Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Initial dip detection based on both HbO and HbR vector-based phase analysis

A new threshold circle to minimize possible misclassification of initial dips in the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals using the vector-based phase analysis is investigated. In contrast to the work in [20] (i.e., the square root of the sum of the squares of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobins), the peak value of oxy- or deoxy-hemoglobin during the resting state is used. The experiment was performed on five healthy subjects. The activity was measured using a frequency domain fNIRS system during the mental arithmetic task from the prefrontal cortex. With the new criterion, the radius of the circle becomes smaller than that in [20], and earlier detection of initial dips are possible. For the given arithmetic task, the channels of detecting the initial dips were not the same over the subjects, which reflects that the activated brain region in association with the performed task spreads in the prefrontal cortex. Also, the new method can further reduce the misinterpretation of large variations in the resting state and even during the task period.
The Effects of Ketamine-Isomers on Neuronal Injury and Regeneration in Rat Hippocampal Neurons

There is a difference in the relative anesthetic potency of the isomers of ketamine.Neuroprotective differences may therefore also exist. After an 8-min exposure to 500 micro Meter glutamate or axonal transection, cultured rat hippocampal neurons were maintained untreated or in the presence of ketamine-racemate, S(+)-ketamine, or R(-)-ketamine (10-4 M, 10-5 M, 10-6 M). Cell survival was examined by dye inclusion/esterase activity, morphology by phase contrast and immunofluorescence microscopy, and [(3) H]arachidonic acid (ARA) release by liquid scintillation spectrometry. Seven days after glutamate exposure, survival decreased to 30% in the damaged, untreated group. Extracellular [(3) H]ARA increased fivefold. Dendritic length and branching decreased to a quarter and axonal extensions to the half. Ketamine-racemate 10-4 M increased survival to 65%, and induced longer dendrites (P <or=to 0.05). S(+)-Ketamine 10-4 M increased survival to 80%, reduced [(3) H]ARA threefold, and preserved cytoskeletal arborizations (P <or=to 0.05). Axotomy decreased survival to 60% and caused a minor increase in [(3) H]ARA after 7 days. Survival was 80% after 10-4 M ketamine-racemate and 90% after 10-4 M S(+)-ketamine (P <or=to 0.05). Only S(+)-ketamine supported axonal reoutgrowth and decreased [(3) H]ARA (P <or=to 0.05). R(-)-Ketamine was ineffective after both types of injury. Ketamine-racemate and S(+)-ketamine attenuated injury after glutamate exposure or axonal transection in hippocampal neurons in vitro. Neuroregenerative effects were uniquely demonstrated by S(+)-ketamine. (Anesth Analg 1996;83:505-12)
Effect of the KCNQ potassium channel opener retigabine on single KCNQ2/3 channels expressed in CHO cells

KCNQ2/3 potassium channel subunits were co‐expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and currents through single channels recorded using cell‐attached patches. Channels had a similar slope conductance in the presence (8.04 ± 0.02 pS) and absence (7.6 ± 0.01 pS) of 10 μm retigabine. The mean maximal open probability (Po) for single KCNQ2/3 channels was 0.13 ± 0.02, with a half‐maximal Po potential (Vo) of −28.7 ± 1.4 mV for control recordings. Retigabine increased mean maximal Po to 0.38 ± 0.04 and produced a hyperpolarising shift of Vo to −40.1 ± 3.4 mV. Single KCNQ2/3 channels have multiple voltage‐dependent kinetic components in their activity (CL‐OS‐CM‐OL‐CS; C = closed, O = open, L = long, S = short, M = medium), giving short, medium and long closed times (τCS, τCM, τCL) and short and long open times (τOS and τOL). In the presence of retigabine at 0 mV the combined duration and contributions of the longest closed time τCL decreased tenfold, while the short and long open times increased fourfold and twofold, respectively. Thus, steady‐state kinetics were modified to favour the open channel configuration.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae YOR163w Gene Encodes a Diadenosine 5′,5‴-P 1,P 6-Hexaphosphate (Ap6A) Hydrolase Member of the MutT Motif (Nudix Hydrolase) Family*

The YOR163w open reading frame on chromosome XV of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome encodes a member of the MutT motif (nudix hydrolase) family of enzymes ofM r 21,443. By cloning and expressing this gene in Escherichia coli and S. cerevisiae, we have shown the product to be a (di)adenosine polyphosphate hydrolase with a previously undescribed substrate specificity. Diadenosine 5′,5‴-P 1,P 6-hexaphosphate is the preferred substrate, and hydrolysis in H2 18O shows that ADP and adenosine 5′-tetraphosphate are produced by attack at Pβ and AMP and adenosine 5′-pentaphosphate are produced by attack at Pα with a K m of 56 μmand k cat of 0.4 s−1. Diadenosine 5′,5‴-P 1,P 5-pentaphosphate, adenosine 5′-pentaphosphate, and adenosine 5′-tetraphosphate are also substrates, but not diadenosine 5′,5‴-P 1,P 4-tetraphosphate or other dinucleotides, mononucleotides, nucleotide sugars, or nucleotide alcohols. The enzyme, which was shown to be expressed in log phase yeast cells by immunoblotting, displays optimal activity at pH 6.9, 50 °C, and 4–10 mm Mg2+ (or 200 μm Mn2+). It has an absolute requirement for a reducing agent, such as dithiothreitol (1 mm), and is inhibited by Ca2+ with an IC50 of 3.3 mm and F− (noncompetitively) with aK i of 80 μm. Its function may be to eliminate potentially toxic dinucleoside polyphosphates during sporulation.
Expert qualitative researchers and the use of audit trails.

BACKGROUND Determining the credibility of qualitative research findings remains a contested area and leaves the way open for additional theoretical and methodological discussion. AIMS In this paper we focus on audit trails and confirmability, within the context of 'expert' qualitative researchers. Having outlined the audit trail process, we develop existing arguments about the 'expert' qualitative researcher. We then juxtapose the two, highlighting a number of issues in an attempt to advance the debate. DISCUSSION These issues discussed are: (1) The shifting sands of methodological orthodoxy - the historical context in which audit trails emerged. (2) The individual construction of logic. (3) 'Grounded in the data' or 'going beyond the words'- the key differences between descriptive and interpretive findings. (4) The singular relationship between qualitative researcher and their data. (5) The growing acknowledgement that method alone is insufficient. (6) The challenging example of visionaries. CONCLUSION We argue that using audit trails as a means to achieve confirmability of qualitative research findings is an exaggeration of the case for method, and may do little to establish the credibility of the findings. We also introduce a preliminary case for testing the credibility of theory induced by expert qualitative researchers, in part by means of its usefulness; its 'fit and grab', rather than by the researcher's adherence to contemporary methodological orthodoxy. In other words, the absence of audit trails does not necessarily challenge the credibility of qualitative findings, particularly if an expert qualitative researcher produced the findings.
Development of Metachronous Tumors after Endoscopic Resection for Gastric Neoplasm according to the Baseline Tumor Grade at a Health Checkup Center.

Background/Aims Endoscopic resection (ER) procedure has been performed widely to treat gastric neoplasms. Here, we compared the long-term prognosis based on the clinical features of three types of recurred gastric neoplasms after ER, including low-grade dysplasia (LGD), high-grade dysplasia (HGD), and early gastric carcinoma (EGC). Methods Between 2003 and 2014, subjects who were diagnosed with gastric neoplasm during screening endoscopy were included. The baseline clinicopathologic and tumor recurrence were analyzed. Results Of the 316 patients enrolled, 170 patients (53.8%) were categorized into the LGD group, 34 patients (10.8%) into the HGD group, and 112 patients (35.4%) into the EGC group. The median follow-up duration was 4.2 years. Among the total, 14 patients experienced a development of metachronous gastric cancer; 4 patients (2.3%) in the LGD group, 3 patients (8.3%) in the HGD group, and 7 patients (6.1%) in the EGC group. Metachronous gastric neoplasm had developed in 17 LGD patients (10.0%), 5 HGD patients (14.7%), and 14 EGC patients (12.5%). There was no significant difference in the incidence of metachronous gastric cancer and neoplasm among the three groups (p=0.15 and p=0.72, respectively). Conclusions We identified that the incidence rates of gastric neoplasm and cancer after endoscopic treatment were not significantly different between the LGD, HGD, and EGC groups.
An Efficient Density-based Clustering Algorithm for Higher-Dimensional Data

DBSCAN is a typically used clustering algorithm due to its clustering ability for arbitrarily-shaped clusters and its robustness to outliers. Generally, the complexity of DBSCAN is O(n^2) in the worst case, and it practically becomes more severe in higher dimension. Grid-based DBSCAN is one of the recent improved algorithms aiming at facilitating efficiency. However, the performance of grid-based DBSCAN still suffers from two problems: neighbour explosion and redundancies in merging, which make the algorithms infeasible in high-dimensional space. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm named GDPAM attempting to extend Grid-based DBSCAN to higher data dimension. In GDPAM, a bitmap indexing is utilized to manage non-empty grids so that the neighbour grid queries can be performed efficiently. Furthermore, we adopt an efficient union-find algorithm to maintain the clustering information in order to reduce redundancies in the merging. The experimental results on both real-world and synthetic datasets demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art exact/approximate DBSCAN and suggests a good scalability.
The nexus of electricity access, population growth, economic growth in Pakistan and projection through 2040

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between electricity access, population growth and economic growth in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Phillips–Perron unit root test was applied to check the stationarity of the variables and an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to co-integration was used to investigate the causality link between the study variables. Finally, a projection method was applied to check the future trend of the variables. Findings The study results show the long-term connections among the variables; further, the results illustrate that the electricity access to the urban population and the urban population growth has a significant impact on the economic growth, while the electricity access to the rural population and the rural population growth has a negative impact on the economic growth in Pakistan. Research limitations/implications The electricity sector needs further attention from the Government of Pakistan to boost the production from different energy sources, such as oil, gas, solar, nuclear and hydropower to be able to fulfill the country’s growing demand. Originality/value By using the ARDL bounds testing approach to co-integration, this study addressed the literature gap regarding electricity access, population growth and economic growth in Pakistan.
Residents’ attitudes to tourism: a review

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore recent trends in the theories and methods applied to studies on residents’ attitudes.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the objective of this research, this paper provides a review of 90 journal articles on residents’ attitudes towards tourism published between 2011 and 2017. The relevant articles were then analysed using content analysis.FindingsKey findings revealed that although social exchange theory is still dominant in exploring residents’ attitudes towards tourism, new frameworks are beginning to emerge such as institutional theory and bottom-up spillover theory. Nonetheless, alternative theoretical perspective has only been applied once or twice and requires further engagement. Quantitative methods still dominate the field, with the geographic dispersal of studies spanning 33 countries.Research limitations/implicationsA potential limitation of this review is that articles published only in four leading tourism journals, namely,ATR,JTR,TMandJOST, were analysed.Originality/valueThis review contributes to the literature in tourism by assessing the shift in the application of theory and methodological approaches in residents’ attitudes studies from previous systematic reviews. This study adds to the body of knowledge by providing an overview of the existing status of research on residents’ attitudes towards tourism, providing direction for future scholarly inquiry. A further contribution of this review is an indication of not only the data collection methods but also data analysis techniques which have not been done in previous review articles on residents’ attitudes towards tourism. As opposed to other systematic reviews, this paper assessed the geographical setting of studies on residents’ attitudes towards tourism.
Circadian variation in basal plasma corticosterone and adrenocorticotropin in the rat: sexual dimorphism and changes across the estrous cycle.

Sexual dimorphism in the rat hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis was investigated by determination of plasma corticosterone and immunoreactive (I-) ACTH in males and in females at each stage of the estrous cycle. A serial blood-sampling technique enabled assessment of covariation of the two hormones across the full circadian range of their concentrations within individual animals. Distinct diurnal rhythms in plasma corticosterone were evident in all rats, and the degree and timing of this rhythmicity, determined by cosinor analyses, did not vary with gender or cycle stage. There were, however, marked differences in absolute levels of corticosterone across the estrous cycle, with the average daily concentration (mesor) increasing progressively from a minimum at estrus (129 +/- 11 ng/ml) to a maximum 3 days later at proestrus (246 +/- 14 ng/ml). The mesor corticosterone value in male rats (102 +/- 21 ng/ml) was not different from that in estrous females, but was lower than that in females at all other stages of the cycle. In contrast, no gender- or cycle-related differences were detected in absolute levels of I-ACTH, although distinct diurnal rhythms, synchronous with those for corticosterone, were evident in all groups. Accordingly, a strong and positive within-rat relationship between plasma corticosterone and I-ACTH was observed in all groups, but there was a clear shift in the nature of this relationship across the estrous cycle, such that the slope (i.e. concentration of plasma corticosterone per unit concentration of I-ACTH) was minimal in males and estrous females and maximal in proestrous females. In conclusion, this study shows that the extent of sexual dimorphism in resting plasma corticosterone levels is dependent on estrous cycle stage, being absent at estrus and maximal at proestrus. Moreover, this variation in plasma corticosterone was not accompanied by corresponding changes in plasma I-ACTH, suggestive of cycle-related changes in responsiveness of the adrenal cortex to trophic stimulation.
Human Cytomegalovirus Protein US11 Provokes an Unfolded Protein Response That May Facilitate the Degradation of Class I Major Histocompatibility Complex Products

ABSTRACT The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) glycoprotein US11 diverts class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) heavy chains (HC) from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the cytosol, where HC are subjected to proteasome-mediated degradation. In mouse embryonic fibroblasts that are deficient for X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1), a key transcription factor in the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway, we show that degradation of endogenous mouse HC is impaired. Moreover, the rate of US11-mediated degradation of ectopically expressed HLA-A2 is reduced when XBP-1 is absent. In the human astrocytoma cell line U373, turning on expression of US11, but not US2, is sufficient to induce a UPR, as manifested by upregulation of the ER chaperone Bip and by splicing of XBP-1 mRNA. In the presence of dominant-negative versions of XBP-1 and activating transcription factor 6, the kinetics of class I MHC HC degradation were delayed when expression of US11 was turned on. The magnitude of these effects, while reproducible, was modest. Conversely, in cells that stably express high levels of US11, the degradation of HC is not affected by the presence of the dominant negative effectors of the UPR. An infection of human foreskin fibroblasts with human cytomegalovirus induced XBP-1 splicing in a manner that coincides with US11 expression. We conclude that the contribution of the UPR is more pronounced on HC degradation shortly after induction of US11 expression and that US11 is sufficient to induce such a response.
Photosynthesis of Grass Species Differing in Carbon Dioxide Fixation Pathways : VI. DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE AND LIGHT INTENSITY ON PHOTORESPIRATION IN C(3), C(4), AND INTERMEDIATE SPECIES.

The effects of temperature and photosynthetically active radiation levels on photorespiration were investigated in Panicum milioides Nees ex Trin. and Panicum schenckii Hack. , species known to have low photorespiration rates and other characteristics intermediate between C(3) and C(4) species. Comparisons were made with the C(3) grass species tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). An increase in temperature from 20 to 35 C raised photorespiration from 7.3 to 10.2 milligrams per square decimeter per hour in tall fescue, but the increase in P. schenckii was less than 1 milligram per square decimeter per hour. Increases in temperature caused much less change in CO(2) compensation concentration in P. milioides and P. schenckii than in tall fescue, values of 160 microliters per liter being obtained in tall fescue at 40 C compared to about 40 microliters per liter for P. milioides and P. schenckii. Photorespiration in P. schenckii increased by only about 1 milligram CO(2) per square decimeter per hour as the photosynthetically active radiation level was raised from 100 to 2,000 microEinsteins per square meter per second. Loss of CO(2) into CO(2)-free air actually decreased from 2.2 to 1.0 milligrams per square decimeter per hour as the radiation level was raised from 100 to 1,100 microEinsteins per square meter per second but tended to rise again at 2,000 microEinsteins per square meter per second. In contrast, photorespiration in tall fescue tripled with radiation level over the same range, reaching a maximum value of 7.2 milligrams per square decimeter per hour as determined by extrapolation of the CO(2) response curves to zero CO(2). The CO(2) compensation concentration in tall fescue was nearly insensitive to photosynthetically active radiation above 140 microEinsteins per square meter per second but, in P. milioides and P. schenckii, it decreased from values of 69 and 62 microliters per liter, respectively, to values of 21 and 16 as the radiation level was increased from 50 to 1075 microEinsteins per square meter per second. Interpolation of CO(2)-response curves showed that an increase in photosynthetically active radiation level from 100 to 2,000 microEinsteins per square meter per second reduced the CO(2) compensation value of P. schenckii from 38 to 19 microliters per liter. Data from these experiments indicate reduced photorespiration or a CO(2)-recycling mechanism in P. milioides and P. schenckii which causes apparent photorespiration to be nearly insensitive to temperature in the 20 to 35 C range and to decrease at high radiation intensities.
Human Infections with New Subspecies of Campylobacter fetus

Campylobacter fetus subsp. testudinum subsp. nov. is a newly proposed subspecies of C. fetus with markers of reptile origin. We summarize epidemiologic information for 9 humans infected with this bacterium. All cases were in men, most of whom were of Asian origin. Infection might have been related to exposure to Asian foods or reptiles.
Persistence of hepatitis A virus in fulminant hepatitis and after liver transplantation

A peroxidase‐labelled, specific mouse monoclonal antibody to hepatitis A virus (HAV) and an in situ hybridization technique (streptavidin‐biotin‐horseradish peroxidase reaction) with an HAV‐specific cDNA probe (recombinant plasmid pAWHA comprising 1.8 kb of the HAV‐specific cDNA, located toward the 3′ end of the genome) were used to detect HAV in liver tissues in two patients with fulminant viral hepatitis type A treated by liver transplantation after a protracted (day 40: case 1) and relapsing (day 60: case 2) clinical course. HAV antigens and HAV‐specific genomic sequences were detected in the hepatectomy tissues and in serial biopsies of the liver grafts through to final follow‐up at 2 months (case 2) or death at 7 months after re‐grafting for chronic rejection (case 1). In the fulminant liver parenchyma, numerous degenerating and some surviving hepatocytes were positive and randomly scattered. The immunoperoxidase staining was predominantly cytoplasmic and often granular. The localization of the cDNA probe was predominantly nuclear/perinuclear but was occasionally cytoplasmic. High‐titre IgM‐anti‐HAV antibodies persisted until death (case 1) or resolution (5 months) of an acute hepatitis (case 2), which occurred at 2 months, accompanied by HAV antigen (ELISA), in stool. Intact replicating virus particles must have been present in one or more sites in each case, including extrahepatic locations, with a viraemia as the most likely explanation for subsequent reinfection of the grafts.
Brain nitric oxide synthase expression in the developing ferret lateral geniculate nucleus: Analysis of time course, localization, and synaptic contacts

Nitric oxide (NO) is a diffusible neurotransmitter that has been implicated in key developmental events, including the refinement of retinogeniculate axons into ON/OFF sublayers in the ferret lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), and in the formation of eye‐specific laminae in other species. To understand the role of NO in the LGN, it is critical to fully characterize the pattern of brain nitric oxide synthase (bNOS) expression within the nucleus, including the phenotype of the neural elements that express it. We have examined the temporal and spatial pattern of bNOS expression in the ferret LGN during the first 6 weeks of postnatal development, and in the adult, by detecting bNOS with a monoclonal antibody as well as β‐nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate–diaphorase histochemistry. We have found that bNOS is expressed in neurons in the A laminae of the LGN as early as postnatal day 7 (P7), a time coincident with eye‐specific segregation of retinal axons. This expression continues through P35, with peak somatodendritic expression at P21. Fluorescent double labeling using antibodies to bNOS and glutamic acid decarboxylase indicate that bNOS is expressed in γ‐aminobutyric acid–ergic interneurons within the A laminae. Electron microscopic examination of bNOS‐labeled cells showed synaptic contacts from terminals with two distinct morphologic profiles. Expression of bNOS within interneurons that receive contacts from multiple sources indicates that the synaptic circuitry associated with bNOS activation and the potential targets of NO may be more complex than originally thought and supports a potential new role for interneurons as cellular intermediaries in the refinement of pathways in the LGN. Our findings broaden the window of time that bNOS may be active within the developing LGN, suggesting an expanded role for NO during early postnatal development. J. Comp. Neurol. 462:342–354, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.