Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does air-breathing meet metabolic demands of the juvenile snakehead, Channa argus, in multiple conditions

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to examine how the respiratory metabolism of the snakehead Channa argus changed when it shifted from breathing water to breathing air, and how increased metabolic demands caused by temperature, feeding, and exhaustive exercise affect its survival in air. The results demonstrated that the oxygen consumption rate (MO2) of the snakehead was lower for aerial respiration than aquatic respiration by 12.1, 24.5 and 20.4% at 20, 25, and 30°C, respectively. Survival time was significantly shortened with increasing temperature and was negatively correlated with the resting MO2 in air (MO2Air). No obvious feeding metabolic response was observed in the snakeheads fed at 1% and 3% body mass levels while breathing air. The maximum MO2Air of the snakehead after exhaustive exercise was significantly higher than the resting MO2Air of the control group. The results suggest that the snakehead could survive out of water by breathing air for varying lengths of time, depending on ambient temperature and metabolic demand. Additionally, some degree of metabolic depression occurs in the snakehead when breathing air. The metabolic demand associated with exercise in the snakehead, but not that associated with feeding, can be supported by its capacity for breathing air to some extent. Summary: The snakehead could survive out of water by breathing air for varying lengths of time, depending on ambient temperature and metabolic demand.
A preliminary excursion into step-logics

We have suggested that a new kind of logical study that focuses on individual deductive steps is appropriate to agents that must do commonsense reasoning. In order to adequately study such reasoners, a formal description of such “steps” is necessary. Here we carry further this program for the propositional case. In particular we give a result on completeness for reasoning about agents.
Role of Myeloma-Derived MIF in Myeloma Cell Adhesion to Bone Marrow and Chemotherapy Response.

BACKGROUND Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable cancer characterized by accumulation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow (BM). The mechanism underlying MM homing to BM is poorly elucidated. METHODS The clinical significance of migration inhibitory factor (MIF) expression was examined by analyzing six independent gene expression profile databases of primary MM cells using the Student's t test and Kaplan-Meier test. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to examine MIF expression. In vivo bioluminescent imaging was used to determine MM cell localization and treatment efficacy in human MM xenograft mouse models, with three to four mice per group. MM cell attachment to BM stromal cells (BMSCs) was monitored by cell adhesion assay. MIF regulation of the expression of adhesion molecules was determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. Statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS High levels of MIF were detected in MM BM (MIF level in BM plasma: healthy = 10.72 ± 5.788 ng/mL, n = 5; MM = 1811 ± 248.7 ng/mL, n = 10; P < .001) and associated with poor survival of patients (Kaplan-Meier test for MM OS: 87 MIF(high) patients, 86 MIF(low) patients, P = . 02). Knocking down MIF impaired MM cell adhesion to BMSCs in vitro and led to formation of extramedullary tumors in SCID mice. MIF acted through surface receptor CXCR4 and adaptor COPS5 to regulate the expression of adhesion molecules ALCAM, ITGAV, and ITGB5 on MM cells. More importantly, MIF-deficient MM cells were sensitive to chemotherapy in vitro when cocultured with BMSCs and in vivo. MIF inhibitor 4-IPP sensitized MM cells to chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS MIF is an important player and a novel therapeutic target in MM. Inhibiting MIF activity will sensitize MM cells to chemotherapy.
Rethinking learning: comments on Rethinking innateness

In his review of Rethinking innateness (Elman, Bates, Johnson, Karmiloff-Smith, Parisi & Plunkett, 1996; henceforth, RI), Rispoli (this volume) comments favourably on the dynamical change models presented in RI's Chapter 4. I think a more critical stance is warranted. In particular, I will argue that dynamical change models cannot in principle make reference to mental representation, that the models are stipulative, and that they fail as descriptions of behaviour. (For more extensive discussion, see Valian, in press.) The relation between dynamical change models and connectionist networks is not spelled out in RI, so it is not clear which of the criticisms that I direct at dynamical change models also hold for connectionist models.
Cognitive radio networking and communications: an overview

Cognitive radio (CR) is the enabling technology for supporting dynamic spectrum access: the policy that addresses the spectrum scarcity problem that is encountered in many countries. Thus, CR is widely regarded as one of the most promising technologies for future wireless communications. To make radios and wireless networks truly cognitive, however, is by no means a simple task, and it requires collaborative effort from various research communities, including communications theory, networking engineering, signal processing, game theory, software-hardware joint design, and reconfigurable antenna and radio-frequency design. In this paper, we provide a systematic overview on CR networking and communications by looking at the key functions of the physical (PHY), medium access control (MAC), and network layers involved in a CR design and how these layers are crossly related. In particular, for the PHY layer, we will address signal processing techniques for spectrum sensing, cooperative spectrum sensing, and transceiver design for cognitive spectrum access. For the MAC layer, we review sensing scheduling schemes, sensing-access tradeoff design, spectrum-aware access MAC, and CR MAC protocols. In the network layer, cognitive radio network (CRN) tomography, spectrum-aware routing, and quality-of-service (QoS) control will be addressed. Emerging CRNs that are actively developed by various standardization committees and spectrum-sharing economics will also be reviewed. Finally, we point out several open questions and challenges that are related to the CRN design.
A quantitative review of relationships between ecosystem services

Ecosystems provide multiple ecosystem services to society. Ignoring the multi-functionality of land systems in natural resource management generates potentially trade-offs with respect to the provisioning of ecosystem services. Understanding relationships between ecosystem services can therefore help to minimize undesired trade-offs and enhance synergies. The research on relationships between ecosystem services has recently gained increasing attention in the scientific community. However, a synthesis on existing knowledge and knowledge gaps is missing so far. We analyzed 67 case studies that studied 476 pairwise combinations of ecosystem services. The relationships between these pairs of ecosystem services were classified into three categories: “trade-off”, “synergy” or “no-effect”. Most pairs of ecosystem services (74%) had a clear association with one category: the majority of case studies reported similar relationships for pairs of ecosystem services. A synergistic relationship was dominant between different regulating services and between different cultural services, whereas the relationship between regulating and provisioning services was trade-off dominated. Increases in cultural services did not influence provisioning services (”no-effect”). We further analyzed the pattern of relationships between ecosystem services across scales, land system archetypes and methods used to determine the relationship. Our analysis showed that the overall pattern of relationships between ecosystem services did not change significantly with scale and land system archetypes. However, some pairs of ecosystem services showed changes in relationships with scale. The choice of methods used to determine the relationship had an effect on the direction of the relationship: studies that employed correlation coefficients showed an increased probability to identify no-effect relationships, whereas descriptive methods had a higher probability of identifying trade-offs. The regional scale was the most commonly considered, and case studies were biased among different land system archetypes which might affect our ability to find the effect of scale or land system archetypes on the pattern of relationships. Our results provide helpful information of which services to include in ecosystem services assessments for the scientific community as well as for practitioners. Furthermore, they allow a first check if critical trade-offs have been considered in an analysis.
Lycopene and Tomato Products in Health Promotion 1

International research through epidemiological techniques has provided information on risk factors and preventive approaches in chronic disease. Causation complementing this base of knowledge with laboratory research on associated markers for each disease has outlined the possible mechanisms whereby risk factors and preventive conditions operate. Furthermore, laboratory research in animal models and cell cultures has expanded the appropriate elements associated with each condition. Individuals in the Mediterranean area present with a lower risk of several important chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease and a number of types of cancer associated with nutritional traditions, such as breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Vegetables and fruits in general and cooked tomatoes, together with olive oil, appear to be the nutritional traditions that account for this lower risk. These results lead to public health recommendations to consume more vegetables and, especially, cooked tomatoes with olive oil.
Implicit Filtering and Optimal Design Problems

Implicit ltering is a form of the gradient projection method of Bertsekas in which the stepsize in a diierence approximation of the gradient is changed as the iteration progresses. In this way the algorithm is able to avoid certain types of local minima and in some cases nd accurate approximations to the global minimum. The algorithm is particularly eeective in avoiding local minima that are caused by high-frequency low-amplitude terms in the objective function. In this report we will discuss the algorithm and its theoretical properties. We will also present applications for modeling of subsurface contaminant transport and high-eld magnet design.
Exploring the dynamics of design fluency in children with and without ADHD using artificial neural networks

The neuropsychology of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been extensively studied, with a general focus on global performance measures of executive function. In this study, we compared how global (i.e., endpoint) versus process (i.e., dynamic) measures of performance may help characterize children with and without ADHD using a design fluency task as a case study. The secondary goal was to compare the sensitivity of standard versus connectionist statistical models to group differences in cognitive data. Thirty-four children diagnosed with ADHD and 37 children without ADHD aged 8–11 years old were tested on the Five-Point Test. The continuous process measure of performance, indexed as the number of produced designs at each consecutive 1 minute interval during 5 minutes, was analyzed against the discrete process measure, that is, the number of designs between first and last intervals and the standard global performance measure of total number of produced designs. Results show that the continuous process measure distinguished the two groups better than the two other measures. The detailed observation of production patterns revealed a decreasing linear trajectory in children without ADHD that contrasts with the flat, but fluctuating productivity pattern of children with ADHD. With regards to the second goal, results show that the connectionist and standard methods are equally sensitive to group differences for the three types of measures. This illustrates the utility of quantitative process measures together with the connectionist method in neuropsychological research and suggests great potential for a dynamical approach to cognition.
What failure in collective decision-making tells us about metacognition

Condorcet (1785) proposed that a majority vote drawn from individual, independent and fallible (but not totally uninformed) opinions provides near-perfect accuracy if the number of voters is adequately large. Research in social psychology has since then repeatedly demonstrated that collectives can and do fail more often than expected by Condorcet. Since human collective decisions often follow from exchange of opinions, these failures provide an exquisite opportunity to understand human communication of metacognitive confidence. This question can be addressed by recasting collective decision-making as an information-integration problem similar to multisensory (cross-modal) perception. Previous research in systems neuroscience shows that one brain can integrate information from multiple senses nearly optimally. Inverting the question, we ask: under what conditions can two brains integrate information about one sensory modality optimally? We review recent work that has taken this approach and report discoveries about the quantitative limits of collective perceptual decision-making, and the role of the mode of communication and feedback in collective decision-making. We propose that shared metacognitive confidence conveys the strength of an individual's opinion and its reliability inseparably. We further suggest that a functional role of shared metacognition is to provide substitute signals in situations where outcome is necessary for learning but unavailable or impossible to establish.
Endosaccular Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms Using Matrix Coils: Early Experience and Midterm Follow-Up

Background and Purpose— The authors report their experience using Matrix coils in the treatment of cerebral aneurysms. Methods— The outcomes of 72 consecutive patients (76 aneurysms) who underwent coiling using Matrix coils at our institution were retrospectively analyzed. Results— Seventy-four aneurysms in 70 patients were coiled using Matrix coils (ranging 3% to 100% by coil length; mean 68.8%). Two patients underwent regular platinum coil embolization after failed Matrix coil placement. Thirty-two (42%) ruptured aneurysms were acutely treated. In 46 aneurysms, Matrix composed >50% of coil length. Complete aneurysm occlusion was obtained in 13 aneurysms (17.6%), neck remnant in 30 (40.5%), and dome filling in 31 (41.9%). Procedural morbidity and mortality rates were 1.4% and 1.4%, respectively. Angiographic follow-up was obtained in 63.5% (47 of 74 aneurysms; average 12.2 months; range 0 to 34). In these 47 angiographically followed aneurysms, the overall recanalization rate was 57.4%. In aneurysms with >50% Matrix coils, 76.1% had angiographic follow-up (35 of 46), and in this group, the overall recanalization rate was 54.3% (19 of 35): 25% (1 of 4) for very small (<5 mm); 33% (4 of 12) for small-size (<10 mm)/small-neck (<4 mm); and 63% (5 of 8) for small-size/wide-neck (≥4 mm). A total of 82% (9 of 11) recanalization occurred in large aneurysms (≥10 to 25 mm). Ten aneurysms (21.3%; 10 of 47) underwent retreatment. Clinical follow-up was obtained in 61 (86%) patients (average 15 months; range 1 to 37): 87% of patients were Glasgow Outcome Scale 4 or 5. Conclusion— The use of Matrix coils resulted in worse recanalization rates than that reported for Guglielmi detachable bare platinum coils.
The Effect of Belief in Free Will on Prejudice

The current research examined the role of the belief in free will on prejudice across Han Chinese and white samples. Belief in free will refers to the extent to which people believe human beings truly have free will. In Study 1, the beliefs of Han Chinese people in free will were measured, and their social distances from the Tibetan Chinese were used as an index of ethnic prejudice. The results showed that the more that Han Chinese endorsed the belief in free will, the less that they showed prejudice against the Tibetan Chinese. In Study 2, the belief of the Han Chinese in free will was manipulated, and their explicit feelings towards the Uyghur Chinese were used as an indicator of ethnic prejudice. The results showed that the participants in the condition of belief in free will reported less prejudice towards Uyghur Chinese compared to their counterparts in the condition of disbelief in free will. In Study 3, white peoples’ belief in free will was manipulated, and their pro-black attitudes were measured as an indirect indicator of racial prejudice. The results showed that, compared to the condition of disbelief in free will, the participants who were primed by a belief in free will reported stronger pro-black attitudes. These three studies suggest that endorsement of the belief in free will can lead to decreased ethnic/racial prejudice compared to denial of the belief in free will. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Development of an Improved Crack Propagation Model for Corrosion-Induced Cover Cracking in RC Structures

During the last two decades, reinforced concrete (RC) has been extensively used in most of the world as one of the common construction material due to its advantages and durability. However, RC structures exposed to marine environments are subjected to chloride attack. Chlorides from seawater penetrate into RC structures are not only causing severe corrosion problems but also affect the durability and serviceability of such structures. This paper investigates the influence of transverse reinforcement and spacing of reinforcing bars on concrete cover cracking of two-way RC slab specimens using accelerated corrosion tests. The experimental program involved the testing of four RC slab specimens and was generally designed to observe the crack width and the time of crack to propagate. An improved model for predicting the timing of crack propagation based on the experimental data was then developed.
Illusory limb movements in anosognosia for hemiplegia

To clarify the relation between anosognosia for hemiplegia and confabulation, 11 patients with acute right cerebral infarctions and left upper limb hemiparesis were assessed for anosognosia for hemiplegia, illusory limb movements (ILMs), hemispatial neglect, asomatognosia, and cognitive impairment. Five of 11 patients had unequivocal confabulation as evidenced by ILMs. The presence of ILMs was associated with the degree of anosognosia (p=0.002), with hemispatial neglect (p<0.05), and with asomatognosia (p<0.01). The results confirm that a strong relation exists between anosognosia for hemiplegia and confabulations concerning the movement of the plegic limb. There is also a strong relation between ILMs and asomatognosia.
17β-Estradiol Promotes Schwann Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Accelerating Early Remyelination in a Mouse Peripheral Nerve Injury Model

Estrogen induces oligodendrocyte remyelination in response to demyelination in the central nervous system. Our objective was to determine the effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) on Schwann cell function and peripheral nerve remyelination after injury. Adult male C57BL/6J mice were used to prepare the sciatic nerve transection injury model and were randomly categorized into control and E2 groups. To study myelination in vitro, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) explant culture was prepared using 13.5-day-old mouse embryos. Primary Schwann cells were isolated from the sciatic nerves of 1- to 3-day-old Sprague–Dawley rats. Immunostaining for myelin basic protein (MBP) expression and toluidine blue staining for myelin sheaths demonstrated that E2 treatment accelerates early remyelination in the “nerve bridge” region between the proximal and distal stumps of the transection injury site in the mouse sciatic nerve. The 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine incorporation assay revealed that E2 promotes Schwann cell proliferation in the bridge region and in the primary culture, which is blocked using AKT inhibitor MK2206. The in vitro myelination in the DRG explant culture determined showed that the MBP expression in the E2-treated group is higher than that in the control group. These results show that E2 promotes Schwann cell proliferation and myelination depending on AKT activation.
FGFR2 Is a Breast Cancer Susceptibility Gene in Jewish and Arab Israeli Populations

Genetic variation in FGFR2 is a newly described risk factor for breast cancer. We estimated the relative risk and contribution of FGFR2 polymorphisms to breast cancer risk in diverse ethnic groups within Jewish and other Middle Eastern populations. We genotyped four FGFR2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and tested for association of these SNPs and haplotypes with breast cancer risk in a population-based case-control study of 1,529 women with breast cancer and 1,528 controls. We found significant associations between breast cancer risk and all four studied SNPs in FGFR2 (Ptrend for all SNPs < 0.0001). In ethnicity-specific analysis, all four SNPs were significantly associated with breast cancer risk in Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews, with a similar but not significant trend in Arabs. Haplotype analysis identified five common haplotypes (>1%). The previously described AAGT risk haplotype was significantly associated with breast cancer risk in Ashkenazi [odds ratio (OR), 1.25; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.07-1.45; P = 0.0059] and Sephardi Jews (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.17-1.80; P = 0.0006) compared with the reference GGAC haplotype. The AAAC haplotype was significantly associated with breast cancer risk in Sephardi Jews (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.16-3.35; P = 0.0125) but not in Ashkenazi Jews (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.41-1.62; P = 0.5613) or in Arabs (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.80-2.14; P = 0.2881). Genetic variation in FGFR2, identified by rs1219648, may account for a substantial fraction of breast cancer in Arab (12%), Ashkenazi (15%), and Sephardi Jewish (22%) populations. The identification of population-specific risk haplotypes in FGFR2 is likely to help identify causal variants for breast cancer. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(5):1060–5)
Neural Contribution to Renal Hypertension Following Acute Renal Artery Stenosis in Conscious Rats

To assess the hemodynamic changes during acute renal artery stenosis (RSt) and their dependence on alterations in the renin-angiotensin and sympathetic nervous systems, we studied conscious rats chronically instrumented with miniaturized pulsed-Doppler flow probes. Probes were implanted on the superior mesenteric and both renal arteries, and on the lower abdominal aorta for measurement of mesenteric (MR), renal (RR), and hindquarters (HQR) vascular resistance. Unilater-al RSt, with a pneumatic cuff occluder that reduced flow by approximately 50°, increased mean arterial pressure (MAP) by 32°, reduced heart rate, and increased MR, nonstenotic (contralateral) RR and HQR. The hypertension was renin-dependent since plasma renin activity increased 6-fold and the angiotensin II (All) antagonist, saralasin, significantly reduced MAP and regional resistances. The acute hypertension was also associated with increased neurogenic vasoconstrictor tone since hexamethonium markedly reduced MAP, MR, HQR and non-stenotic RR. Hexamethonium similarly decreased MAP during hypertension induced by AH infusion, whereas hypertension produced by the “pure” peripheral vasoconstrictor, phenylephrine, was unaffected by ganglionic blockade. In animals with peripheral sympathectomy produced by 6-hydroxydopamine, acute RSt produced hemodynamic changes similar in magnitude to intact animals; however, PRA increased 3-fold more than in intact rats. We conclude that hypertension induced by acute RSt in conscious rats is not only renin-dependent, but is also associated with inappropriately high neurogenic vasoconstrictor tone, presum-ably activated by indirect neural actions of AH.