Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aging augments the impact of influenza respiratory tract infection on mobility impairments, muscle-localized inflammation, and muscle atrophy

Although the influenza virus only infects the respiratory system, myalgias are commonly experienced during infection. In addition to a greater risk of hospitalization and death, older adults are more likely to develop disability following influenza infection; however, this relationship is understudied. We hypothesized that upon challenge with influenza, aging would be associated with functional impairments, as well as upregulation of skeletal muscle inflammatory and atrophy genes. Infected young and aged mice demonstrated decreased mobility and altered gait kinetics. These declines were more prominent in hind limbs and in aged mice. Skeletal muscle expression of genes involved in inflammation, as well as muscle atrophy and proteolysis, increased during influenza infection with an elevated and prolonged peak in aged mice. Infection also decreased expression of positive regulators of muscle mass and myogenesis components to a greater degree in aged mice. Gene expression correlated to influenza-induced body mass loss, although evidence did not support direct muscle infection. Overall, influenza leads to mobility impairments with induction of inflammatory and muscle degradation genes and downregulation of positive regulators of muscle. These effects are augmented and prolonged with aging, providing a molecular link between influenza infection, decreased resilience and increased risk of disability in the elderly.
Project work in Finnish KASTE projects

Project work been seen as a solution for developing social and health care work. However, project work is not one-dimensional. In addition, there are some characteristics in social and health care that pose challenges for projects. There is a need to study social and health care project work critically. The aim of the article is to describe and analyze project work in social and health care. The data were collected from KASTE projects in 2008-2011. The data consisted of essays written by project managers (n=11) and interviews (n= 14) with project managers and workers. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Based on our findings, project work in social and health care was characterized by project management within an organized chaos, power struggles between professions and organizations, attitudes related to co-operation with different sectors, successful team feeling and multi-dimensional peer support. Peer-support and team feeling were valued as important resources in project work although there were different kinds of experiences of their existence. Team feeling can be seen as a means to compensate for the lack of common instructions and to relieve the feeling of chaos. Different kinds of power structures could be distinguished on different levels of co-operation in projects: on project team level, on interprofessional level and on the level of organizations and municipalities. This poses challenges for inter-professional and cross-sectional co-operation in projects, which might affect project progress.
Contracts as a barrier to entry

It is shown that an incumbent seller who faces a threat of entry into his or her market will sign long-term contracts that prevent the entry of some lower-cost producers even though they do not preclude entry completely. Moreover, when a seller possesses superior information about the likelihood of entry, it is shown that the length of the contract may act as a signal of the true probability of entry.
The Oligopolist's Discordance Made Acceptable? Enacting Socially-Embedded Knowledge to Act it Out in One's Favor

Strategic surprise lies in wait. There is no surprise if competitors can figure out one's intentions before end. We examine how enlightened strategists can enact the socially-embedded knowledge that prevails over competitors' behavior to their very own favor. Findings suggest that firms can strategize successfully by (a) identifying the levers of collective knowledge; (b) using them as to deter competitors from reacting
Predicting Finger-Touch Accuracy Based on the Dual Gaussian Distribution Model

Accurately predicting the accuracy of finger-touch target acquisition is crucial for designing touchscreen UI and for modeling complex and higher level touch interaction behaviors. Despite its importance, there has been little theoretical work on creating such models. Building on the Dual Gaussian Distribution Model[3], we derived an accuracy model that predicts the success rate of target acquisition based on the target size. We evaluated the model by comparing the predicted success rates with empirical measures for three types of targets including 1-dimensional vertical and horizontal, and 2-dimensional circular targets. The predictions matched the empirical data very well: the differences between predicted and observed success rates were under 5% for 4.8 mm and 7.2 mm targets, and under 10% for 2.4 mm targets. The evaluation results suggest that our simple model can reliably predict touch accuracy.
Correcting angle of visual odometry system by fusing monocular and stereo methods in untextured dynamic environment

In this research, we propose state-of-the-art 6-Degrees-Of-Freedom (6DOF) visual odometry (VO) system which fused stereo VO with effective feature sampling, VO using normal vector information of a ground plane and monocular VO. Firstly, stereo VO is used to do 6DOF motion estimation in untextured dynamic environments. Secondly, ground plane information is used to improve the accuracy of roll and pitch angles estimation. Thirdly, monocular VO is introduced to solve the problems in stereo processing. Finally, Unscented Kalman Filter is adopted for the fusion of the information acquired from three kinds of VO techniques to accomplish robust and accurate localization. We present and evaluate experimental results for our system over 730 meters runs in a challenging outdoor environment and compare it with ground truth. Proposed VO system can localize the robot's position within 3.2% error in untextured outdoor environment.
Detection and channel estimation for optical communication over atmospheric turbulent channels

Atmospheric turbulence impairs the performance of free-space optical links by perturbing optical power at the receiving terminal. The resulting reduction in the link performance can be partially compensated if the strength of the optical fade (channel state) is known to the receiver. For an atmospheric optical channel with on-off keying modulation, the optimal estimator of the channel state is determined and a nonlinear filtering scheme is developed to efficiently compute the estimation. In addition, the optimal method of incorporating this estimation in reconstruction of the receiving message is presented.
The Global Financial Crisis: Lessons for European Integration

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the various challenges facing European integration and the EU institutional architecture as result of the global financial crisis. The European integration process is not yet complete, both in terms of its content and geographical coverage. It can be viewed as a kind of intermediate hybrid between an international organization and a federation, subject to further evolution. This is also true of the Single European Market and the Economic and Monetary Union, which form the core of the EU economic architecture. Certain policy prerogatives (such as external trade, competition, and the Common Agriculture Policy) are delegated to the supranational level while others (such as financial supervision or fiscal policy) remain largely in the hands of national authorities.
Growth of the eye lens: I. Weight accumulation in multiple species

Purpose To examine the accumulation of wet and/or dry weight in the ocular lens as a function of age in different species. Methods Wet weights and/or fixed dry weights were obtained from measurements in the author’s laboratory and from the literature for over 14,000 lenses of known-ages, representing 130 different species. Various algorithms were tested to determine the most suitable for describing the relationship between lens weight and age. Results For 126 of the species examined, lens growth is continuous throughout life but asymptotic and can be reasonably described with a single logistic equation, W=Wm e-(k/A), where W is lens wet or dry weight; Wm is the maximum asymptotic weight, k is the logistic growth constant and A is the time from conception. For humans, elephants, hippopotami, minks, wild goats and woodchucks, lens growth appears to be biphasic. No gender differences could be detected in the lens weights for 70 species but male lenses are reportedly 10% larger than those of females in northern fur seals and pheasants. Dry weight accumulation is faster than that for wet weight in all species except birds and reptiles where the rates are the same. Low lens growth rates are associated with small animals with short gestation periods and short life spans. Conclusions Lens growth is continuous throughout life and, for most species, is independent of gender. For most, growth takes place through a monophasic asymptotic mode and is unaffected by events such as hibernation. This makes lens weight measurement a reliable tool for age determination of species culled in the wild. Compaction of the growing lens generates different properties, appropriate to an animal's lifestyle. How these events are controlled remains to be established.
How to Make Nothing Out of Something: Analyses of the Impact of Study Sampling and Statistical Interpretation in Misleading Meta-Analytic Conclusions

The limited resource model states that self-control is governed by a relatively finite set of inner resources on which people draw when exerting willpower. Once self-control resources have been used up or depleted, they are less available for other self-control tasks, leading to a decrement in subsequent self-control success. The depletion effect has been studied for over 20 years, tested or extended in more than 600 studies, and supported in an independent meta-analysis (Hagger et al., 2010). Meta-analyses are supposed to reduce bias in literature reviews. Carter et al.’s (2015) meta-analysis, by contrast, included a series of questionable decisions involving sampling, methods, and data analysis. We provide quantitative analyses of key sampling issues: exclusion of many of the best depletion studies based on idiosyncratic criteria and the emphasis on mini meta-analyses with low statistical power as opposed to the overall depletion effect. We discuss two key methodological issues: failure to code for research quality, and the quantitative impact of weak studies by novice researchers. We discuss two key data analysis issues: questionable interpretation of the results of trim and fill and Funnel Plot Asymmetry test procedures, and the use and misinterpretation of the untested Precision Effect Test and Precision Effect Estimate with Standard Error (PEESE) procedures. Despite these serious problems, the Carter et al. (2015) meta-analysis results actually indicate that there is a real depletion effect – contrary to their title.
Anthracyclines: a cornerstone in the management of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Since anthracyclines were introduced in the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the late 1960s, they have been acknowledged as a cornerstone in the management of the disease and, in particular, of aggressive lymphomas. The high efficacy of anthracycline-containing regimens must, however, be balanced against the drug-related toxicity, which mainly affects the cardiovascular system and represents a major concern for clinicians, especially in the treatment of elderly patients. Patients' outcomes could be further improved, particularly for those at high risk of cardiotoxicity, by substituting liposomal doxorubicin for conventional doxorubicin. This approach has already been tested and shown to be effective in several cancers, especially in different subsets of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The use of liposomal doxorubicin in combination regimens for other conditions, such as follicular lymphoma and splenic marginal zone lymphoma, is also under investigation, and early results are promising.
Source, topography and excitatory effects of GABAergic innervation in cockroach salivary glands

SUMMARY Cockroach salivary glands are innervated by dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons. Both transmitters elicit saliva secretion. We studied the distribution pattern of neurons containing γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and their physiological role. Immunofluorescence revealed a GABA-immunoreactive axon that originates within the subesophageal ganglion at the salivary neuron 2 (SN2) and this extends within the salivary duct nerve towards the salivary gland. GABA-positive fibers form a network on most acinar lobules and a dense plexus in the interior of a minor fraction of acinar lobules. Co-staining with anti-synapsin revealed that some putative GABAergic terminals seem to make pre-synaptic contacts with GABA-negative release sites. Many putative GABAergic release sites are at some distance from other synapses and at distance from the acinar tissue. Intracellular recordings from isolated salivary glands have revealed that GABA does not affect the basolateral membrane potential of the acinar cells directly. When applied during salivary duct nerve stimulation, GABA enhances the electrical response of the acinar cells and increases the rates of fluid and protein secretion. The effect on electrical cell responses is mimicked by the GABAB receptor agonists baclofen and SKF97541, and blocked by the GABAB receptor antagonists CGP52432 and CGP54626. These findings indicate that GABA has a modulatory role in the control of salivation, acting presynaptically on serotonergic and/or dopaminergic neurotransmission.
Homeostasis or channelopathy? Acquired cell type-specific ion channel changes in temporal lobe epilepsy and their antiepileptic potential

Neurons continuously adapt the expression and functionality of their ion channels. For example, exposed to chronic excitotoxicity, neurons homeostatically downscale their intrinsic excitability. In contrast, the “acquired channelopathy” hypothesis suggests that proepileptic channel characteristics develop during epilepsy. We review cell type-specific channel alterations under different epileptic conditions and discuss the potential of channels that undergo homeostatic adaptations, as targets for antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Most of the relevant studies have been performed on temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), a widespread AED-refractory, focal epilepsy. The TLE patients, who undergo epilepsy surgery, frequently display hippocampal sclerosis (HS), which is associated with degeneration of cornu ammonis subfield 1 pyramidal cells (CA1 PCs). Although the resected human tissue offers insights, controlled data largely stem from animal models simulating different aspects of TLE and other epilepsies. Most of the cell type-specific information is available for CA1 PCs and dentate gyrus granule cells (DG GCs). Between these two cell types, a dichotomy can be observed: while DG GCs acquire properties decreasing the intrinsic excitability (in TLE models and patients with HS), CA1 PCs develop channel characteristics increasing intrinsic excitability (in TLE models without HS only). However, thorough examination of data on these and other cell types reveals the coexistence of protective and permissive intrinsic plasticity within neurons. These mechanisms appear differentially regulated, depending on the cell type and seizure condition. Interestingly, the same channel molecules that are upregulated in DG GCs during HS-related TLE, appear as promising targets for future AEDs and gene therapies. Hence, GCs provide an example of homeostatic ion channel adaptation which can serve as a primer when designing novel anti-epileptic strategies.
Can Households be Multilocal? Conceptual and Methodological Considerations based on a Namibian Case Study

This contribution deals with circular migration, remittances and rural-urban support networks in Namibia’s southern Kunene region and with the question of how to conceptualise the household as a unit of analysis in the context of these dynamics. Based on an outline of the methodology used to gather quantifiable data on rural-urban exchange and empirical data, it focuses on the domestic unit and analyses its role in the context of high mobility and rural-urban networks. It offers a critique of the ‘multilocal household’ approach and suggests the concept of translocal livelihoods as an alternative approach.
Placing Federal District Courts in the Judicial Hierarchy

OF THE DISSERTATION Placing Federal District Courts in the Judicial Hierarchy by Christina L. Boyd Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science Washington University in St. Louis, 2009 Andrew D. Martin, Chair Over forty years after Richardson and Vines (1967) complained that federal courts “have seldom been investigated as a system of interactions,” the same problem continues to plague judicial scholarship, particularly concerning federal district courts. Viewed as the sum of its three essays, this dissertation project seeks to remedy this deficit. The project relies on the collection and coding of thousands of case dockets, opinions, and other court documents across multiple years (2000-2006 for essay 1, 2000-2004 for essays 2 and 3), nearly 30 district courts, and numerous issues areas that together account for about 40% of federal district court civil filings. The project evaluates three questions related to placing placing district courts in the judicial hierarchy. Question 1 tests the influence of case developments and actor characteristics on the disposition method (settlement, non-trial adjudication, and trial) and winning party in district court civil cases. With Question 2, I examine what features lead to a change in a case’s winning party and disposition method after the case has been appealed and remanded back to the district court. Finally, Question 3 models the decision of a losing litigant to appeal to the courts of appeals and captures the implications of this decision for the outcome of the case on appeal. The result is that this project provides unprecedented insights into the development of law, the strategies of parties, the managerial role of judges, the influence
Effects of a capillary transition zone on the stability of a diffusive boundary layer

In geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2), the buoyant CO2 plume eventually accumulates under the caprock. Due to interfacial tension between the CO2 phase and the water phase, a capillary transition zone develops in the plume. This zone contains supercritical CO2 as well as water with dissolved CO2. Under the plume, a diffusive boundary layer forms. We study how cross-flow between the capillary transition zone and the diffusive boundary layer affects gravitational stability of the diffusive boundary layer. Linear stability analysis shows that this cross-flow has no significant effect on the selection of the critical mode. However, interaction with the capillary transition zone enhances the instability of the boundary layer, such that the onset of instabilities occurs earlier, when the diffusive boundary layer is thinner. The onset time may be reduced by a factor of five, which corresponds to the thickness of the diffusive boundary layer at onset being reduced by a factor of two. This reduced thickness of the boundary layer at onset can be interpreted in terms of a reduced portion of the critical mode that must ’fit’ inside the boundary layer when the other portion of the mode is confined within the capillary transition zone. Direct numerical simulations for the non-linear regime show that the mass transfer rate can be enhanced up to four times when the cross-flow is accounted for. This increase is related to advective inflow of CO2-saturated water across the interface. Therefore, the contribution from dissolution to the safety of geological storage of CO2 begins earlier and can be considerably larger than showed by estimates that neglect the capillary transition zone.
RXTE observations of Seyfert 2 galaxies: evidence for spectral variability

We present a series of RXTE observations of the nearby obscured Seyfert galaxies ESO103-G35, IC5063, NGC 4507 and NGC 7172. The period of monitoring ranges from seven days for NGC 7172 up to about seven months for ESO103-G035. The spectra of all galaxies fit well with a highly obscured (NH>1023 cm−2) power-law and an Fe line at 6.4 keV. We find strong evidence for the presence of a reflection component in ESO103-G35 and NGC 4507. The observed flux presents strong variability on day time-scales in all objects. Spectral variability is also detected in the sense that the spectrum steepens with increasing flux similar to the behaviour witnessed in some Seyfert 1 galaxies.
Intermittent Cocaine Self-Administration Produces Sensitization of Stimulant Effects at the Dopamine Transporter

Previous literature investigating neurobiological adaptations following cocaine self-administration has shown that high, continuous levels of cocaine intake (long access; LgA) results in reduced potency of cocaine at the dopamine transporter (DAT), whereas an intermittent pattern of cocaine administration (intermittent access; IntA) results in sensitization of cocaine potency at the DAT. Here, we aimed to determine whether these changes are specific to cocaine or translate to other psychostimulants. Psychostimulant potency was assessed by fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in brain slices containing the nucleus accumbens following IntA, short access, and LgA cocaine self-administration, as well as in brain slices from naive animals. We assessed the potency of amphetamine (a releaser), and methylphenidate (a DAT blocker, MPH). MPH was selected because it is functionally similar to cocaine and structurally related to amphetamine. We found that MPH and amphetamine potencies were increased following IntA, whereas neither was changed following LgA or short access cocaine self-administration. Therefore, whereas LgA-induced tolerance at the DAT is specific to cocaine as shown in previous work, the sensitizing effects of IntA apply to cocaine, MPH, and amphetamine. This demonstrates that the pattern with which cocaine is administered is important in determining the neurochemical consequences of not only cocaine effects but potential cross-sensitization/cross-tolerance effects of other psychostimulants as well.