimum rate of return review. The study revealed that about 50% of contractors do not make plan for long-term capital budgets and therefore cannot handle large projects. It is recommended that contractors make plan for long-term capital budgeting and devote more personnel to capital budget planning to ensure that they can handle the numerous large construction projects in the industry.
Special-Use Domain Names Problem Statement

The policy defined in RFC 6761 for IANA registrations in the "Special- Use Domain Names" registry has been shown, through experience, to present challenges that were not anticipated when RFC 6761 was written. This memo presents a list, intended to be comprehensive, of the problems that have since been identified. In addition, it reviews the history of domain names and summarizes current IETF publications and some publications from other organizations relating to Special-Use Domain Names. This document should be considered required reading for IETF participants who wish to express an informed opinion on the topic of Special-Use Domain Names.
Symbiotic chloroplasts; their photosynthetic products and contribution to mucus synthesis in two marine slugs.

1. The products of photosynthetic 14CO2 fixation by symbiotic chloroplasts in the marine sacoglossan opisthobranch gastropods Tridachia crispata (Morch) and Tridachiella diomedea (Bergh) were compared with those of the siphonous green alga Caulerpa sertularioides.2. After six hours photosynthesis in NaH14CO3, the distribution of 14C in organic compounds in the two slugs was similar, but different from that in the plant.3. The major soluble 14C-labelled carbohydrates found were glucose and sucrose in the plant and glucose and galactose in the slugs.4. The plant contained appreciable 14C-galactolipids, while little 14C could be detected in galactolipids in chloroplasts in the animals. In both slugs and alga large quantities of 14C were incorporated into polysaccharide.5. After pulse-labelleing for one hour, 14C-galactose was the major soluble carbohydrate detected in Tridachia. Subsequently, the galactose decreased with a concomitant increase in 14C-glucose. Thereafter maximum 14C-glucose was detected in se.
Mercury: Bandwidth-Effective Prevention of Rollback Attacks Against Community Repositories

A popular community repository such as Docker Hub, PyPI, or RubyGems distributes tens of thousands of software projects to millions of users. The large number of projects and users make these repositories attractive targets for exploitation. After a repository compromise, a malicious party can launch a number of attacks on unsuspecting users, including rollback attacks that revert projects to obsolete and vulnerable versions. Unfortunately, due to the rapid rate at which packages are updated, existing techniques that protect against rollback attacks would cause each user to download 2–3 times the size of an average package in metadata each month, making them impractical to deploy. In this work, we develop a system called Mercury that uses a novel technique to compactly disseminate version information while still protecting against rollback attacks. Due to a different technique for dealing with key revocation, users are protected from rollback attacks, even if the software repository is compromised. This technique is bandwidth-efficient, especially when delta compression is used to transmit only the differences between previous and current lists of version information. An analysis we performed for the Python community shows that once Mercury is deployed on PyPI, each user will only download metadata each month that is about 3.5% the size of an average package. Our work has been incorporated into the latest versions of TUF, which is being integrated by Haskell, OCaml, RubyGems, Python, and CoreOS, and is being used in production by LEAP, Flynn, and Docker.
Opinion-Mining Methodology for Social Media Analytics

Social media have emerged as new communication channels between consumers and companies that generate a large volume of unstructured text data. This social media content, which contains consumers’ opinions and interests, is recognized as valuable material from which businesses can mine useful information; consequently, many researchers have reported on opinion-mining frameworks, methods, techniques, and tools for business intelligence over various industries. These studies sometimes focused on how to use opinion mining in business fields or emphasized methods of analyzing content to achieve results that are more accurate. They also considered how to visualize the results to ensure easier understanding. However, we found that such approaches are often technically complex and insufficiently user-friendly to help with business decisions and planning. Therefore, in this study we attempt to formulate a more comprehensive and practical methodology to conduct social media opinion mining and apply our methodology to a case study of the oldest instant noodle product in Korea. We also present graphical tools and visualized outputs that include volume and sentiment graphs, time-series graphs, a topic word cloud, a heat map, and a valence tree map with a classification. Our resources are from public-domain social media content such as blogs, forum messages, and news articles that we analyze with natural language processing, statistics, and graphics packages in the freeware R project environment. We believe our methodology and visualization outputs can provide a practical and reliable guide for immediate use, not just in the food industry but other industries as well.
Reduced-order modeling of capacitive MEMS microphones using mixed-level simulation

The authors demonstrate a reduced-order modeling methodology based on the mixed-level simulation approach that allows for the rapid evaluation of microphone design variations with arbitrary arrangement and shape of the acoustic holes. The resulting reduced-order models take multiply coupled energy domains into account and are capable of describing the effects caused by non-linear fluidic damping. The methodology is easily approachable, as the generation of the reduced-order models is automated by the use of a MATLAB toolbox
Changes in Retail Trade Flow

Is the plight of downtown retailing wholly attributable to the movement of population and business activity to the suburbs? The author of this article analyzes changes in population and retail-trade concentrations, and concludes that metropolitan retailing (downtown and suburban combined) has become less effective than in the past in drawing trade from non-metropolitan areas.
Improving Optimization-Based Approximate Inference by Clamping Variables

While central to the application of probabilistic models to discrete data, the problem of marginal inference is in general intractable and efﬁcient approximation schemes need to exploit the problem structure. Recently, there have been efforts to develop inference techniques that do not necessarily make factorization assumptions about the distribution, but rather exploit the fact that sometimes there exist efﬁ-cient algorithms for ﬁnding the MAP conﬁg-uration. In this paper, we theoretically prove that for discrete multi-label models the bounds on the partition function obtained by two of these approaches, Perturb-and-MAP and the bound from the inﬁnite Rényi divergence, can be only improved by clamping any subset of the variables. For the case of log-supermodular models we provide a more detailed analysis and develop a set of efﬁcient strategies for choosing the order in which the variables should be clamped. Finally, we present a number of numerical experiments showcasing the improvements obtained by the proposed methods on several models.
In vivo evaluation of A-56619 (difloxacin) and A-56620: new aryl-fluoroquinolones

A-56619 and A-56620 are two new aryl-fluoroquinolones which are as potent as or more potent than norfloxacin when administered orally and subcutaneously in mouse protection tests against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. A-56619 and A-56620 were more potent than norfloxacin when administered orally against Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Serratia marcescens, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A-56620 was as potent or two- to threefold more potent than norfloxacin when administered subcutaneously against members of the family Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Infection with Salmonella typhimurium was more effectively treated with A-56619 (50% effective dose [ED50], 1.4 mg/kg per day) than with norfloxacin (ED50, 62.8 mg/kg per day). E. coli or Pseudomonas pyelonephritis in mice was more effectively treated with A-56619 or A-56620 than with norfloxacin. After oral treatment, the ED50s of A-56619 and A-56620 were less than 12.5 mg/kg per day against E. coli and 62.9 and 38 mg/kg per day against P. aeruginosa pyelonephritis, respectively. Norfloxacin was ineffective at 200 mg/kg per day against E. coli or P. aeruginosa pyelonephritis. A-56619 and A-56620 were also more potent than norfloxacin in treatment of mixed bacterial pyelonephritis caused by E. coli and Streptococcus faecalis. A-56619 was at least 30 times more potent than norfloxacin and A-56620 was 4 to 11 times more potent than norfloxacin when administered against Klebsiella pneumonia in mice. A-56619 and A-56620 were at least 2 to 10 times more potent than norfloxacin against Staphylococcus aureus infections in immunosuppressed mice. A-56619 was equally potent in all in vivo tests when administered orally or subcutaneously, whereas A-56620 was similar to norfloxacin in being more potent when administered subcutaneously. The peak serum levels after subcutaneous and oral administration of A-56619 and A-56620 were higher than that of norfloxacin. The serum hal-lives of A-56619 and A-56620 after subcutaneous and oral administration were longer than the serum half-life of norfloxacin.