Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tolerance to ethanol's ataxic effects and alterations in ethanol-induced locomotion following repeated binge-like ethanol intake using the DID model.

BACKGROUND Tolerance to the behavioral and subjective effects of alcohol (ethanol) is thought to be a major predictive factor for the development of alcoholism. Evidence from rodent models has supported this view with those animals most likely to develop tolerance generally drinking and preferring ethanol more so than those resistant to it. Despite this evidence, very little is known about the behavioral relationships between ethanol-induced tolerance and consumption. The goal of this study was to evaluate the development of tolerance to the ataxic effects of ethanol using a mouse model of binge-like intake dubbed "Drinking in the Dark" (DID; Physiol Behav 2005, 84:53-63). We hypothesized that mice would become tolerant to the ataxic effects of ethanol as this behavior is known to be altered at the blood ethanol concentrations reached using this model (≥80 mg/dl). METHODS To evaluate this, we gave daily DID ethanol or water access sessions to male C57BL/6J (B6) mice and monitored ataxia (and in some cases locomotion) at various time points. RESULTS In general, mice given 14 consecutive days of ethanol access displayed tolerance to the ataxic effects of ethanol compared to water-drinking controls. These effects were coupled with alterations in locomotor behavior and in some cases differences in ethanol pharmacokinetics. CONCLUSIONS Thus, we can conclude that tolerance to the behavioral effects of binge-like ethanol intake might play a key role in the daily maintenance of this behavior and that these effects may be evidence of important neuroadaptations involved in the development of alcoholism.
A Preconditioned Inexact Newton Method for Nonlinear Sparse Electromagnetic Imaging

A nonlinear inversion scheme for the electromagnetic microwave imaging of domains with sparse content is proposed. Scattering equations are constructed using a contrast-source (CS) formulation. The proposed method uses an inexact Newton (IN) scheme to tackle the nonlinearity of these equations. At every IN iteration, a system of equations, which involves the Frechet derivative (FD) matrix of the CS operator, is solved for the IN step. A sparsity constraint is enforced on the solution via thresholded Landweber iterations, and the convergence is significantly increased using a preconditioner that levels the FD matrix's singular values associated with contrast and equivalent currents. To increase the accuracy, the weight of the regularization's penalty term is reduced during the IN iterations consistently with the scheme's quadratic convergence. At the end of each IN iteration, an additional thresholding, which removes small “ripples” that are produced by the IN step, is applied to maintain the solution's sparsity. Numerical results demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method in recovering sparse and discontinuous dielectric profiles with high contrast values.
Analysis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus structural proteins in virus‐like particle assembly

SARS‐CoV has four major structural proteins: the N, S, M, and E proteins. To investigate the mechanism of SARS‐CoV assembly, we cloned the genes encoding these four proteins into the eukaryotic expression vector pCAGGS and transfected them into 293T cells. When all four expression vectors were co‐transfected VLP formed, as confirmed using electron microscopy. Using a rabbit polyclonal antibody specific to the N protein, N‐protein‐containing particles similar in size to the VLP were also observed by immunoelectron microscopy, indicating that the VLP contained the N protein. Co‐immunoprecipitation analyses demonstrated an interaction between the N and M proteins, suggesting that N protein binds directly to M protein to be incorporated into VLP.
Classification and functions of enteroendocrine cells of the lower gastrointestinal tract

With over thirty different hormones identified as being produced in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the gut has been described as ‘the largest endocrine organ in the body’ (Ann. Oncol., 12, 2003, S63). The classification of these hormones and the cells that produce them, the enteroendocrine cells (EECs), has provided the foundation for digestive physiology. Furthermore, alterations in the composition and function of EEC may influence digestive physiology and thereby associate with GI pathologies. Whilst there is a rapidly increasing body of data on the role and function of EEC in the upper GI tract, there is a less clear‐cut understanding of the function of EEC in the lower GI. Nonetheless, their presence and diversity are indicative of a role. This review focuses on the EECs of the lower GI where new evidence also suggests a possible relationship with the development and progression of primary adenocarcinoma.
Human neutrophil response to recombinant neisserial Opa proteins

Interactions of human neutrophils with recombinant Escherichia coli expressing gonococcal outer membrane Opa proteins were examined using chemiluminescent and biological assays. Seven opa loci from Neisseria gonorrhoeae MS11 4.8 were expressed as β‐lactamase‐Opa fusion proteins that contained all but the mature N‐terminal amino acid of the full‐length Opa protein fused to three N‐terminal amino acids derived from the mature β‐lactamase. The Opa fusion proteins were exported and assembled in the outer membrane of E. coli in a manner similar to that of Opa in N. gonorrhoeae, as evaluated by antibody binding and in situ proteolytic cleavage. All fusion proteins exhibited the characteristic heat‐modifiable migration in SDS‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis that typifies Opa proteins of neisseriae. Opa fusion proteins conferred on E. coli the ability to stimulate a chemiluminescent response from human neutrophils in the absence of antibody or complement. The nature of the response in terms of chemiluminescence, phagocytosis, and killing was in all cases analogous to that seen using N. gonorrhoeae expressing the equivalent Opa protein. Neither E. coli nor gonococci expressing OpaA elicited a response from neutrophils. Use of E. coli expressing Opa fusions should be useful in defining their biological activities and pathogenic roles.
Characterization of the Highly Prevalent Regulatory CD24hiCD38hi B-Cell Population in Human Cord Blood

The newborn’s immune system must transition from a sterile haploidentical uterus to the world full of antigens. Regulatory B-cells (Breg; broadly defined as CD19+CD24hiCD38hi) are tolerance promoters in the adult immune system. They can inhibit IFN-γ and IL-17 production by T-cells and are essential in different conditions, including pregnancy. Breg have still not been well characterized in umbilical cord blood, where we hypothesize that they are pivotal in the achievement of tolerance. We studied CD19+CD24hiCD38hi Breg in healthy umbilical cord blood (hUCB) compared to healthy peripheral adult blood (hAPB). Total numbers of Breg were increased in hUCB compared to hAPB (34.39 vs. 9.49%; p = 0.0002), especially in the marginal zone-like B-cell subset, in which the most marked difference could be observed between hUCB and hAPB (60.80 vs. 4.94%; p = 0.1). CD24hiCD38hi subset in hUCB produced IL-10 and inhibited T-cell IFN-γ [1.63 vs. 0.95 stimulation ratio (SR); p = 0.004] and IL-4 (1.63 vs. 1.44 SR; p = 0.39) production. Phenotypically, hUCB Breg cells presented IgMhiIgDhiCD5+CD10+CD27− markers, similar to those described in hAPB Breg cells, but they showed increased IgM concentration and decreased expression of CD22 and CD73 markers. Our work characterized the frequency, phenotype, and function of Breg in hUCB, which may contribute to understanding of immune tolerance during pregnancy, paving the way to a new approach to immune-related diseases in the fetus and the newborn.
The Flamenco Cante : Automatic Characterization of Flamenco Singing by Analyzing Audio Recordings

Flamenco singing is a highly expressive improvisational artform characterized by its deviation from the Western tonal system, freedom in rhythmic interpretation and a high amount of melodic ornamentation. Consequently, a singing performance represents a fusion of style-related constraints and the individual spontaneous interpretation. This study focuses on the description of the characteristics of a particular singer. In order to find suitable feature sets, a genre-specific automatic singer identification is implemented. For Western classical and popular music, related approaches have mainly relied on the extraction of timbre-based features to automatically recognize a singer by analyzing audio recordings. However, a classification solely based on spectral descriptors is prone to errors for low quality audio recordings. In order to obtain a more robust approach, low-level timbre features are combined with vibratoand performance-related descriptors. Furthermore, differences among interpretations within a style are analyzed: Versions of the same a cappella cante have a common melodic skeleton which is subject to strong, individually determined melodic and rhythmic modifications. Similarity among such performances is modeled by applying dynamic time-warping to align automatic transcriptions and extracting performance-related descriptors. Resulting distances are evaluated by analyzing their correlation to human ratings. Computing Reviews (1998)
Impact of partial equalization on the downlink performance of multi-carrier CDMA systems

In this paper we analytically evaluate the downlink performance of multi-carrier code division multiple access systems adopting a partial equalization technique. This technique, that depends on a parameter which can be adapted to different conditions such as the number of sub-carriers, the number of active users and the mean signal-to-noise ratio, is proposed and analytically studied. We derive the performance of this system and the value of the equalization parameter that maximizes the performance. The proposed technique is shown to have the same complexity of the well known maximal ratio combining, equal gain combining and orthogonal restoring combining techniques, with significative performance improvement.
Retinal Ganglion Cell Loss Precedes Retinal Nerve Fiber Thinning in Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

Background: Loss of retinal ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness has been shown in different optic neuropathies. In this study, we evaluated the capability of GCIPL analysis by optical coherence tomography (OCT) to detect early neuronal loss during the time course of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Methods: Twenty-four patients with unilateral NAION participated in this prospective, comparative study. Affected and unaffected eyes underwent spectral domain OCT measurement of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), total macula, and GCIPL thicknesses. These measurements were recorded in the acute phase (within 7 days) and at 1, 3, and 6 months. Results: At the initial presentation and 1, 3, and 6 months, the mean RNFL thickness in the NAION eyes was 236.5 &mgr;m ± 74.2, 157.1 &mgr;m ± 45.7, 61.4 &mgr;m ± 6.1, and 55.0 &mgr;m ± 19.5, respectively. Similar to RNFL, thinning of the mean total macular thickness in inner and outer rings started after 3 months and thicknesses decreased to 307.7 &mgr;m ± 15.3 and 273.1 &mgr;m ± 21.2 after 3 months and to 309.1 &mgr;m ± 15.0 and 273.4 &mgr;m ± 13.8 after 6 months, compared with unaffected contralateral eyes, respectively (all P < 0.0001). Thinning of the GCIPL was first evident in the affected NAION eyes at 1 month, and the mean inner and outer GCIPL thicknesses were 62.8 &mgr;m ± 14.6 and 53.9 &mgr;m ± 7.2 at 1 month in the NAION eyes compared with unaffected eyes (P < 0.001). After 3 and 6 months, the inner and outer GCIPL thicknesses were 51.1 &mgr;m ± 8.1 and 47.4 &mgr;m ± 5.31, and 50.6 &mgr;m ± 11.5 and 47.9 &mgr;m ± 5.6, respectively. Conclusions: Thinning of the GCIPL is first detectable at 1 month after NAION and persists for 3 months. GCIPL thinning occurs before RFNL thinning in NAION.
Chorioptes mites: re‐evaluation of species integrity

Chorioptes mites (Acari: Psoroptidae) are non‐burrowing agents of mange which parasitize a wide range of domesticated and wild ungulates. Considerable historical confusion has surrounded the description and naming of the various species of Chorioptes. Here, the opisthosomal setae of male adult Chorioptes mites from a range of host species and geographic locations were subjected to detailed analysis. Discriminant analysis suggests the existence of three clear morphotypes. The first, Chorioptes bovis, is characterized by a very long seta 1 (ae) and short spatulate setae 2 (l4 and d5), whereas, in the second, Chorioptes texanus, setae 2 (l4 and d5) are longer and narrower than in C. bovis, but most of the other setae are shorter; this is particularly true for seta 1 (ae). A third morphotype is characterized by a seta 1 (ae) that is shorter than in C. bovis but longer than in C. texanus, long setae 2 (l4 and d5) and a long seta 6 (l5). The data are compared with previously published measurements. Although this analysis supports the validity of C. bovis and C. texanus as morphologically distinct, it also supports the existence of a proposed third species of Chorioptes, as described by Hestvik et al. in 2007, and suggests that the mites described by Sweatman in his classic 1958 description of C. texanus, which were obtained from the ears of semi‐domesticated reindeer, are likely to have been specimens of this as yet unnamed species. The results show that there is a high degree of phenotypic plasticity in setal lengths. It is concluded that a statistical difference in the absolute measurement of any one seta is not a reliable species indicator; the relative sizes of groups of setae would appear to be more taxonomically informative and should be used when identifying Chorioptes morphologically.
Silver Surfers, E-government and the Digital Divide: An Exploratory Study of UK Local Authority Websites and Older Citizens

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Interacting with Computers following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Vol. 25 no.6 pp.417-442 is available online at: http://iwc.oxfordjournals. org/content/25/6/417
Purchase and consumption of luxury goods

Esta tesis analiza la compra y consumo de bienes de lujo. La idea principal de la tesis es que la compra y consumo de productos de lujo esta basada en motivaciones. Toda la investigacion se hace a traves de una base de datos que se construyo para esta tesis y que incluye a consumidores y directivos de bienes de lujo. Concretamente lo analizamos para perfumeria/cosmetica, bolsos y joyeria. El primer capitulo de la tesis da una vision global de los tres articulos y el ultimo capitulo da una vision global de futuras investigaciones y aplicaciones en el mundo empresarial. El articulo primero examina diez motivaciones: singularidad, conformidad, autoestima, hedonismo, utilitarismo, materialismo, legado, inversion, habito y busqueda de la variedad. El articulo describe estas motivaciones en detalle y las contextualiza dentro de las definiciones de bienes de lujo y dentro de cuatro teorias socio-psicologicas. Asi mismo desarrolla una escala de medida para las motivaciones de los consumidores en la compra y consumo de bienes de lujo que es la primera de este tipo y podra ser utilizada en futuras investigaciones. La escala de medida sigue los estandares aceptados de las escalas psicologicas incluyendo fiabilidad, validez y unidimensionalidad. El articulo segundo identifica los segmentos de consumidores de bienes de lujo en base a las motivaciones para comprar y consumir bienes de lujo. El articulo identifica y describe seis segmentos a traves del analisis cluster (jerarquicos y no jerarquicos). El uso de estos dos metodos incrementa la fiabilidad de los resultados y ademas el estudio se complementa con un examen riguroso de la validez tanto interna como externa de los seis segmentos que aumenta la validez de los resultados. Los segmentos muestran distintos perfiles en relacion a las motivaciones y en terminos del comportamiento de compra con respecto a los bienes de lujo. El articulo tercero explora las causas y consecuencias de la satisfaccion del consumidor y las intenciones de volver a comprar los bienes de lujo. Este tercer estudio busca entender las relaciones entre caracteristicas de bienes de lujo, las opiniones y reacciones de otros y las emociones del consumidor asociadas con el uso de los bienes de lujo, la satisfaccion del consumidor y las intenciones de volver a comprar. Describe la literatura relevante y un conjunto de analisis que examinan las causas y consecuencias de la satisfaccion del consumidor con los bienes de lujo. Los principales resultados descritos en el articulo incluye una fuerte relacion entre satisfaccion e intencion de volver a comprar, fuerte relacion para las caracteristicas de los bienes y las emociones con las intenciones de recompra y relacion debil entre otras personas relevantes para los consumidores con la satisfaccion e intencion de volver a comprar
Leadership development as an intervention in occupational health psychology

Abstract A growing body of literature suggests that organizational leadership is linked to a wide variety of employee outcomes, both positive and negative, relevant to occupational health and safety. All organizations have individuals in a leadership role, but few researchers consider leadership training as an effective intervention. This may be because such studies are difficult to conduct and because the target, being the employees, is indirect. In this paper for the special edition of Work & Stress, we review studies linking leadership to individual well-being and safety in organizations. These include studies concerning leadership style, abusive supervision and organizational fairness. We highlight intervention studies that suggest that these linkages are causal and that leadership development, usually in the form of training, is an effective intervention in occupational health psychology. It is proposed that leadership development should be a main target for research on interventions in Occupational health psychology. The characteristics of leadership development interventions and directions for future research are discussed.
ACUTE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT WARM‐UP PROTOCOLS ON FITNESS PERFORMANCE IN CHILDREN

The purpose of this study was to compare the acute effects on youth fitness of 3 different warm-up protocols utilizing static stretching or dynamic exercise performance. Sixty children (mean age 11.3 ± 0.7 years) performed 3 different warm-up routines in random order on nonconsecutive days. The warm-up protocols consisted of 5 minutes of walking and 5 minutes of static stretching (SS), 10 minutes of dynamic exercise (DY), or 10 minutes of dynamic exercise plus 3 drop jumps from 15-cm boxes (DYJ). Following each warm-up session, subjects were tested on the vertical jump, long jump, shuttle run, and v-sit flexibility. Analysis of the data revealed that vertical-jump and shuttle-run performance declined significantly following SS as compared to DY and DYJ, and long-jump performance was significantly reduced following SS as compared to DYJ (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in flexibility following the 3 warm-up treatments. The results of this study suggest that it may be desirable for children to perform moderate-to high-intensity dynamic exercises prior to the performance of activities that require a high power output.
The Omo‐Turkana Basin Fossil Hominins and Their Contribution to Our Understanding of Human Evolution in Africa

The Omo‐Turkana Basin, including the hominin fossil sites around Lake Turkana and the sites along the lower reaches of the Omo River, has made and continues to make an important contribution to improving our murky understanding of human evolution. This review highlights the various ways the Omo‐Turkana Basin fossil record has contributed to, and continues to challenge, interpretations of human evolution. Despite many diagrams that look suspiciously like comprehensive hypotheses about human evolutionary history, any sensible paleoanthropologist knows that the early hominin fossil record is too meager to do anything other than offer very provisional statements about hominin taxonomy and phylogeny. If history tells us anything, it is that we still have much to learn about the hominin clade. Thus, we summarize the current state of knowledge of the hominin species represented at the Omo‐Turkana Basin sites. We then focus on three specific topics for which the fossil evidence is especially relevant: the origin and nature of Paranthropus; the origin and nature of early Homo; and the ongoing debate about whether the pattern of human evolution is more consistent with speciation by cladogenesis, with greater taxonomic diversity or with speciation by anagenetic transformation, resulting in less taxonomic diversity and a more linear interpretation of human evolutionary history. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Human Connections and Their Roles in the Occupational Well-being of Healthcare Professionals: A Study on Loneliness and Empathy

Human connections are key to the promotion of health and prevention of illness; moreover, illness can cause deterioration of human connections. Healthcare professional–patient relationships are key to ensuring the preservation of adequate human connections. It is important for healthcare professionals to develop their ability to foster satisfactory human connections because: (i) they represent social support for patients; and (ii) they prevent work-related stress. In this study we assessed the relationship between absence (loneliness) and presence (empathy) of human connections with the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals. The Scale of Collateral Effects, which measures somatization, exhaustion, and work alienation; the Jefferson Scale of Empathy; and the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults, were mailed to 628 healthcare professionals working in Spanish public healthcare institutions. The following explanatory variables were used to evaluate work well-being: (a) empathy, as a professional competence; (b) loneliness, age, and family burden, as psychological indicators; and (c) professional experience, work dedication, and salary, as work indicators. Comparison, correlation, and regression analyses were performed to measure the relationships among these variables and occupational well-being. Of 628 surveys mailed, 433 (69% response rate) were returned fully completed. Adequate reliability was confirmed for all instruments. The entire sample was divided into four groups, based on the combined variable, “occupation by sex. ” Comparative analyses demonstrated differences among “occupation by sex” groups in collateral effects (p = 0.03) and empathy (p = 0.04), but not loneliness (p = 0.84). Inverse associations between empathy and collateral effects were confirmed for somatization (r = -0.16; p < 0.001), exhaustion (r = -0.14; p = 0.003), and work alienation (r = -0.16; p < 0.001). Furthermore, loneliness was positively associated with collateral effects (r = 0.22; p < 0.001). Neither family burden, nor work dedication to clinics or management activities were associated with the three collateral effects measured. These findings support an important role for empathy in the prevention of work stress in healthcare professionals. They also confirm that loneliness, as a multidimensional and domain specific experience, is detrimental to occupational well-being.