Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased Excitability of Afferent Neurons Innervating Rat Urinary Bladder after Chronic Bladder Inflammation

The properties of bladder afferent neurons in L6 and S1 dorsal root ganglia of adult rats were evaluated after chronic bladder inflammation induced by 2 week treatment with cyclophosphamide (CYP; 75 mg/kg). Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings revealed that most (70%) of the dissociated bladder afferent neurons from control rats were capsaicin sensitive, with high-threshold long-duration action potentials that were not blocked by tetrodotoxin (TTX; 1 μm). These neurons exhibited membrane potential relaxations during voltage responses elicited by depolarizing current pulses and phasic firing during sustained membrane depolarization. After CYP treatment, a similar proportion (71%) of bladder afferent neurons were capsaicin sensitive with TTX-resistant spikes. However, the neurons were significantly larger in size (diameter 29.6 ± 1.0 μm vs 23.6 ± 0.8 μm in controls). TTX-resistant bladder afferent neurons from CYP-treated rats exhibited lower thresholds for spike activation (−25.4 ± 0.5 mV) than those from control rats (−21.4 ± 0.9 mV) and did not exhibit membrane potential relaxation during depolarization. Seventy percent of TTX-resistant bladder afferent neurons from CYP-treated rats exhibited tonic firing (average 12.3 ± 1.4 spikes during a 500 msec depolarizing pulse) versus phasic firing (1.2 ± 0.2 spikes) in normal bladder afferent neurons. Application of 4-aminopyridine (1 mm) to normal TTX-resistant bladder afferent neurons mimicked the changes in firing properties after CYP treatment. The peak density of an A-type K+ current (IA) during depolarizations to 0 mV in TTX-resistant bladder afferent neurons from CYP-treated rats was significantly smaller (42.9 pA/pF) than that from control rats (109.4 pA/pF), and the inactivation curve of the IA current was displaced to more hyperpolarized levels by ∼15 mV after CYP treatment. These data suggest that chronic inflammation induces somal hypertrophy and increases the excitability of C-fiber bladder afferent neurons by suppressing IA channels. Similar electrical changes in sensory pathways may contribute to cystitis-induced pain and hyperactivity of the bladder.
Physiological adaptations to soccer specific endurance training in professional youth soccer players

Background: Improved oxygen uptake improves soccer performance as regards distance covered, involvements with the ball, and number of sprints. Large improvements in oxygen uptake have been shown using interval running. A similar physiological load arising from interval running could be obtained using the soccer ball in training. Objectives: The main aim was to study physiological adaptations to a 10 week high intensity aerobic interval training program performed by professional youth soccer players, using a soccer specific ball dribbling track. Methods: Eleven youth soccer players with a mean (SD) age of 16.9 (0.4) years performed high intensity aerobic interval training sessions twice per week for 10 weeks in addition to normal soccer training. The specific aerobic training consisted of four sets of 4 min work periods dribbling a soccer ball around a specially designed track at 90–95% of maximal heart frequency, with a 3 min recovery jog at 70% of maximal heart frequency between intervals. Results: Mean Vo2max improved significantly from 63.4 (5.6) to 69.8 (6.6) ml kg−1 min−1, or 183.3 (13.2) to 201.5 (16.2) ml kg−0.75 min−1 (p<0.001). Squat jump and counter movement jump height increased significantly from 37.7 (6.2) to 40.3 (6.1) cm and 52.0 (4.0) to 53.4 (4.2) cm, respectively (p<0.05). No significant changes in body mass, running economy, rate of force development, or 10 m sprint times occurred. Conclusion: Performing high intensity 4 min intervals dribbling a soccer ball around a specially designed track together with regular soccer training is effective for improving the Vo2max of soccer players, with no negative interference effects on strength, jumping ability, and sprinting performance.
Entrepreneurship and small business research in Europe : an ECSB survey

Introduction - entrepreneurship and small businesses in Europe - economic background and academic infrastructure, Hermann Frank, Hans Landstrom Austria - research into entrepreneurship and small business in Austria, Josef Mugler Belgium - entrepreneurship and small business research by Belgian researchers, Rik Donckels, Johan Lamrecht, Ria Aerts Denmark - how entrepreneurial is the research into small business and entrepreneurship in Denmark, Poul Rind Christensen, Lene Axelsson Finland - entrepreneurship and small business research in Finland, Pasi Malinen, Antti Paasio France - Entrepreneurship and small business research in France - a review of the present literature, Bertrand Saporta, Martine Rispal Germany - state of the art entrepreneurship and SME research and education in Germany, Heinz Klandt Hungary - entrepreneurshp and small business research in Hungary, Zoltan Roman Ireland - entrepreneurship research and the Emerald Isle - a review of small business studies in the Republic of Ireland, Dylan Jones-Evans Italy - patterns of entrepreneurial research in Italy - locational factors, intangible assets and development of a new firm, Chiara Cardini, Andrea Fumagalli the Netherlands - entrepreneurship and small business management in a Dutch environment, W.E. During, M. Kerkhof, R.J.A. Klein Woolthuis, J.M. J. de Smit Norway - research on entrepreneurship and small business in Norway, Olav R. Spilling Slovenia - entrepreneurship and small business research in Slovenia, Miroslav Rebernik, Dijana Mocnik Spain - entrepreneurship and small business research in Spain, Jose M. Veciana, Enric Geneseca Sweden - research in entrepreneurship and small business - state of the art in Sweden, Bengt Johannisson, Hans Landstrom Switzerland - SME research in Switzerland, Ulrich Aschoff the UK - entrepreneurship and small business research in the 1990s - a UK perspective, Peter Rosa. Two European research programmes - INTERSTRATOS - a pioneering project on internationalization of SMEs in Europe, Rik Donckels, Antti J. Haahti, J. Hanns Pichler the European observatory of SMEs, Karin de Lind van Wijngaarden, Rob van der Horst conclusion - entrepreneurship and small business research in Europe - analysis and reflections, Hermann Frank, Hans Landstrom.
Intramyocardial Injections of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells following Acute Myocardial Infarction Modulate Scar Formation and Improve Left Ventricular Function

Cell therapy is a promising treatment modality to improve heart function in acute myocardial infarction. However, the mechanisms of action and the most suitable cell type have not been finally determined. We performed a study to compare the effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) harvested from different tissues on LV function and explore their effects on tissue structure by morphometry and histological staining for species and lineage relationship. MSCs from skeletal muscle (SM-MSCs) and adipose tissue (ADSCs) were injected in the myocardium of nude rats 1 week after myocardial infarction. After 4 weeks of observation, LVEF was significantly improved in the SM-MSCs group (39.1%) and in the ADSC group (39.6%), compared to the placebo group (31.0%, p < 0.001 for difference in change between groups). Infarct size was smaller after cell therapy (16.3% for SM-MSCs, 15.8% for ADSCs vs. 26.0% for placebo, p < 0.001), and the amount of highly vascularized granulation tissue in the border zone was significantly increased in both groups receiving MSCs (18.3% for SM-MSCs, 22.6% for ADSCs vs. 13.1% for placebo, p = 0.001). By in situ hybridization, moderate engraftment of transplanted cells was found, but no transdifferentiation to cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, or smooth muscle cells was observed. We conclude that MSC injections lead to improved LVEF after AMI in rats predominantly by reduction of infarct size. After 4 weeks, we observed modulation of scar formation with significant increase in granulation tissue. Transdifferentiation of MSCs to cardiomyocytes or vascular cells did not contribute significantly in this process. MSCs from skeletal muscle and adipose tissue had similar effects.
Handgrip strength among older American Indians: the Native Elder Care Study.

SIR—Increased age is associated with declines in muscle strength and muscle mass, a condition referred to as sarcopenia [1]. Assessing handgrip strength is an easy test that can provide an approximation of total body muscle strength [2]. Research has found grip strength to be associated with functional disability [3, 4], chronic illnesses [5–8], hospitalisation and longer lengths of stay [9, 10] and mortality [2, 11]. Such studies have led to grip strength being considered a robust measure of frailty [8]. American Indians possess many of the risk factors for weaker grip. Notably they possess disproportionately high rates of functional disability [12] and chronic disease [13, 14]. Only one published study has examined hand strength in American Indians, measured by summing grip strength, two-point pinch and three-point pinch [15]. Given the limited information about grip strength in this population, coupled with their risk factors, we compared grip strength from a sample of American Indians to normative values and identified their correlates of weaker grip strength.
Dephosphorylation of the Core Septin, AspB, in a Protein Phosphatase 2A-Dependent Manner Impacts Its Localization and Function in the Fungal Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus

Septins are a conserved family of GTPases that form hetero–oligomeric complexes and perform diverse functions in higher eukaryotes, excluding plants. Our previous studies in the human fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus revealed that the core septin, AspB, a CDC3 ortholog, is required for septation, conidiation, and conidial cell wall organization. Although AspB is important for these cellular functions, nothing is known about the role of kinases or phosphatases in the posttranslational regulation and localization of septins in A. fumigatus. In this study, we assessed the function of the Gin4 and Cla4 kinases and the PP2A regulatory subunit ParA, in the regulation of AspB using genetic and phosphoproteomic approaches. Gene deletion analyses revealed that Cla4 and ParA are indispensable for hyphal extension, and Gin4, Cla4, and ParA are each required for conidiation and normal septation. While deletion of gin4 resulted in larger interseptal distances and hypervirulence, a phenotype mimicking aspB deletion, deletion of cla4 and parA caused hyperseptation without impacting virulence, indicating divergent roles in regulating septation. Phosphoproteomic analyses revealed that AspB is phosphorylated at five residues in the GTPase domain (S134, S137, S247, T297, and T301) and two residues at its C-terminus (S416 and S461) in the wild-type, Δgin4 and Δcla4 strains. However, concomitant with the differential localization pattern of AspB and hyperseptation in the ΔparA strain, AspB remained phosphorylated at two additional residues, T68 in the N-terminal polybasic region and S447 in the coiled-coil domain. Generation of nonphosphorylatable and phosphomimetic strains surrounding each differentially phosphorylated residue revealed that only AspBmt-T68E showed increased interseptal distances, suggesting that dephosphorylation of T68 is important for proper septation. This study highlights the importance of septin phosphorylation/dephosphorylation in the regulation of A. fumigatus hyphal septation.
The ‘porin–cytochrome’ model for microbe‐to‐mineral electron transfer

Many species of bacteria can couple anaerobic growth to the respiratory reduction of insoluble minerals containing Fe(III) or Mn(III/IV). It has been suggested that in Shewanella species electrons cross the outer membrane to extracellular substrates via ‘porin–cytochrome’ electron transport modules. The molecular structure of an outer‐membrane extracellular‐facing deca‐haem terminus for such a module has recently been resolved. It is debated how, once outside the cells, electrons are transferred from outer‐membrane cytochromes to insoluble electron sinks. This may occur directly or by assemblies of cytochromes, perhaps functioning as ‘nanowires’, or via electron shuttles. Here we review recent work in this field and explore whether it allows for unification of the electron transport mechanisms supporting extracellular mineral respiration in Shewanella that may extend into other genera of Gram‐negative bacteria.
A Decidable Constraint Diagram Reasoning System

Constraint diagrams are a visual notation designed for use by software engineers to formally specify information systems. In this paper we formalize a fragment of the constraint diagram language. A set of reasoning rules are defined and we prove that this set is both sound and complete. Given constraint diagrams D1 and D2 such that D2 is a semantic consequence of D1, to prove completeness we construct a proof of D2 from D1. A decision procedure can be extracted from this proof construction process and it follows that the system is decidable.
Impact of Reminders on Children’s Cognitive Flexibility, Intrinsic Motivation, and Mood Depends on Who Provides the Reminders

Reminding children to think about alternatives is a strategy adults often use to promote children’s cognitive flexibility, as well as children’s engagement in and enjoyment of the task. The current study investigated whether the impacts of reminders on kindergarten children’s cognitive flexibility, intrinsic motivation, and mood are moderated by who provides the reminders. Eighty-three healthy 5-year-old kindergarten children were randomly assigned to 2 (Reminder: no reminders vs. Reminders) × 2 (Agent: Tester vs. Partner) conditions. Children’s cognitive flexibility was measured via the Block Sorting Task (Garton and Pratt, 2001; Fawcett and Garton, 2005). Children reported their motivation and mood before Block Sorting, after practicing for Block Sorting, and after the actual Block Sorting. Children’s intrinsic motivation was measured by evaluating children’s choices during a period of free play after Block Sorting. The results revealed that, depending on who provides the reminders, reminding children of alternatives can influence kindergarten children’s performance on Block Sorting, children’s intrinsic motivation, and children’s self-reported mood.
Lymphocyte subsets: Reference ranges in an age‐ and gender‐balanced population of Omani healthy adults

Country‐specific reference ranges for adult peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets have been established in a few countries around the world; however, there have been no specific comprehensive studies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East, which investigated age and gender‐specific reference ranges. Demographic and environmental factors may contribute to variations in these subsets around the world, and thus there is a great necessity for each country to establish its own reference ranges. Hence, the aim of this study is to establish lymphocyte subsets reference ranges for Omani healthy adults. Total, age, and gender‐specific reference ranges were established using four‐color flow cytometry analysis with an extensive panel of monoclonal antibodies in 50 healthy adult males and females aged between 18 and 57. Reference values were expressed as median and 95% confidence intervals for T cells—CD3+: 76.5 (57–89), CD4+: 45 (31–58), CD5+: 75 (58–85), CD7+: 80 (70–89), CD8+: 29.5 (19–43); B cells—CD10+: 1 (1–3), CD19+: 14 (6–23), CD20+: 14 (6–23), and NK cells—CD16+: 9 (3–22), CD56+: 13 (5–24), CD3−/(CD16+/CD56+): 7 (3–20). In comparison with other published studies, the lymphocyte subsets reference ranges in healthy Omani adults were similar to those reported in the rest of the world. These observations have important clinical implications in lymphocyte subset analysis in Oman, especially in the management of immunological disorders. The reference ranges established by this study can be adopted as a reference for clinical practice decisions. © 2013 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Practical Supervision: How to Become a Supervisor for the Helping Professions

Foreword. Brigid Proctor and Francesca Inskipp. Preface. Acknowledgments. 1. Introduction: starting with yourself. 2. Beginning to supervise. 3. Knowing your relationship style. 4. Attending to tasks and skills. 5. Shaping a supervision session: choices of focus. 6. Giving and getting feedback. 7. Supervising trainees. 8. Using creative methods. 9. Working with unconscious processes. 10. Putting ethics into practice. 11. Using communications technology. 12. Supervising people in different contexts and roles. 13. Exploring group supervision. 14. Supporting your development. 15. Ending and moving on. References. Index.
Contribution of Alzheimer disease to mortality in the United States

I read the article by James et al.1 and would like to comment on some of the authors' confusing statements. The authors stated: “Death certificates often list the immediate cause of death, such as pneumonia, rather than listing dementia as an underlying cause. ” It is not an “instead of” issue. Immediate cause and underlying cause are 2 different things. Immediate cause is usually something like pneumonia, the event that caused the heart and lungs to stop. This is the reason that physicians are instructed never to put “cardiopulmonary arrest” as the immediate cause as everybody dies …
Treatment of new‐onset ulcerative colitis and ulcerative proctitis: a retrospective study

Although guidelines recommend use of oral 5‐aminosalicylates (5‐ASAs) as first‐line therapy in patients with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis (UC) and ulcerative proctitis (UP) and steroids with or without 5‐ASAs in those more severely ill, little is known about how UC and UP are actually treated.
Phenotype Variability in Patients Carrying KCNJ2 Mutations

Background— Mutations of KCNJ2, the gene encoding the human inward rectifier potassium channel Kir2.1, cause Andersen-Tawil syndrome (ATS), a disease exhibiting ventricular arrhythmia, periodic paralysis, and dysmorphic features. However, some KCNJ2 mutation carriers lack the ATS triad and sometimes share the phenotype of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT). We investigated clinical and biophysical characteristics of KCNJ2 mutation carriers with “atypical ATS. ” Methods and Results— Mutational analyses of KCNJ2 were performed in 57 unrelated probands showing typical (≥2 ATS features) and atypical (only 1 of the ATS features or CPVT) ATS. We identified 24 mutation carriers. Mutation-positive rates were 75% (15/20) in typical ATS, 71% (5/7) in cardiac phenotype alone, 100% (2/2) in periodic paralysis, and 7% (2/28) in CPVT. We divided all carriers (n=45, including family members) into 2 groups: typical ATS (A) (n=21, 47%) and atypical phenotype (B) (n=24, 53%). Patients in (A) had a longer QUc interval [(A): 695±52 versus (B): 643±35 ms] and higher U-wave amplitude (0.24±0.07 versus 0.18±0.08 mV). C-terminal mutations were more frequent in (A) (85% versus 38%, P<0.05). There were no significant differences in incidences of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Functional analyses of 4 mutations found in (B) revealed that R82Q, R82W, and G144D exerted strong dominant negative suppression (current reduction by 95%, 97%, and 96%, respectively, versus WT at −50 mV) and T305S moderate suppression (reduction by 89%). Conclusions— KCNJ2 gene screening in atypical ATS phenotypes is of clinical importance because more than half of mutation carriers express atypical phenotypes, despite their arrhythmia severity.
Bridging the Gap between Research & Practice : Development of the UK National Guidance Research Forum website

This article outlines the development of a shared web-based knowledge base that seeks to bridge the gap between guidance research and practice. This knowledge base was developed from the contextualised problems that policy makers, managers, practitioners, researchers and trainers face. Six expert groups looked at key areas or problems related to their expertise and provided a mediated commentary on key documents and research findings on-line. The process represents a major contribution to research capacity building within the guidance community and has involved a range of prospective users on an iterative basis in the development of the website.
A conformational switch in nuclear hormone receptors is involved in coupling hormone binding to corepressor release

Nuclear hormone receptors are ligand-regulated transcription factors that modulate gene expression in response to small, hydrophobic hormones, such as retinoic acid and thyroid hormone. The thyroid hormone and retinoic acid receptors typically repress transcription in the absence of hormone and activate it in the presence of hormone. Transcriptional repression is mediated, in part, through the ability of these receptors to physically associate with ancillary polypeptides called corepressors. We wished to understand the mechanism by which corepressors are recruited to unliganded nuclear hormone receptors and are released on the binding of hormone. We report here that an alpha-helical domain located at the thyroid hormone receptor C terminus appears to undergo a hormone-induced conformational change required for release of corepressor and that amino acid substitutions that abrogate this conformational change can impair or prevent corepressor release. In contrast, retinoid X receptors appear neither to undergo an equivalent conformational alteration in their C termini nor to release corepressor in response to cognate hormone, consistent with the distinct transcriptional regulatory properties displayed by this class of receptors.
Encoding Imperialism: Homelessness in American Naturalism, 1890-1918.

Homelessness occurs with uncommon regularity in the works of American naturalists, and in each case, the result of a character's homelessness results in a crisis of social identity and self definition. This pattern recurs in the works of the canonically identified naturalists, such as Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, and Theodore Dreiser, as well as other writers who have only been tangentially associated with naturalism—Edith Wharton and Paul Laurence Dunbar, for example. In this study, I analyze the relationship between homelessness as it is represented in the novels and the political debate over the United States's imperialist aspirations at the turn of the nineteenth century. In chapter 2,1 look closely at the effects that the loss of home has on the protagonists of Dunbar's The Sport of the Gods (1901), Norris's Vandover and the Brute (1894), and Wharton's The House of Mirth (1903). Through the physical dislocation of the characters, these writers explore the integral relationship between identification of the self within the structure of a home and the subsequent disruption of self identity caused by its loss. Chapter 3 expands the definition of home by looking specifically at the coterminous relationship between the woman's body and the space that she inhabits. Examining Wharton's Summer (1918) and Dreiser's Jennie Gerhardt (1911), I demonstrate that, because of the social expectations that women should embody domestic values, women’s homelessness is represented as a process of failure to project the self into the world.