Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Expression Patterns of c-Fos and c-Jun Induced by Different Frequencies of Electroacupuncture in the Brain

To investigate patterns of c-Fos and c-Jun expression induced by different frequencies of electroacupuncture (EA) in the brain, goats were stimulated by EA of 0, 2, 60, or 100 Hz at a set of “Baihui, Santai, Ergen, and Sanyangluo” points for 30 min. The pain threshold was measured using the potassium iontophoresis method. The levels of c-Fos and c-Jun were determined with Streptavidin-Biotin Complex immunohistochemistry. The results showed that the pain threshold induced by 60 Hz was 82.2% higher (P < 0.01) than that by 0, 2, or 100 Hz (6.5%, 35.2%, or 40.9%). EA induced increased c-Fos and c-Jun expression in most analgesia-related nuclei and areas in the brain. Sixty Hz EA increased more c-Fos or c-Jun expression than 2 Hz or 100 Hz EA in all the measured nuclei and areas except for the nucleus accumbens, the area septalis lateralis, the caudate nucleus, the nucleus amygdala basalis, and the locus coeruleus, in which c-Fos or c-Jun expressions induced by 60 Hz EA did not differ from those by 2 Hz or 100 Hz EA. It was suggested that 60 Hz EA activated more extensive neural circuits in goats, which may contribute to optimal analgesic effects.
Somatic Gene Therapy for Diabetes With an Immunological Safety System for Complete Removal of Transplanted Cells

To develop somatic gene therapy for diabetes, we studied an animal model with proinsulin-producing fibroblasts with an immunological safety system. Cultured mouse fibroblasts of the Ltk− cell line were transfected first with the efficient human proinsulin expression vector pBMG-Neo-Ins. Initially, 2 × 106 cells with a proinsulin-production rate of 91 ng.24 h−1 · 106 cells−1 were transplanted i.p. into streptozocin-induced diabetic C3H mice. The blood glucose concentrations improved between the first and the 28th day, but the animals died of hypoglycemia between the 29th and 46th days. The proinsulin-producing Ltk− cells were further transfected with a second plasmid, pHEBo-CD8.2, encoding BALB/c mouse T-cell differentiation antigen. The CD8.2 allotype is different from CD8.1 allotype by only one amino acid substitution and should be only slightly antigenic to the recipient C3H mice. Somatic gene therapy with these doubly transfected cells followed by the consecutive administration of a monoclonal antibody to CD8.2 resulted in an initial decrease of blood glucose concentrations followed by the permanent recurrence of hyperglycemia, thus proving the complete removal of the transplanted cells. Cultured fibroblasts were thus proven capable of supplying sufficient proinsulin to lower the blood glucose concentrations in diabetic animals. The immunological safety system with a combination of artificial expression of cell surface antigen and the administration of the specific monoclonal antibody was an effective safety system for somatic gene therapy.
Quantitative analysis of ERG expression and its splice isoforms in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded prostate cancer samples: association with seminal vesicle invasion and biochemical recurrence.

OBJECTIVES The proto-oncogene ETS-related gene (ERG) is consistently overexpressed in prostate cancer. Alternatively spliced isoforms of ERG have variable biological activities; inclusion of exon 11 (72 base pairs [bp]) is associated with aggressiveness and progression of disease. Exon 10 (81 bp) has also been shown to be alternatively spliced. Within this study, we assess whether ERG protein, messenger RNA (mRNA), and ERG splice isoform mRNA expression is altered as prostate cancer progresses. METHODS Detection of the TMPRSS2-ERG fusion was done using direct methods (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [PCR] and fluorescence in situ hybridization) and indirect methods for ERG mRNA and protein expression using quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. A linear equation method was used to quantitatively determine relative proportions of ERG variants (ERG72/Δ72, ERG81/Δ81) for each sample. RESULTS ERG mRNA and protein expression is increased in patients with advanced prostate cancer, with higher levels of ERG expression significantly associated with seminal vesicle invasion (stage pT3b) and biochemical recurrence. Genes involved in cell migration and invasiveness (matrix metalloproteinase 7, osteopontin, and septin 9) are increased in prostate cancers that overexpress ERG. In addition, there is a clear indication of increased retention of exons 10 and 11 in prostate cancer. CONCLUSIONS Analysis of ERG and its variants may be valuable in determining prognosis and development of prostate cancer.
The Roles of Non-retinotopic Motions in Visual Search

In visual search, a moving target among stationary distracters is detected more rapidly and more efficiently than a static target among moving distracters. Here we examined how this search asymmetry depends on motion signals from three distinct coordinate systems—retinal, relative, and spatiotopic (head/body-centered). Our search display consisted of a target element, distracters elements, and a fixation point tracked by observers. Each element was composed of a spatial carrier grating windowed by a Gaussian envelope, and the motions of carriers, windows, and fixation were manipulated independently and used in various combinations to decouple the respective effects of motion coordinate systems on visual search asymmetry. We found that retinal motion hardly contributes to reaction times and search slopes but that relative and spatiotopic motions contribute to them substantially. Results highlight the important roles of non-retinotopic motions for guiding observer attention in visual search.
Internet-based prevention of posttraumatic stress symptoms in injured trauma patients: design of a randomized controlled trial

Background: Injured trauma victims are at risk of developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other post-trauma psychopathology. So far, interventions using cognitive behavioral techniques (CBT) have proven most efficacious in treating early PTSD in highly symptomatic individuals. No early intervention for the prevention of PTSD for all victims has yet proven effective. In the acute psychosocial care for trauma victims, there is a clear need for easily applicable, accessible, cost-efficient early interventions. Objective: To describe the design of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effectiveness of a brief Internet-based early intervention that incorporates CBT techniques with the aim of reducing acute psychological distress and preventing long-term PTSD symptoms in injured trauma victims. Method: In a two armed RCT, 300 injured trauma victims from two Level-1 trauma centers in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, will be assigned to an intervention or a control group. Inclusion criteria are: being 18 years of age or older, having experienced a traumatic event according to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV and understanding the Dutch language. The intervention group will be given access to the intervention's website (www.traumatips.nl), and are specifically requested to login within the first month postinjury. The primary clinical study outcome is PTSD symptom severity. Secondary outcomes include symptoms of depression and anxiety, quality of life, and social support. In addition, a cost-effectiveness analysis of the intervention will be performed. Data are collected at one week post-injury, prior to first login (baseline), and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Analyses will be on an intention-to-treat basis. Discussion: The results will provide more insight into the effects of preventive interventions in general, and Internet-based early interventions specifically, on acute stress reactions and PTSD, in an injured population, during the acute phase after trauma. We will discuss possible strengths and limitations.
Immune variations in bipolar disorder: phasic differences.

OBJECTIVES To characterize the immunological variations of patients with a bipolar disorder (BD) diagnosis in manic (BDm) and depressive (BDd) phases, by the quantification of the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1beta, -2, -4, -6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). METHODS Twenty physically healthy patients with a BD type I diagnosis and 33 matched controls were studied, after giving informed consent. The inclusion criteria included at least three weeks without any kind of psychopharmacological treatment, Young Mania Rating Scale score > or =20 for BDm (n = 10) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score > or =21 for BDd patients (n = 10). Exclusion criteria included any infectious diseases, allergies or any other kind of medical illness that required treatment with immunosuppressors, as well as any other diagnosis in Axis I. Physical and laboratory examinations were performed to rule out any clinical illness. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to analyze the serum cytokines concentration. RESULTS BD patients, when compared to controls, showed significant differences (p < or = 0.05) in the serum levels of the measured cytokines. The sub-group of BDd patients showed an increase in IL-6 and TNF-alpha, as well as a decrease in IL-2 concentration. The BDm sub-group, on the other hand, showed an increase in TNF-alpha and IL-4 values, with a low concentration of IL-1 and IL-2. The comparison between both sub-groups suggests that there is a distinctive cytokine pattern for the specific phases of the disorder: for mania, we found a high IL-4 and low IL-1beta and IL-6 concentration, while in the depressive phase, the inverse pattern was found. CONCLUSIONS Our results show the existence of phasic differences in the serum levels of cytokines in BD.
HetHetNets: Heterogeneous Traffic Distribution in Heterogeneous Wireless Cellular Networks

A recent approach in modeling and analysis of the supply and demand in heterogeneous wireless cellular networks has been the use of two independent Poisson point processes (PPPs) for the locations of base stations (BSs) and user equipment (UE). This popular approach has two major shortcomings. First, although the PPP model may be a fitting one for the BS locations, it is less adequate for the UE locations mainly due to the fact that the model is not adjustable (tunable) to represent the severity of the heterogeneity (nonuniformity) in the UE locations. Moreover, the independence assumption between the two PPPs does not capture the often-observed correlation between the UE and BS locations. This paper presents a novel heterogeneous spatial traffic modeling that allows statistical adjustment. Simple and nonparameterized, yet sufficiently accurate, measures for capturing the traffic characteristics in space are introduced. Only two statistical parameters related to the UE distribution, namely, the coefficient of variation (the normalized second moment), of an appropriately defined inter-UE distance measure, and correlation coefficient (the normalized cross moment) between UE and BS locations, are adjusted to control the degree of heterogeneity and the bias towards the BS locations, respectively. This model is used in heterogeneous wireless cellular networks (HetNets) to demonstrate the impact of heterogeneous and BS-correlated traffic on the network performance. This network is called HetHetNet since it has two types of heterogeneity: heterogeneity in the infrastructure (supply), and heterogeneity in the spatial traffic distribution (demand).
Visual and anatomic outcomes of vitrectomy with temporary keratoprosthesis or endoscopy in ocular trauma with opaque cornea.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To examine the outcomes of vitrectomy in ocular trauma with opaque cornea. PATIENTS AND METHODS This retrospective study included 17 eyes of 16 patients who underwent vitrectomy with temporary keratoprosthesis or endoscopy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, from March 2003 to October 2010. RESULTS A temporary keratoprosthesis was used in 8 eyes (47%) and endoscopy in 9 eyes (53%). Overall, the number of eyes with visual acuity of 20/200 or better improved from 0 at baseline to 5 (29%) at 6 months. The number of eyes with retinal detachment also improved from 10 (59%) at baseline to 3 (18%) at 6 months. CONCLUSION Vitrectomy may be safely performed in ocular trauma with opaque cornea using a temporary keratoprosthesis or endoscopy with comparable outcomes. Endoscopy allows earlier diagnosis and treatment of occult pathology and requires less time and fewer procedures to implement than the temporary keratoprosthesis.
Cannabinoid‐induced presynaptic inhibition at the primary afferent trigeminal synapse of juvenile rat brainstem slices

Systemic or intraventricular administration of cannabinoids causes analgesic effects, but relatively little is known for their cellular mechanism. Using brainstem slices with the mandibular nerve attached, we examined the effect of cannabinoids on glutamatergic transmission in superficial trigeminal caudal nucleus of juvenile rats. The exogenous cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212‐2 (WIN), as well as the endogenous agonist anandamide, hyperpolarized trigeminal caudal neurones and depressed the amplitude of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) or currents (EPSCs) monosynaptically evoked by stimulating mandibular nerves in a concentration‐dependent manner. The inhibitory action of WIN was blocked or fully reversed by the CB1 receptor antagonist SR 141716A. WIN had no effect on the amplitude of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) recorded in the presence of tetrodotoxin or cadmium. The inhibitory effect of WIN on EPSCs was greater for those with longer synaptic latency, suggesting that cannabinoids have a stronger effect on C‐fibre EPSPs than on Aδ‐fibre EPSPs. Ba2+ (100 μm) blocked the hyperpolarizing effect of cannabinoids, but did not affect their inhibitory effect on EPSPs. The N‐type Ca2+ channel blocker ω‐conotoxin GVIA (ω‐CgTX) occluded the WIN‐mediated presynaptic inhibition, whereas the P/Q‐type Ca2+ channel blocker ω‐agatoxin TK (ω‐Aga) had no effect. These results suggest that cannabinoids preferentially activate CB1 receptors at the nerve terminal of small‐diameter primary afferent fibres. Upon activation, CB1 receptors may selectively inhibit presynaptic N‐type Ca2+ channels and exocytotic release machinery, thereby attenuating the transmitter release at the trigeminal nociceptive synapses.
CutDB: a proteolytic event database

Beyond the well-known role of proteolytic machinery in protein degradation and turnover, many specialized proteases play a key role in various regulatory processes. Thousands of highly specific proteolytic events are associated with normal and pathological conditions, including bacterial and viral infections. However, the information about individual proteolytic events is dispersed over multiple publications and is not easily available for large-scale analysis. CutDB is one of the first systematic efforts to build an easily accessible collection of documented proteolytic events for natural proteins in vivo or in vitro. A CutDB entry is defined by a unique combination of these three attributes: protease, protein substrate and cleavage site. Currently, CutDB integrates 3070 proteolytic events for 470 different proteases captured from public archives (such as MEROPS and HPRD) and publications. CutDB supports various types of data searches and displays, including clickable network diagrams. Most importantly, CutDB is a community annotation resource based on a Wikipedia approach, providing a convenient user interface to input new data online. A recent contribution of 568 proteolytic events by several experts in the field of matrix metallopeptidases suggests that this approach will significantly accelerate the development of CutDB content. CutDB is publicly available at .
BIS Representative Office for Asia and the Pacific Private information , stock markets and exchange rates

Explaining exchange rates has long been an important but vexing issue in international economics and finance. In recent years, a number of studies have shown that investors’ private information plays a central role in determining exchange rates. We demonstrate in this paper that the private information of investors relevant for exchange rates is largely connected to the stock market, and that this information is conveyed to foreign exchange (FX) markets by order flow that is induced by investors’ transactions in the stock market. We establish these results by analyzing several novel unused datasets on nearly two years’ worth of daily-frequency capital flows of nonresident investors in the foreign exchange, stock, and bond markets of Thailand. We present compelling evidence that FX order flow that is induced by nonresident investors transactions in the Stock Exchange of Thailand—which we show are driven largely by private information—has far greater explanatory power for the exchange rate than other order flow has, both in the short run and the long run. In contrast, FX order flow of nonresident investors that is related to their transactions in Thai government bonds—which we find are not driven appreciably by private information—does not have a statistically significant effect on the exchange rate. JEL classification: C22, E58, F31, F37, G14.
Skeletonization using SSM of the Distance Transform

This paper proposes a new approach for skeletonization based on the skeleton strength map (SSM) caculated by Euclidean distance transform of a binary image. After the distance transform and gradient are computed, isotropic diffusion is performed on the gradient vector field and the skeleton strength map is computed from the diffused vector field. A critical point set is then selected from local maxima of the SSM. The critical points are located on significant visual parts of the object. The skeleton is obtained by connecting the critical points with geodesic paths. This approach overcomes intrinsic drawbacks of distance transform based skeletons, since it yields stable and connected skeletons without losing significant visual parts.
Establishing design guidelines in interactive exercise gaming: preliminary data from two posing studies

Interactive gaming has demonstrated promise as a low-cost, at-home training and fitness instruction alternative. Gaming systems offer convenience and the ability to provide enhanced reporting and progress data if body measurement information is collected effectively. However, commercially available systems today are designed primarily for entertainment and as a result, the quality of instruction delivery and level of involvement may not meet the needs of a user performing a disciplined activity. This paper will look at adapting for occlusion and lack of visibility; learning and orientation; and providing feedback in an effort to determine if there is an ideal visual demonstration delivery that maximizes pose understanding and user self-efficacy, determine whether supplementary modalities are important for instruction, and determine if there is an ideal feedback delivery that promotes pose comprehension, confidence and motivation. This information can provide a guideline for designing clear and supportive, interactive training systems that can engage users, prevent injury and help maintain fitness.
Maximizing sum rate of OFDM transmission with decode-and-forward relaying

In this paper, we aim to maximize the sum rate of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) system with a relay. The relay is half-duplex, and capable of decoding the message on a particular subcarrier in one time slot, and re-encoding and forwarding it on a different subcarrier in the next time slot. When the relay is active, the destination combines the signals from the source and the relay pertaining to the same message in the two time slots. For the situations where the relay does not transmit on some subcarriers because doing so does not improve the sum rate, we allow the source to transmit new messages on these idle subcarriers. Joint optimization of subcarrier assignment and power allocation for a two-slot period is performed. Based on the optimization result, an algorithm to achieve feasible solutions is also proposed. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm almost achieves the optimal sum rate, and outperforms the existing methods.
Muscle Microvascular Dysfunction in Central Obesity Is Related to Muscle Insulin Insensitivity but Is Not Reversed by High-Dose Statin Treatment

OBJECTIVE To test the hypotheses that decreased insulin-mediated glucose disposal in muscle is associated with a reduced muscle microvascular exchange capacity (Kf) and that 6 months of high-dose statin therapy would improve microvascular function in people with central obesity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We assessed skeletal muscle microvascular function, visceral fat mass, physical activity levels, fitness, and insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle in 22 female and 17 male volunteers with central obesity whose age (mean ± SD) was 51 ± 9 years. We tested the effect of atorvastatin (40 mg daily) on muscle microvascular function in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial lasting 6 months. RESULTS Kf was negatively associated with a measure of glycemia (A1C; r = −0.44, P = 0.006) and positively associated with insulin sensitivity (the ratio of insulin-stimulated glucose effectiveness, or M value, to the mean insulin concentration, or I value; r = 0.39, P = 0.02). In regression modeling, A1C, visceral fat mass, and M:I explained 38% of the variance in Kf (in a linear regression model with Kf as the outcome [R2 = 0.38, P = 0.005]). M:I was associated with Kf independently of visceral fat mass (B coefficient 3.13 [95% CI 0.22–6.02], P = 0.036). Although 6 months' treatment with atorvastatin decreased LDL cholesterol by 51% (P < 0.001) and plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein by 75% (P = 0.02), microvascular function was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS Decreased insulin-mediated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle is associated with impaired muscle microvascular exchange capacity (Kf), independently of visceral fat mass. Muscle microvascular function is not improved by 6 months of high-dose statin treatment, despite marked statin-mediated improvements in lipid metabolism and decreased inflammation.
Consequences of salinity and freezing stress for two populations of Quercus virginiana Mill. (Fagaceae) grown in a common garden1

Abstract Climate change is of increasing concern in coastal forests where rising sea levels could lead to dramatic shifts in ecosystem composition. To investigate how inundation may impact coastal ecosystems, we examined the sensitivity of Quercus virginiana Mill. , a dominant tree in the southeastern U.S., to increased soil salinity and examined whether high salinity could increase its susceptibility to freezing damage (−10 °C). In a greenhouse, we examined the effect of three salt treatments (0–6 ppt) on acorn development and sapling physiology. We examined samples collected from two populations: inland Florida (FL) and coastal North Carolina (NC). We found that higher salt concentrations did not affect acorn germination, but did retard emergence. In the sapling stage, high salinity was more detrimental to plants from the FL population, causing greater declines in photosynthetic rates, water use efficiency, and dark quantum yield. FL plants also demonstrated a lower freezing tolerance than NC plants but freezing temperatures did not exacerbate effects of salt stress. Our data demonstrate important population-level differences in the salt and freezing tolerance of Q. virginiana. Since salt tolerance is important to the recruitment, growth, and survival of coastal Quercus species, this research can help with future conservation and management of this important species.