Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cholinergic Reversal of Isoflurane Anesthesia in Rats as Measured by Cross-approximate Entropy of the Electroencephalogram

Background Pharmacologic modulation of the state of consciousness is of interest for clinical practice and for a better understanding of anesthetic mechanisms. The cholinergic activating system is an important regulator of the state of consciousness during general anesthesia. Entropy of the electroencephalogram has been proposed as a promising measure of anesthetic depth. The authors have shown that volatile anesthetics decrease cross-approximate entropy (C-ApEn) of the bihemispheric frontal electroencephalogram in rats. The effect of cholinergic agents on C-ApEn has not been examined. Here, the authors test the hypothesis that cholinergic activation reverses the effect of isoflurane anesthesia on C-ApEn. Methods An electroencephalogram in the 1- to 100-Hz range was recorded bipolarly, with epidural leads from the frontal cortex of both hemispheres, and used to calculate C-ApEn, which reflects statistical independence of bihemispheric electroencephalographic activity. Cholinesterase inhibitor, neostigmine (25 &mgr;g), or the muscarinic agonist oxotremorine (25 &mgr;g) were infused intracerebroventricularly while the rats were inhaling 1.0% (0.7 minimum alveolar concentration) isoflurane. In other animals, isoflurane was lowered to 0.4% (0.3 minimum alveolar concentration) to assess the electroencephalogram in a sedated, waking state. Results At 1.0% isoflurane, C-ApEn decreased by 54% compared with that at 0.4%, but the motor reflex response to tail pinch was still present. Cholinergic agents reversed the electroencephalogram-depressant effect of isoflurane, i.e., C-ApEn rose to the level measured at 0.4% isoflurane. The rise in C-ApEn was paralleled by the appearance of spontaneous limb and orofacial explorative movements, suggesting a return of consciousness. In contrast, cholinergic agents fully blocked the motor reflex to tail pinch. Conclusions C-ApEn of the bihemispheric electroencephalogram correlates with the return of spontaneous motor signs but not with the nociceptive reflex. Cerebral cholinergic activation dissociates central and peripheral anesthetic effects. C-ApEn, a novel measure of interhemispheric electroencephalogram independence, is a promising correlate of depth of sedation and state of consciousness.
Professional foster carer and committed parent: role conflict and role enrichment at the interface between work and family in long‐term foster care

In the literature on work-family balance, role and boundary issues are commonly discussed in relation to parents who work outside of the home. Work and family are considered as two different spheres of activity, with different role identities and cultural meanings. For foster carers, however, in very significant ways, their family is their work and their work is their family - so roles are not so clearly separated and boundaries are not so clearly defined. This paper reviews theoretical approaches to the work-family interface and draws on qualitative data from 40 interviews with long-term foster carers. It provides an analysis of their accounts of their roles as professional carers and/or committed parents to explore how they manage different and potentially contradictory role identities. The study found that foster carers primarily identified as carers or as parents, but that some foster carers could move flexibly between these roles while others could not. For foster carers who could be flexible, the two roles enriched each other rather than causing stress and role conflict. Implications for supporting professional foster carers who can also meet the parenting needs of long-term foster children are discussed.
Sparse Sourcewise and Pairwise Distance Preservers

We introduce and study the notions of pairwise and sourcewise preservers. Given an undirected N-vertex graph G = (V,E) and a set P of pairs of vertices, let G' = (V,H), H \subseteq E, be called a pairwise preserver of G with respect to P if for every pair {u,w} \in P, distG'(u,w) = distG(u,w). For a set S \subseteq V of sources, a pairwise preserver of G with respect to the set of all pairs P = (S \atop 2) of sources is called a sourcewise preserver of G with respect to S. We prove that for every undirected possibly weighted N-vertex graph G and every set P of P = O(N1/2) pairs of vertices of G, there exists a linear-size pairwise preserver of G with respect to P. Consequently, for every subset S \subseteq V of S = O(N1/4) sources, there exists a linear-size sourcewise preserver of G with respect to S. On the negative side we show that neither of the two exponents (1/2 and 1/4) can be improved even when the attention is restricted to unweighted graphs. Our lower bounds involve constructions of dense convexly independent sets of vectors with small Euclidean norms. We believe that the link between the areas of discrete geometry and spanners that we establish is of independent interest and might be useful in the study of other problems in the area of low-distortion embeddings.
X-ray Absorption Study of Graphene Oxide and Transition Metal Oxide Nanocomposites

The surface properties of the electrode materials play a crucial role in determining the performance and efficiency of energy storage devices. Graphene oxide and nanostructures of 3d transition metal oxides were synthesized for construction of electrodes in supercapacitors, and the electronic structure and oxidation states were probed using near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure. Understanding the chemistry of graphene oxide would provide valuable insight into its reactivity and properties as the graphene oxide transformation to reduced-graphene oxide is a key step in the synthesis of the electrode materials. Polarized behavior of the synchrotron X-rays and the angular dependency of the near-edge X-ray absorption fine structures (NEXAFS) have been utilized to study the orientation of the σ and π bonds of the graphene oxide and graphene oxide–metal oxide nanocomposites. The core-level transitions of individual metal oxides and that of the graphene oxide nanocomposite showed that the interaction of graphene oxide with the metal oxide nanostructures has not altered the electronic structure of either of them. As the restoration of the π network is important for good electrical conductivity, the C K edge NEXAFS spectra of reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites confirms the same through increased intensity of the sp2-derived unoccupied states π* band. A pronounced angular dependency of the reduced sample and the formation of excitonic peaks confirmed the formation of extended conjugated network.
A review of the nutritional composition, organoleptic characteristics and biological effects of the high oleic peanut

Abstract A growing body of literature has been published on the health benefits of peanuts, but the potential biological effects of high-oleic (HO) peanuts, along with their organoleptic characteristics have not been reviewed to date. In this paper, examination of evidence showed that HO peanuts provide a spectrum of nutrients and have improved sensory properties and technological advances, such as enhanced shelf life, beyond that of conventional peanuts. This may be attributed to their oleic to linoleic ratio (OL ratio) which is substantially (around 10 times) higher than normal peanuts. In terms of their biological effects, HO peanuts appear to be no more allergenic, and could even be less allergenic than conventional peanuts. There is also emerging evidence that HO peanuts may improve lipid profile and markers of glycemic control. Further randomized controlled human trials are now needed to build on animal and in vitro studies.
ARCTIC EXPERIMENTS TO SUPPORT CRYOSAT

The primary goals of CryoSat-2 are to derive improved rates of change of elevation and thickness estimates of the Earth’s land and marine ice fields. Validating such retrievals obtained from a nadir polar observing Synthetic Interferometric Radar Altimeter (SIRAL), the primary payload, is not a simple one. A key problem is to fully understand the uncertainties and acquire many different types of in-situ measurements in highly inhospitable regions of the cryosphere and at particular times of the year to allow detection of inter-annual cycles. In order to correlate retrievals from CryoSat with the local in-situ data it was decided early in the CryoSat development that an aircraft borne radar altimeter with similar functionality to SIRAL would provide the necessary link between local and regional spatial scales and provide pre-launch incite into expected performances and issues. In 2001 ESA commenced the development of a prototype radar altimeter that mimics the functionality of SIRAL-2 with subtle functional differences. The airborne SAR/Interferometric Radar Altimeter System (ASIRAS) has now been the centrepiece instrument for a number of large scale land and sea ice field campaigns in the Arctic during spring and autumn 2004 and 2007. This paper describes the different types of airborne and in-situ measurements acquired, key science results and the importance of past campaigns and those planned in the run up to a CryoSat-2 launch.
Modeling the joint statistics of images in the wavelet domain

I describe a statistical model for natural photographic images, when decomposed in a multi-scale wavelet basis. In particular, I examine both the marginal and pairwise joint histograms of wavelet coefficients at adjacent spatial locations, orientations, and spatial scales. Although the histograms are highly non-Gaussian, they are nevertheless well described using fairly simple parameterized density models.
Skin Tags as Markers of Diabetes Mellitus: An Epidemiological Study in India

To ascertain whether skin tags (ST) are associated with a higher risk for diabetes mellitus (DM), 35 patients with ST were screened out of 5000 consecutive patients visiting our dermatology clinic. The study group ranged in age from 35 to 73 years, with a mean of 52.03. Twenty‐six of the patients were men, and nine, women. The risk of getting ST was found to increase with age, but this risk decreased after the fifth decade. The neck was invariably involved, followed by the eyelids, axillae and groin. Of the cases, 62.8% (22 patients) had DM. Four new cases of DM were found among this group. All the diabetic patients in this study population had noninsulin dependent DM. The frequency of DM in ST patients was found to increase with age, however, it was statistically insignificant. No correlation was found between localisation, size, color, or number of ST and the presence of DM. The frequency with which ST had been found to co‐exist with DM in this population is significant, and ST may serve as a marker for DM.
La fécondité légitime dans différents agrosystèmes sociaux en Flandre, 1830-1930

Les comportements de fecondite des regions rurales ont ete percus comme statiques, conservateurs et uniformes. Cet article analyse les changements et la variation relative de la fecondite legitime de deux agrosystemes sociaux en Flandre. En nous appuyant sur des donnees individuelles longitudinales provenant des registres de population, nous analysons le cours de la baisse de la fecondite a partir de deux etudes de cas. En outre, nous utilisons les estimations de Kaplan Meier pour examiner l’impact sur le comportement de la fecondite legitime de differents facteurs tels que la profession, l’âge au premier mariage, l’experience de la migration urbaine et la fecondite prenuptiale. Cette analyse demontre que ces facteurs ont une influence variable dans des contextes ruraux differents.
Getting Punishment Right: Do Costly Monitoring or Redistributive Punishment Help?

We introduce new treatments of a voluntary contribution mechanism with opportunities to punish, to see how contributions and punishments change when (a) each dollar lost in punishment must be awarded to another team member and/or when (b) obtaining information on individuals’ contributions is a costly choice. Conjectures that tying punishments to rewards might reduce punishment of high contributors (perverse punishment) or increase overall punishing are not completely born out, but innovation (a) nonetheless succeeds in making the net punishment of high contributors much less common because they receive enough rewards to offset punishment. A surprise finding is that innovation (b) also decreases the incidence of misdirected punishment, since high contributors do more monitoring than low ones while low contributors do most of the perverse punishing. Both innovations raise both contributions and earnings relative to the familiar VCM-with-punishment treatment.
Metaphors we lead by : understanding leadership in the real world

Seeking to understand the faith we place in leadership, the authors draw on a number of in-depth studies of managers trying to "do" leadership. It presents six metaphors for the leader: as gardener, cosy-crafter, saint, cyborg, commander and bully. Some of these offer unexpected insights into how leadership does and does not work. The book sheds light on a varied - often contradictory and sometimes darker - side of leadership.
Evaluation of common organisms causing vaginal discharge.

BACKGROUND Vaginal discharge is very common problem among females. Alteration in balance of normal vaginal organisms can cause the overgrowth of the bacteria that creates vaginal discharge. It is common among sexually active women yet there still remain gaps in our knowledge of this infectious disorder. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the frequency of bacterial vaginosis (BV), vaginal candidiasis (VC), vaginal trichomoniasis and Group B streptococcus in women complaining of vaginal discharge in our setup. METHOD A total of 100 women of reproductive age group with the complaint of vaginal discharge were included in the study. After filling proforma patients were examined by speculum examination and two high vaginal swabs (HVS) were collected aseptically from each patient. One swab was used for making wet mount for clue cells, pus cells and for motility of Trichomonas vaginalis. The other swab was used to check pH and Amine test. The growth was confirmed by Gram staining in each case. RESULTS Gardnerrella vaginalis were isolated in 28%, Group B streptococcus in 5% and T. vaginolis in 4% of women. CONCLUSION Gardnerella vaginalis causing BV is the most common cause of vaginal discharge in otherwise healthy women of reproductive age group in our setup.
The influence of culture on m-banking technology adoption: An integrative approaches of UTAUT2 and ITM

The proliferation of the information technology, smart phones, and mobile technologies has encouraged the potential customers to use more mobile banking services. Accordingly, banks are offering more m-banking services than competitor do. The adoption of m-banking is depend on the characteristics of the countries people (culture) and the perception (trust) of m-banking to the potential and existing customer. In regards to, we proposed a new model that integrated three models, tUTAUT2 model with ITM model (propensity to trust, structural assurance, firm's reputation) with Hofstede six cultural dimensions model (CVI, MVF, PDI, UAI, PVN, and RVI) to investigate the impact of m-banking adoption in developing country perspectives like Bangladesh. There has been researched on m-banking adoption but we found few researched to investigate cultural dimensions and trust together to measure its impacts on m-banking adoption. The collected data will be analyzed by the partial least squared method (PLS) based on structures equation modelling (SEM) and bootstrapping method. This study found price value, initial trust model, masculinity and power distance have a significant relationship to the behavioral intention to the adoption mobile banking in Bangladeshi customer. And also facilitating condition has an impact on usages behavior. It also found that propensity to trust and structural assurance had influences on m-banking adoption. It will help the banking sectors to regulate their strategies and future plans to successful adoption and diffusion of m-banking services in Bangladesh.
Postcholecystectomy bile duct strictures. Management and outcome in 130 patients.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate management strategies for the treatment of patients with postcholecystectomy bile duct strictures. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING The Hepatobiliary Unit of Hammersmith Hospital, London, England. PATIENTS One hundred thirty consecutive patients referred for treatment of postcholecystectomy bile duct strictures. The majority (80 patients [61.5%]) had undergone multiple operative procedures before referral, and 81 (62.3%) had undergone at least one previous stricture repair. At referral, more than half of the patients had a stricture involving the confluence of the bile ducts (n = 78 [60%]), and 23 (17.7%) had evidence of portal hypertension. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Perioperative mortality, stricture recurrence, and long-term outcome. RESULTS One hundred twenty-two patients (94%) underwent operative treatment: 110, stricture repair alone; four, portosystemic shunt and stricture repair; and eight, miscellaneous operative procedures. Among the 110 patients treated by stricture repair alone, there was an operative mortality rate of 1.8% (n = 2), and 79 patients (76%) had a good result, with no biliary symptoms and no need for intervention during mean follow-up of 7.2 years (range, 1 to 13 years). Twenty-two patients (21%) required either radiological intervention or operative revision of the biliary-enteric anastomosis, but 11 (50%) of these patients subsequently did well and had no biliary symptoms. Thus, 90 patients (87%) had a good or excellent long-term result after initial or follow-up treatment. There were no deaths among the 108 patients who underwent stricture repair alone by direct suture techniques. Factors influencing mortality included hypoalbuminemia, an elevated serum bilirubin level, and the presence of liver disease and portal hypertension. Preoperative factors influencing failure of the stricture repair in long-term follow-up included discontinuity of the right and left ducts at the time of stricture repair (Bismuth grade 4) and three or more previous attempts at operative repair before referral to our center. CONCLUSIONS Operative repair of bile duct strictures using direct sutured techniques remains the procedure with which alternative methods will need to be compared, with close attention to long-term outcome.
The acquisition of Italian Tense-Aspect morphology: toward a native-like strategy

The aim of the present study is to empirically test the Aspect Hypothesis (AH), Andersen and Shirai (1994), in Instructed Acquisition of Italian as a Second Language. AH claims that Tense-Aspect morphology acquisition is governed by actional values of verbal predicates. The participants to the present study are represented by a cross-sectional group of English-speakers advanced learners of Italian L2 and adult Italian native speakers as a control group. Subjects have been asked to complete a written fill-in-the-blank task. Data confirm that the instructed acquisition of Italian Tense-Aspect morphology follows the patterns predicted by AH, pointing out a role for Actionality in this process. Instruction appears to accelerate the acquisitional process, without modifying the developmental phases. Didactic suggestions are drawn from these findings. A role for input is currently under dispute and the results show that a distributional bias holds in native speakers production.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-Induced Cerebral Insulin Resistance in Alzheimer's Disease Links Numerous Treatment Rationales

The evident limitations of the amyloid theory of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease are increasingly putting alternatives in the spotlight. We argue here that a number of independently developing approaches to therapy—including specific and nonspecific anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents, apolipoprotein E mimetics, leptin, intranasal insulin, the glucagon-like peptide-1 mimetics and glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) antagonists—are all part of an interlocking chain of events. All these approaches inform us that inflammation and thence cerebral insulin resistance constitute the pathway on which to focus for a successful clinical outcome in treating this disease. The key link in this chain presently absent is a recognition by Alzheimer's research community of the long-neglected history of TNF induction of insulin resistance. When this is incorporated into the bigger picture, it becomes evident that the interventions we discuss are not competing alternatives but equally valid approaches to correcting different parts of the same pathway to Alzheimer's disease. These treatments can be expected to be at least additive, and conceivably synergistic, in effect. Thus the inflammation, insulin resistance, GSK-3, and mitochondrial dysfunction hypotheses are not opposing ideas but stages of the same fundamental, overarching, pathway of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. The insight this provides into progenitor cells, including those involved in adult neurogenesis, is a key part of this approach. This pathway also has therapeutic implications for other circumstances in which brain TNF is pathologically increased, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and the infectious disease encephalopathies.
No Job Name

Dioxane lignin (DL) isolated from leaf sheaths of banana plant (Musa acuminata Colla var. cavendish) and in situ lignin were submitted to a comprehensive structural characterization employing spectroscopic (UV, FTIR, solid state 13C CP-MAS NMR, liquid state 13C and 1H NMR) and chemical degradation techniques (permanganate and nitrobenzene oxidation). Results obtained showed that banana plant leaf sheath lignin is of HGS type with a molar proportion of p-hydroxyphenyl (H)/guaiacyl (G)/syringyl (S) units of 12:25:63. Most of the H units in DL are terminal phenolic coumarates linked to other lignin substructures by benzyl and Cγ-ester bonds in contrast to ferulates that are mainly ether linked to bulk lignin. It is proposed that banana plant leaf sheath lignin is chemically bonded to suberin-like components of cell tissues by ester linkages via essentially hydroxycinnamic acid residues. â-O-4 structures (0.31/C6), the most abundant in DL, comprise mainly S units, whereas a significant proportion of G units is bonded by â-5, 5-5′, and 4-O-5′ linkages contributing to ca. 80% of condensed structures in DL.