Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contractile activity in intestinal muscle evokes action potential discharge in guinea‐pig myenteric neurons

1 The process by which stretch of the external muscle of the intestine leads to excitation of myenteric neurons was investigated by intracellular recording from neurons in isolated longitudinal muscle‐myenteric plexus preparations from the guinea‐pig. 2 Intestinal muscle that was stretched by 40% beyond its resting size in either the longitudinal or circular direction contracted irregularly. Both multipolar, Dogiel type II, neurons and uniaxonal neurons generated action potentials in stretched tissue. Action potentials persisted when the membrane potential was hyperpolarized by passing current through the recording electrode for 10 of 14 Dogiel type II neurons and 1 of 18 uniaxonal neurons, indicating that the action potentials originated in the processes of these neurons. For the remaining four Dogiel type II and 17 uniaxonal neurons, the action potentials were abolished, suggesting that they were the result of synaptic activation of the cell bodies. 3 Neurons did not fire action potentials when the muscle was paralysed by nicardipine (3 μm), even when the preparations were simultaneously stretched by 50% beyond resting length in longitudinal and circular directions. Spontaneous action potentials were not recorded in unstretched (slack) tissue, but when the L‐type calcium channel agonist (‐)‐Bay K 8644 (1 μm) was added, the muscle contracted and action potentials were observed in Dogiel type II neurons and uniaxonal neurons. 4 The proteolytic enzyme dispase (1 mg ml−1) added to preparations that were stretched 40% beyond slack width caused the myenteric plexus to lift away from the muscle, but did not prevent muscle contraction. In the presence of dispase, the neurons ceased firing action potentials spontaneously, although action potentials could still be evoked by intracellular current pulses. After the action of dispase, (‐)‐Bay K 8644 (1 μm) contracted the muscle but did not cause neurons to fire action potentials. 5 Gadolinium ions (1 μm), which block some stretch activated ion channels, stopped muscle contraction and prevented action potential firing in tissue stretched by 40%. However, when (‐)‐Bay K 8644 (1 μm) was added in the presence of gadolinium, the muscle again contracted and action potentials were recorded from myenteric neurons. 6 Stretching the tissue 40% beyond its slack width caused action potential firing in preparations that had been extrinsically denervated and in which time had been allowed for the cut axons to degenerate. 7 The present results lead to the following hypotheses. The neural response to stretching depends on the opening of stretch activated channels in the muscle, muscle contraction in response to this opening, and mechanical communication from the contracting muscle to myenteric neurons. Distortion of sensitive sites in the processes of the neurons opens channels to initiate action potentials that are propagated to the soma, where they are recorded. Neurons are also excited indirectly by slow synaptic transmission from neurons that respond directly to distortion.
Doctor Competence and the Demand for Healthcare: Evidence from Rural China

The agency problem between patients and doctors has long been emphasised in the health economics literature, but the empirical evidence on whether patients can evaluate and respond to better quality care remains mixed and inconclusive. Using household data linked to an assessment of village doctors' clinical competence in rural China, we show that there is no correlation between doctor competence and patients' healthcare utilisation, with confidence intervals reasonably tight around zero. Household perceptions of quality are an important determinant of care-seeking behaviour, yet patients appear unable to recognise more competent doctors - there is no relationship between doctor competence and perceptions of quality. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Do physicians and their relatives have a decreased rate of cesarean section? A 4-year population-based study in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND The increased rate of cesarean deliveries may be partly due to a lack of consumer knowledge. Assuming that physicians and their relatives are well informed of the risks and benefits associated with the different methods of delivery, our goal was to compare cesarean rates between female physicians, female relatives of physicians, and women with high socioeconomic status in Taiwan. METHODS Two subgroups of 588 female physicians and 5,021 relatives of physicians aged 20 to 50 years were compared with 93,737 pregnant women with a monthly wage 40,000 dollars New Taiwan (NT) dollars or more as identified in nationwide National Health Insurance databases of Taiwan from 2000 to 2003. RESULTS Female physicians (adjusted odds ratio 0.66; 95% CI 0.47, 0.93) and female relatives of physicians (adjusted odds ratio 0.84; 95% CI 0.74, 0.95) were significantly less likely to undergo a cesarean section than other high socioeconomic status women, adjusted for clinical and nonclinical factors. CONCLUSIONS In this study, the cesarean delivery rate was lower among women who may have greater access to medical knowledge. However, the lower rates observed among female physicians and physician relatives in Taiwan are still considerably higher than the national averages of many countries. This finding suggests that other than information, practice patterns, and social and cultural milieu may play a role.
Attenuation of Recombinant Yellow Fever 17D Viruses Expressing Foreign Protein Epitopes at the Surface

ABSTRACT The yellow fever (YF) 17D vaccine is a live attenuated virus. Three-dimensional (3D) homology modeling of the E protein structure from YF 17D virus and its comparison with that from tick-borne encephalitis virus revealed that it is possible to accommodate inserts of different sizes and amino acid compositions in the flavivirus E protein fg loop. This is consistent with the 3D structures of both the dimeric and trimeric forms in which the fg loop lies exposed to solvents. We demonstrate here that YF 17D viruses bearing foreign humoral (17D/8) and T-cell (17D/13) epitopes, which vary in sequence and length, displayed growth restriction. It is hypothesized that interference with the dimer-trimer transition and with the formation of a ring of such trimers in order to allow fusion compromises the capability of the E protein to induce fusion of viral and endosomal membranes, and a slower rate of fusion may delay the extent of virus production. This would account for the lower levels of replication in cultured cells and of viremia in monkeys, as well as for the more attenuated phenotype of the recombinant viruses in monkeys. Testing of both recombinant viruses (17D/8 and 17D/13) for monkey neurovirulence also suggests that insertion at the 17D E protein fg loop does not compromise the attenuated phenotype of YF 17D virus, further confirming the potential use of this site for the development of new live attenuated 17D virus-based vaccines.
Rab Coupling Protein (RCP), a Novel Rab4 and Rab11 Effector Protein*

Rab4 and Rab11 are small GTPases belonging to the Ras superfamily. They both function as regulators along the receptor recycling pathway. We have identified a novel 80-kDa protein that interacts specifically with the GTP-bound conformation of Rab4, and subsequent work has shown that it also interacts strongly with Rab11. We name this protein Rab coupling protein (RCP). RCP is predominantly membrane-bound and is expressed in all cell lines and tissues tested. It colocalizes with early endosomal markers including Rab4 and Rab11 as well as with the transferrin receptor. Overexpression of the carboxyl-terminal region of RCP, which contains the Rab4- and Rab11-interacting domain, results in a dramatic tubulation of the transferrin compartment. Furthermore, expression of this mutant causes a significant reduction in endosomal recycling without affecting ligand uptake or degradation in quantitative assays. RCP is a homologue of Rip11 and therefore belongs to the recently described Rab11-FIP family.
Marfan Syndrome-causing Mutations in Fibrillin-1 Result in Gross Morphological Alterations and Highlight the Structural Importance of the Second Hybrid Domain*

Mutations in fibrillin-1 result in Marfan syndrome, which affects the cardiovascular, skeletal and ocular systems. The multiorgan involvement and wide spectrum of associated phenotypes highlights the complex pathogenesis underlying Marfan syndrome. To elucidate the genotype to phenotype correlations, we engineered four Marfan syndrome causing mutations into a fibrillin-1 fragment encoded by exons 18-25, a region known to interact with tropoelastin. Biophysical and biochemical approaches, including small angle x-ray scattering, analytical ultracentrifugation, and circular dichroism, were used to study the impact of these mutations upon the structure and function of the protein. Mutations G880S, C862R, and C908R, situated within the second hybrid domain, disrupted the ratio of α-helix to β-sheet leading to a more compact conformation. These data clearly demonstrate the importance of the previously uncharacterized hybrid domain in fibrillin-1 structure. In contrast, mutation K1023N situated within the linker region between the third eight cysteine motif and cbEGF 11 markedly extended the length of the fragment. However, none of the mutations affected tropoelastin binding. The profound effects of all four mutations on fragment conformation suggest that they contribute to the pathogenesis of Marfan syndrome by disrupting protein folding and its assembly into fibrillin-rich microfibrils.
A novel extracellular glycosidase activity from Rhodotorula mucilaginosa: its application potential in wine aroma enhancement

The aim of the work was to evaluate the application potential of a glycosidase extract of one indigenous non‐Saccharomyces strain in wine aroma enhancement. The isolate was selected from a local winemaking region in China for its high β‐glucosidase level and was identified as Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. The tolerance of the glycosidase extract to the typical winemaking conditions was assessed using the activity of its β‐glucosidase. After that, the hydrolysis capacity of R. mucilaginosa glycosidase for liberation of grape aroma glycosides was characterized in comparison to commercial enzyme preparations. Results of this work revealed that glycosidase extract from R. mucilaginosa proved to be active in the presence of 0–20% (w/v) glucose, 0–20% (v/v) ethanol and at pH 3·0–5·0. In the hydrolysis of aroma precursors, enzymes obtained from different origins possessed various levels of specificity and activity, showing high origin dependence (α = 0·05). Compared to commercial enzymes, the indigenous R. mucilaginosa glycosidase extract presented better catalytic preference for the ‘fruity and floral’ glycosides of benzenic compounds and C13‐norisoprenoids, but less sensitivity to the glycosides of C6 compounds and volatile phenols.
Effect of microbial phytase on apparent digestibility and retention of phosphorus and nitrogen in growing pigs

Six female pigs of approximately 50 kg BW, fitted with simple T-cannula in the terminal ileum, were used to study the effect of microbial phytase on apparent total tract digestibility and retention of P and N. Three P-adequate diets (digestible P concentration 2.3 g/kg) containing barley (B), soybean meal (S) or their mixture (BS) with or without phytase supplement (1 000 FTU/kg) were fed to pigs using a 6 × 6 Latin square design. The addition of phytase increased ( P < 0.05) apparent total P digestibility of diets S and BS from 56.5 and 57.2% to 69.0 and 65.2%, respectively, and apparent plant P digestibility of the same diets from 41.3 and 50.0% to 60.5 and 60.0%, respectively. An insignificant improvement in total and plant P digestibilities was found in diet B. Phytase supplementation reduced ( P < 0.05) P excretion in pigs fed diets S and BS by 25 and 14%, respectively. As compared with diets S and BS, urinary P excretion in pigs fed diet B was much higher, which suggests a lower requirement for available P due to the lower protein deposition and growth rate. Phytase supplementation had no effect on digestibility or retention of N. In all three diets, total tract P digestibility was lower ( P < 0.05) than ileal digest - ibility thus indicating a net flux of P into the large intestine.
Establishing the relationship between stomatal conductance and microclimate through a model of stomatal conductance

through a model of stomatal conductance Jinzhi Wang Introduction I came to CGREC on May 7, 2008 to work under the direction of Dr. Xuejun Dong, eco-physiologist at the Center. His work involves the relationship between environmental factors (precipitation, temperature, and radiation) and soil respiration and plant physiology (leaf photosynthetic rates and leaf area index) of dominant species. One of the key objectives is to calculate canopy photosynthesis based on field-measured physiological data.
Comparison of Selected Differential‐Producing, Ultrasonic, and Magnetic Flow Meters

Selecting the best flow meter for a specific application can be challenging because of the many types and designs of flow meters, with each having its own merits and drawbacks. Illustrating these specific benefits and drawbacks can help the buyer select the meter best suited for the desired application. The flow meters investigated in this research include five designs of differential‐pressure meters (i.e., differential‐producing), a magnetic flow meter, and an ultrasonic flow meter. The differential meters included the Venturi designs, the wedge flow meter, and the V‐cone meter. Testing was completed at the Utah Water Research Laboratory to quantify the accuracy and head loss (pressure loss) of each meter design. The meter longevity and life cycle costs were determined from manufacturer‐supplied information and literature reviews. Although this list is not allinclusive, this study was designed to assist those responsible for selecting a flow meter for their specific application.
Mistakes to avoid in the implementation of community mental health care

In this issue of the journal, we publish the first WPA guidance produced as part of the WPA Action Plan 2008-2011 1, 2, dealing with steps, obstacles and mistakes to avoid in the implementation of community mental health care. Two further documents are almost ready and will soon appear in the journal: the WPA guidance on how to combat stigmatization of psychiatry and psychiatrists, and the WPA guidance on mental health and mental health care in migrants. The guidance we present in this issue can be regarded as a “second-generation” document in the area of community mental health care, because it takes advantage of the experience of the countries in which the development of community care has been most active, to point out not only what should to be done to implement the process, but also the errors which should not be repeated. In this latter respect, the document contains several important statements, which I will now list and discuss briefly.
N-acetylcysteine and fenoldopam protect the renal function of patients with chronic renal insufficiency undergoing cardiac surgery

Objective:To determine whether fenoldopam and N-acetylcysteine prevent renal deterioration and improve hospital outcome for patients with chronic renal insufficiency undergoing cardiac surgery. Design:Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Setting:A community hospital that is a cardiac referral center. Patients:Seventy-nine adult patients with chronic renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance ≤40 mL/min) who underwent cardiac surgery. Interventions:Group 1 received intravenous fenoldopam 0.1 &mgr;g/kg/min started at surgical induction and continued for 48 hrs. Group 2 received N-acetylcysteine 600 mg orally twice a day, from preoperative day 1 to postoperative day 1. Group 3 received both fenoldopam and N-acetylcysteine, and group 4 patients served as controls. Measurements and Main Results:Using multiple comparisons (analysis of variance) with change scores, and statistically adjusting for group differences in aortic cross-clamp time, use of intraoperative aprotinin, and preoperative use of statin, we found that the change in creatinine clearance from preoperative to postoperative day 3 was statistically less for group 1 (−1.47 mL/min ± 2.06 se, p = .0286) and for group 2 (−0.67 mL/min ± 2.11 se, p = .0198) and less but not quite significant for group 3 (−3.08 mL/min ± 1.95 se, p = .0891) compared with controls (−8.15 mL/min ± 2.18 se). Furthermore, the adjusted weight gain on postoperative day 3 was 5.55 kg ± 1.00 se (p = .0988) for group 1, 5.06 kg ± 1.06 se (p = .0631) for group 2, and 5.14 kg ± . 91 se (p = .0445) for group 3 compared with 8.03 kg ± 1.07 se for group 4. However, there was no decrease in length of critical care or hospital stay or hospital costs. Finally, fenoldopam contributed to perioperative hypotension. Conclusions:Perioperative fenoldopam and N-acetylcysteine abrogate the early postoperative decline in renal function of patients who have chronic renal insufficiency, although these agents do not affect other parameters of cardiac surgical outcome.
Robotic renal and adrenal surgery: present and future

complex, highly integrated and controlled interaction of visual and tactile feedback. However, in laparoscopic urological surgery this fundamental coordinated feedback is significantly minimized or lost. In addition, the surgeon’s actions are further compromised by limitations in the movement of the instruments, known as degrees of freedom. Furthermore, the two-dimensional vision present in standard laparoscopy results in loss of the perception of depth, as well requiring a human assistant to control the camera [2]. The impediment to the widespread use of laparoscopy in urology has been the complexity and technical demands of urological procedures, which is why it is limited to relatively few experts and centres worldwide [3]. However, with laparoscopic nephrectomy becoming the standard of care for benign nonfunctioning kidneys, laparoscopically inexperienced surgeons will feel the need to offer this to their patients and may benefit from the more rapid learning afforded by the robot. We review published reports on the use of robotic assistance for renal and adrenal surgery and discuss its potential benefits.
Can Cellular Phototoxicity be Accurately Predicted on the Basis of Sensitizer Photophysics?

Abstract— The phototoxicity of three structurally related photosensitizers (PS), deuteroporphyrin IX (DP) and monobromo (Br‐DP) and dibromo (Br2‐DP) derivatives, was studied in murine L1210 leukemia cells. These compounds were chosen on the basis of heavy‐atom‐induced differences in triplet yield, ΦT, and lifetime, TT, and used as tools to test a model for phototoxicity based on photophysical parameters. All three porphyrins were found to localize preferentially in the plasma membrane of L1210 cells by confocal fluorescence microscopy. A poor correlation was observed between the measured photodynamic efficacies of these PS and a model using photophysical parameters determined by laser flash photolysis in homogeneous solution. However, an excellent correlation was obtained when the same parameters measured directly in the cells were used. The biological microenvironment of the porphyrins in cells induces significant changes in the photophysics of the PS. Reduction in fluorescence yield, φF, and φT observed for Br2‐DP in cell suspensions arises from self association of the molecule due to increased hydrophobicity and high local concentrations. The photophysical model was also tested for its ability to handle variations in the oxygen dependence of cellular phototoxicity of these PS. The good correlation achieved between laser flash photolysis data determined in cells and the measured phototoxicity under air, 1.5% and 0.5% O2‐saturated conditions, proves the intermediacy of singlet oxygen. This study gives further credence to the direct use of photophysical techniques to elucidate photochemical mechanisms in biological media while highlighting the potential pitfalls of using solution data to predict photosensitizing potential.
Simple Embedding-Based Word Sense Disambiguation

We present a simple knowledge-based WSD method that uses word and sense embeddings to compute the similarity between the gloss of a sense and the context of the word. Our method is inspired by the Lesk algorithm as it exploits both the context of the words and the definitions of the senses. It only requires large unlabeled corpora and a sense inventory such as WordNet, and therefore does not rely on annotated data. We explore whether additional extensions to Lesk are compatible with our method. The results of our experiments show that by lexically extending the amount of words in the gloss and context, although it works well for other implementations of Lesk, harms our method. Using a lexical selection method on the context words, on the other hand, improves it. The combination of our method with lexical selection enables our method to outperform state-of the art knowledge-based systems.
The Investigation of PIN diode switch on reconfigurable antenna

The investigation and simulation of PIN diode as a switch on reconfigurable antenna are described in this paper. The simulation of the PIN diode model is constructed on CST Simulation tools with the integration of single patch antenna. The radial stub biasing circuit is used for fabrication with the antenna. Three different locations of PIN diode with radial stubs biasing circuit are investigated and analyzed. The result shows the separation of biasing circuit and antenna give a better performance in term of return loss and current distribution.
Friction compensation of the electromechanical drive systems using neural networks

Friction is an undesired phenomenon in many mechanical systems. Feedforward of a suitable estimate of friction is an effective method to compensate for the friction-dependent position errors in the steady state. It is not easy, however, to make a precise friction model because of the complexity of static and dynamic characteristics of friction such as the Stribeck effect, the Dahl effect, stick-slip motion, and so on. In this paper, we propose an effective friction compensation method for the electromechanical drive systems. In the proposed method, neural networks are applied in parallel to a linear observer, for the electromechanical positioning system (EMPS) which is used at the Cologne Laboratory of Mechatronics (CLM) at the University of Applied Sciences Cologne for experimental investigation of position control schemes for compliant systems with friction.
Enhancing adenovirus‐mediated gene transfer in vitro and in vivo by addition of protamine and hydrocortisone

Inclusion of positively charged polymers such as protamine in adenovector formulations has been reported to improve the efficiency of adenovirus‐mediated gene transfer in vitro and in vivo. On the other hand, corticosteroids are known to inhibit inflammation and thus might be useful in minimizing vector‐related toxicity. In this study, we evaluated the combined effect of protamine sulfate and hydrocortisone on the efficiency of adenovirus‐mediated gene transfer in vitro and in vivo.
Genital warts: incidence of associated genital infections

Two hundred and seventy‐eight men and 200 woman presented to a Special Treatment Clinic with genital warts were screened for accompanying genital infections. One hundred and twenty‐nine of 212 presentations (61%) in women compared to 98 of 303 presentations (32%) in men were accompanied by anther genital infection (P < 0.001). Recurrent presentation with warts was commoner in men (P <0.001). In both sexes recurrences were less likely to be accompanied by another genital infection. (P <0.002).