Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time‐Course and Mechanisms of Restored Vascular Relaxation by Reduced Salt Intake and Angiotensin II Infusion in Rats Fed a High‐Salt Diet

Objective: This study determined the mechanisms and time‐course of recovery of vascular relaxation in middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) of salt‐fed Sprague‐Dawley rats returned to a low‐salt (LS) diet (0.4% NaCl) or infused with low‐dose angiotensin II (ANG II). Methods: Rats were fed a high‐salt (HS) diet (4% NaCl) for 3 days or 4 weeks before returning to an LS diet for various periods. Other rats fed a HS diet (HS+ANG II) received a chronic (3 days) intravenous (i.v.) infusion of a low dose of ANG II (5 ng kg−1 min−1) to prevent salt‐induced ANG II suppression. Results: The HS diet eliminated the increase in cerebral blood flow in response to acetylcholine (ACh) infusion and the relaxation of MCA in response to ACh, iloprost, cholera toxin, and reduced PO2. Recovery of vascular relaxation was slow, requiring at least 2 weeks of the LS diet, regardless of the duration of exposure to a HS diet. Hypoxic dilation was mediated by cyclo‐oxygenase metabolites and ACh‐induced dilation was mediated via nitric oxide in LS rats and in HS rats returned to the LS diet or receiving ANG II infusion. Conclusions: Returning to a LS diet for 2 weeks or chronic 3‐day ANG II infusion restores the mechanisms that normally mediate cerebral vascular relaxation.
Exploring individual differences in deductive reasoning as a function of 'autistic'-like traits

From a logical viewpoint, people must reason to as well as from interpretations in deductive reasoning tasks. There are two main interpretative stances (e.g., Stenning & van Lambalgen, 2004, 2005, 2008): credulous, the act of trying to infer the speaker’s intended model; and sceptical, an adversarial strategy. A range of contextual factors influence interpretation, but there are also differences between individuals across situations. Taking an individual differences approach, this thesis focuses on reasoning in relation to milder variants of the autism spectrum condition (ASC) phenotype in a typically developing (TD) population. Earlier work on discourse processing in ASC using the ‘suppression’ task (van Lambalgen & Smid, 2004; Pijnacker et al., In press) shows that some aspects of reasoning to interpretations are different in the ASC population. Given that autistic traits involve impairment, e.g., in pragmatic language, and peaks of ability, e.g., in perceptual tasks, it was hypothesised that autistic traits would predict features of the inferences people in the TD population draw. Data were collected from university students on a range of reasoning tasks making it possible to investigate the extent to which interpretation is consistent across task within individuals. Tasks chosen were: conditional reasoning using the ‘suppression’ task and Wason’s selection task; one and two-premise Aristotelian quantifier reasoning; the Linda problem; and Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices. Autistic traits were assessed using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001), used previously to study autistic traits in TD individuals, and the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (Hurley et al., 2007). Autistic traits predicted patterns of inference in many of the tasks. The earlier suppression task result in ASC was replicated and extended in our TD population. Different dimensions of autistic trait related differentially to features of the inferences drawn. Some of the inferences drawn were recognisably related to the credulous versus sceptical distinction and correlated cross-task whilst others were seemingly related to more general topdown versus bottom-up processing preferences. These results provide further evidence of the existence of qualitative individual differences in deductive reasoning. They also show the importance of seeking cross-task correlates to move beyond studies of individual tasks and study reasoning to and from interpretations in the same individual.
Increased Risk of Benign Prostate Hyperplasia in Sleep Apnea Patients: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

Background Sleep apnea (SA) is a common sleep disorder characterized by chronic intermittent hypoxia (IH). Chronic IH induces systemic inflammatory processes, which can cause tissue damage and contribute to prostatic enlargement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and SA in a Taiwanese population. Methods The study population was identified from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) and contained 202 SA patients and 1010 control patients. The study cohort consisted of men aged ≥30 years who were newly diagnosed with SA between January 1997 and December 2005. Each patient was monitored for 5 years from the index date for the development of BPH. A Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) for BPH in the SA and control patients. Results During the 5-year follow-up, 18 SA patients (8.9%) and 32 non-SA control patients (3.2%) developed BPH. The adjusted HR for BPH was 2.35-fold higher in the patients with SA than in the control patients (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28–4.29, P<. 01). We further divided the SA patients into 4 age groups. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the highest adjusted HR for BPH in the SA patients compared with the control patients was 5.59 (95% CI = 2.19–14.31, P<.001) in the patients aged between 51 and 65 years. Conclusion Our study results indicate that patients with SA are associated with increased longitudinal risk of BPH development, and that the effects of SA on BPH development are age-dependent.
Stochastic sampling in computer graphics

Ray tracing, ray casting, and other forms of point sampling are important techniques in computer graphics, but their usefulness has been undermined by aliasing artifacts. In this paper it is shown that these artifacts are not an inherent part of point sampling, but a consequence of using regularly spaced samples. If the samples occur at appropriate nonuniformly spaced locations, frequencies above the Nyquist limit do not alias, but instead appear as noise of the correct average intensity. This noise is much less objectionable to our visual system than aliasing. In ray tracing, the rays can be stochastically distributed to perform a Monte Carlo evaluation of integrals in the rendering equation. This is called distributed ray tracing and can be used to simulate motion blur, depth of field, penumbrae, gloss, and translucency.
Using course-level factors as predictors of online course outcomes: a multi-level analysis at a US urban community college

Research has documented lower retention rates in online versus face-to-face courses. However, little research has focused on the impact of course-level characteristics (e.g. elective versus distributional versus major requirements; difficulty level; STEM status) on online course outcomes. Yet, focusing interventions at the course level versus the student level may be a more economical approach to reducing online attrition. This study used multi-level modeling, and controlled for the effects of both instructor-level and student characteristics, to measure the relationship of course-level characteristics with successful completion of online and face-to-face courses. Elective courses, and to a lesser extent distributional course requirements, were significantly more likely to have a larger gap in successful course completion rates online versus face-to-face, when compared with major course requirements. Upper level courses had better course completion rates overall, but a larger gap in online versus face-to-face course outcomes than lower level courses.
Effects of voluntary exercise on blood pressure, angiotensin II, aldosterone, and renal function in two-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats

Spontaneous dynamic exercise promotes sympathoinhibition and decreases arterial pressure in two-kidney, one-clip (2K-1C) hypertensive rats. Renal sympathetic nerves stimulate renin secretion and increase renal tubular sodium reabsorption. We hypothesized that daily voluntary wheel running exercise by 2K-1C rats will decrease mean arterial pressure (MAP), plasma angiotensin II (Ang II), and aldosterone as well as normalize urinary sodium and potassium excretion independent of changes in glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Five-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats underwent sham clipping (Sham) or right renal artery clipping (2K-1C). Rats were randomized to standard caging (SED) or cages with running wheels (EX). After 12 weeks, rats were assigned to either collection of aortic blood for measurement of Ang II and aldosterone or assessment of inulin clearances and excretory function. Running distances were comparable in both EX groups. MAP was lower in 2K-1C EX vs 2K-1C SED rats (P<0.05). Plasma Ang II and aldosterone were significantly higher in 2K-1C SED rats and decreased in 2K-1C EX rats to levels similar to Sham SED or Sham EX rats. Clipped kidney weights were significantly lower in both 2K-1C groups, but GFR and urine flow rates were no different from right and left kidneys among the four groups. Total and fractional sodium excretion rates from the unclipped kidney of 2K-1C SED rats were higher vs either Sham group (P<0.05). Values in 2K-1C EX rats were similar to the Sham groups. Potassium excretion paralleled sodium excretion. These studies show that voluntary dynamic exercise in 2K-1C rats decreases plasma Ang II and aldosterone, which contribute to the lower arterial pressure without deleterious effects on GFR. The effects on sodium excretion underscore the impact of pressure natriuresis despite elevated plasma Ang II and aldosterone in sedentary 2K-1C rats. In contrast, potassium excretion is primarily regulated by circulating aldosterone and distal sodium delivery.
Usefulness of alkaline hydrogen peroxide oxidation to analyze eumelanin and pheomelanin in various tissue samples: application to chemical analysis of human hair melanins

Eumelanin and pheomelanin in tissue samples can be specifically measured as the markers pyrrole‐2,3,5‐tricarboxylic acid (PTCA) and 4‐amino‐3‐hydroxyphenylalanine after acidic permanganate oxidation and hydroiodic acid hydrolysis, respectively. Those degradation methods, although widely applied, are not easily performed in most laboratories. To overcome this difficulty, we developed alkaline H2O2 oxidation in 1 M K2CO3 that produces, in addition to the eumelanin marker PTCA, thiazole‐2,4,5‐tricarboxylic acid (TTCA) and thiazole‐4,5‐dicarboxylic acid (TDCA) as markers for pheomelanin and pyrrole‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid (PDCA) as a marker for 5,6‐dihydroxyindole‐derived eumelanin. Those four degradation products can be easily separated by HPLC and analyzed with ultraviolet detection. The alkaline H2O2 oxidation method is simple, reproducible and applicable to all pigmented tissues. Its application to characterize eumelanin and pheomelanin in human hair shows that PTCA and TTCA serve as specific markers for eumelanin and pheomelanin, respectively, although some caution is needed regarding the artificial production of TTCA from eumelanic tissue proteins.
Muscarinic Signaling in the Central Nervous System: Recent Developments and Anesthetic Implications

During the last decade, major advances have been made in our understanding of the physiology and pharmacology of CNS muscarinic signaling. It is time to emphasize that the well-known peripheral parasympathetic and cardiovascular actions represent only one component of muscarinic signaling. Interestingly, many new findings have the potential to influence the practice of anesthesiology. Inhibition of muscarinic signaling may explain some of the anesthetic state, and subtype-selective drugs may allow wider perioperative manipulation of CNS muscarinic systems. The next years will doubtlessly see progress in this area, and our specialty may well reap the benefits.
The Dynamic Decision Maker: Five Decision Styles for Executive and Business Success

A practical, results-driven approach to decision making, detailing a strategy made up of five readily identifiable styles: decisive, flexible, hierarchic, integrative, and systemic. Shows how knowing which style works best--and being able to consciously move from one style to the next--can improve performance, career opportunities, and personal and organizational effectiveness. Reveals how to identify these decision styles both in oneself and in supervisors, direct reports, and peers. Shows how to adapt and develop appropriate styles for the range of situations managers confront daily--from handling routine business transactions to dealing with crisis situations.
Influenza B Virus Ribonucleoprotein Is a Potent Activator of the Antiviral Kinase PKR

Activation of the latent kinase PKR is a potent innate defense reaction of vertebrate cells towards viral infections, which is triggered by recognition of viral double-stranded (ds) RNA and results in a translational shutdown. A major gap in our understanding of PKR's antiviral properties concerns the nature of the kinase activating molecules expressed by influenza and other viruses with a negative strand RNA genome, as these pathogens produce little or no detectable amounts of dsRNA. Here we systematically investigated PKR activation by influenza B virus and its impact on viral pathogenicity. Biochemical analysis revealed that PKR is activated by viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) complexes known to contain single-stranded RNA with a 5′-triphosphate group. Cell biological examination of recombinant viruses showed that the nucleo-cytoplasmic transport of vRNP late in infection is a strong trigger for PKR activation. In addition, our analysis provides a mechanistic explanation for the previously observed suppression of PKR activation by the influenza B virus NS1 protein, which we show here to rely on complex formation between PKR and NS1's dsRNA binding domain. The high significance of this interaction for pathogenicity was revealed by the finding that attenuated influenza viruses expressing dsRNA binding-deficient NS1 proteins were rescued for high replication and virulence in PKR-deficient cells and mice, respectively. Collectively, our study provides new insights into an important antiviral defense mechanism of vertebrates and leads us to suggest a new model of PKR activation by cytosolic vRNP complexes, a model that may also be applicable to other negative strand RNA viruses.
Genome-wide Screen of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Identifies New Virulence Factors

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a human opportunistic pathogen that causes mortality in cystic fibrosis and immunocompromised patients. While many virulence factors of this pathogen have already been identified, several remain to be discovered. In this respect we set an unprecedented genome-wide screen of a P. aeruginosa expression library based on a yeast growth phenotype. Fifty-one candidates were selected in athree-round screening process. The robustness of the screen was validated by the selection of three well known secreted proteins including one demonstrated virulence factor, the protease LepA. Further in silico sorting of the 51 candidates highlighted three potential new Pseudomonas effector candidates (Pec). By testing the cytotoxicity of wild type P. aeruginosa vs. pec mutants toward macrophages and the virulence in the Caenorhabditis elegans model, we demonstrated that the three selected Pecs are novel virulence factors of P. aeruginosa. Additional cellular localization experiments in the host revealed specific localization for Pec1 and Pec2 that could inform about their respective functions.
Developing a common understanding of a teacher competency framework through video analysis : experiences of Victorian regional independent middle school teachers

This study was deliberately focussed upon the careful examination of a model of professional learning for Middle School teachers, which has at its core, a Teaching and Learning Framework depicting essential elements of effective teaching practice. Set within the context of Middle School classrooms in a Regional Independent school, the intent was to research the impact of the framework on the professional learning of a group of teachers. Research was also undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of feedback and analysis structured around the framework, using video recordings taken from classroom observations. A group of eight Middle School teachers participated actively in the study to determine how the use of video-stimulated reflective processes might affect improvements in their practice and professional learning. Professional learning opportunities were examined and explored in terms of the impact of the observation and feedback cycle on individual teacher’s progress and against rubric levels within
Behaviour Therapy: Recent Trends and Current Practice

To psychiatrists who entered clinical practice in the decade 1955–65, ‘behaviour therapy’ probably conjures up the names of Eysenck, Lazarus and Wolpe; the invocation of learned maladaptive anxiety as the basis of most neurotic illness; desensitization by graduated exposure in imagination and real life to anxiety evoking situations. Neurotic ‘symptoms' were maladaptive habits and the ‘symptoms' were the disease, not merely outward manifestations of underlying disorder. Eysenck (1959) described behaviour therapy as all methods of treatment which were based on ‘modern learning theory‘. The ‘bell and pad’ treatment for enuresis and aversion therapy for alcoholism were appropriated and refined. Operant conditioning crossed the Atlantic and the application of Skinnerian principles was illustrated by Krasner and Ullman (1965). In the early sixties, at the very least behaviour therapy offered a possible treatment for a small proportion of psychiatric patients, for example those with phobias, tics or alcoholism, a group for whom other treatments were of little value.
The utility of the auditory brainstem response in children with atypical saccadic eye movements

1 Abbreviations . 35 1 Chapter 1 . 39 1.1 The normal brainstem . 40 1.2 Abnormalities and brainstem dysfunction: signs and symptoms . 42 1.2. 1 Eye movement signs . 43 1.2. 2 Auditory signs . 45 1.2. 3 Multimodal approach to studying the brainstem . 46 1.3 Why study auditory signs and symptoms in saccadic eye movement disorders? 47 1.3. 1 Why study auditory signs and symptoms in Gaucher disease (GD)? 49 1.3. 2 Why study auditory signs and symptoms in Dancing Eye Syndrome (DES)? 50 1.4 Thesis overview. 52 1.4. 1 Chapter 2: Background . 52 1.4. 2 Chapter 3: General Methodology . 53 1.4. 3 Chapter 4: Audiological profile of Gaucher Disease. 53 1.4. 4 Chapter 5: The use of audiological assessments in the longitudinal monitoring of GD 54 4 1.4. 5 Chapter 6: Audiological profile of Dancing Eye Syndrome . 55 1.4. 6 Chapter 7: The „offset ABR‟ in saccadic eye movement disorders . 56 1.4. 7 Chapter 8: General Discussion and Conclusions . 57 1.4. 8 Main contributions of the thesis . 57 2 Chapter 2 . 59 2.
Cosmic stellar relics in the Galactic halo

We study the stellar population history and chemical evolution of the Milky Way (MW) in a hierarchical Λ cold dark matter model for structure formation. Using a Monte Carlo method based on the semi-analytical extended Press & Schechter formalism, we develop a new code GAlaxy MErger Treeand Evolution (gamete) to reconstruct the merger tree of the Galaxy and follow the evolution of gas and stars along the hierarchical tree. Our approach allows us to compare the observational properties of the MW with model results, exploring different properties of primordial stars, such as their initial mass function and the critical metallicity for low-mass star formation, Zcr. In particular, by matching our predictions to the metallicity distribution function (MDF) of metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo we find that: (i) a strong supernova (SN) feedback is required to reproduce the observed properties of the MW; (ii) stars with [Fe/H] 0 or the masses of the first stars mPopIII > 0.9 M⊙; (v) the statistical impact of truly second-generation stars, that is, stars forming out of gas polluted only by metal-free stars, is negligible in current samples; and (vi) independent of Zcr, 60 per cent of metals in the GM are ejected through winds by haloes with masses M < 6 × 109 M⊙, thus showing that low-mass haloes are the dominant population contributing to cosmic metal enrichment. We discuss the limitations of our study and comparison with previous work.
Edinburgh Handedness Inventory – Short Form: A revised version based on confirmatory factor analysis

While the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory has been widely used, there have been few studies assessing its factorial validity. There is evidence that the original instructions and response options are difficult to understand. Using simplified instructions and response options, the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory was administered on a sample of 1514 participants using an online questionnaire. In accordance with previous research, a model of the 10-item inventory had poor fit for the data. This study also detected model misspecification in the previously-proposed 7-item modification. A 4-item Edinburgh Handedness Inventory – Short Form had good model fit with items modelled as both continuous and ordinal. Despite its brevity, it showed very good reliability, factor score determinacy, and correlation with scores on the 10-item inventory. By eliminating items that were modelled with considerable measurement error, the short form alleviates the concern of the 10-item inventory over-categorising mixed handers. Evidence was found for factorial invariance across level of education, age groups, and regions (USA and Australia/New Zealand). There generally appeared to be invariance across genders for the 4-item inventory. The proposed Edinburgh Handedness Inventory – Short Form measures a single handedness factor with an inventory that has brief and simple instructions and a small number of items.
Effect of dronedarone on clinical end points in patients with atrial fibrillation and coronary heart disease: insights from the ATHENA trial

Aims This study aimed to assess safety and cardiovascular outcomes of dronedarone in patients with paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) with coronary heart disease (CHD). Coronary heart disease is prevalent among AF patients and limits antiarrhythmic drug use because of their potentially life-threatening ventricular proarrhythmic effects. Methods and results This post hoc analysis evaluated 1405 patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF and CHD from the ATHENA trial. Follow-up lasted 2.5 years, during which patients received either dronedarone (400 mg twice daily) or a double-blind matching placebo. Primary outcome was time to first cardiovascular hospitalization or death due to any cause. Secondary end points included first hospitalization due to cardiovascular events. The primary outcome occurred in 350 of 737 (47%) placebo patients vs. 252 of 668 (38%) dronedarone patients [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.73; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.62–0.86; P = 0.0002] without a significant increase in number of adverse events. In addition, 42 of 668 patients receiving dronedarone suffered from a first acute coronary syndrome compared with 67 of 737 patients from the placebo group (HR = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.46–0.99; P = 0.04). Conclusion In this post hoc analysis, dronedarone on top of standard care in AF patients with CHD reduced cardiovascular hospitalization or death similar to that in the overall ATHENA population, and reduced a first acute coronary syndrome. Importantly, the safety profile in this subpopulation was also similar to that of the overall ATHENA population, with no excess in proarrhythmias. The mechanism of the cardiovascular protective effects is unclear and warrants further investigation.