Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The distribution and origin of the calretinin‐containing innervation of the nucleus accumbens of the rat

The nucleus accumbens of the rat consists of several subregions that can be distinguished on the basis of histochemical markers. For example, the calcium‐binding protein calbindin D28k is a useful marker of the core compartment of the nucleus accumbens. Calretinin, another calcium‐binding protein, is found in a dense fibre plexus in the accumbal shell and septal pole regions. The source of the accumbal calretinin innervation is not known. We examined the distribution of calretinin in the nucleus accumbens and used tract‐tracing and lesion methods to determine the source of this calretinin innervation. Intense calretinin immunoreactivity was present in the medial shell, but the density of calretinin axons diminished sharply in the ventrolateral shell. Regions of dense calretinin immunostaining and those areas with calbindin‐like immunoreactive cell bodies were generally segregated in the nucleus accumbens, although some overlap in the transition region between the core and shell was seen. Small clusters of calretinin‐immunoreactive fibres were seen in the core, where they were restricted to calbindin‐negative patches. Injections of the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine into the paraventricular thalamic nucleus labelled fibres in calretinin‐rich regions of the accumbens. Conversely, injections of Fluoro‐gold into the accumbal shell retrogradely labelled numerous cells in the paraventricular thalamic nucleus that were calretinin‐immunoreactive. Electrolytic lesions of the paraventricular thalamic nucleus reduced calretinin levels in the shell by ≈ 80%. These data indicate that the calretinin innervation of the nucleus accumbens is derived primarily from the thalamic paraventricular nucleus, and marks accumbal territories that are largely complementary to those defined by calbindin.
Amniotic Membrane-Derived Mesenchymal Cells and Their Conditioned Media: Potential Candidates for Uterine Regenerative Therapy in the Horse

Amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal cells (AMCs) are considered suitable candidates for a variety of cell-based applications. In view of cell therapy application in uterine pathologies, we studied AMCs in comparison to cells isolated from the endometrium of mares at diestrus (EDCs) being the endometrium during diestrus and early pregnancy similar from a hormonal standpoint. In particular, we demonstrated that amnion tissue fragments (AM) shares the same transcriptional profile with endometrial tissue fragments (ED), expressing genes involved in early pregnancy (AbdB-like Hoxa genes), pre-implantantion conceptus development (Erα, PR, PGRMC1 and mPR) and their regulators (Wnt7a, Wnt4a). Soon after the isolation, only AMCs express Wnt4a and Wnt7a. Interestingly, the expression levels of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) were found greater in AM and AMCs than their endometrial counterparts thus confirming the role of AMCs as mediators of inflammation. The expression of nuclear progesterone receptor (PR), membrane-bound intracellular progesterone receptor component 1 (PGRMC1) and membrane-bound intracellular progesterone receptor (mPR), known to lead to improved endometrial receptivity, was maintained in AMCs over 5 passages in vitro when the media was supplemented with progesterone. To further explore the potential of AMCs in endometrial regeneration, their capacity to support resident cell proliferation was assessed by co-culturing them with EDCs in a transwell system or culturing in the presence of AMC-conditioned medium (AMC-CM). A significant increase in EDC proliferation rate exhibited the crucial role of soluble factors as mediators of stem cells action. The present investigation revealed that AMCs, as well as their derived conditioned media, have the potential to improve endometrial cell replenishment when low proliferation is associated to pregnancy failure. These findings make AMCs suitable candidates for the treatment of endometrosis in mares.
Effect of stress and geometry on fatigue crack growth perpendicular to fibers in Ti-6Al-4V reinforced with unidirectional SiC fibers

Critical turbine engine and aircraft components fabricated from continuous fiber-reinforced metal matrix composite (MMC) will experience cyclic loads during service, and many of these components typically contain crack initiators. Hence, extensive characterization of the fatigue crack growth behavior of a model MMC ([0] 8 SCS-6/Ti-6Al-4V) was initiated by the USAF Wright Laboratory. This paper discusses some of the results of the experimental and analytical investigation of fatigue crack propagation in [0] 8 SCS-6/Ti-6Al-4V. Automated fatigue crack growth tests were conducted using middle tension, M(T), specimens at 23°C with a stress ratio of 0.1. During some of the tests, the crack opening displacement profile was measured to verify the stress distributions predicted by fiber-bridging models. The results are also compared with those available for SM1240/Ti-6Al-4V under tension and bending fatigue loading. This study showed that the shear lag model assuming a constant value of T can be used to predict bridged crack growth perpendicular to fibers in SCS-6/Ti-6Al-4V and SM1240/Ti-6Al-4V over a wide range of stress levels and under tension and bending fatigue loading conditions. The predictions of partially bridged and unbridged crack growth, crack opening displacements, and slip lengths correlated well with the data. The value of the fiber/ matrix interfacial shear stress, T, was the same for SCS-6/Ti-6Al-4V and SM1240/Ti-6Al-4V, implying that the bridging mechanism of the SM1240 fiber is identical to that of the SCS-6 fiber at room temperature. The results also indicate that the onset of fiber failure could be predicted using the bundle strength as the critical value.
Immature Spinal Locomotor Output in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Detailed descriptions of gait impairments have been reported in cerebral palsy (CP), but it is still unclear how maturation of the spinal motoneuron output is affected. Spatiotemporal alpha-motoneuron activation during walking can be assessed by mapping the electromyographic activity profiles from several, simultaneously recorded muscles onto the anatomical rostrocaudal location of the motoneuron pools in the spinal cord, and by means of factor analysis of the muscle activity profiles. Here, we analyzed gait kinematics and EMG activity of 11 pairs of bilateral muscles with lumbosacral innervation in 35 children with CP (19 diplegic, 16 hemiplegic, 2–12 years) and 33 typically developing (TD) children (1–12 years). TD children showed a progressive reduction of EMG burst durations and a gradual reorganization of the spatiotemporal motoneuron output with increasing age. By contrast, children with CP showed very limited age-related changes of EMG durations and motoneuron output, as well as of limb intersegmental coordination and foot trajectory control (on both sides for diplegic children and the affected side for hemiplegic children). Factorization of the EMG signals revealed a comparable structure of the motor output in children with CP and TD children, but significantly wider temporal activation patterns in children with CP, resembling the patterns of much younger TD infants. A similar picture emerged when considering the spatiotemporal maps of alpha-motoneuron activation. Overall, the results are consistent with the idea that early injuries to developing motor regions of the brain substantially affect the maturation of the spinal locomotor output and consequently the future locomotor behavior.
Graphical passwords & qualitative spatial relations

A potential drawback of graphical password schemes is that they are more vulnerable to shoulder surfing than conventional alphanumeric text passwords. We present a variation of the Draw-a-Secret scheme originally proposed by Jermyn et al [1] that is more resistant to shoulder surfing through the use of a qualitative mapping between user strokes and the password, and the use of dynamic grids to both obfuscate attributes of the user secret and encourage them to use different surface realizations of the secret. The use of qualitative spatial relations relaxes the tight constraints on the reconstruction of a secret; allowing a range of deviations from the original. We describe QDAS (Qualitative Draw-A-Secret), an initial implementation of this graphical password scheme, and the results of an empirical study in which we examined the memorability of secrets, and their susceptibility to shoulder-surfing attacks, for both Draw-A-Secret and QDAS.
Personality and Psychological Well-Being of Canadian Forces Officer Candidates: The Role of Coping

Abstract : There is evidence to suggest that both personality and coping strategies that individuals adopt to deal with stressors play an important role in the psychological well-being of military personnel. The overall goal of the study was to understand the multifaceted relationships between personality, coping with stress, and psychological well-being in the military context. Specifically, the study examined various mechanisms by which coping strategies might have influenced the link between personality and psychological well-being or perception of basic training stress of CF Officer Candidates undertaking their basic Officer training (N=200). Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that both personality and coping explained significant and unique proportions of variance in psychological well-being (life satisfaction and psychological health symptoms) and perceptions of training (training satisfaction and training stress). Coping was found to play an important role in psychological well-being and training perceptions of CF candidates, over and above that of personality. Furthermore, hierarchical regression analyses and bootstrapping techniques demonstrated that coping played both a moderating and a partial mediating role in the path between personality and psychological well-being, providing evidence for the differential choice-effectiveness model. The results suggest that providing coping training to CF candidates could be beneficial. Training, focusing on the effectiveness of particular coping strategies (e.g., problem-solving and social support seeking), could be offered to individuals starting their basic training. In addition, training that focuses on stress management and coping, including approaches of setting priorities to balance work and family within the context of the military environment could be beneficial. Further implications of the findings and future research suggestions are discussed.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction: a non-pharmacological approach for chronic illnesses

Background: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) therapy is a meditation therapy, though originally designed for stress management, it is being used for treating a variety of illnesses such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, skin and immune disorders. Aim: The aim of this systematic review is to determine the efficacy of MBSR in the treatment of chronic illnesses; it's mechanism of action and adverse effects. It describes an alternative method of treatment for physicians and patients that may help patients cope with their diseases in a more effective way. Materials and Methods: COCHRANE, EMBASE and MEDLINE were systematically searched for data on outcome of treatment with MBSR used alone or in conjunction with other treatments. The data available on prevention of diseases through MBSR was also analyzed. Results: All the 18 studies included in this systematic review showed improvement in the condition of patients after MBSR therapy. These studies were focused on patients with chronic diseases like cancer, hypertension, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, chronic pain and skin disorders, before and after MBSR therapy. Conclusions: Although the research on MBSR is sparse, the results of these researches indicate that MBSR improves the condition of patients suffering from chronic illnesses and helps them cope with a wide variety of clinical problems.
Endobronchial ultrasound and positron emission tomography positive mediastinal lymph nodes

Positron emission tomography with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG-PET) is more accurate than computed tomography for staging of mediastinal (hilar) lymph nodes. In the case of positive findings, tissue sampling of lymph nodes is required. The diagnostic/staging yield of transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) following endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) localisation was assessed in this particular clinical setting. The number of avoided surgical procedures was evaluated. All consecutive patients referred for staging and/or diagnosis of mediastinal FDG-PET positive lesions were included. Data were prospectively collected. TBNA sampling of lymph nodes was performed after EBUS localisation. If no diagnosis was reached, further surgical sampling or adequate follow-up was performed. From January 2003 to June 2004, 33 patients were included. The average number of TBNA samples per patient was 4.2±1.5. Cytological or histological diagnoses were obtained in 27 (82%) of the patients, of which 78% were obtained after previous EBUS localisation. In 25 (76%) of the 33 patients, surgical staging procedures were suppressed. In conclusion, transbronchial needle aspiration after endobronchial ultrasound localisation should be considered as a primary method of evaluation of lymph nodes positive by positron emission tomography with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose, and may replace the majority of surgical mediastinal staging/diagnostic procedures.
Analysis of variability in partial sequences of genomes of Tobacco yellow dwarf virus isolates

The movement protein coding region of six isolates of Tobacco yellow dwarf virus (TYDV), collected over a 30 year period from various regions throughout Australia, was analysed using PCR and DNA sequencing. Four isolates of Bean summer death virus, considered a synonym of TYDV, were also analysed. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all 10 isolates were greater than 95% homologous to the published TYDV sequence (GenBank accession number M81103). The weed Raphanus raphanistrum was identified as an alternative host of TYDV for the first time.
Agent-Based Modeling of Endotoxin-Induced Acute Inflammatory Response in Human Blood Leukocytes

Background Inflammation is a highly complex biological response evoked by many stimuli. A persistent challenge in modeling this dynamic process has been the (nonlinear) nature of the response that precludes the single-variable assumption. Systems-based approaches offer a promising possibility for understanding inflammation in its homeostatic context. In order to study the underlying complexity of the acute inflammatory response, an agent-based framework is developed that models the emerging host response as the outcome of orchestrated interactions associated with intricate signaling cascades and intercellular immune system interactions. Methodology/Principal Findings An agent-based modeling (ABM) framework is proposed to study the nonlinear dynamics of acute human inflammation. The model is implemented using NetLogo software. Interacting agents involve either inflammation-specific molecules or cells essential for the propagation of the inflammatory reaction across the system. Spatial orientation of molecule interactions involved in signaling cascades coupled with the cellular heterogeneity are further taken into account. The proposed in silico model is evaluated through its ability to successfully reproduce a self-limited inflammatory response as well as a series of scenarios indicative of the nonlinear dynamics of the response. Such scenarios involve either a persistent (non)infectious response or innate immune tolerance and potentiation effects followed by perturbations in intracellular signaling molecules and cascades. Conclusions/Significance The ABM framework developed in this study provides insight on the stochastic interactions of the mediators involved in the propagation of endotoxin signaling at the cellular response level. The simulation results are in accordance with our prior research effort associated with the development of deterministic human inflammation models that include transcriptional dynamics, signaling, and physiological components. The hypothetical scenarios explored in this study would potentially improve our understanding of how manipulating the behavior of the molecular species could manifest into emergent behavior of the overall system.
Space Flight Calcium: Implications for Astronaut Health, Spacecraft Operations, and Earth

The space flight environment is known to induce bone loss and, subsequently, calcium loss. The longer the mission, generally the more bone and calcium are lost. This review provides a history of bone and calcium studies related to space flight and highlights issues related to calcium excretion that the space program must consider so that urine can be recycled. It also discusses a novel technique using natural stable isotopes of calcium that will be helpful in the future to determine calcium and bone balance during space flight.
Psychophysical characterisation of early functional loss in glaucoma and ocular hypertension

Aim: The psychophysical evaluation of selective cell loss in early glaucoma and ocular hypertension. Methods: Contrast sensitivity was measured for the detection of luminance modulated gratings at a range of spatial (0.5, 2, 8 c/deg) and temporal (0, 16 Hz) frequency combinations in three groups of age matched patients (primary open angle glaucoma, ocular hypertension, normal controls; n=16). Stimuli of 5° were presented foveally and at 15° along the nasal horizontal meridian under photopic conditions. Results: Fovea: Compared to the normal group, the thresholds for the glaucoma patients were significantly elevated at all spatial and temporal frequencies (p<0.0001), but this reduction was not significantly different at any particular spatial or temporal frequency (p>0.1). There was no difference in contrast sensitivity between the normals and OHTs (p>0.10). Periphery: The thresholds of the glaucoma patients were elevated compared to the normal controls (p<0.01). The loss of sensitivity was slightly greater at the higher spatial frequencies for both stationary and flickering patterns but this did not reach significance (p=0.09). The contrast sensitivity in normal and OHT groups was not significantly different (p>0.10). Conclusions: In early glaucoma, the reduction in contrast sensitivity to stimuli which isolate the magnocellular pathway (0.5 c/deg, 16 Hz) was not significantly different compared with the reduction in contrast sensitivity to stimuli that isolate the parvocellular pathway. These findings are not consistent with the hypothesis that the magnocellular pathway is selectively damaged in early glaucoma.
Only Behavioral But Not Self-Report Measures of Speech Perception Correlate with Cognitive Abilities

Good speech perception and communication skills in everyday life are crucial for participation and well-being, and are therefore an overarching aim of auditory rehabilitation. Both behavioral and self-report measures can be used to assess these skills. However, correlations between behavioral and self-report speech perception measures are often low. One possible explanation is that there is a mismatch between the specific situations used in the assessment of these skills in each method, and a more careful matching across situations might improve consistency of results. The role that cognition plays in specific speech situations may also be important for understanding communication, as speech perception tests vary in their cognitive demands. In this study, the role of executive function, working memory (WM) and attention in behavioral and self-report measures of speech perception was investigated. Thirty existing hearing aid users with mild-to-moderate hearing loss aged between 50 and 74 years completed a behavioral test battery with speech perception tests ranging from phoneme discrimination in modulated noise (easy) to words in multi-talker babble (medium) and keyword perception in a carrier sentence against a distractor voice (difficult). In addition, a self-report measure of aided communication, residual disability from the Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile, was obtained. Correlations between speech perception tests and self-report measures were higher when specific speech situations across both were matched. Cognition correlated with behavioral speech perception test results but not with self-report. Only the most difficult speech perception test, keyword perception in a carrier sentence with a competing distractor voice, engaged executive functions in addition to WM. In conclusion, any relationship between behavioral and self-report speech perception is not mediated by a shared correlation with cognition.
Nonzero Bound on Fiedler Eigenvalue Causes Exponential Growth of H-Infinity Norm of Vehicular Platoon

We consider platoons composed of identical vehicles and controlled in a distributed way, that is, each vehicle has its own onboard controller. The regulation errors in spacing to the immediately preceeding and following vehicles are weighted differently by the onboard controller, which thus implements an asymmetric bidirectional control scheme. The weights can vary along the platoon. We prove that such platoons have a nonzero uniform bound on the second smallest eigenvalue of the graph Laplacian matrix-the Fiedler eigenvalue. Furthermore, it is shown that existence of this bound always signals undesirable scaling properties of the platoon. Namely, the H-infinity norm of the transfer function of the platoon grows exponentially with the number of vehicles regardless of the controllers used. Hence the benefits of a uniform gap in the spectrum of a Laplacian with an asymetric distributed controller are paid for by poor scaling as the number of vehicles grows.
The role of host population heterogeneity in the evolution of virulence

I examine here the effects of host heterogeneity in the growth of immune response on the evolution and co-evolution of virulence. The analysis is based on an extension of the ‘nested model’ by Gilchrist and Sasaki [Modeling host-parasite coevolution, J. Theor. Biol. 218 (2002), pp. 289–308]; the criteria for host and parasite evolution, in the paradigm of adaptive dynamics, for that model are derived in generality. Host heterogeneity is assumed to be fixed at birth according to a lognormal distribution or to the presence of two discrete types. In both cases, it is found that host heterogeneity determines a dramatic decrease in pathogen virulence, since pathogens will tune to the ‘weakest’ hosts. Finally we clarify how contrasting results present in the literature are due to different modelling assumptions.