Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The locomotor discharge characteristics of ankle flexor gamma‐motoneurones in the decerebrate cat.

1. The discharge patterns of ankle flexor, tibialis anterior (TA), gamma‐motoneurones were recorded during locomotion in the decerebrate cat. 2. At rest gamma‐efferents had no background discharge. During locomotion two patterns of gamma activity could be distinguished. Most units (16) were phasically recruited with homonymous electroneurogram (ENG) activity, while the remainder (5) were tonically active throughout the step cycle. 3. The modulation of phasic units was greater (P < 0.01) than tonic neurones. Phasic units had lower (P < 0.02) mean, but higher (P < 0.01) peak, rates during the step cycle. 4. The discharge rate of both types of efferent increased around the onset of ENG activity and peaked during ENG activity, or shortly after its cessation. The conduction velocities of phasic and tonic units overlapped widely. 5. It is proposed, on the basis of muscle spindle afferent recordings during locomotion, that TA phasic and tonic units correspond to static and dynamic gamma‐motoneurones, respectively. This correspondence is functionally advantageous for the role of ankle flexor muscles during locomotion. Thus phasic static gamma discharge during flexion would aid muscle contraction via increased Ia afferent activity, while tonic dynamic gamma firing would enhance Ia afferent stretch sensitivity throughout the step cycle. Such enhancement during flexion would oppose unexpected muscle lengthening while, during extension, it would contribute to reciprocal inhibition of ankle extensor muscles. 6. The results are discussed in relation to strategies of gamma usage during rhythmic movements. It is postulated that, for such behaviour, muscle contraction is accompanied by coactivity in static and dynamic gamma‐motoneurones. A functional rationale is suggested for this strategy.
Coreference resolution survey

This survey is an extended summarization of state of the art of coreference resolution. The key concepts related to coreference and anaphora are presented, the most relevant approaches to coreference resolution are discussed, and existing systems are classified and compared. Finally, the evaluation methods shared by researchers in the area and the commonly used data sets corpora are presented and compared.
Hardiness commitment, gender, and age differentiate university academic performance.

BACKGROUND The increasing diversity of students, particularly in age, attending university has seen a concomitant interest in factors predicting academic success. AIMS This 2-year correlational study examined whether age, gender (demographic variables), and hardiness (cognitive/emotional variable) differentiate and predict university final degree grade point average (GPA) and final-year dissertation mark. SAMPLE Data are reported from a total of 134 university undergraduate students. METHOD Participants provided baseline data in questionnaires administered during the first week of their second year of undergraduate study and gave consent for their academic progress to be tracked. Final degree GPA and dissertation mark were the academic performance criteria. RESULTS Mature-age students achieved higher final degree GPA compared to young undergraduates. Female students significantly outperformed their male counterparts in each measured academic assessment criteria. Female students also reported a significantly higher mean score on hardiness commitment compared to male students. commitment was the most significant positive correlate of academic achievement. Final degree GPA and dissertation mark were significantly predicted by commitment, and commitment and gender, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The findings have implications for universities targeting academic support services to maximize student scholastic potential. Future research should incorporate hardiness, gender, and age with other variables known to predict academic success.
IgG subclass distribution of the rheumatoid arthritis‐specific autoantibodies to citrullinated fibrin

In the rheumatoid synovium, deiminated (‘citrullinated’) forms of fibrin are the major targets of IgG autoantibodies to citrullinated proteins (ACPA), the most specific serological markers of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To further the characterization of ACPA, we determined their subclass distribution. From a previously validated highly sensitive and specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) onto in vitro deiminated human fibrinogen − antihuman fibrin(ogen) autoantibodies (AhFibA)‐ELISA − we derived and calibrated four ELISAs, using monoclonal antibodies to each of the four IgG subclasses, to determine the proportions of AhFibA subclasses in the sera. A series of 186 serum samples from RA patients was analysed. All AhFibA‐positive sera contained IgG1‐AhFibA, which reached the highest titres and accounted for more than 80% of AhFibA in three‐quarters of the sera. One or two other subclasses were associated with IgG1 in 39% of the sera, IgG4‐AhFibA being observed much more frequently and at higher titres than IgG3‐ or IgG2‐AhFibA. IgG1 alone or IgG(1 + 4)‐AhFibA were the AhFibA subclass profiles found in more than 80% of patients. AhFibA are mainly IgG1 and, to a lesser extent, IgG4. Such IgG subclass profiles may influence the effector phases of the immunological conflict between ACPA and deiminated fibrin that takes place specifically in the rheumatoid synovium and therefore may play a critical role in the self‐maintenance of rheumatoid inflammation.
Transcranial direct-current stimulation modulates synaptic mechanisms involved in associative learning in behaving rabbits

Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been successfully applied for modulation of cortical excitability. tDCS is capable of inducing changes in neuronal membrane potentials in a polarity-dependent manner. When tDCS is of sufficient length, synaptically driven after-effects are induced. The mechanisms underlying these after-effects are largely unknown, and there is a compelling need for animal models to test the immediate effects and after-effects induced by tDCS in different cortical areas and evaluate the implications in complex cerebral processes. Here we show in behaving rabbits that tDCS applied over the somatosensory cortex modulates cortical processes consequent to localized stimulation of the whisker pad or of the corresponding area of the ventroposterior medial (VPM) thalamic nucleus. With longer stimulation periods, poststimulation effects were observed in the somatosensory cortex only after cathodal tDCS. Consistent with the polarity-specific effects, the acquisition of classical eyeblink conditioning was potentiated or depressed by the simultaneous application of anodal or cathodal tDCS, respectively, when stimulation of the whisker pad was used as conditioned stimulus, suggesting that tDCS modulates the sensory perception process necessary for associative learning. We also studied the putative mechanisms underlying immediate effects and after-effects of tDCS observed in the somatosensory cortex. Results when pairs of pulses applied to the thalamic VPM nucleus (mediating sensory input) during anodal and cathodal tDCS suggest that tDCS modifies thalamocortical synapses at presynaptic sites. Finally, we show that blocking the activation of adenosine A1 receptors prevents the long-term depression (LTD) evoked in the somatosensory cortex after cathodal tDCS.
Less evidence for an important role of food-producing animals as source of antibiotic resistance in humans.

TO THE EDITOR—In their systematic review on the role of food-producing animals as a source for human extraintestinal Escherichia coli infections resistant to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins, Lazarus et al conclude that there is evidence for whole-bacterium transmission [1]. This evidence is almost exclusively coming from studies from the Netherlands. Indeed, the study of Leverstein-van Hall et al provides the most detailed molecular analysis supporting this transmission route [2]. Based on the similarity of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes, plasmidmultilocus sequence typing (MLST) results, and bacterial MLST results for E. coli isolates derived from poultry, poultry meat, and human infections, it was concluded that 11% of E. coli bacteremia episodes in the Netherlands might have originated from poultry. Yet, a subsequent analysis with whole-genome sequencing by de Been et al [3] of those sets of E. coli from poultry meat and human infections with identical sequence types in the Leverstein-van Hall study demonstrated that these isolates were not phylogenetically related. Therefore, in contrast to what was stated by Lazarus et al, we conclude that there is currently no evidence of whole-bacterium transmission of cephalosporin-resistant E. coli from poultry meat to humans. Yet, the whole-genome sequencing data did demonstrate the possibility of direct transfer of E. coli between animals and animal caretakers and the predominance of identical ESBL-carrying IncI-plasmids in cephalosporin-resistant E. coli derived from human and animal sources. The latter finding suggests the possibility of mobile genetic element–mediated transmission originating from food-producing animals. Yet, given the complexity of the epidemiology of mobile genetic elements and the lack of inclusion of all possible sources in existing studies, the role of this transmission between food-producing animals and humans remains unknown.
Breaking Bad News

Spend your time even for only few minutes to read a book. Reading a book will never reduce and waste your time to be useless. Reading, for some people become a need that is to do every day such as spending time for eating. Now, what about you? Do you like to read a book? Now, we will show you a new book enPDFd breaking bad news that can be a new way to explore the knowledge. When reading this book, you can get one thing to always remember in every reading time, even step by step.
Short-term outcome following concurrent surgical treatment of ureteral ectopia and intrapelvic urinary bladder in nine neutered bitches

Congenital ureteral ectopia is an abnormality in which one or both ureters terminate at a position other than the urinary bladder trigone. This condition is the most frequent reason for early (since birth or weaning) urinary incontinence in dogs (Fossum 2007, Ho and others 2011, Reichler and others 2012). In such cases, early surgical correction of ureteral ectopia is required. In cases of delayed surgical intervention, permanent urinary incontinence, recurrent urinary tract infections, and hypoplasia of the urinary bladder can be noticed (Holt 2008, Ho and others 2011). Little is known about the effective treatment of neutered bitches with concurrent ureteral ectopia and intrapelvic urinary bladder. Ho and others (2011) found only two such patients in a group of 33 dogs. These dogs were treated surgically (correction of ectopic ureters and colposuspension) without satisfactory effects (incontinence after surgery). This short communication describes the results of surgical treatment of incontinent adult bitches with ureteral ectopia, and small (hypoplastic) intrapelvic urinary bladder. Nine adult neutered bitches (4.5±2 years old and 34.6±6.59 kg bodyweight), with urinary incontinence were referred (Table 1). View this table: TABLE 1: Summary of surgical correction of ureteral ectopia and intrapelvic urinary bladder in nine neutered adult female dogs with urinary incontinence The dogs were previously treated pharmacologically (phenylpropanolamine, oestriol and some antibiotics), due to presumed diagnosis of urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence and recurrent episodes of urinary tract infection. Such treatment only resulted in short-term remission of clinical symptoms. Identification of ureteral ectopia included the use of excretory urography and intraoperative examination. Imaging studies were performed in dogs positioned in the right lateral, right oblique, left oblique and dorsal recumbency, and evaluated according to guidelines described by Samii and others (2004). Contrast studies were suggestive of ureteral ectopia. A small intrapelvic urinary bladder was also found in all the dogs (Figs 1 and 2). The urinary bladder …
Distinct effects of recombinant cholera toxin B subunit and holotoxin on different stages of class II MHC antigen processing and presentation by macrophages.

Cholera toxin (CT) is a potent mucosal adjuvant with enhancing effects on Ag presentation, although the mechanisms of its adjuvanticity remain poorly understood. Using an in vitro Ag presentation assay, we found CT and recombinant B subunit (rCTB) to have distinct effects on different stages of processing and class II MHC (MHC-II)-restricted presentation of hen egg lysozyme (HEL). CT treatment of macrophages resulted in enhanced presentation of soluble HEL(48-61) peptide to3A9 hybridoma cells. However, CT had inhibitory effects on intracellular processing of soluble native Ag. Thus, CT inhibited presentation when added prior to HEL, whereas presentation was enhanced when CT was added after HEL exposure and the generation of peptide-MHC-II complexes. Pretreatment of macrophages with CT also markedly inhibited phagocytic processing of a Crl-HEL fusion protein (containing the HEL(48-61) epitope) expressed in intact bacteria (Escherichia coli HB101.Crl-HEL or Salmonella typhimurium 14028s.Crl-HEL), whereas addition of CT to macrophages after a 2-h incubation with the bacteria again enhanced presentation. CT produced little effect on overall uptake and catabolism of radiolabeled HEL or HB101.Crl-HEL. In contrast to the holotoxin, purified rCTB subunit did not inhibit intracellular processing of soluble or bacterial Ag, although it similarly enhanced the presentation of surface HEL-(48-61)-I-Ak complexes to 3A9 cells. These data suggest that the inhibitory effects of CT on Ag processing are mediated by the A subunit.
Effective dietary recommendations could help to prevent age-related cognitive decline

Commentary on : McEvoy CT, Guyer H, Langa KM, et al . Neuroprotective diets are associated with better cognitive function: the health and retirement study. J Am Geriatr Soc 2017;65:1857–62. Dementia is one of the grand challenges of the 21st century. Since no curative therapy is available yet, prevention by lifestyle factors such as diet is of utmost importance. Therefore, effective dietary strategies that can slow down cognitive decline and reduce the incidence of dementia need to be identified. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has been associated with slower cognitive decline and a …
Effects of in vitro treatment with fluticasone propionate on natural killer and lymphokine‐induced killer activity in asthmatic and healthy individuals

Background: Topical corticosteroids are beneficial in the treatment of allergic respiratory disorders; they exert effects on a number of cells involved in allergic inflammatory reactions. On the other hand, major histocompatibility complex (MHC)‐unrestricted cytotoxicity (i.e., natural killer [NK] cell activity) may play a role in the inflammatory allergic reaction. The objective was to gain insight into the mechanisms of the therapeutic effects of fluticasone propionate (FP), an inhaled corticosteroid used in asthma and rhinitis therapy. Therefore, we evaluated the NK and lymphokine‐activated killer (LAK) activity of effector cells in vitro treated or not with FP.
Tax Collection Costs, Tax Evasion and Optimal Interest Rates

In this paper, I investigate to what extent the cross-country variation in nominal interest rates can be explained as being due to governments' optimal response to economic conditions such as tax collection costs, tax evasion and government consumption needs. In particular, I study the effects of costly income taxes in the presence of an informal sector on the solution to a Ramsey problem in a general equilibrium framework. Unlike most of the previous analyses of optimal inflationary finance, the model postulates that conventional taxes carry collection costs whereas fiat money can be printed costlessly. For some countries, I measure tax collection costs, use the tax evasion estimates reported in the literature, and then calculate the optimal interest rate based on the model. Comparison of the actual and optimal interest rates demonstrates that the model can in fact partly explain the observed deviations from the Friedman Rule. I also show that allowing cross-country differences in the elasticity of substitution between formal and informal sectors can increase the model's explanatory power.
Revisiting the neoclassical theory of labour supply – Disutility of labour, working hours, and happiness

In empirical analyses, employment status has a substantial influence on individual wellbeing. People without work are consistently less happy, even after controlling for income. This result seems to contradict the standard theory assumption of labour disutility. In this paper, we analyze the impact of working time on happiness. The results show distinct positive utility effects caused by employment and working time. Happiness correlates positively with hours worked. However, there is an inverse U-shaped correlation – excessive hours reverse the relationship. Additionally, the results show the importance of exogenously given deviations of working time from the individually preferred labour supply. These discrepancies reduce well-being and counterbalance the positive effects of work.
Morphology, dipeptidases and disaccharidases of small intestinal mucosa in chronic renal failure.

The function of the small intestine has been studied in 29 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). Small intestinal biopsies were taken from 19 patients (11 haemodialysis (HD), 6 uraemic and 2 nephrotic syndrome patients) and studied histologically and en-zymatically (disaccharidases and dipeptidases). In half of these patients morphological changes in the form of elongation of the crypts and invasion of plasma cells were found: 14 had decreased sucrase and maltase activities, 10 low glycyl-L-leucine and L-alanyl-L-proline dipeptidase activities, only 2 had normal enzyme activities, 10 low glycyl-L-leucine and L-alanyl-L-proline the uraemic patients. Pancreatic function, tested in 5 patients, was normal. Increased faecal fat excretion was found in 4 of 14, low serum folate in 8 of 20 (before dialysis), and a flat blood glucose curve was usually found in the peroral glucose tolerance test. All these findings signify that a disturbed function of the small intestine is not uncommon in patients with CRF. This may be of importance when interpreting symptoms from the gut, especially when a carbohydrate-rich diet is given.
On switching policies for generalized switched server systems

A generalized switched server (GSS) system is a discretely controlled continuous time system, which can be used for solving a class of task-balancing problems. This paper studies the switching policies for such GSS system, giving a focus on their balanceability, which answers the question that, under certain algebra constraint, whether the GSS system could be driven to reach the task-balancing status by the given switching policy. Several switching policies, including FRR, FMM, and aMM policy, are first introduced, then the balanceability of the related switching policies is elaborated, and finally a sufficient condition for the balanceability of the FRR policy is obtained.
Use of cefazolin microspheres to treat localized methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in rats.

BACKGROUND In a previous study, the topical administration of biodegradable, controlled-release poly-(dl-lactide-co-glycolide) cefazolin microspheres could effectively prevent surgical wound infections with a sensitive strain of Staphylococcus aureus in an experimental animal model. The objective of the current study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of topical antibiotic therapy with cefazolin microspheres to systemic cefazolin therapy for the treatment of experimental rat surgical wounds contaminated with a methicillin-resistant strain of S. aureus (MRSA). METHODS A local infection model in rats was used. MRSA was used to infect pockets surgically produced in the paraspinous muscles. Groups of rats received either topical cefazolin microspheres, topical cefazolin powder, parenteral cefazolin, or no treatment. Feces were cultured to evaluate the effect of antibiotic therapy on gut flora. RESULTS The rate of clinical wound infection following topical application of cefazolin microspheres (13%) was significantly lower than the 53% infection rate observed in rats who had received a 2-week course of systemic cefazolin therapy (P = 0.046). Moreover, single-dose topical antibiotic therapy with cefazolin microspheres completely eradicated MRSA from the wounds of 7 of 15 (47%) animals. There was no statistically significant difference, however, in the rate of clinical wound infection between rats whose wounds were treated topically with free cefazolin powder and those treated with systemic cefazolin (P = 0.12). Importantly, selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria was associated with systemic but not local cefazolin therapy. CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that topical antibiotic therapy with controlled-release cefazolin microspheres may be effective for the prevention of wound infection with both methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus in selected surgical procedures that are at high risk of developing postoperative wound infection.
Phylogenetic evidence for a fusion of archaeal and bacterial SemiSWEETs to form eukaryotic SWEETs and identification of SWEET hexose transporters in the amphibian chytrid pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

SWEETs represent a new class of sugar transporters first described in plants, animals, and humans and later in prokaryotes. Plant SWEETs play key roles in phloem loading, seed filling, and nectar secretion, whereas the role of archaeal, bacterial, and animal transporters remains elusive. Structural analyses show that eukaryotic SWEETs are composed of 2 triple‐helix bundles (THBs) fused via an inversion linker helix, whereas prokaryotic SemiSWEETs contain only a single THB and require homodimerization to form transport pores. This study indicates that SWEETs retained sugar transport activity in all kingdoms of life, and that SemiSWEETs are likely their ancestral units. Fusion of oligomeric subunits into single polypeptides during evolution of eukaryotes is commonly found for transporters. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that THBs of eukaryotic SWEETs may not have evolved by tandem duplication of an open reading frame, but rather originated by fusion between an archaeal and a bacterial SemiSWEET, which potentially explains the asymmetry of eukaryotic SWEETs. Moreover, despite the ancient ancestry, SWEETs had not been identified in fungi or oomycetes. Here, we report the identification of SWEETs in oomycetes as well as SWEETs and a potential SemiSWEET in primitive fungi. BdSWEET1 and BdSWEET2 from Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a nonhyphal zoosporic fungus that causes global decline in amphibians, showed glucose and fructose transport activities. —Hu, Y. ‐B. , Sosso, D. , Qu, X. ‐Q. , Chen, L. ‐Q. , Ma, L. , Chermak, D. , Zhang, D. ‐C. , Frommer, W. B. Phylogenetic evidence for a fusion of archaeal and bacterial SemiSWEETs to form eukaryotic SWEETs and identification of SWEET hexose transporters in the amphibian chytrid pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. FASEB J. 30, 3644–3654 (2016). www.fasebj. org