Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endothelium-dependent relaxation of small arteries from essential hypertensive patients: mechanisms and comparison with normotensive subjects and with responses of vessels from spontaneously hypertensive rats.

1. Impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation has been previously demonstrated in blood vessels of hypertensive rats and in humans with essential hypertension. Arteries from spontaneously hypertensive rats have been shown to produce, in response to high concentrations of acetylcholine, a vasoconstrictor substance called endothelium-derived contracting factor, the production of which can be inhibited by indomethacin or other cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors, suggesting that it is a prostanoid. The mechanisms involved in endothelium-dependent relaxation of human arteries are unclear, and the potential generation of endothelium-derived contracting factor by endothelium in human hypertension has not been established. 2. We investigated the effects of acetylcholine on precontracted small arteries dissected from gluteal subcutaneous fat biopsies from normotensive subjects and subjects with borderline and mild essential hypertension. Vessels from normotensive subjects and those from borderline hypertensive patients, precontracted by noradrenaline, were relaxed completely by acetylcholine, whereas those from patients with mild essential hypertension relaxed slightly but significantly less, indicating that generation of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (endothelium-derived nitric oxide) was only minimally reduced or that production of minor amounts of endothelium-derived contracting factor occurred in small arteries from these hypertensive subjects. This impairment of endothelium-dependent relaxation was not corrected by indomethacin, which indicated that the contribution of endothelium-derived contracting factor, if any, was minimal in this subset of essential hypertensive patients. In contrast, mesenteric small arteries of adult spontaneously hypertensive rats presented strong contractions in response to the higher concentrations of acetylcholine, which were abolished by exposure to indomethacin. 3. The relaxation induced by acetylcholine in arteries from both hypertensive and normotensive humans was partially blunted (by 30%) by pretreatment with 0.1 mmol/l NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester or NG-nitro-monomethyl-L-arginine (inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase) and by 10 mumol/l Methylene Blue (a blocker of soluble guanylate cyclase), indicating the role of endothelium-derived nitric oxide and the generation of its intracellular second messenger cyclic guanosine monophosphate in acetylcholine-induced relaxation. The remaining relaxation elicited by acetylcholine could be blocked with 30 mmol/l KCl or with 10 mumol/l ouabain (inhibitor of Na+, K(+)-ATPase), and, when combined with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, these interventions abolished acetylcholine-induced relaxation. Tolbutamide at 2 mmol/l or 10 mumol/l glyburide (blockers of ATP-sensitive potassium channels) partially inhibited NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester-resistant endothelium-dependent relaxation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A High Performance Pneumatic Force Actuator System: Part II—Nonlinear Controller Design

In this article we present two nonlinear force controllers based on the sliding mode control theory. For this purpose we use the detailed mathematical model of the pneumatic system developed in the first part of the paper. The first controller is based on the complete model, and exhibits superior performance both in the numerical simulation and experiments, but requires complex online computations for the control law. The second controller neglects the valve dynamics and the time delay due to connecting tubes. The performance of this controller exhibits slight degradation for configurations with relatively short tubes, and at frequencies up to 20 Hz. At higher frequencies or when long connecting tubes are used, however, the performance exhibits significant degradation compared to the one provided by the full order controller. @S0022-0434~00! 00703-6#
Analysis of Stochastic Service Guarantees in Communication Networks: A Trafﬁc Model

The arrival curve has been used as a powerful concept for deterministic service guarantee analysis in communication networks. Since many applications and networks do not require or provide deterministic service guarantees, stochastic service guarantee analysis is becoming increasingly important and has attracted a lot of research attention in recent years. For this, several probabilistic versions of the arrival curve have been proposed in the literature. They extend the concept of arrival curve to the stochastic case based on its trafﬁc amount property . In this paper, we explore another property, called the virtual backlog property , of an arrival curve. Based on the virtual backlog property, we introduce the concept of virtual-backlog-centric (v.b.c) stochastic arrival curve to facilitate the analysis of stochastic service guarantees. We prove that a v.b. c stochastic arrival curve has a similar duality as a (deterministic) arrival curve. With the concept of v.b. c stochastic arrival curve, we derive results for stochastic service guarantee analysis of systems with the time-varying setting. In addition, we prove that many well-known types of trafﬁc can be readily represented using v.b. c stochastic arrival curves.
Developmental regulation of hepatic and renal gluconeogenic enzymes by thyroid hormones in fetal sheep during late gestation

Tissue glucose‐6‐phosphatase (G6P) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) activities were investigated in sheep fetuses after experimental manipulation of thyroid hormone status. Increments in hepatic and renal G6P and PEPCK activities seen between 127–130 and 140–145 days of gestation (term, 145 ± 2 days) were abolished when the normal prepartum rise in plasma triiodothyronine (T3), but not cortisol, was prevented by fetal thyroidectomy (TX). At 127–130 days, hepatic and renal G6P, and renal PEPCK, activities were similar in intact and TX fetuses; however, hepatic PEPCK was increased by TX. At 140–145 days, tissue G6P and PEPCK activities in TX fetuses were lower than in intact fetuses. In immature fetuses infused with cortisol (2–3 mg (kg body wt) −1 day −1) for five days, hepatic and renal enzyme activities were increased to those seen in mature fetuses near term. After five days of T3 infusion (8–12 μg (kg body wt) −1 day −1), G6P and PEPCK activities in the liver and kidney were greater than in saline‐infused fetuses, but only renal G6P and PEPCK increased to the level seen close to term. Therefore, in fetal sheep, thyroid hormones are important for the prepartum rises in G6P and PEPCK activities in the liver and kidney and may mediate, in part, the maturational effects of cortisol.
Accelerated hepatocellular carcinoma development in CUL4B transgenic mice

Cullin 4B (CUL4B) is a component of the Cullin 4B-Ring E3 ligase (CRL4B) complex that functions in proteolysis and in epigenetic regulation. CUL4B possesses tumor-promoting properties and is markedly upregulated in many types of human cancers. To determine the role of CUL4B in liver tumorigenesis, we generated transgenic mice that expressed human CUL4B in livers and other tissues and evaluated the development of spontaneous and chemically-induced hepatocellular carcinomas. We observed that CUL4B transgenic mice spontaneously developed liver tumors at a high incidence at old ages and exhibited enhanced DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. There was a high proliferation rate in the livers of CUL4B transgenic mice that was accompanied by increased levels of Cdk1, Cdk4 and cyclin D1 and decreased level of p16. The transgenic mice also exhibited increased compensatory proliferation after DEN-induced liver injury, which was accompanied by activation of Akt, Erk, p38 and NF-κB. We also found that Prdx3 was downregulated and that DEN induced a higher level of reactive oxygen species in the livers of transgenic mice. Together, our results demonstrate a critical role of CUL4B in hepatocarcinogenesis in mice.
The Role of Extreme Case Reasoning in Instruction for Conceptual Change

Although it is common to see extreme case reasoning included in lists of expert heuristics for problem solving, little work has been reported on the role that extreme cases can play in learning that leads to conceptual change. Evidence is presented from video tapes of think-aloud tutoring sessions to document the learning from extreme cases in a unit about levers for seventh graders. The observations support the view that one role of extreme cases is to provide a firm data point or comparison that helps students to establish an ordinal relation between two given variables. Two new additional roles for extreme cases in fostering learning are also identified: (a) their role in activating an intuition, often in the form of a perceptual motor schema, that is used in constructing an imageable, intuitively, grounded, explanatory model as opposed to an empirical role; and (b) their role in facilitating the formation of new causal variables. Pending confirmation of similar effects in other subject areas, these ro.
Antisocial punishment in two social dilemmas

The effect of sanctions on cooperation depends on social and cultural norms. While free riding is kept at bay by altruistic punishment in certain cultures, antisocial punishment carried out by free riders pushes back cooperation in others. In this paper we analyze sanctions in both a standard public goods game with a linear production function and an otherwise identical social dilemma in which the minimum contribution determines the group outcome. Experiments were run in a culture with traditionally high antisocial punishment (Southern Europe). We replicate the detrimental effect of antisocial sanctions on cooperation in the linear case. However, we find that punishment is still widely effective when actions are complementary: the provision of the public good significantly and substantially increases with sanctions, participants punish significantly less and sanctions radically transform conditional cooperation patterns to generate significant welfare gains.
Mental toughness and its relationship to the achievement level of the weightlifters in Egypt

Mental Toughness (MT) is a crucial factor for super-elite athletes "Olympians", since differences in physical and technical competences are minimal at the professional level. A sample of 28 Egyptian male weightlifters (14 elite & 14 non-elite) and 18 female (9 elite & 9 non-elite) were selected to study the differences between the Egyptian elite and non-elite weightlifters. Also determine of the relationship between MT and the level of achievement was targeted. Participants completed the Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ) evaluating an individual's competitive desire, focus, self-confidence, and resiliency (4 subscales). T-test and Pearson correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. MT of elite was significant than non-elite weightlifters (p < 0.05, 2-tailed). Subscales associated with MT were also significant at elite. Focus and competitive desire were the most important psychological attributes characterizing the elite male weightlifters, while resilience and focus were at elite female. The correlation between MT and the achievement level was r =0.974 ** ( p < 0.01, 2-tailed). MT represents a condition for developing the achievement level. It is recommended that sport psychologists should help Egyptian elite weightlifters to develop and refine their MT to enter “high mental toughness range”, assisting with the formal integration of psychological training into physical training. As such, this integration may facilitate the effective transfer of mental skills into competition, which can help Egyptian weightlifters to achieve better results in great competitions (e.g., Olympic Games).
CBT of PTSD in Severe Mental Illness: A Promising Approach with Possibilities for Further Development

Despite the high rates of trauma exposure in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders or bipolar disorders, there has been a lack of empirically validated treatment options for symptoms of posttraumatic stress in this population. Randomized controlled trials of cognitive behavioral treatments (CBT) for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have usually excluded patients with a history of psychosis. It is therefore very encouraging to see that Drs. Mueser, Rosenberg, and colleagues have developed a promising CBT program that is specifically designed to treat PTSD in this population. The pilot study yielded very promising results in that the treatment was found to be safe and effective in reducing PTSD symptoms and other affective symptoms. The field will now eagerly await the results of the randomized controlled trial that will further evaluate the treatment’s efficacy. The new treatment program differs from other effective CBT programs for PTSD in several ways. First, given the nature of severe mental illness, the treatment is embedded in a comprehensive plan of care, appropriate attention is given to helping patients identify and stay away from objectively dangerous situations, and the treatment is flexible to take into account the patient’s needs and cognitive abilities. Second, it was considered too risky to use exposure as a therapeutic tool because this procedure triggers strong affect.
Parental Expressivity, Child Physiological and Behavioral Regulation, and Child Adjustment: Testing a Three-Path Mediation Model

Research Findings: Parental expressivity, child physiological regulation (indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia suppression), child behavioral regulation, and child adjustment outcomes were examined in 45 children (M age = 4.32 years, SD = 1.30) and their parents. With the exception of child adjustment (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems and adaptive skills), which were assessed with parents' ratings, all variables were observed behaviorally or physiologically. A 3-path mediation path model was tested with the relations between parental expressivity and child adjustment outcomes mediated through child physiological regulation and behavioral regulation. Despite low power to detect the mediated effect, there was evidence to suggest that physiological regulation and behavioral regulation were 2 mediating mechanisms by which parental high positive/low negative expressivity may influence adaptive skills. Thus, parental expressivity may shape children's physiological regulation. And physiological regulation may be 1 mechanism by which effortful control becomes manifested as behavioral regulation that becomes apparent to others who then make evaluations about individuals' adaptive skills. Practice or Policy: The results have implications for interventions aimed at parent training or parental coaching of emotion as well as interventions aimed at enhancing children's social-emotional or behavioral regulation to improve children's adaptive skills.
Effect of low molecular weight heparin on fracture healing in a stabilized rat femur fracture model

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) on fracture healing in a standard stabilized rat femur fracture model. A closed, mid‐diaphyseal transverse fracture was created in the right femur of Long‐Evans rats after insertion of a 0.8‐mm K‐wire into the medullary canal. Animals were randomized to receive either LMWH (70 units/kg dalteparin) or an injection of normal saline daily for 2 weeks. Animals were sacrificed at 2, 3, and 6 weeks. Fracture healing was assessed by radiographs, histology, and mechanical testing. There were no significant differences between the control and LMWH groups in the percentage of animals with radiographic bridging callus at each time point. Histologic appearance of fracture healing was similar between the control and LMWH groups. There were no significant differences in the normalized mechanical properties of the control and LMWH groups at 2 and 3 weeks. At 6 weeks, the percent torque of the LMWH group was significantly greater than the control group ( p = 0.0072), however, there was no significant difference in the stiffness and energy absorption. Dalteparin, at the dosage used in this study, did not impair fracture healing in this standard stabilized rat femur fracture model. © 2006 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res
Genetic structure of a recent climate change‐driven range extension

The life‐history strategies of some species make them strong candidates for rapid exploitation of novel habitat under new climate regimes. Some early‐responding species may be considered invasive, and negatively impact on ‘naïve’ ecosystems. The barrens‐forming sea urchin Centrostephanus rodgersii is one such species, having a high dispersal capability and a high‐latitude range margin limited only by a developmental temperature threshold. Within this species’ range in eastern Australian waters, sea temperatures have increased at greater than double the global average rate. The coinciding poleward range extension of C. rodgersii has caused major ecological changes, threatening reef biodiversity and fisheries productivity. We investigated microsatellite diversity and population structure associated with range expansion by this species. Generalized linear model analyses revealed no reduction in genetic diversity in the newly colonized region. A ‘seascape genetics’ analysis of genetic distances found no spatial genetic structure associated with the range extension. The distinctive genetic characteristic of the extension zone populations was reduced population‐specific FST, consistent with very rapid population expansion. Demographic and genetic simulations support our inference of high connectivity between pre‐ and post‐extension zones. Thus, the range shift appears to be a poleward extension of the highly‐connected rangewide population of C. rodgersii. This is consistent with advection of larvae by the intensified warm water East Australian current, which has also increased Tasmanian Sea temperatures above the species’ lower developmental threshold. Thus, ocean circulation changes have improved the climatic suitability of novel habitat for C. rodgersii and provided the supply of recruits necessary for colonization.
Financial Regulation and Securitization: Evidence from Subprime Loans

We examine the consequences of existing regulations on the quality of mortgage loans originations in the originate-to-distribute (OTD) market. The information asymmetries in the OTD market can lead to moral hazard problems on the part of lenders. We find, using a plausibly exogenous source of variation in the ease of securitization, that the quality of loan origination varies inversely with the amount of regulation: more regulated lenders originate loans of worse quality. We interpret this result as a possible evidence that the fragility of lightly regulated originators' capital structure can mitigate moral hazard. In addition, we find that incentives which require mortgage brokers to have [`]skin in the game' and stronger risk management departments inside the bank partially alleviate the moral hazard problem in this setting. Finally, having more lenders inside a mortgage pool is associated with higher quality loans, suggesting that sharper relative performance evaluation made possible by more competition among contributing lenders can also mitigate the moral hazard problem to some extent. Overall, our evidence suggests that market forces rather than regulation may have been more effective in mitigating moral hazard in the OTD market. The findings caution against policies that impose stricter lender regulations which fail to align lenders' incentives with the investors of mortgage-backed securities.
Domestication and fitness in the wild: A multivariate view

Domesticated species continually escaping and interbreeding with wild relatives impose a migration load on wild populations. As domesticated stocks become increasingly different as a result of artificial and natural selection in captivity, fitness of escapees in the wild is expected to decline, reducing the effective rate of migration into wild populations. Recent theory suggest that this may alleviate and eventually eliminate the resulting migration load. I develop a multivariate model of trait and wild fitness evolution resulting from the joint effects of artificial and natural selection in the captive environment. Initially, the evolutionary trajectory is dominated by the effects of artificial selection causing a fast initial decline in fitness of escapees in the wild. In later phases, through the counteracting effects of correlational multivariate natural selection in captivity, the mean phenotype is pushed in directions of weak stabilizing selection, allowing a sustained response in the trait subject to artificial selection. Provided that there is some alignment between the adaptive landscapes in the wild and in captivity, these phases are associated with slower rates of decline in wild fitness of the domesticated stock, suggesting that detrimental effects on wild populations are likely to remain a concern in the foreseeable future.
Computers, Customer Service Operatives and Cyborgs: Intra-actions in Call Centres

Organizational practice theorists have convincingly argued that the social and material, subjects and objects, are inextricable and co-emerge as the outcomes of practices or networks. My article engages with the debate in this field by explaining how, within these assumptions, discrete categories or actors are brought into being. The ethnographic field-work from call centres initially shows how customer service operatives and computers are entangled and inseparable in carrying out the practice of customer service calls. The findings then show how meaningful boundaries around actors are established through temporal delineations, or cuts, within practices. My study thus exposes the multiplicity of how employees make sense of surrounding technology. This contributes to organization studies by explaining the dynamics and fluidity that underlie the categories and actors which are taken for granted in contemporary workplaces. This also contributes to our appreciation of a labour process beyond dualisms.
Educational Expectations, Parental Social Class, Gender, and Postsecondary Attainment

The authors employ a unique longitudinal data set of British Columbia high school graduates that followed respondents 1, 5, and 10 years after graduation to examine the extent to which educational expectations change over time in relation to parental socioeconomic status and eventual postsecondary attainment. Using the method of correspondence analysis, they demonstrate that graduates leave high school with educational expectations that change minimally from that point onward. Moreover, their findings reveal that there is a strong correspondence among gender, socioeconomic background of parents, and educational attainment. They conclude with direct implications for K-12 and postsecondary policy and practice.
A Cubature Kalman Filter Based Power System Dynamic State Estimator

This paper proposes an application of the cubature Kalman filter (CKF) to the power system dynamic state estimation (PSDSE) utilizing the measurements from the remote terminal units as well as the phasor measurement units. The CKF process utilizes the spherical cubature and Gaussian quadrature rules to estimate the probability density functions of the state space and the measurement space. This helps in linearization of the nonlinear measurement function without loss of accuracy. The CKF does not require formation of the Jacobian and Hessian matrices to execute the PSDSE, which saves the execution time. A state forecasting technique is utilized to forecast the states during the interval between two time instants of receiving the measurement sets from the field. This helps in estimating the states of the power system during the period when the field measurements are not available. The effectiveness of the application of the CKF to the PSDSE has been demonstrated on IEEE 30 bus system and 246 bus Northern Regional Power Grid Indian system.