Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Olfactory bulb increases marker protein in olfactory receptor cells

Olfactory mucosa was excised from the heads of embryonic day 15 (E15) rat fetuses, prior to the appearance of olfactory marker protein (OMP), and cultured with or without the presumptive olfactory bulb. Specific immunohistochemical staining for the OMP was detected in both groups of explants 6 days after explantation. At no time do the supporting cells and basal cells show positive OMP staining. Results of radioimmunoassay on the two groups of cultures showed that about twice as much OMP was present in organ cultures grown with presumptive olfactory bulb. Estimates of the area of olfactory mucosa in the explants revealed no significant differences between those cultured with or without the bulb. Cell counts revealed that the increased amount of OMP in explants with the bulb was due to a higher number of OMP-positive receptor neurons. Explants of olfactory mucosa cultured with other tissues (cerebrum, cerebellum, cervical spinal cord, and heart) contained approximately the same amount of OMP as explants of mucosa alone; i.e., these other tissues did not enhance OMP levels. Similarly, there was no enhancement of OMP level when the olfactory mucosa was separated from the bulb by a Millipore filter of 0.45 micron pore size. Thus the results of the study indicate that the presumptive olfactory bulb specifically increases OMP level by a mechanism that requires direct contact between the receptor cells and bulb.
Nitric oxide contracts longitudinal smooth muscle of opossum oesophagus via excitation‐contraction coupling

1 The effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and diethylenetriamine/nitric oxide adduct (DETA/NO), putative nitric oxide (NO) donors, on opossum oesophageal longitudinal smooth muscle were investigated using isometric tension and intracellular micro‐electrode recordings. 2 SNP produced concentration‐dependent contractions of oesophageal longitudinal smooth muscle with an EC50 of 239.6 ± 78.2 μm (mean ±s.e.m., n= 10). Maximal contraction induced by SNP (1 mm) was about 75.5 ± 8.5 % (n= 10) of the 60 mm KCl‐induced contraction. The SNP‐induced contraction was resistant to tetrodotoxin (TTX; 1 μm), but abolished by nifedipine (1 μm), as well as by niflumic acid (300 μm) and 9‐anthroic acid (9‐AC; 1 mm), Ca2+‐activated Cl− channel blockers. 3 DETA/NO at concentrations of 100 and 500 μm induced 83.1 ± 24.4 and 104.1 ± 34.9 % of the 60 mm KCl‐induced contraction (n= 4), respectively, which was abolished by nifedipine (1 μm), niflumic acid (300 μm) and 9‐AC (1 mm). 4 Pre‐application of 1H‐[1,2,4]oxidiazolo[4,3,‐α]quinoxalin‐1‐one (ODQ) (10 μm), a guanylate cyclase inhibitor, significantly inhibited the SNP‐induced contraction, whereas 8‐bromo‐cGMP (1 mm), a membrane‐permeable analogue of cGMP, mimicked the SNP‐induced contraction. 5 Intracellular recordings revealed that SNP (300 μm) depolarized resting membrane potentials (RMPs) and increased the frequency of spontaneous spike‐like action potentials. However, these electrical alterations were eliminated by pretreatment with niflumic acid (300 μm). 6 These results suggest that NO produces an excitation‐contraction coupling in opossum oesophageal longitudinal smooth muscle via a cGMP‐dependent signalling pathway. This contraction depends on extracellular Ca2+ entry through activation of L‐type Ca2+ channels.
XMM-Newton observations of the σ Ori cluster - I. The complex RGS spectrum of the hot star σ Ori AB

We present XMM-Newton observations of the young (∼2−5 Myr) cluster around the hot (O9.5V) star σ Orionis AB, aimed at obtaining a high resolution RGS spectrum of the hot star as well as EPIC imaging data for the whole field. We show that the RGS spectrum of σ Ori AB may be contaminated by weaker nearby sources which required the development of a suitable procedure to extract a clean RGS spectrum and to determine the thermal structure and wind properties of the hot star. We also report on the detection of a flare from the B2Vp star σ Ori E and we discuss whether the flare originated from the hot star itself or rather from an unseen late-type companion. Other results of this observation include: the detection of 174 X-ray sources in the field of σ Ori of which 76 are identified as cluster members, including very low-mass stars down to the substellar limit; the discovery of rotational modulation in a late-type star near σ Ori AB; no detectable line broadenings and shifts (<800 km s −1 ) in the spectrum of σ Ori AB together with a remarkable low value of the O  forbidden to intercombination line ratio and unusually high coronal abundances of CNO elements.
A theory of lexical access in speech production

Preparing words in speech production is normally a fast and accurate process. We generate them two or three per second in fluent conversation; and overtly naming a clear picture of an object can easily be initiated within 600 msec after picture onset. The underlying process, however, is exceedingly complex. The theory reviewed in this target article analyzes this process as staged and feedforward. After a first stage of conceptual preparation, word generation proceeds through lexical selection, morphological and phonological encoding, phonetic encoding, and articulation itself. In addition, the speaker exerts some degree of output control, by monitoring of self-produced internal and overt speech. The core of the theory, ranging from lexical selection to the initiation of phonetic encoding, is captured in a computational model, called weaver++. Both the theory and the computational model have been developed in interaction with reaction time experiments, particularly in picture naming or related word production paradigms, with the aim of accounting for the real-time processing in normal word production. A comprehensive review of theory, model, and experiments is presented. The model can handle some of the main observations in the domain of speech errors (the major empirical domain for most other theories of lexical access), and the theory opens new ways of approaching the cerebral organization of speech production by way of high-temporal-resolution imaging.
Patients' experiences of self-monitoring blood pressure and self-titration of medication: the TASMINH2 trial qualitative study.

BACKGROUND Self-management of hypertension, comprising self-monitoring of blood pressure with self-titration of medication, improves blood pressure control, but little is known regarding the views of patients undertaking it. AIM To explore patients' views of self-monitoring blood pressure and self-titration of antihypertensive medication. DESIGN AND SETTING Qualitative study embedded within the randomised controlled trial TASMINH2 (Telemonitoirng and Self Management in the Control of Hypertension) trial of patient self-management of hypertension from 24 general practices in the West Midlands. METHOD Taped and transcribed semi-structured interviews with 23 intervention patients were used. Six family members were also interviewed. Analysis was by a constant comparative method. RESULTS Patients were confident about self-monitoring and many felt their multiple home readings were more valid than single office readings taken by their GP. Although many patients self-titrated medication when required, others lacked the confidence to increase medication without reconsulting with their GP. Patients were more comfortable with titrating medication if their blood pressure readings were substantially above target, but were reluctant to implement such a change if readings were borderline. Many planned to continue self-monitoring after the study finished and report home readings to their GP, but few wished to continue with a self-management plan. CONCLUSION Participants valued the additional information and many felt confident in both self-monitoring blood pressure and self-titrating medication. The reluctance to change medication for borderline readings suggests behaviour similar to the clinical inertia seen for physicians in analogous circumstances. Additional support for those lacking in confidence to implement prearranged medication changes may allow more patients to undertake self-management.
An area-based nonparametric spatial point pattern test: The test, its applications, and the future

The analysis of spatial point patterns is a critical component of the geographic information analysis literature. Most of the tests for these data are concerned with random, uniform, and clustered patterns. However, knowing whether a spatial point pattern is similar to these theoretical data-generating processes is not always instructive: most human activity is clustered, so finding that some component of human activity is clustered is not really new information. In this article, a recently developed spatial point pattern test is discussed that compares the similarity of two different data sets. This comparison can be comparisons of different phenomena (different types of crime or public health issues) or the same phenomenon over time, for example. The discussion revolves around the test itself, its varied applications, and the future developments expected for this spatial point pattern test.
Influence of an etchant and a desensitizer containing benzalkonium chloride on shear bond strength of brackets.

PURPOSE To evaluate whether the application of an enamel etchant (Etch-37 BAC) and a desensitizer (PrepEze desensitizer) which contain the antibacterial agent benzalkonium chloride (BAC) affects the bond strength of the orthodontic resin Transbond XT. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighty-five extracted premolars were used. They were divided into four groups: 1. Transbond XT, 2. Etch-37 BAC/Transbond XT, 3. PrepEze/Transbond XT, 4. Etch-37 BAC/PrepEze/Transbond XT. Shear bond strength was measured using a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. The adhesive remnant on the tooth after debonding was quantified using image analysis equipment. RESULTS No significant differences were found in shear bond strength when Transbond XT was bonded with the conventional etchant or with Etch-37 BAC (p > 0.008). PrepEze decreased the shear bond strength and the amount of adhesive remnant on the tooth after debonding significantly (p < 0.008). The amount of adhesive remnant on the tooth surface diminished significantly when the enamel was etched with Etch-37 BAC (p < 0.008). CONCLUSIONS The bond strength values obtained with the application of Etch-37 BAC are similar to those obtained with a conventional etchant. However, the application of PrepEze significantly decreased the bond strength of Transbond XT.
Irregular spatial prisoner ’ s dilemma and the evolution of cooperation

The prisoner’s dilemma is a widely used model to investigate the evolution of cooperation. In this project, we investigate the evolution of cooperation in a noniterated spatial prisoner’s dilemma game. We use an diffusive irregular spatial model which consists of random distribution of players, diffusion and mutation. The interactions of players are local, which means that a player only interact with its neighbours in a radius r. Using this model, we investigate the conditions for the coexistence between cooperators and defectors. We find out that there is a range of interaction radius that leads to a chaotic spatial coexistence between cooperators and defectors. The frequency of cooperators will go to a quasi-steady state which does not depend on the initial frequency of cooperators. The frequency of cooperators in this quasi-steady state depends strongly on the interaction range and the value of cheating advantage. We consider both deterministic and probabilistic update rule for the strategy and find out that the deterministic rule give more advantage to cooperators. We also study the dynamics of the system in continuous time simulation. The general conclusion is that even in an irregular, chaotic, non-iterated prisoner’s dilemma game, within a suitable range of parameters, the spatial effects can give rise to a coexistence between cooperators and defectors in the population.
Parasite Transmission in Social Interacting Hosts: Monogenean Epidemics in Guppies

Background Infection incidence increases with the average number of contacts between susceptible and infected individuals. Contact rates are normally assumed to increase linearly with host density. However, social species seek out each other at low density and saturate their contact rates at high densities. Although predicting epidemic behaviour requires knowing how contact rates scale with host density, few empirical studies have investigated the effect of host density. Also, most theory assumes each host has an equal probability of transmitting parasites, even though individual parasite load and infection duration can vary. To our knowledge, the relative importance of characteristics of the primary infected host vs. the susceptible population has never been tested experimentally. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we examine epidemics using a common ectoparasite, Gyrodactylus turnbulli infecting its guppy host (Poecilia reticulata). Hosts were maintained at different densities (3, 6, 12 and 24 fish in 40 L aquaria), and we monitored gyrodactylids both at a population and individual host level. Although parasite population size increased with host density, the probability of an epidemic did not. Epidemics were more likely when the primary infected fish had a high mean intensity and duration of infection. Epidemics only occurred if the primary infected host experienced more than 23 worm days. Female guppies contracted infections sooner than males, probably because females have a higher propensity for shoaling. Conclusions/Significance These findings suggest that in social hosts like guppies, the frequency of social contact largely governs disease epidemics independent of host density.
Effect of irradiation on excess currents in 6H-SiC p-n structures

Summary form only given. The results of investigations of the influence exerted by different kinds of irradiation of SiC p-n structures on the magnitude of forward and reverse excess currents are presented. The objects of study were 6H-SiC p/sup +/-n structures based on commercial n and p epitaxial layers.
The role of manganese in promoting multimerization and assembly of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase as a catalytically active complex on immobilized long terminal repeat substrates

The integration of a DNA copy of the viral genome into the genome of the host cell is an essential step in the replication of all retroviruses. Integration requires two discrete biochemical reactions; specific processing of each viral long terminal repeat terminus or donor substrate, and a DNA strand transfer step wherein the processed donor substrate is joined to a nonspecific target DNA. Both reactions are catalyzed by a virally encoded enzyme, integrase. A microtiter assay for the strand transfer activity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase which uses an immobilized oligonucleotide as the donor substrate was previously published (D. J. Hazuda, J. C. Hastings, A. L. Wolfe, and E. A. Emini, Nucleic Acids Res. 22;1121-1122, 1994). We now describe a series of modifications to the method which facilitate study of both the nature and the dynamics of the interaction between integrase and the donor DNA. The enzyme which binds to the immobilized donor is shown to be sufficient to catalyze strand transfer with target DNA substrates added subsequent to assembly; in the absence of the target substrate, the complex was retained on the donor in an enzymatically competent state. Assembly required high concentrations of divalent cation, with optimal activity achieved at 25 mM MnCl2. In contrast, preassembled complexes catalyzed strand transfer equally efficiently in either 1 or 25 mM MnCl2, indicating mechanistically distinct functions for the divalent cation in assembly and catalysis, respectively. Prior incubation of the enzyme in 25 mM MnCl2 was shown to promote the multimerization of integrase in the absence of a DNA substrate and alleviate the requirement for high concentrations of divalent cation during assembly. The superphysiological requirement for MnCl2 may, therefore, reflect an insufficiency for functional self-assembly in vitro. Subunits were observed to exchange during the assembly reaction, suggesting that multimerization can occur either before or coincident with but not after donor binding. These studies both validate and illustrate the utility of this novel methodology and suggest that the approach may be generally useful in characterizing other details of this biochemical reaction.
Weighted ℓ1 minimization for sparse recovery with prior information

In this paper we study the compressed sensing problem of recovering a sparse signal from a system of underdetermined linear equations when we have prior information about the probability of each entry of the unknown signal being nonzero. In particular, we focus on a model where the entries of the unknown vector fall into two sets, each with a different probability of being nonzero. We propose a weighted ℓ1 minimization recovery algorithm and analyze its performance using a Grassman angle approach. We compute explicitly the relationship between the system parameters (the weights, the number of measurements, the size of the two sets, the probabilities of being non-zero) so that an iid random Gaussian measurement matrix along with weighted ℓ1 minimization recovers almost all such sparse signals with overwhelming probability as the problem dimension increases. This allows us to compute the optimal weights. We also provide simulations to demonstrate the advantages of the method over conventional ℓ1 optimization.
Study of Antiphospholipid Antibodies in a Patient With Sneddon's Syndrome and Her Family

Background Sneddon's syndrome is a disease characterized by livedo reticularis and cerebrovascular lesions, with a hereditary transmission and unknown etiopathogenesis. A number of reports have documented a link between antiphospholipid antibodies and Sneddon's syndrome with different results. The present work was designed to sequentially study antiphospholipid antibodies in a patient with Sneddon's syndrome and her family and their potential role in thrombotic events. We used cardiolipin and a mixture of phospholipids from rabbit brain as antigen for antiphospholipid assays to determine diagnostic usefulness. Case Descriptions A patient with Sneddon's syndrome and 12 available family members belonging to three generations were evaluated to determine the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibodies) during vascular thrombotic events and asymptomatic periods. Conclusions Our results support a temporal relation between thrombotic events in Sneddon's syndrome and lupus anticoagulant; anticardiolipin antibodies remained invariable. Our index case patient and her father could be diagnosed as having primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. Aspirin was not effective in preventing thrombosis. After the onset of oral anticoagulant therapy, no recurrences were seen. The use of a mixture of phospholipids as antigen could present some advantages in serological studies performed in antiphospholipid syndromes.
The Gut Microbiome and Its Potential Role in the Development and Function of Newborn Calf Gastrointestinal Tract

A diverse microbial population colonizes the sterile mammalian gastrointestinal tract during and after the birth. There is increasing evidence that this complex microbiome plays a crucial role in the development of the mucosal immune system and influences newborn health. Microbial colonization is a complex process influenced by a two-way interaction between host and microbes and a variety of external factors, including maternal microbiota, birth process, diet, and antibiotics. Following this initial colonization, continuous exposure to host-specific microbes is not only essential for development and maturation of the mucosal immune system but also the nutrition and health of the animal. Thus, it is important to understand host–microbiome interactions within the context of individual animal species and specific management practices. Data is now being generated revealing significant associations between the early microbiome, development of the mucosal immune system, and the growth and health of newborn calves. The current review focuses on recent information and discusses the limitation of current data and the potential challenges to better characterizing key host-specific microbial interactions. We also discuss potential strategies that may be used to manipulate the early microbiome to improve production and health during the time when newborn calves are most susceptible to enteric disease.
Point and interval estimates of effect sizes for the case-controls design in neuropsychology: Rationale, methods, implementations, and proposed reporting standards

It is increasingly common for group studies in neuropsychology to report effect sizes. In contrast this is rarely done in single-case studies (at least in those studies that employ a case-controls design). The present paper sets out the advantages of reporting effect sizes, derives suitable effect size indexes for use in single-case studies, and develops methods of supplementing point estimates of effect sizes with interval estimates. Computer programs that implement existing classical and Bayesian inferential methods for the single case (as developed by Crawford, Garthwaite, Howell, and colleagues) are upgraded to provide these point and interval estimates. The upgraded programs can be downloaded from www.abdn. ac.uk/~psy086/dept/Single_Case_Effect_Sizes. htm
Incremental Clustering of News Reports

When an event occurs in the real world, numerous news reports describing this event start to appear on different news sites within a few minutes of the event occurrence. This may result in a huge amount of information for users, and automated processes may be required to help manage this information. In this paper, we describe a clustering system that can cluster news reports from disparate sources into event-centric clusters—i.e., clusters of news reports describing the same event. A user can identify any RSS feed as a source of news he/she would like to receive and our clustering system can cluster reports received from the separate RSS feeds as they arrive without knowing the number of clusters in advance. Our clustering system was designed to function well in an online incremental environment. In evaluating our system, we found that our system is very good in performing fine-grained clustering, but performs rather poorly when performing coarser-grained clustering.
Effect of Montmorillonite Clay on the Burning Rate of High-Impact Polystyrene

The effect that montmorillonite clay has on the burning rate of high impact polystyrene (HIPS) is examined. Two clays are considered a pristine montmorillonite (MMT-Na+) and a montmorillonite clay intercalated with triphenyl phosphite (TPP). In addition to the burning rate tests, mechanical, impact and rheological properties are determined. Results show an increase of 55% in the burning rate of the nanocomposite when the neat MMT-Na+ clay is added. Thermal measurements indicate a diminishing HIPS decomposition temperature as the MMT-Na+ clay concentration rises. On the other hand, when TPP is incorporated in MMT-Na+ (MMT-i-TPP) and the clay is added to HIPS, a substantial reduction (42%) of the burning rate is observed, while the mechanical properties are kept at the level of those of the original HIPS. The system HIPS-MMT-i-TPP presents a steeper reduction in the viscosity as compared to HIPS in the high-temperature range.