Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of central venous pressure change on plasma vasopressin in humans.

After overnight food and fluid restriction, nine healthy males were examined before, during, and after lower body positive pressure (LBPP) of 11 +/- 1 mmHg (mean +/- SE) for 30 min and before, during, and after graded lower body negative pressure (LBNP) of -10 +/- 1, -20 +/- 2, and -30 +/- 2 mmHg for 20 min each. LBPP and LBNP were performed with the subject in the supine position in a plastic box encasing the subject from the xiphoid process and down, thus including the splanchnic area. Central venous pressure (CVP) during supine rest was 7.5 +/- 0.5 mmHg, increasing to 13.4 +/- 0.8 mmHg (P less than 0.001) during LBPP and decreasing significantly at each step of LBNP to 2.0 +/- 0.5 mmHg (P less than 0.001) at 15 min of -30 +/- 2 mmHg LBNP. Plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) did not change significantly in face of this large variation in CVP of 11.4 mmHg. Mean arterial pressure increased significantly during LBPP from 100 +/- 2 to 117 +/- 3 Torr (P less than 0.001) and only at one point during LBNP of -30 +/- 2 mmHg from 102 +/- 1 to 115 +/- 5 mmHg (P less than 0.05). Heart rate did not change during LBPP but increased slightly from 51 +/- 3 to 55 +/- 3 beats/min (P less than 0.05) only at 7 min of LBNP of -30 +/- 2 mmHg. Plasma osmolality, sodium, and potassium did not change during the experiment. Hemoglobin concentration increased during LBPP and LBNP, whereas hematocrit only increased during LBNP. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A lattice estimation approach for the automatic evaluation of corneal endothelium density

The analysis of microscopy images of corneal endothelium is routinely carried out at eye banks to assess cell density, one of the main indicators of cornea health state and quality. We propose here a new method to derive endothelium cell density that, at variance with most of the available techniques, does not require the identification of cell contours. It exploits the feature that endothelium cells are approximately laid out as a regular tessellation of hexagonal shapes. This technique estimates the inverse transpose of a matrix generating this cellular lattice, from which the density is easily obtained. The algorithm has been implemented in a Matlab prototype and tested on a set of 21 corneal endothelium images. The cell densities obtained matched quite well with the ones manually estimated by eye-bank experts: the percent difference between them was on average -0.1% (6.5% for absolute values). Albeit the performances of this new algorithm on the images of our test set are definitely good, a careful evaluation on a much larger data set is needed before any clinical application of the proposed technique could be envisaged. The collection of an adequate number of endothelium images and of their manual densities is currently in progress
Executive Compensation and Corporate Fraud

Executives at fraud firms face greater financial incentives to commit fraud than do executives at industry- and size-matched control firms. After controlling for various firm, governance, and CEO characteristics, the likelihood of fraud is positively related to incentives from unrestricted stock holdings and is unrelated to incentives from restricted stock and unvested and vested options. Executives at fraud firms exercise larger fractions of their vested options, sell more stock, and receive greater total compensation during the fraud years than the control executives. Operating performance measures suggest executives commit corporate fraud following declines in performance. Stock prices fall approximately twenty percent on average upon the disclosure of potential fraud, which suggests that frauds inflated stock prices during the fraud period. Our results imply that optimal governance measures depend on the strength of executives’ financial incentives, especially following periods of poor performance, and that restrictions on an executive’s ability to sell shares could deter fraud. Corresponding author: Prof. Shane A. Johnson Dept. of Finance—MS 4218 Mays Business School Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-4218 Tel: (979) 862-3318 Email: sjohnson@mays.tamu. edu Acknowledgements: We thank Hao Li, Huihua Li, Stephen Smith, and Brooke Stanley for excellent research assistance, and Andrew Christie, Jay Hartzel, Jayant Kale, Omesh Kini, Scott Lee, Adam Lei, Kevin Murphy, Steve Smith, Bob Parrino, Jeff Pontiff, and seminar participants at the University of Arizona, Georgia State University, Notre Dame University, University of Waterloo, Queen's University, McMaster University, and Drexel University for helpful comments. Johnson and Tian thank the Social Sciences and Humanity Research Council of Canada for financial support.
Focus group exploration of presence through advanced broadcast services

Presence is a user's subjective sensation of 'being there' in a mediated environment. Its determinants include the extent of sensory information within a mediated environment, the user's ability to control their sensors and modify content within the environment, and individual-difference based factors. Although direct subjective ratings of presence have been used, the construct may be unclear to naive observers, and previous work in our laboratory has shown that ratings of presence may be biased towards different characteristics of the display. In the present study focus groups were used to: (1) establish whether viewers refer to sensations of presence, unprompted, (2) identify viewers' descriptions of their experiences of stereoscopic TV, and (3) identify the program types best suited to advanced broadcast presentations. Results showed that non-experts describe sensations of presence without prompting while watching stereoscopic television, relating it to involvement, realism and naturalness. In addition, there was a general consensus that live events, such as sports matches, theatre and concerts are the program types best suited to high-presence broadcast presentations, through advanced broadcast services such as Immersive Television.
The Bogs of Central Minnesota

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Mrp4 Confers Resistance to Topotecan and Protects the Brain from Chemotherapy

ABSTRACT The role of the multidrug resistance protein MRP4/ABCC4 in vivo remains undefined. To explore this role, we generated Mrp4-deficient mice. Unexpectedly, these mice showed enhanced accumulation of the anticancer agent topotecan in brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Further studies demonstrated that topotecan was an Mrp4 substrate and that cells overexpressing Mrp4 were resistant to its cytotoxic effects. We then used new antibodies to discover that Mrp4 is unique among the anionic ATP-dependent transporters in its dual localization at the basolateral membrane of the choroid plexus epithelium and in the apical membrane of the endothelial cells of the brain capillaries. Microdialysis sampling of ventricular CSF demonstrated that localization of Mrp4 at the choroid epithelium is integral to its function in limiting drug penetration into the CSF. The topotecan resistance of cells overexpressing Mrp4 and the polarized expression of Mrp4 in the choroid plexus and brain capillary endothelial cells indicate that Mrp4 has a dual role in protecting the brain from cytotoxins and suggest that the therapeutic efficacy of central nervous system-directed drugs that are Mrp4 substrates may be improved by developing Mrp4 inhibitors.
Glucocorticoid Effects on Memory Retrieval Require Concurrent Noradrenergic Activity in the Hippocampus and Basolateral Amygdala

Previous findings indicate that administration of aβ-adrenoceptor antagonist systemically blocks glucocorticoid impairment of memory retrieval. Here, we report that β-adrenoceptor activation in the hippocampus and the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) is implicated in the impairing effects of glucocorticoids on memory retrieval. The specific glucocorticoid receptor (GR) agonist 11β,17β-dihydroxy-6,21-dimethyl-17α-pregna-4,6-trien-20yn-3-one (RU 28362) (15 ng) infused into the hippocampus of male Sprague Dawley rats 60 min before water maze retention testing, 24 hr after training, impaired probe trial retention performance, as assessed by quadrant search time and initial latency to cross the platform location. Because we found previously that RU 28362 infused into the hippocampus does not affect water maze acquisition or immediate recall, the findings suggest that the GR agonist-induced retention impairment was attributable to a selective influence on long-term memory retrieval. Likewise, systemic injections of the β1-adrenoceptor partial agonist xamoterol (3.0 or 10.0 mg/kg, s.c.) 60 min before the probe trial dose-dependently impaired retention performance. The β-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol (2.0 mg/kg) administered subcutaneously before retention testing did not affect retention performance alone, but blocked the memory retrieval impairment induced by concurrent intrahippocampal infusions of RU 28362. Pretest infusions of the β1-adrenoceptor antagonist atenolol into either the hippocampus (1.25 μg in 0.5 μl) or the BLA (0.5 μg in 0.2 μl) also prevented the GR agonist-induced memory retrieval impairment. These findings suggest that glucocorticoids impair retrieval of long-term spatial memory by facilitating noradrenergic mechanisms in the hippocampus, and additionally, that norepinephrine-mediated BLA activity is critical in enabling hippocampal glucocorticoid effects on memory retrieval.
Relationship between mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, plateletcrit and varicocele

Increases in platelet count and platelet indices such as mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (RDW) and plateletcrit (PCT) have been reported in a wide range of pathological settings. The aetiology of varicocele, a vascular disease, is poorly defined. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between varicocele, platelet count and a series of platelet indices. A total of 69 patients with varicocele and 56 patients without varicocele were enrolled in the study. Patient sperm parameters, platelet, MPV, PDW and PCT values were analysed. There were semen abnormalities in 37 (53.6%) patients in the varicocele group and 19 (33.9%) patients in nonvaricocele group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in platelet count or platelet indices (MPV, PDW and PCT) between the patients with and without varicocele (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in platelet count or MPV, PDW and PCT between patients with varicocele and the control subjects.
Targeting youth and concerned smokers: evidence from Canadian tobacco industry documents

OBJECTIVE To provide an understanding of the targeting strategies of cigarette marketing, and the functions and importance of the advertising images chosen. METHODS Analysis of historical corporate documents produced by affiliates of British American Tobacco (BAT) and RJ Reynolds (RJR) in Canadian litigation challenging tobacco advertising regulation, the Tobacco Products Control Act (1987): Imperial Tobacco Limitee & RJR-Macdonald Inc c. Le Procurer General du Canada. RESULTS Careful and extensive research has been employed in all stages of the process of conceiving, developing, refining, and deploying cigarette advertising. Two segments commanding much management attention are “starters” and “concerned smokers”. To recruit starters, brand images communicate independence, freedom and (sometimes) peer acceptance. These advertising images portray smokers as attractive and autonomous, accepted and admired, athletic and at home in nature. For “lighter” brands reassuring health concerned smokers, lest they quit, advertisements provide imagery conveying a sense of well being, harmony with nature, and a consumer's self image as intelligent. CONCLUSIONS The industry's steadfast assertions that its advertising influences only brand loyalty and switching in both its intent and effect is directly contradicted by their internal documents and proven false. So too is the justification of cigarette advertising as a medium creating better informed consumers, since visual imagery, not information, is the means of advertising influence.
Survival of genetically engineered Escherichia coli in natural soil and river water.

Twelve derivatives of Escherichia coli strain HB101 which contained different sizes of plasmids ranging from 3.9 Kb to 48 Kb and encoding resistance to various antibiotics were used. When these organisms were introduced into natural river water, the population declined rapidly and by day 3, the majority (i.e. more than 99.9%) of them could no longer be detected on antibiotic-amended culture plates. If the river water was filter sterilized first, the added organisms maintained their population for up to 7 d without any significant decrease in numbers. Similar results were also observed in sterilized tap water or distilled water. This indicated that the disappearance of these organisms in the aquatic environment was caused mainly by biotic factor(s). The loss of the ability to grow in the presence of antibiotics by some of the E. coli was not observed unless they were allowed to grow in the antibiotic-free environment first. When the test organisms were added to natural silt loam, a large portion of the original population still remained viable after 16 d. There was no relationship between the percentage survival of E. coli in natural river water and the sizes of plasmid harboured. On the other hand, when these bacteria were added to natural soil, survival appeared to increase as plasmid size increased.
Acetolactate Synthase-Inhibiting Gametocide Amidosulfuron Causes Chloroplast Destruction, Tissue Autophagy, and Elevation of Ethylene Release in Rapeseed

Background: Acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides amidosulfuron (Hoestar) is an efficient gametocide that can induce male sterility in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). We conducted an integrated study of cytological, transcriptomic, and physiological analysis to decipher the gametocidal effect of amidosulfuron. Results: In the first several days after exposure to amidosulfuron at a gametocidal dose of ca. 1 μg per plant, the plants showed the earliest symptoms including short retard of raceme elongation, slight chlorosis on leaf, and decrease of photosynthesis rate. Chloroplasts in leaf and anther epidermis, and tapetal plastids were deformed. Both tapetal cell and uni-nucleate microspore showed autophagic vacuoles and degenerated quickly. The amidosulfuron treatment caused reduction of photosynthetic rate and the contents of leaf chlorophyll, soluble sugar and pyruvate, as well as content alteration of several free amino acids in the treated plants. A comparison of transcriptomic profiling data of the young flower buds of the treated plants with the control identified 142 up-regulated and 201 down-regulated differential expression transcripts with functional annotations. Down-regulation of several interesting genes encoding PAIR1, SDS, PPD2, HFM1, CSTF77, A6, ALA6, UGE1, FLA20, A9, bHLH91, and putative cell wall protein LOC106368794, and up-regulation of autophagy-related protein ATG8A indicated functional abnormalities about cell cycle, cell wall formation, chloroplast structure, and tissue autophagy. Ethylene-responsive transcription factor RAP2-11-like was up-regulated in the flower buds and ethylene release rate was also elevated. The transcriptional regulation in the amidosulfuron-treated plants was in line with the cytological and physiological changes. Conclusions: The results suggested that metabolic decrease related to photosynthesis and energy supply are associated with male sterility induced by amidosulfuron. The results provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of gametocide-induced male sterility and expand the knowledge on the transcriptomic complexity of the plants exposure to sulfonylurea herbicide.
The recover from the excision in head and neck of femoral after therapy with low level laser

Degenerative articulate diseases, resulting from dysplasia and aseptic necrosis of the femoral head and neck, chronic dislocation of the femur and osteoarthrosis, are often treated surgically by an excision in the femoral head and neck. This procedure entails the formation of a false fibrous articulation, providing pain relief. The action of low level laser therapy (LLLT) has been described in orthopedic applications, to repair both bone and articular tissue. LLLT has demonstrated favorable results in vitro and in vivo in stimulating bone repair. A diode laser, 650 nm, with a potency of 30 mW, was used trans-surgically to irradiate. A diode laser (780 nm and the potency of 40 mW) was used on the skin for post-surgery applications. For the experiment, 10 clinically normal New Zealander rabbits underwent surgery and were then divided into two groups, one submitted to irradiation and the other kept for sham. Fifteen days after the surgery, samples of the newly formed tissue were collected from both groups, for macroscopic evaluation of the fibrous pseudo-articulation forming process on the irradiated and sham groups. The macroscopic and microscopic appearance of the samples, suggest that the utilization of the LLLT in the formation of fibrous pseudo-articulation was effective in accelerating the cicatrization process and in improving the quality of the formed tissue.
Effects of Intrapartum Penicillin Prophylaxis on Intestinal Bacterial Colonization in Infants

ABSTRACT Early-onset group B streptococcal (GBS) infections remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in infants. To prevent the vertical transmission of GBS and neonatal GBS infection, guidelines recommend intrapartum penicillin or amoxicillin prophylaxis. This intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) is suspected to favor colonization by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, the effects of this prophylaxis on the patterns of acquisition of gastrointestinal bacterial flora in infants have never been studied. We collected stool samples from 3-day-old infants born to mothers who received intrapartum amoxicillin (antibiotic-exposed group; n = 25) and to untreated mothers (non-antibiotic-exposed group; n = 25). The groups were matched for factors known to affect intestinal microbial colonization: gestational age, type of delivery, and type of feeding. Qualitative and quantitative differential analyses of the bacterial flora in stool samples were performed. Similar numbers of infants in the non-antibiotic-exposed and antibiotic-exposed groups were colonized by aerobic bacteria and amoxicillin-resistant enterobacteria (75 and 77%, respectively) (P = 0.79). In contrast, significantly fewer infants in the antibiotic-exposed group than in the non-antibiotic-exposed group were colonized by anaerobic bacteria, especially Clostridium (12 and 40%, respectively) (P < 0.05). Regarding intestinal bacterial colonization, the differences between antibiotic-exposed and non-antibiotic-exposed infants were remarkably few. The only statistically significant effect was the reduced initial bacterial colonization by Clostridium in the antibiotic-exposed group. In our study, the use of IAP did not favor colonization by β-lactam-resistant bacteria. However, further evaluations are required to highlight the potential risks of the widespread use of antibiotics to prevent early-onset GBS infection.
The persistence of poliovirus in activated sludge treatment

SUMMARY A model activated sludge treatment plant was used which was functionally very similar to a full scale plant. It was inoculated with poliovirus either continuously or with a single dose and the amounts of virus in the influent, mixed liquor and effluent were monitored regularly. The distribution of the virus in the liquid and solid phases of the mixed liquor was very unequal with about 85% of the virus associated with the suspended solids fraction. Only small amounts of virus were recovered from the effluent and after inoculation was stopped virus rapidly became indetectable. The efficiency of the plant with regard to removal of virus was closely related to its capacity to remove suspended solids and the adsorption of virus to solids and its inactivation is briefly discussed.
The After-Effect of Movement in the Sense of Touch

In his study "On the After-Effect of Seen Movement" Wohlgemuth reported a series of 34 experiments, the last one of which was conducted to see whether an after-effect of movement existed in the sense of touch similar to that in the sense of sight.1 The result was negative, his conclusion being that "under the given experimental conditions, no analogous aftereffect of movement exists in the case of touch. "2 In the theoretical sections which follow the experimental, this conclusion was further qualified: "the negative result of this experiment must not be considered as final; some observations made since then show me that the subject is worthy of further investigation. "3 The present paper reports a series of experiments, which were undertaken in the interests of this problem during the Summer Term of 192I. Observers. -The Os were Miss Catherine Braddock (B), fellow in psychology; Dr. Josephine Gleason (G), assistant professor of psychology at Vassar College; Dr. Karl M. Dallenbach (D), and the author (T). When the author observed, Miss Elizabeth Amen, graduate student in psychology acted as E. All the Os were trained in introspection. They observed an hour a day, five days a week, and, in so far as it was possible, at the same hour every day. B and G worked without knowledge of the problem.
Intermittent Compressive Strain May Reduce Aggrecanase Expression in Cartilage: A Study of Chondrocytes in Agarose Gel

We tested the hypothesis that intermittent compressive strain reduces the catabolic actions of interleukin-1 beta on chondrocyte metabolism at the gene expression level. We investigated the effects of intermittent compressive strain on mRNA expression in bovine chondrocytes cultured in agarose gel supplemented with or without interleukin-1 beta. Fifteen percent compressive strain amplitude was applied to agarose-chondrocyte constructs at a frequency of 1 Hz. In the absence of interleukin-1 beta, the strain caused an increase in the mRNA levels of anabolic factors like aggrecan and Type II collagen, compared with the levels of anabolic factors in unstrained constructs. These results suggest that the strain may stimulate matrix production in normal cartilage. Interleukin-1 beta is a powerful catabolic agent; in unstrained agarose-chondrocyte constructs, interleukin-1 beta caused a decrease in the mRNA levels of anabolic factors. However, interleukin-1 beta also caused an increase in the mRNA of catabolic factors like aggrecanase-1, aggrecanase-2, and matrix metalloproteinase-3. In the presence of interleukin-1 beta, the strain reduced the mRNA levels of aggrecanase-1 and aggrecanase-2. These results suggest that intermittent compressive strain may protect cartilage by suppressing the expression of aggrecanase-1 and aggrecanase-2, which are thought to be the major matrix-degrading enzymes responsible for cleaving aggrecan.