Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Repeated cocaine augments excitatory amino acid transmission in the nucleus accumbens only in rats having developed behavioral sensitization

Rats were pretreated with daily cocaine or saline injections for 1 week. The rats treated with daily cocaine were separated into two groups: a sensitized group of animals demonstrating > 20% increase in motor activity on the last injection compared with the first injection of daily cocaine, and a nonsensitized group showing < 20% elevation. At 2–3 weeks after the last daily injection, four experiments were performed to assess changes in excitatory amino acid (EAA) transmission in the nucleus accumbens produced by repeated cocaine administration. (1) Rats were challenged with a microinjection of AMPA into the shell or core of the nucleus accumbens. The sensitized rats demonstrated greater motor activity than did the saline-pretreated or nonsensitized animals after AMPA injection into either subnucleus. (2) It was shown that the behavioral distinction between sensitized, nonsensitized, and control rats in behavioral responsiveness to AMPA was not mediated by differences in AMPA-induced dopamine release. (3) The extracellular content of glutamate was measured after a cocaine challenge given at 21 d of withdrawal. Cocaine elevated the levels of glutamate in the core of sensitized rats, but not of nonsensitized or control rats. (4) Microinjection of the non-NMDA antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline- 2,3-dione into the core abolished the augmented motor response to a cocaine challenge in sensitized rats, but was without effect on cocaine- induced motor activity in nonsensitized animals. These results indicate that repeated cocaine administration increases EAA transmission in the nucleus accumbens only in rats that develop behavioral sensitization to cocaine.
Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Role of Status Quo for Using New Self-Service Technologies

Self-service technologies (SSTs) enable many advantages for both company and customers. Studies have put forward numerous factors explaining SST usage. The influence of the current situation an individual encounters has however been largely neglected. This study takes a different approach for explaining SST adoption by considering this behavior as a choice decision. From this angle, the concept of status quo bias is investigated based on different streams in applied psychology literature, customer loyalty research and economics of decision making. Status quo bias describes the tendency of people to prefer the situation currently in existence or inactivity even if an alternative option is more attractive. We integrate the status quo concept in an extended Technology Acceptance Model together with factors shown to be of importance in SST adoption: perceived risk and perceived trust. By using structural equation modeling we show that status quo bias operationalized as satisfaction with the current service offering has an ambivalent influence on the behavioral intention to use an SST. On the one hand, it creates a higher perceived risk towards using the new SST and thereby yields an inhibiting effect on SST adoption. On the other hand, we find a trust enhancing effect of status quo satisfaction. Since perceived trust positively relates to behavioral intention and reduces the perceived risk of the innovative service offering, status quo bias also positively influences SST adoption. In view of these complex relationships the relevance of integrating status quo related concepts when studying SST adoption is demonstrated.
A framework and database for community sea ice observations in a changing Arctic: an Alaskan prototype for multiple users

Indigenous sea ice experts from three Alaskan communities, geophysicists, an anthropologist, and information technology specialists collaborated to develop an observational framework and a database to record, archive, disseminate, and analyze sea ice observations. Observations are based on ice uses and information about ice conditions, weather, ocean state, and animal behavior relevant to hunters and to community members. Daily logs kept during the ice season have been archived since 2006, with key variables extracted for subcategories pertaining to weather and ice observations, ice-related activities, and wildlife. The observation program and the development of the associated database are discussed in terms of community wishes and information needs and the potential uses for hunters, students, and others in coastal Alaska. Database records for Gambell, Wales, and Barrow, Alaska, are analyzed to arrive at a representative seasonal cycle of ice conditions for 2006/2007. This single year is placed into a longer-term context by examining interannual variability for freeze-up and breakup dates from 2006 through 2011 extracted from the database. We discuss the adaptive nature of the database framework and its relevance to coastal communities in gathering and transmitting knowledge about the ice environment that can help in adapting to rapid Arctic change.
Use of Impulse Oscillometry System in Assessment of Asthma Severity for Preschool Children

Objective. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program/Expert Panel Report (NAEPP/EPR)-3 Guidelines for asthma treatment categorize asthma severity based on impairment and risks and on medications administered. The objective of this study was to determine whether impulse oscillometry system (IOS) measures in preschool children are consistent with asthma severity as defined by NAEPP/EPR-3 Guidelines. Methods. Asthma severity of the 162 subjects (aged 2–5 years) was classified by impairment and risks for exacerbations requiring oral systemic corticosteroids, by medication usage, and by combination classification (higher severity of impairment and risks or medication usage). An experienced pediatrician determined the appropriate medications for each child and parents completed structured questionnaires regarding day and night symptoms and interference with normal activity over the preceding 4 weeks. All children were tested by IOS. Results. The mean age was 3.7 ± 0.9 years and 91 (56%) of the total patients were males. When asthma severity was based on (1) impairment and risks and (2) medication usage, asthma was “intermittent” in 17.9% and 11.1% of the total patients, “mild persistent” in 42.0% and 50.6% of total patients, and “moderate–severe persistent” in 40.1% and 38.3% of total patients, respectively. The agreement between severity based on impairment and risks and medication usage was not significant. Xrs5 z-scores differed between intermittent asthma and mild/moderate–severe persistent asthma, as determined by medication usage and combination classification, but not by impairment and risks. As asthma severity (assessed by medication usage) increased, the duration of asthma increased. Conclusions. Xrs5 can be used to discriminate intermittent and persistent asthma in preschool children. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to confirm this finding and to determine the underlying mechanism.
Bayesian evidence for the prevalence of waterworlds

Should we expect most habitable planets to share the Earth's marbled appearance? For a planetary surface to boast extensive areas of both land and water, a delicate balance must be struck between the volume of water it retains and the capacity of its perturbations. These two quantities may show substantial variability across the full spectrum of water-bearing worlds. This would suggest that, barring strong feedback effects, most surfaces are heavily dominated by either water or land. Why is the Earth so finely poised? To address this question we construct a simple model for the selection bias that would arise within an ensemble of surface conditions. Based on the Earth's ocean coverage of 71%, we find substantial evidence (Bayes factor K ~ 6) supporting the hypothesis that anthropic selection effects are at work. Furthermore, due to the Earth's proximity to the waterworld limit, this model predicts that most habitable planets are dominated by oceans spanning over 90% of their surface area (95% credible interval). This scenario, in which the Earth has a much greater land area than most habitable planets, is consistent with results from numerical simulations and could help explain the apparently low-mass transition in the mass-radius relation.
Levodopa‐Induced dopamine receptor hypersensitivity

Chronic administration of levodopa with a dopa decarboxylase inhibitor to young guinea pigs resulted in increased behavioral response to levodopa itself as well as to d‐amphetamine and apomorphine. The chronic levodopa pretreatment resulted in a decreased threshold for stereotyped behavior for all three types of dopamine agonists. Our results suggest that chronic agonism with levodopa can produce postsynaptic dopaminergic hypersensitivity within the striatum. These experiments act as a model of levodopa‐induced dyskinesia in patients receiving long‐term levodopa therapy. The results reported here suggest that receptor site hypersensitivity may play a role in levodopa‐induced dyskinesias and that chronic levodopa (dopamine) agonism may itself be involved in the pathogenesis of this movement disorder.
A Hydraulic Model Is Compatible with Rapid Changes in Leaf Elongation under Fluctuating Evaporative Demand and Soil Water Status1[C][W][OPEN]

Changes in evaporative demand or soil water status affect maize leaf growth in less than 1 h, considerably quicker than their effects on transpiration and leaf water potential, consistent with a hydraulic model. Plants are constantly facing rapid changes in evaporative demand and soil water content, which affect their water status and growth. In apparent contradiction to a hydraulic hypothesis, leaf elongation rate (LER) declined in the morning and recovered upon soil rehydration considerably quicker than transpiration rate and leaf water potential (typical half-times of 30 min versus 1–2 h). The morning decline of LER began at very low light and transpiration and closely followed the stomatal opening of leaves receiving direct light, which represent a small fraction of leaf area. A simulation model in maize (Zea mays) suggests that these findings are still compatible with a hydraulic hypothesis. The small water flux linked to stomatal aperture would be sufficient to decrease water potentials of the xylem and growing tissues, thereby causing a rapid decline of simulated LER, while the simulated water potential of mature tissues declines more slowly due to a high hydraulic capacitance. The model also captured growth patterns in the evening or upon soil rehydration. Changes in plant hydraulic conductance partly counteracted those of transpiration. Root hydraulic conductivity increased continuously in the morning, consistent with the transcript abundance of Zea maize Plasma Membrane Intrinsic Protein aquaporins. Transgenic lines underproducing abscisic acid, with lower hydraulic conductivity and higher stomatal conductance, had a LER declining more rapidly than wild-type plants. Whole-genome transcriptome and phosphoproteome analyses suggested that the hydraulic processes proposed here might be associated with other rapidly occurring mechanisms. Overall, the mechanisms and model presented here may be an essential component of drought tolerance in naturally fluctuating evaporative demand and soil moisture.
A concept of student relationship management in higher education

Introduction The paper will present a novel marketing concept of relationship management in higher education and a justification of its application based on the specific character of educational services. The definitions of relationship and relationship management in higher education will be given. The paper will highlight key relationships that should be built by an educational institution with special emphasis placed on students as the most important clients of a school. The paper will proceed to elaborate on the concept of loyalty as the aim of building sustainable relationships with students and its specificity due to the special nature of an educational environment. A student relationship management model will be proposed and discussed as comprising three basic stages of the educational services provision: pre-sales, sales and after-sales stages. The presented model may serve as a basis for further theoretical research or may be applied in practice as it is.
Importance of the B Ring and Its Substitution on the α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity of Baicalein, 5,6,7-Trihydroxyflavone

Hydroxychromones and B-ring-substituted 5,6,7-trihydroxyflavones were prepared to evaluate the contribution of the B ring of baicalein (5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone, 1) to its potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Hydroxychromones, which lack 6-hydroxyl substitution, did not show any inhibitory activity, while 5,6,7-trihydroxy-2-methylchromone (5) showed high activity. Among the tested B-ring-substituted 5,6,7-trihydroxyflavones, the 4′-hydroxy-, 3′,4′-dihydroxy-, and 3′,4′,5′-trihydroxy-substituted derivatives were found to give more activity than that of 1. The methoxy-substituted derivatives, however, showed less activity than 1. The results suggest that the B ring of 1 was not essential, although advantageous to the activity; hydroxyl substitution on the B ring of 5,6,7-trihydroxyflavones was favorable to the activity, whereas methoxyl substitution was unfavorable; at least 4′-hydroxyl substitution of 5,6,7-trihydroxyflavones was required for enhanced activity, in which the number of hydroxyl groups did not take part.
Uncertainty analysis of thermal damage to living biological tissues by laser irradiation based on a generalized duel-phase lag model

ABSTRACT The effects of uncertainties of laser exposure time, phase lag times, blood perfusion coefficient, scattering coefficient, and diffuse reflectance of light on the thermal damage of living biological tissue by laser irradiation are investigated using a sample-based stochastic model. The variabilities of input and output parameters are quantified using the coefficient of variance (COV) and interquartile range (IQR), respectively. The IQR analysis concluded that phase lag times for temperature gradient and heat flux, laser exposure time, and blood perfusion rate have more significant influences on the maximum temperature and maximum thermal damage of the living biological tissue induced by laser irradiation than the diffuse reflectance of light and scattering coefficient.
American College of Rheumatology guidelines for screening, treatment, and management of lupus nephritis

In the United States, approximately 35% of adults with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) have clinical evidence of nephritis at the time of diagnosis; with an estimated total of 50–60% developing nephritis during the first 10 years of disease [1–4]. The prevalence of nephritis is significantly higher in African Americans and Hispanics than in Caucasians, and is higher in men than in women. Renal damage is more likely to develop in non-Caucasian groups [2–4]. Overall survival in patients with SLE is approximately 95% at 5 years after diagnosis and 92% at 10 years [5, 6]. The presence of lupus nephritis significantly reduces survival, to approximately 88% at 10 years, with even lower survival in African Americans [5, 6]. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) last published guidelines for management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in 1999 [7]. That publication was designed primarily for education of primary care physicians and recommended therapeutic and management approaches for many manifestations of SLE. Recommendations for management of lupus nephritis (LN) consisted of pulse glucocorticoids followed by high dose daily glucocorticoids in addition to an immunosuppressive medication, with cyclophosphamide viewed as the most effective immunosuppressive medication for diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis. Mycophenolate mofetil was not yet in use for lupus nephritis and was not mentioned. Since that time, many clinical trials of glucocorticoids-plus-immunosuppressive interventions have been published, some of which are high quality prospective trials, and some not only prospective but also randomized. Thus, the ACR determined that a new set of management recommendations was in order. A combination of extensive literature review and the opinions of highly qualified experts, including rheumatologists, nephrologists and pathologists, has been used to reach the recommendations. The management strategies discussed here apply to lupus nephritis in adults, particularly to those receiving care in the United States of America, and include interventions that were available in the United States as of April 2011. While these recommendations were developed using rigorous methodology, guidelines do have inherent limitations in informing individual patient care; hence the selection of the term “recommendations. ” While they should not supplant clinical judgment or limit clinical judgment, they do provide expert advice to the practicing physician managing patients with lupus nephritis.
Envisioning the United States in the Latin American myth of ‘racial democracy mestizaje’

ABSTRACT Transnational comparison is relevant both to how racial hierarchy is obscured and elucidated. This Essay traces how the Latin American ‘racial democracy mestizaje’ depiction of the US as blind to racial mixture and color distinctions mistakenly misrepresent the Southern Jim Crow history as the only US experience of racism. It suggests that, in turn, such a limited frame for comparison cloaks not only the more extensive terrain of racism in the United States that is separate from the Jim Crow reality but also parallels to the Latin American context. Moreover, the circumscribed view of US racism adversely affects those who critique the ‘racial democracy mestizaje’ myth of Latin American post racialism. This is because the standard Latin American story of US racial history hinders the ability to fully countermand the attack that portrays racial justice activists as inappropriately applying overly restrictive US binary perspectives on race. With the fuller explication of the complete US racial history, and its contemporary manifestations, it will not be so easy to dismiss the comparisons of racial subordination across the Americas, as the imperialist imposition of ill-fitting US notions of race.
Is the loose anagen hair syndrome a keratin disorder? A clinical and molecular study.

OBJECTIVES To report the clinical features of the loose anagen hair syndrome and to test the hypothesis that the typical gap between the hair and the inner root sheath may result from hereditary defects in the inner root sheath or the apposed companion layer. DESIGN Case series. SETTING A pediatric dermatology unit (referral center). PATIENTS A consecutive sample of 17 children (13 girls). For 9 of them and their first-degree relatives, molecular analyses were performed in the K6HF gene with 50 appropriate controls. INTERVENTION Minoxidil therapy (5% lotion) in 11 patients for 1 to 12 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Clinical and follow-up features and determination of mutations in the K6HF gene. RESULTS Most patients had easily pluckable hair with no sign of scalp inflammation or scarring. Ten patients seldom cut their hair, and 4 had unmanageable hair. One patient had hypodontia. Two patients had an additional clinical phenotype of diffuse partial woolly hair. The family history was positive for loose anagen hair syndrome in 5 patients. Marked improvement was noted after treatment with 5% minoxidil lotion in 7 of the 11 patients treated. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of the gene segments encoding the alpha-helical 1A and 2B subdomains of K6hf, the type II cytokeratin exclusively expressed in the companion layer, was performed in 9 families. In 3 of these 9 families, a heterozygous glutamic acid and lysine mutation, E337K, was identified in the L2 linker region of K6HF. CONCLUSIONS Diffuse partial woolly hair can be associated with loose anagen hair syndrome. A keratin mutation, E337K in K6HF, was possibly causative in 3 of the 9 families studied. Another keratin, and possibly the type I partner of K6hf, could be responsible for loose anagen hair syndrome in other patients, or the gene involved may be a minor gene.
Present-Day Genetic Structure of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) in Icelandic Rivers and Ice-Cap Retreat Models

Due to an improved understanding of past climatological conditions, it has now become possible to study the potential concordance between former climatological models and present-day genetic structure. Genetic variability was assessed in 26 samples from different rivers of Atlantic salmon in Iceland (total of 2,352 individuals), using 15 microsatellite loci. F-statistics revealed significant differences between the majority of the populations that were sampled. Bayesian cluster analyses using both prior information and no prior information on sampling location revealed the presence of two distinguishable genetic pools - namely, the Northern (Group 1) and Southern (Group 2) regions of Iceland. Furthermore, the random permutation of different allele sizes among allelic states revealed a significant mutational component to the genetic differentiation at four microsatellite loci (SsaD144, Ssa171, SSsp2201 and SsaF3), and supported the proposition of a historical origin behind the observed variation. The estimated time of divergence, using two different ABC methods, suggested that the observed genetic pattern originated from between the Last Glacial Maximum to the Younger Dryas, which serves as additional evidence of the relative immaturity of Icelandic fish populations, on account of the re-colonisation of this young environment following the Last Glacial Maximum. Additional analyses suggested the presence of several genetic entities which were likely to originate from the original groups detected.
Recovery of dynamic lung function in elite judoists after short-term high intensity exercise

Background Changes to lung volume and capacity occur after intense power output. The aim of this investigation was changes in the parameters of dynamic lung function after short-term high intensity exercise and the correlation between the above mentioned parameters before and after exercise. Material/Methods: Changes to the parameters of dynamic lung function (forced vital capacity – FVC, forced expiratory volume during the first second – FEV1.0, and peak expiratory flow – PEF) were studied on a sample consisting of 11 elite judoists (age 21±2.41 years; height 176.63±7.43 cm; weight 75.55±8.91 kg; body fat 8.25±4.38%; VO2max 54.99±4.11 mL·kg–1·min–1). Results: Before and after “all out” Wingate test (peak power 11.95±0.79 W·kg–1; mean power 8.18±0.48 W·kg–1). There are significant difference (p<0.001) among the average values of FVC (1.67±0.63 L or 25.39±9.1%), FEV1.0 (1.08±0.5 L or 21.1±9.13%) and PEF (1.85±0.36 L·s –1 or 17.9±3.99%) which were determined over different periods of time in relation to “all out” test carried out on the subjects. The positive correlation among the FVC, FEV1.0 and PEF determined before the „all-out“ test, with the same lung function parameters determined after the test, can indicate that the extent of the manifested power, for elite judoists, has no negative influence on the recovery of dynamic lung function. Conclusions: A lesser reduction in dynamic lung function after short-term high intensity exercise enables a quicker recovery between consecutive attacks, which creates the necessary functional conditions for scoring better results at competitions.