Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gastrointestinal pain in functional bowel disorders: sensory neurons as novel drug targets

Functional bowel disorders (FBDs) are defined by symptoms of gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction, discomfort and pain in the absence of a demonstrable organic cause. Since the prevalence of FBDs, particularly functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome, can be as high as 20%, FBDs represent a significant burden in terms of direct healthcare and productivity costs. There is emerging evidence that the discomfort and pain experienced by many FBD patients is due to persistent hypersensitivity of primary afferent neurons, which may develop in response to infection, inflammation or other insults. This concept identifies vagal and spinal sensory neurons as important targets for novel therapies of GI hyperalgesia. Sensory neuron-specific targets can be grouped into three categories: receptors and sensors at the peripheral nerve terminals, ion channels relevant to nerve excitability and conduction and transmitter receptors. Particular therapeutic potential is attributed to targets that are selectively expressed by afferent neurons, such as the transient receptor potential channel TRPV1, acid-sensing ion channels and tetrodotoxin-resistant Na+ channels.
Genital immunization of heifers with a glycoprotein Edeleted, recombinant bovine herpesvirus 1 strain confers protection upon challenge with a virulent isolate

Weiss M. , Vogel F.S. F. , Martins M. , Weiblen R. , Roehe P.M. , Franco A.C. & Flores E.F. 2010. Genital immunization of heifers with a glycoprotein E-deleted, recombinant bovine herpesvirus 1 strain confers protection upon challenge with a
Increased anti-influenza A virus cytotoxic T cell activity following vaccination of the chronically ill elderly with live attenuated or inactivated influenza virus vaccine.

The possible enhancement of anti-influenza A virus memory cytotoxic T cell (CTL) responses to inactivated influenza virus vaccine by coadministration of intranasal live attenuated influenza A virus vaccine was investigated. Fifty elderly nursing home residents received inactivated trivalent influenza virus vaccine intramuscularly and simultaneously were randomly assigned to receive either bivalent live attenuated influenza A virus vaccine or saline placebo intranasally in a blinded fashion. A larger proportion of volunteers who received live attenuated virus vaccine than of those who received placebo experienced a postvaccination rise in anti-influenza A virus CTL activity (15 of 23 vs. 8 of 24; P < .05). Anti-influenza A virus cytotoxicity was primarily mediated by CD8+ T cells and was influenza A virus-specific and HLA-restricted. There was a possible advantage of administering live attenuated with inactivated virus vaccine because of enhanced memory anti-influenza A virus CTL activity.
A wideband, dual-polarized connected crossed-dipole scalable array for SATCOM

This paper presents the design of a wideband connected crossed-dipole array with dual-polarization for SATCOM. The element design is able to cover a bandwidth of approximately 2:1, with wider bandwidths possible depending mainly on array size and balun design. This design also allows wide scanning (up to +/- 60 degrees across the full bandwidth) because elements are compact. Because the crossed dipoles have excellent isolation from each other (approx 30 dB), dual polarization can be achieved. The elements are also low-profile, with a height of 0.36 wavelengths at the high end of the frequency range. Feeding the elements requires only one vertical cable per element and polarization, and the elements themselves are contained in a single two-layer printed circuit board suspended over the ground plane. This array is highly suitable for use on SATCOM satellites, as it is lightweight, robust, efficient, easy to fabricate, able to handle high power, and straightforward to scale up or down in frequency. An 8×8 array panel has been fabricated, and measured directivities compare well with simulation.
Characterization of the single‐channel properties of NMDA receptors in laminae I and II of the dorsal horn of neonatal rat spinal cord

The single‐channel properties of native NMDA receptors in laminae I and II of the dorsal horn of the neonatal rat spinal cord were studied using outside‐out patch‐clamp techniques. These receptors were found to have several features that distinguish them from native NMDA receptors elsewhere in the CNS. Single‐channel currents activated by NMDA (100 nm) and glycine (10 µm) exhibited five distinct amplitude components with slope‐conductance values of 19.9 ± 0.8, 32.9 ± 0.6, 42.2 ± 1.1, 53.0 ± 1.0 and 68.7 ± 1.5 pS. Direct transitions were observed between all conductance levels but transitions between 69‐pS openings and 20‐, 33‐ and 42‐pS openings were rare. There was no significant difference in the frequency of direct transitions from 42‐ to 20‐pS compared to 20‐ to 42‐pS transitions. The Kb (0 mV) for Mg2+ was 89 µm. The Mg2+ unblocking rate constant was similar to other reported values. However, the Mg2+ blocking rate constant was larger than other reported values, suggesting an unusually high sensitivity to Mg2+. The NR2B subunit‐selective antagonist, ifenprodil, had no significant effect on overall channel activity but significantly decreased the mean open time of 53‐pS openings. These results suggest neonatal laminae I and II NMDA receptors are not simply composed of NR1 and NR2B subunits or NR1 and NR2D subunits. It is possible that these properties are due to an as yet uninvestigated combination of two NR2 subunits with the NR1 subunit or a combination of NR3A, NR2 and NR1 subunits.
Variations at regulatory regions of the milk protein genes are associated with milk traits and coagulation properties in the Sarda sheep.

Regulatory variation at the ovine casein genes could have important effects on the composition and coagulation properties of milk. Herewith, we have partially resequenced the promoters and the 3'-UTR of the four casein genes in 25 Sarda sheep. Alignment of these sequences allowed us to identify a total of 29 SNPs. This level of polymorphism (one SNP every 250 bp) is remarkably high if compared with SNP densities estimated in human genic regions (approximately one SNP per bp). The 29 SNPs identified in our resequencing experiment, plus three previously reported SNPs mapping to the lactalbumin, alpha (LALBA) and β-lactoglobulin (BLG, also known as progestagen-associated endometrial protein, PAEP) genes, were genotyped with a multiplex TaqMan Open Array Real-Time PCR assay in 760 Sarda sheep with records for milk composition and coagulation properties. Association analysis revealed the existence of significant associations of CSN1S2 and CSN3 genotypes with milk protein and casein contents. Moreover, genotypes at CSN1S1 were significantly associated with rennet coagulation time, curd firming time and curd firmness, whereas CSN2 was associated with curd firming time. These results suggest that SNPs mapping to the promoters and 3'-UTRs of ovine casein genes may exert regulatory effects on gene expression and that they could be used for improving sheep milk quality and technological traits at the population level through marker assisted selection.
Regional differences in presentation and treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation in Europe: a report from the EURObservational Research Programme Atrial Fibrillation (EORP-AF) Pilot General Registry.

AIMS Country differences in management practices are evident, and the publication of management guidelines by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and other learned societies has tried to recommend a uniform evidence-based approach to management. Despite the availability of guidelines and efforts to improve implementation, differences in guideline adherence are evident, and differences between countries and regions within Europe are therefore likely. METHODS AND RESULTS In this analysis from the baseline dataset of the EORP-AF Pilot survey, we examined regional differences in presentation and treatment of contemporary patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in Europe, as managed by European cardiologists. We focused on a subgroup of 902 hospital admitted patients in whom no rhythm control was performed or planned. Chronic heart failure was more common in East countries (P < 0.0001) while hypertension and peripheral artery disease were more common in South countries (both P < 0.0001). Previous bleeding and chronic kidney disease were more common in South countries (both P < 0.0001). A CHA2DS2-VASc score of ≥2 was highest in East and South countries (93.0 and 95.3%, respectively) compared with 80.8% in West countries (P < 0.0001). A HAS-BLED score of ≥3 was also highest in East and South countries (18.0 and 29.2% respectively) compared with 4.8% in West countries (P < 0.0001). Oral anticoagulation (OAC) use (either as OAC or OAC plus antiplatelet therapy) in West, East, and South countries was 72.0, 74.7, and 76.2%, respectively. Only antiplatelet therapy was used in 13.6, 15.4, and 12.4%, respectively. An initial rate control strategy only was most common in South countries (77.8%) (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION From the systematic collection of contemporary data regarding the management and treatment of AF in nine participating member ESC countries, we provide hypothesis-generating insights into regional management practices in Europe with regard to patient characteristics and treatment options.
Nonmodifiable risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament injury

Purpose of review As anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is becoming increasingly prevalent in the population of active children and young adolescents, it is crucial to be aware of both the modifiable and nonmodifiable factors that place this population at increased ACL injury risk. Historically, there has not been a definitive consensus on all of these risk factors—particularly the nonmodifiable ones. Recent findings The present review has accumulated the most recent evidence for the nonmodifiable risk factors in ACL injury focusing particularly on female gender, generalized joint laxity, knee recurvatum, increased lateral tibial slope, decreased intercondylar notch width, structural lower extremity valgus, limb length discrepancy, family history, and history of contralateral knee ACL injury. Summary Physicians should be aware of the nonmodifiable risk factors for ACL tears in active children and adolescents and should also encourage avoidance of modifiable risk factors in this population. Young athletes with nonmodifiable risk factors are at a particularly increased risk of recurrent injury following ACL reconstruction (ACLR). We believe that a primary extra-articular augmentation via iliotibial band tenodesis at the same time of ACLR may decrease the rate of reinjury for the high risk athlete with multiple nonmodifiable risk factors.
Portrayals of overweight and obese individuals on commercial television.

OBJECTIVES This study examined the distribution and individual characteristics of body types on prime-time television. METHODS Five episodes of each of the 10 top-rated prime-time fictional programs on 6 broadcast networks during the 1999-2000 season were quantitatively analyzed. RESULTS Of 1018 major television characters, 14% of females and 24% of males were overweight or obese, less than half their percentages in the general population. Overweight and obese females were less likely to be considered attractive, to interact with romantic partners, or to display physical affection. Overweight and obese males were less likely to interact with romantic partners and friends or to talk about dating and were more likely to be shown eating. CONCLUSIONS Overweight and obese television characters are associated with specific negative characteristics.
Positive allosteric modulation by ultraviolet irradiation on GABAA, but not GABAC, receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes

1 Recombinant rat GABAA (α1β2, α1β2γ2, β2γ2) and human GABAC (ρ1) receptors were expressed in Xenopus oocytes to examine the effect of ultraviolet (UV) light on receptor function. 2 GABA‐induced currents in individual oocytes expressing GABA receptors were tested by two‐electrode voltage clamp before, and immediately after, 312 nm UV irradiation. 2 UV irradiation significantly potentiated 10 μm GABA‐induced currents in α1β2γ2 GABA receptors. The modulation was irradiation dose dependent, with a maximum potentiation of more than 3‐fold. 3 The potentiation was partially reversible and decayed exponentially with a time constant of 8.2 ± 1.2 min toward a steady‐state level which was still significantly elevated (2.7 ± 0.3‐fold) compared to the control level. 4 The effect of UV irradiation on GABAA receptors varied with receptor subunit composition. UV irradiation decreased the EC50 of the α1β2, α1β2γ2 and β2γ2 GABAA receptors, but exhibited no significant effect on the ρ1 GABAC receptor. 5 UV irradiation also significantly increased the maximum current 2‐fold in α1β2 GABAA receptors with little effect on the maximum of α1β2γ2 (1.1‐fold) or β2γ2 (1.1‐fold) GABAA receptors. 6 The effect of UV irradiation on GABAA receptors did not overlap the effect of the GABA receptor‐ allosteric modulator, diazepam. 7 The UV effect on GABAA receptors was not prevented by the treatment of the oocytes before and during UV irradiation with one of the following free‐radical scavengers: 40 mmd‐mannitol, 40 mm imidazole or 40 mm sodium azide. In addition, the effect was not mimicked by the free‐radical generator, H2O2. 8 Potential significance and mechanism(s) of the UV effect on GABA receptors are discussed.
Centella asiatica (Linn.) Urban — A Review

Centella asiatica (Linn.) Urban is valued in Indian systems of medicine for improving memory and for the treatment of nervine disorders and skin diseases. It has been used extensively as memory enhancer. The present review is an up-to-date and comprehensive literature analysis of the chemistry, pharmacology and clinical trials on Centella drug.
Breadcrumbs of interaction: situating personal information management

The area of Personal Information Management (PIM) primarily deals with how to store, retrieve and share files and other interactional artifacts. According to previous research there is a lack of field studies of actual PIM practices, especially mobile practices. In this article we present findings from an ethnographical study of wireless practice of laptop computers. The study reports on the role of historical interaction resources in a mobile PIM practice as well as the contextual effects on PIM. The findings reveal a PIM-practice highly connected to use situations not always departing from manipulating files and folders, which has been a focus in many previous studies. Designers are encouraged to explore the situated intimate and immediate design space found to be of great importance for the use of these so called Breadcrumbs of Interaction.
Efficient Pruning for Successive-Cancellation Decoding of Polar Codes

This letter presents an efficient pruning method for the successive-cancellation (SC) decoding of polar codes. In the proposed method, unnecessary sub-trees are pruned if the syndrome check of a constituent code is satisfied. Without sacrificing the error-rate performance, the recursive operation associated with such a constituent code is replaced with simple computations. Compared with the traditional SC decoding, the proposed pruning decreases the decoding latency by 85% on the average for the polar (1024, 512) code.
Error Vector Magnitude as a Performance Measure for Advanced Modulation Formats

We examine the relation between optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR), error vector magnitude (EVM), and bit-error ratio (BER). Theoretical results and numerical simulations are compared to measured values of OSNR, EVM, and BER. We conclude that the EVM is an appropriate metric for optical channels limited by additive white Gaussian noise. Results are supported by experiments with six modulation formats at symbol rates of 20 and 25 GBd generated by a software-defined transmitter.
Attitudes toward Adults with Intellectual Disability: A Survey of Ontario Occupational and Physical Therapy Students.

PURPOSE To examine attitudes of students in Ontario master's degree programmes in occupational therapy (MScOT) and physical therapy (MScPT) toward adults with intellectual disability (ID). METHODS A quantitative cross-sectional survey study was conducted. An electronic questionnaire was distributed to 1,255 MScOT/PT students at five Ontario universities via email, using a modified Dillman approach. Descriptive statistics were used to describe experiences, attitudes, willingness, and preparedness. RESULTS Overall response rate was 17.9%. A total of 96.0% of respondents felt "quite" or "very willing" to deliver rehabilitation to adults with ID; however, 50.7% of respondents felt "not at all prepared" or "a little prepared" to interact with this population in a clinical setting. Of those who felt unprepared, 75.4% reported it to be due to inadequate knowledge. In addition, Ontario MScOT/PT students have neutral attitudes toward adults with ID. CONCLUSIONS While many MScOT/PT students are willing to deliver rehabilitation to adults with ID, a large proportion do not feel adequately prepared to interact with this population in a clinical setting. These findings could inform future research and curricular reform in the rehabilitation professions so that future clinicians are better prepared to provide support for this population.
Medical Economics Survey-Methods Study: Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative Survey Strategies

The Medical Economics Survey-Methods Study was conducted under contract for the National Center for Health Statistics during 1975–76. The objective was to determine the cost-effectiveness of a variety of strategies under consideration for application in a national survey in 1977. Detailed data on health care utilization and expenditures were collected periodically from a panel of 691 Maryland households over a seven-month period. Issues tested through a random experimental design included the relative effectiveness of monthly versus bimonthly interviews and in-person versus telephone contact. Completeness and accuracy of information were determined through an extensive record check involving all providers and third party payers identified in the household survey. The results indicate that there are substantial deficiencies in the household reporting and that the household data for all types of medical services would benefit from the availability of record data in order to improve their accuracy. The frequency of contact (monthly versus bimonthly) had little effect on the accuracy of reporting. Given the higher rate of attrition observed for the monthly procedures and their considerably greater cost, the bimonthly interval appears to offer advantages. In-person contact resulted in significantly better reporting compared with telephone contact in the Baltimore area, but no difference was found in more rural Washington County. Thus, the 10 per cent cost increase for in-person contact may well be justified by the improved accuracy of the data obtained for certain types of populations.
PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF ORANGE PEEL AND PULP

The oranges were purchased from the local market of Bela. The orange peel and pulp were subjected to successive extraction with solvents in increasing order of their polarity viz. Acetone, hexane, methanol and distilled water. Orange peel and pulp powder was extracted separately by aqueous extraction. Phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of tannins, saponins etc. Anthraquiones were completely absent in both the citrus peel and pulp.
A Highly Compressible Regular Expression Matching Circuit for Network Intrusion Detection Systems: An ECD-NFA approach

Network attacks that flow through network firewalls or network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) are often identifiable by the patterns of data that they contain. The patterns are normally represented by complex regular expressions which are matched at a very high speed. The regular expressions are built into their equivalent automata, using minimal hardware resources in order to detect variations of these patterns. This paper explains the design, structure, and suitability of a hardware-based automata implementation. The approach is based on an input compression technique that uses Equivalence Classification (EC) technique. The technique is used to drive a novel Nondeterministic Finite Automata (NFA) referred to as Equivalence Class Descriptor NFA (ECD-NFA). The ECD-NFA approach creates classes of compressed inputs represented by positive integer values simply referred to as ECDs. The ECDs are class descriptors, which are used as inputs to drive the automata, instead of unclassified raw character-input strings. The ECD-NFA design is built to take advantage of the parallelism provided by Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology. The design further exploited the FPGA to provide high throughput and support for quick updates. The ECD-NFA design clocks at 460.00 MHz, with a throughput value of 3.68 Gigabits (Gbps). The design incurs very minimal logic circuit cost, and the preliminary results look promising.
New mathematical model for the correct prediction of the exchangeable blood volume during acute normovolemic hemodilution

Background: The blood volume that has to be exchanged for crystalloids and/or colloids during acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) in order to reach a preset target hemoglobin concentration (hb) is usually predicted by the Bourke and Smith formula developed in 1974. This formula systematically overestimates the ‘true’ exchangeable blood volume (EBV), a fact that may potentially endanger patients because the target hb will be missed and the normovolemic anemia might turn out to be more severe than a priori intended. Our objective was to develop a more accurate mathematical model of hemodilution kinetics and to validate this new model in animals and in patients undergoing ANH.
Antibodies against the Ag2 fimbriae of Actinomyces viscosus T14V inhibit lactose-sensitive bacterial adherence

Monospecific antisera against the Ag1 and Ag2 fimbrial components of Actinomyces viscosus T14V were produced by immunizing rabbits with immune precipitates of each antigen harvested from crossed-immunoelectrophoresis plates. The Fab fragments prepared from these sera were used as specific reagents in immunoelectron microscopy to identify each fimbrial component on the bacterial surface and also were assayed for their abilities to prevent the coaggregation of A. viscosus T14V with Streptococcus sanguis 34, an interaction that is lactose sensitive. Each Fab preparation appeared to react with different fibrillar structures present on the actinomycete, and only the Ag2-specific Fabs blocked coaggregation. These results provide strong support for the presence of distinct types of fimbriae on A. viscosus T14V and indicate the exclusive involvement of Ag2 fimbriae in lactose-sensitive adherence.
The Relationship between University Learning Experiences and English Teaching Self-Efficacy: Perspectives of Five Final-Year Pre-Service English Teachers.

No literature exists on English teaching efficacy or selfefficacy or on pre-service teachers’ English teaching self-efficacy and its relationship to pre-service teacher education. This project addressed this conceptual and methodological gap in current teacher efficacy research literature. Five pre-service English teachers in their final year of double degree Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts teacher education programmes at an Australian university were interviewed about their self-efficacy for specific English teaching skills. Results suggest that the pre-service teachers see a significant relationship between their self-efficacy to teach English and their degree. The data suggests that the relationship between university learning experiences and English teaching self-efficacy is determined by the nature of those experiences.