Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pituitary-adrenocortical activity in the fetal pig in the last third of gestation.

The responsiveness of the fetal adrenal to a rise in either endogenous or exogenous ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic hormone) was examined acutely in piglets between 70 and 105 days gestation (term, 115 days). In addition the pre-partum changes in plasma ACTH and cortisol were followed in chronically catheterized fetuses and the effect of a continuous intrafetal ACTH infusion on the time of delivery was also investigated. The acute experiments on ten sows were carried out (under sodium pentobarbitone) on twenty-five fetuses, sampled from a branch of the umbilical artery with minimal disturbance. A second sample was taken 10-20 min later after exteriorization or surgery (catheterization). Such fetal manipulation resulted in significant increases in plasma ACTH and cortisol from 70 days gestation and the responses increased with fetal age. No corresponding changes were seen in the controls or in the sow over the same period. An exogenous bolus of ACTH (200 ng ml-1 I.V.) evoked rises in fetal plasma cortisol comparable with the endogenous changes (+11 +/- 2 ng ml-1, n = 4). Chronic experiments were carried out on fourteen sows catheterized under sodium pentobarbitone anaesthesia at 95-100 days gestation; in fetuses sampled until delivery (at 111-114 days) gradual rises in both fetal plasma cortisol and ACTH were observed. There was a highly significant positive correlation between plasma cortisol and log plasma ACTH (r = 0.81, n = 52, P less than 0.001). Analysis of the basal values from the 70-100 day fetuses also showed a positive correlation (r = 0.47, n = 23, P less than 0.05) but the slope of the regression line was significantly less than that for the older fetuses indicating a greater adrenocortical response to a given level of ACTH nearer term. In five sows a continuous infusion of ACTH (0.125 mg day-1 for 4-5 days from about 100 days) was given to one or two fetuses per litter (total size, 7-12). This treatment resulted in a rise in fetal plasma cortisol to 85.4 +/- 8.9 ng ml-1, which was equivalent to that found during labour, but did not induce premature parturition.
Preserved in vitro metabolic and functional characteristics of double-dose apheresis platelet concentrates photochemically treated with amotosalen and ultraviolet A light.

The INTERCEPT™ Blood System (Cerus Europe BV, Amersfoort, The Netherlands) uses a combination of the psoralen derivate amotosalen and ultraviolet A (UVA) light to prevent pathogens and leucocytes from replicating and functioning 1 . A novel process allows for the production of two pathogen-inactivated therapeutic platelet units from one double dose (DD) apheresis collection in a single treatment. However, only limited data are available on the in vitro quality of such INTERCEPT-treated DD apheresis platelet units.
Recent developments in human African trypanosomiasis

Purpose of review Sleeping sickness has re-emerged as a serious problem in sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated 100 000 deaths each year. South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola have experienced serious epidemics of the Gambian form of the disease. The control of Gambian sleeping sickness, which relies primarily on active case finding followed by chemotherapy, is being threatened by problems of drug resistance. Recently, Rhodesian sleeping sickness has also posed a health risk to travellers visiting game parks in East Africa. Recent findings Because of war-related constraints, which have prevented case detection, the prevalence of Gambian sleeping sickness commonly exceeds 5% and reached 29% in one focus in south Sudan. The incidence of Gambian infections refractory to melarsoprol treatment has also risen sharply in northern Uganda, northern Angola and southern Sudan, with failure rates as high as 26.9%. Molecular techniques based on the gene for human serum resistance (SRA) have enabled the identification of human infective parasites in the domestic animal reservoir. This molecular tool has shown that the Rhodesian form of the disease is being carried in cattle northwards in Uganda towards areas endemic for the Gambian form. The coalescence of distributions of the chronic and acute forms of the disease will present problems for both control and treatment. Summary This review surveys the molecular tools that are improving our understanding of the epidemiology of sleeping sickness, and highlights the search for new diagnostics and drugs to deal with the disease.
Sp5l is a mediator of Fgf signals in anteroposterior patterning of the neuroectoderm in zebrafish embryo

The neuroectoderm is patterned along the anterior‐posterior axis in vertebrate embryos. Fgf signals are required to induce the posterior neuroectodermal fates, but they repress the anterior fate. Sp5l/Spr2, an Sp1‐like transcription factor family member, has been shown to be required for development of mesoderm and posterior neuroectoderm. We demonstrate here that repression of the anterior neuroectodermal markers fez and otx1 by fgf17b or fgf3 coincides with induction of sp5l in the anterior neuroectoderm, and that this repression is efficiently rescued by simultaneous sp5l knockdown. On the other hand, sp5l knockdown is able to inhibit inductive activity of ectopic Fgf signals on the expression of the posterior neuroectodermal markers gbx2, hoxb1b, and krox20. Furthermore, effect of overexpression of a dominant negative Fgf receptor on anteroposterior patterning of the neuroectoderm is rescued by sp5l overexpression. Taken together, these data suggest that sp5l mediates the functions of Fgf signals in anteroposterior patterning of the neuroectoderm during zebrafish embryogenesis. Developmental Dynamics 235:2999–3006, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Distinct Population of Hair Cell Progenitors Can Be Isolated from the Postnatal Mouse Cochlea Using Side Population Analysis

In mammals, the permanence of hearing loss is due mostly to the incapacity of the cochlea to replace lost mechano‐receptor cells (i.e., hair cells [HCs]). The generation of new HCs from a renewable source of progenitors is a principal requirement for developing a cell therapy within this sensory organ. A subset of stem cells, termed side population (SP), has been identified in several tissues of mammals. The ATP‐binding cassette transporter Abcg2/Bcrp1 contributes to the specification of the SP phenotype and is proposed as a universal marker for stem/progenitor cells. A defining character of these SP cells is a high efflux capacity for Hoechst dye. Here, we demonstrate that Abcg2 transporter is expressed with two other stem/progenitor cell markers (i.e., Nestin and Musashi1) in distinct and overlapping domains of the supporting cells within the postnatal cochlea. We have developed and describe a fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) technique that enables the purification of a discrete subpopulation of SP‐supporting cells from the early postnatal mouse cochlea based on their ability to exclude Hoechst dye. These FACS‐isolated cells can divide and express markers of stem/progenitor cells such as Abcg2, a determinant of the SP phenotype, and Musashi1, a neural stem/progenitor cell marker. These markers can differentiate cells expressing markers of HCs and supporting cells in vitro. Our observation that these SP cells are capable of differentiating into HC‐like cells implies a possible use for such cells (i.e., the replacement of lost auditory HCs within damaged cochlea).
Promoting Sustainable Development Through Civil Society: A Case Study of the Eu's Nsa/La Thematic Programme in Kyrgyzstan

The article focuses on the contribution of the European Union (EU) in promoting sustainable development through the involvement of civil society in partner countries. More specifically, it analyses the main features and outcomes of the projects implemented by civil society organizations (CSOs) in Kyrgyzstan under the EU thematic programme Non&#8208;State Actors and Local Authorities in Development (NSA/LA). Despite its importance&#8212;this is the only EU programme providing direct support to non&#8208;state actors and local authorities engaged in poverty reduction&#8212;to date, there has been very little research on the functioning of this instrument on the ground. This article seeks to fill this gap in the literature by examining the EU&#8217;s contribution to sustainable development through a case study on Kyrgyzstan. The study is based on primary data: 10 semi&#8208;structured interviews conducted with the EU&#8208;funded organizations implementing the NSA/LA programme. The NSA/LA projects were analysed by considering two major fields of engagement of non&#8208;state actors in the development process: as service providers and as advocates (Banks &amp; Hulme, 2012). Overall, the organizations awarded EU support were not only focused on fulfilling short&#8208;term needs but also sought to introduce new ways of dealing with poverty and inequality, positioning themselves between the &#8220;Big&#8208;D&#8221; and the &#8220;little&#8208;d&#8221; approaches to development (Bebbington, Hickey, &amp; Mitlin, 2008). Nonetheless, the EU&#8208;funded projects were too limited and fragmented to be able to sustain long&#8208;term structural change. Therefore, the EU should place new emphasis on creating synergies between new and old structures at the grassroots level and establishing mechanisms and bodies that could merge and co&#8208;ordinate their efforts. In addition, the calls for proposals could highlight the need to share the lessons learnt by &#8220;obliging&#8221; the beneficiaries to act as multipliers and to pass on their positive experience to neighbouring communities. Finally, the EU could stimulate the funded organizations to experiment with innovative mechanisms of involvement in the policy&#8208;making process, by making this aspect a mandatory requirement of the projects implemented with its support.
Plasma C-reactive protein in nonobese children with obstructive sleep apnea before and after adenotonsillectomy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a prevalent condition in children and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity. Circulating levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a proinflammatory protein, are associated with increased risk for atherosclerosis. Plasma CRP levels in snoring children have yielded conflicting results, such that it remains unclear whether OSA is mechanistically involved in such elevations of CRP. METHODS Consecutive nonobese children with polysomnographically demonstrated obstructive sleep apnea underwent blood draws in the morning after their corresponding sleep studies on 2 occasions, namely at diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea and 10 to 14 weeks after adenotonsillectomy. High-sensitivity CRP serum concentrations were determined within 2 to 3 hours after collection, using a particle-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay technique. RESULTS Twenty children with obstructive sleep apnea (mean age 7.3 +/- 1.9 years; 55% boys; relative body mass index: 88% +/- 12.0%) with a mean apnea-hypopnea index at diagnosis of 15.6 +/- 2.9 events per hour of total sleep time and nadir SaO2 of 82.3% +/- 2.5% were included. Mean initial CRP levels at obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis were 0.67 +/- 0.21 mg/dL and decreased to 0.23 +/- 0.07 mg/dL after adenotonsillectomy (p < .05), along with significant decreases in measured apnea-hypopnea index (2.2 +/- 0.8 events/h of total sleep time; p < .01) and improved oxygenation (mean nadir SaO2 values: 88.6% +/- 1.9%; p < .01). CONCLUSIONS Obstructive sleep apnea is frequently associated with increases in CRP levels that are reversible upon treatment. Thus, obstructive sleep apnea induces a systemic inflammatory response in children, which, if left untreated, may potentially lead to cardiovascular morbidity.
Behavioral heterogeneity and financial markets: Locked/crossed quotes under informationally efficient pricing

Abstract Market professionals and regulators have been concerned by locked/crossed quotes (negative quoted spreads) for years. To ease the concerns that locked/crossed quotes may cause confusion or instability in financial markets and to promote market efficiency, the Securities and Exchange Commission implemented rules that ban locked/crossed quotes. We consider a competitive financial market that does not contain the factors considered by market professionals and regulators consider as the origins of locked/crossed quotes. We find that if there are at least three types of traders in this financial market, locked/crossed quotes can arise naturally under efficient pricing. These locked/crossed quotes reflect information transmitted in financial markets, facilitating price discovery. Hence, regulations banning locked/crossed quotes are inappropriate, as these regulations may harm the efficiency of price discovery.
Comparison of analog 2D and digital 3D preoperative templating for predicting implant size in total knee arthroplasty

The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of preoperative templating in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using conventional two-dimensional (2D) and computed tomography (CT)-based three-dimensional (3D) procedures, and to confirm the necessity of 3D evaluation for preoperative planning. One hundred consecutive primary TKAs were analyzed. Preoperative templating was performed for each TKA using both conventional 2D radiographs and a CT-based 3D image model created using KneeCAS software. Accuracies with regard to the predicted and actual implant sizes were determined for each procedure. The 3D procedure was found to be more accurate (59%) than the 2D procedure (56%) in predicting implant size, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.67). Computer-assisted surgery systems are often used for preoperative planning in TKA. However, our results do not support the superiority of 3D preoperative templating over 2D conventional evaluation in predicting implant size. Thus, 3D templating may not be necessary for preoperatively predicting implant size in TKA, and can only be used as an approximate guide.
Regional infrastructure investment and efficiency

ABSTRACT Using Spanish data, this paper shows that improvements in the road network have a positive effect on private investment in capital assets, and this effect increases with the level of economic development of a geographical area. We use aggregate data at the provincial level between the years 1977–2008. Additionally, we propose a system of equations in order to approximate the long-run effects. We find statistical evidence of efficiency loss associated with the distributional aims of the infrastructure policy. More importantly, since the effects of infrastructure investment are permanent, in the long run, efficiency costs will be higher.
Resting position variables at the shoulder: evidence to support a posture-impairment association.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE A relationship between posture and impairment at the shoulder is theorized, but not supported by evidence. It is proposed that posture and impairment are not directly related, but linked by movement dysfunction. The purpose of this analysis was to explore the relationships among posture, pectoralis minor muscle length, and movement alterations at the shoulder. SUBJECTS Subjects who were asymptomatic for shoulder pathology were divided into 2 groups of 25 subjects each based on normalized pectoralis minor muscle resting length. METHODS Scapula orientation, thoracic kyphosis, and pectoralis minor muscle lengths were measured, and ratios and indexes of postural variables were calculated. All variables were analyzed for correlations and group differences. RESULTS Significant group differences were demonstrated for several posture variables, including thoracic spine kyphosis and scapular internal rotation. The distance from the sternal notch to the coracoid process demonstrated the highest correlation with pectoralis minor muscle length. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The findings indicate a relationship between posture and pectoralis minor muscle length and support a proposed model linking posture, an anatomical variable, movement dysfunction, and impairment.
Bendrofluazide Fails to Reduce Elevated Blood Pressure Levels in the Immediate Post-Stroke Period

Introduction: Blood pressure (BP) levels, beat-to-beat blood pressure variability, dynamic cerebral autoregulation and cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity are frequently abnormal following acute stroke and are associated with an adverse short- and long-term prognosis. Thiazide diuretics are effective antihypertensive agents in preventing primary and secondary stroke, but their hypotensive and cerebral autoregulatory effects in the immediate post-stroke period have not been studied. Methods: Thirty-seven hypertensive neuroradiologically proven ischaemic stroke patients were randomized in a double-blind, placebo controlled, parallel group study to bendrofluazide 2.5 mg daily or matching placebo, within 96 h of stroke onset, for a 7-day period. Casual and non-invasive beat-to-beat arterial BP levels, cerebral blood flow velocity, ECG and transcutaneous carbon dioxide levels were measured within 70 ± 20 h of cerebral infarction and again 7 days later. Dynamic cerebral autoregulatory indices, pulse interval, BP variability and cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity were also calculated. Results: Small, non-significant falls were seen in casual and beat-to-beat BP levels over the 7-day period in both active and placebo-treated patients with no differences between treatments. No significant changes were seen in dynamic cerebral autoregulation or in cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity during the follow-up in either group. Conclusion: Following acute ischaemic stroke, the standard dose of bendrofluazide at 2.5 mg daily in this study sample did not lower systemic BP levels over the subsequent 7-day period. There was no evidence that bendrofluazide significantly altered cerebral autoregulation or improved cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity post-ictus. Bendrofluazide appears to be an ineffective hypotensive agent at the standard dosage in the initial post-stroke period.
Analysis of Dielectric Barrier Discharges under Unipolar and Bipolar Pulsed Excitation

In this work we experimentally examine the characteristics of a dielectric barrier discharge reactor driven by two distinct pulsed high voltage (HV) generators. Firstly, the operation under a HV generator delivering positive high voltage pulses with short (tenths of ns) rise and fall times in a low (up to 100 Hz) repetition frequency is illustrated. Then the DBD obtain with the use of a bipolar generator with a larger frequency range (several tenths of kHz) having rise and fall times in the microsecond scale is depicted. In the unipolar excitation regime two discharges per HV pulse occur: a first one during the rising part (or the plateau) of the applied high voltage and a second one during the falling part of the HV signal. On the contrary, the bipolar regime here studied presents a single discharge per HV pulse. Electrical as well as optical measurements give insight in the discharge characteristics in both excitation cases. Several electrical characteristics have been more particularly analyzed such as the quantity of transferred charge, the peak and the average plasma power and the power factor. These preliminary results show that the unipolar case could prove efficient to produce a reactive plasma but higher frequencies (i.e. several tenths of kHz) are needed than the ones used in the present work ones (only up to 100 Hz).
A laboratory study evaluating the release of hydroxyl ions from various calcium hydroxide products in narrow root canal-like tubes.

AIM The aim of the present study was to describe pH changes in a variety of buffering solutions within a narrow test tube containing either a gutta-percha point with incorporate calcium hydroxide, a commercial calcium hydroxide paste (Calcicur) or a freshly mixed paste of calcium hydroxide in distilled water. METHODOLOGY The test material was placed centrally in a test tube of 2 mm inner diameter. Saline (1%) was placed at one end, whilst the buffering solutions were introduced at the other. The pH of the buffering solutions was monitored using electrodes placed at each end of the test tube. RESULTS It was found that the pH 4.01 buffer strongly resisted pH changes at levels below 6.0, whilst saliva and bovine serum was buffered less and more evenly in the whole range up to pH 11.5. The calcium hydroxide containing gutta-percha points caused the pH to increase quickly in the sodium chloride solution to levels above 11.5. However, in bovine serum, in saliva and in the pH 4.01 buffer the pH remained below 8.5, 8.0 and 6.0, respectively, 1 mm from the point. In contrast, the release of hydroxyl ions from the two calcium hydroxide pastes brought pH above pH 11.5 irrespective of the buffering of the solutions 5 mm from the paste. CONCLUSION It is concluded that Calcicur and the calcium hydroxide-water mixture contained substantially more available calcium hydroxide than did the calcium hydroxide containing gutta-percha points, with the result that the release of hydroxyl ions from the points was limited in comparison to that from the pastes.
“The fouled player should not take the penalty himself”: An empirical investigation of an old German football myth

Abstract In this study, we investigate the old German football myth that the fouled player should not take the resulting penalty himself, as he is at an increased risk of missing. Previous analyses are improved on as we adjust for potential confounders that might influence self-taking as well as successful penalty conversion. Our findings reveal some important predictors for self-taking but, somewhat surprisingly, neither self-taking nor any of the potential confounders predicts scoring a penalty kick.
Prognosis of patients with "chest pain ?cause".

All 662 patients admitted to the two coronary care units in Nottingham during 12 consecutive months were followed up prospectively for one year. At the time of discharge from hospital they were categorised according to set criteria into the following diagnostic groups: definite, probable, or possible myocardial infarction; ischaemia heart disease without infarction; chest pain ? cause; and other diagnoses. Eighty-nine patients (13% of admissions) were categorised as having chest pain ? cause. No deaths occurred among these patients during the observation period, although two were readmitted with myocardial infarction. Patients with chest pain ? cause had few problems during the year after admission, and at the end of that time 75% were in their original employment. Patients admitted with ischaemic heart disease had a similar death rate (between six weeks and one year after admission) to those with myocardial infarction, and only 36% were in their original employment one year after admission. Chest pain ? cause is a clinically useful diagnostic category to which patients may be allocated after only simple investigations.