Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurement of Renal Blood Flow in the Rat

A radioactive microsphere technique has been developed for the measurement of renal blood flow and intrarenal blood flow distribution in the dog (1, 2). Various techniques have been proposed (3-5) for the measurement of renal blood flow (RBF) in the rat in addition to the conventional PAH clearance method. This study presents a simple method for the assessment of RBF in rats using radioactive microspheres. Method. Eight male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 200-240 g were fed with Purina Lab Chow and given tap water ad lib. All animals were lightly anesthetized with ether and cannulated with polyethylene tube No. 10 (i.d. 0.011 in., o.d. 0.024 in.) through the femoral artery for blood collection and through the carotid artery into the left ventricle for injection of microspheres. After awakening from anesthesia, animals were placed in restraining cages and allowed to recover for 45-60 min prior to injection. Radioactive microspheres, 15 μm ± 5 μm diameter, (3m Co., St. Paul, MN) were utilized to measure renal blood flow (RBF) and its intracortical distribution. Two different nuclides were used, 85Sr and 141Ce, for two separate measurements taken 1 hr apart. For each measurement, approximately 0.1 ml of 2 mg/ml concentration of microspheres in 10% dextran was injected through the carotid artery catheter within 5-7 sec. Just prior to injection, the spheres were sonicated for 5-10 min and then vigorously agitated with a vortex mixer for at least 3 min. Immediately upon injection of the spheres into the left ventricle, the femoral catheter was opened and blood was allowed to flow freely into a preweighed tube for exactly 1 min. Approximately 0.2 ml of blood was collected from the femoral artery in each minute. The adequacy of 1-min collection periods, vis à vis complete removal of microspheres from the circulation, was tested in a separate group of five animals.
The trimeric G protein Go inflicts a double impact on axin in the Wnt/frizzled signaling pathway

The Wnt/Frizzled signaling pathway plays crucial roles in animal development and is deregulated in many cases of carcinogenesis. We and others have previously demonstrated that Frizzled proteins initiating the intracellular signaling are typical G protein–coupled receptors and rely on the trimeric G protein Go for Wnt transduction in Drosophila. However, the mode of action of Go and its interplay with other transducers of the pathway such as Dishevelled and Axin remained unclear. Here we show that the α‐subunit of Go directly acts on Axin, the multidomain protein playing a negative role in the Wnt signaling. Gαo physically binds Axin and re‐localizes it to the plasma membrane. Furthermore, Gαo suppresses Axin's inhibitory action on the Wnt pathway in Drosophila wing development. The interaction of Gαo with Axin critically depends on the RGS domain of the latter. Additionally, we show that the βγ‐component of Go can directly bind and recruit Dishevelled from cytoplasm to the plasma membrane, where activated Dishevelled can act on the DIX domain of Axin. Thus, the two components of the trimeric Go protein mediate a double—direct and indirect—impact on different regions of Axin, which likely serves to ensure a robust inhibition of this protein and transduction of the Wnt signal. Developmental Dynamics 239:168–183, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
“Knight in shining armour” or “Frankenstein’s creation”? The coverage of synthetic biology in German-language media

Although still a side issue in the German-language media, attention towards synthetic biology has risen clearly during the last years, in line with the first applications being presented. This paper presents findings from a content analysis of synthetic biology coverage in German-language media over the years 2004–2009. In the media, synthetic biology is not clearly separated from gene technology. News value is attributed to established categories such as persons and events. Many metaphors and analogies used in describing gene technology can also be found in the coverage of synthetic biology; however, engineering metaphors are more prominent. In addition, playfulness constitutes an aspect rarely found in genetic engineering coverage. Overall, the picture emerging is ambivalent, which leaves prospects for the further development of public debate ambiguous.
Enhancement of electrically evoked startle-like responses by tetanic stimulation of the superior colliculus

Single-pulse unilateral electrical stimulation of either the amygdala or the inferior colliculus elicited startle-like responses in chloral hydrate anesthetized rats. EMG responses to intracranial stimulation were recorded from the anterior biceps femoris muscles. The EMG responses were generally enhanced following unilateral tetanic stimulation of the deep layers of the superior colliculus, but the enhancement was stronger for amygdala sites than inferior colliculus sites. The enhancement of EMG responses to ipsilateral amygdala stimulation was much larger than that for contralateral amygdala stimulation and that for ipsilateral inferior colliculus stimulation. The enhancement of EMG responses to contralateral inferior colliculus stimulation was not significant. The present study provides a motor-output model for studying plasticity in the neural pathways mediating startle facilitation.
A finite element method for extended KdV equations

Abstract The finite element method (FEM) is applied to obtain numerical solutions to a recently derived nonlinear equation for the shallow water wave problem. A weak formulation and the Petrov–Galerkin method are used. It is shown that the FEM gives a reasonable description of the wave dynamics of soliton waves governed by extended KdV equations. Some new results for several cases of bottom shapes are presented. The numerical scheme presented here is suitable for taking into account stochastic effects, which will be discussed in a subsequent paper.
Environmental Externalities and Cost of Capital

I analyze the impact of a firm's environmental profile on its cost of equity and debt capital. Using implied cost of capital derived from analysts' earnings estimates, I find that investors demand significantly higher expected returns on stocks excluded by environmental screens (such as hazardous chemical, substantial emissions and climate change concerns) compared to firms without such environmental concerns. Lenders also charge a significantly higher interest rate on the bank loans issued to firms with these environmental concerns. I provide evidence that environmental profile of a firm is not simply proxying for an omitted component of its default risk. Further, firms with these environmental concerns have lower institutional ownership and fewer banks participate in their loan syndicate than firms without such environmental concerns. These results suggest that exclusionary socially responsible investing and environmentally sensitive lending and the consequent increase in the cost of equity and debt capital has the potential to prompt firms to internalize their environmental externalities.
HOXD 10 acts as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective: HOXD10, which regulates and maintains cell-differentiated phenotype, has involved in the tumorigenesis of many human cancers. However, the expression patterns and biological functions of HOXD10 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain to be unclear. Therefore, we investigated the clinical and biological functions of HOXD10 in HCC in this work. Methods: HOXD10 expression was detected by RT-PCR, western blot and immunohistochemisty in HCC cell line LM3 and 15 cases of HCC. The function of HOXD10 in the LM3 was investigated by using stable transfected-HOXD10 LM3 cells, in which cell cycle, proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion ability were analyzed. The tumor formation was performed in BALB/c nude mice. Results: It was found that HOXD10 was significantly down-expressed in HCC tissues compared to that in pericarcinous tissues. Through transfection of HOXD10 to HCC cell line LM3, we observed that over-expression of HOXD10 could significantly increase apoptosis and inhibit proliferation in LM3 in vitro, as causing cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. HOXD10 could also suppress tumor formation in nude mice in vivo. Additionally, the migratory and invasive properties of LM3 cell were inhibited in case of overexpression of HOXD10, partly due to the inhibited expression of ROCK. Conclusion: Taken together, it was suggested that HOXD10 played as a suppressor gene in HCC, and could used as a prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target for HCC.
Endogenous Cortisol Predicts Decreased Loss Aversion in Young Men

Human and nonhuman animals respond asymmetrically to predicted punishments and rewards (Dayan & Seymour, 2008; Kahneman, 2011). In human decision making, for example, people pay more to avoid losses than to gain equivalent rewards. Because such loss aversion counterproductively diminishes an individual’s expected payoffs, it has become one of the most studied choice biases. It is unclear whether biological markers of punishment or stress exposure—most notably the glucocorticoid stress hormone cortisol of the hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis—predict this particular form of behavioral punishment sensitivity. Acute glucocorticoid administration desensitizes subjects to threat and punishment, whereas chronic administration sensitizes them, increasing anxiety (Aerni et al., 2004; de Quervain & Margraf, 2008; Schelling et al., 2006; Soravia et al., 2006). This mirrors the mainstream view that acute stress responses are adaptive, whereas chronic exposure is detrimental (Chrousos, 2009). There is evidence that HPA-axis traits specifically undermine decision making. HPA disturbances predict addictive behavior (Koob & Kreek, 2007; Marinelli & Piazza, 2002; Putman, Antypa, Crysovergi, & van der Does, 2010; Sinha, 2008), and the relation between longterm HPA activity and pathological gambling (Wohl, Matheson, Young, & Anisman, 2008) may reflect altered punishment sensitivity. In nonclinical populations, the threat of financial loss (i.e., imminent poverty) chronically elevates cortisol (Haushofer, de Laat, & Chemin, 2012). Yet it is unknown whether chronically elevated cortisol, in turn, alters exposure to new losses by altering decision making. Such a feedback cycle might be adaptive (negative feedback) or maladaptive (positive feedback), depending on whether it limits or exacerbates financial loss. In the present study, we sidestepped the issue of causation and simply assessed whether an individual’s maladaptive loss aversion increased with chronic exposure to endogenous cortisol, which we assayed using hair samples.
Periprosthetic Femoral Fractures Following Total Knee Arthroplasty

Supracondylar and distal femoral fractures involving total knee arthroplasties present a relatively new and challenging problem. The alignment of the total knee components prior to and subsequent to the fracture, as well as the patients' range of motion, symptoms, and level of function following their treatment, were investigated in 14 cases. Ten of the patients had nonoperative treatment. Four had had an operative procedure. Osteoporosis, notching of the femur, and revision arthroplasty were identified as predisposing factors with femoral fractures. The results of treatment depended primarily on reduction of varus deformity and/or posterior displacement of the femoral component. Nonoperative treatment was most successful in this regard.
Randomized Clinical Trials in Surgery

When it is well conducted, a randomized clinical provides the strongest evidence available for evaluating the comparative effectiveness of the interventions tested. Over the last two generations, we have learned much about various devices for strengthening them and about methods of avoiding between in their design, execution, analysis, and reporting. In a trial, we seek evidence for a causal link between treatment and observed outcomes. Becaues the controlled trial depends on an argument based on exculsion (i.e., no other causes or differences affected the experimental groups), we strengthen its inference by taking steps to exclude any such differences. This article discusses a number of issues that deserve consideration: problems of multiplicity and generalizability, devices for strengthening trials, issues of power and sample size, the relationship between study design and reported gains, when to undertake a trial, the role of collaborative trials, and ways to make trials more feasible in clinical settings.
The effect of anabolic steroids on drug metabolism by microsomal enzymes in rat liver.

Steroids with little androgenic activity, such as 19-nortestosterone and 4-chloro-19-nortestosterone acetate (SKF 6611), as well as androgenic steroids such as testosterone propionate, methyltestosterone and androstenedione increased the activity of several enzymes in rat liver microsomes when given to adult female rats (20 mg/kg) on alternate days for 4 weeks. All of the steroids produced 2-to 3-fold increases in the activity of the enzyme systems that metabolize hexobarbital, demethylate monomethyl-4-aminoantipyrine and hydroxylate naphthalene, but only 19-nortestosterone, testosterone propionate and methyltestosterone, increased the activity of microsomal TPNH oxidase. Treatment of castrated male rats with testosterone propionate or 19-nortestosterone ( 2 mg/kg on alternate days for 10 days) increased the weight of levator ani muscle as well as the rate of metabolism of hexobarbital and demethylation of monomethyl-4-aminoantipyrine about 2-fold. Although 19-nortestosterone nearly doubled the weight of the seminal vesicles, testosterone propionate caused a 14-fold increase. These findings suggest that the increase in microsomal enzyme activity is more closely related to the anabolic activity than to the androgenic activity of the steroid.
What Is Agency?1

This article aims (1) to analytically disaggregate agency into its several component elements (though these are interrelated empirically), (2) to demonstrate the ways in which these agentic dimensions interpenetrate with forms of structure, and (3) to point out the implications of such a conception of agency for empirical research. The authors conceptualize agency as a temporally embedded process of social engagement, informed by the past (in its “iterational” or habitual aspect) but also oriented toward the future (as a “projective” capacity to imagine alternative possibilities) and toward the present (as a “practical‐evaluative” capacity to contextualize past habits and future projects within the contingencies of the moment).
Recent developments in short-term memory.

This paper reviews some recent developments in the area of short-term memory. The methodological innovations include the distractor technique and the probe technique. The main empirical phenomena discussed are recency effects, input and output interference, the length—difficulty relationship, inter-item interference, proactive interference effects, the distribution of practice interaction, associative symmetry, modality effect, acoustic confusions, and transpositions. A ‘modal model’ is presented which attempts to synthesize some recent theoretical conceptions; the components include sensory, short-term and long-term stores with three different forgetting mechanisms (decay, displacement and interference, respectively).
Visualized decision making: development and application of information visualization techniques to improve decision quality of nursing home choice

An individual’s decision to place a close family member in a nursing home is both difficult and crucial. To assist consumers with such a decision, several initiatives have led to the creation of public websites designed to communicate quality indicators for nursing homes. However, a majority of consumers fail to fully utilize this information for various reasons, such as the multidimensionality, complexity, and uncertainty of the information. Some of the difficulties may be alleviated by information visualization (InfoVis) techniques. However, several unsuccessful attempts in applying InfoVis to decision making suggest that a thorough understanding of the user’s perspective is necessary. Accordingly, the author has developed an InfoVis tool for the decision domain of choice of a nursing home. First, a framework of overarching InfoVis and decision theories, called the “visualized decision making (VDM)” framework, has been developed and contextualized within the selection of a nursing home. Second, a decision-support tool using several InfoVis techniques such as the weighting slider bar and the distribution view have been designed for application within the framework, and the designed tool, called “VDM,” was implemented. Third, VDM was empirically tested through a webbased experiment and follow-up interviews. The results of this study showed that individuals faced with the decision of selecting a nursing home could make fairly high quality decisions when they used VDM. Though the effects of proposed InfoVis techniques were not evident, this study provided the theoretical framework and empirical results which may help other designers of InfoVis techniques because this work addresses several issues consumers face when choosing a nursing home that can be generalized to other decision making contexts.
Effects of burial in sand and water supply regime on seedling emergence of six species.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Air seeding has long been regarded as a quick and successful measure for vegetation rehabilitation in China. However, seedling emergence of often-used species including Agriophyllum squarrosum, Artemisia sphaerocephala, Artemisia ordosica, Hedysarum fruticosum, Caragana korshinskii and Medicago sativa is low. Experiments were conducted under controlled conditions to study the effects of sowing depth and water supply on seedling emergence, in order to understand the requirements for increasing seedling emergence. METHODS Seeds were exposed to different environments of burial and water supply regimes in PVC pots (7 cm in diameter and 11 cm in height) under the same light intensity and alternating temperature regimes in a growth chamber. KEY RESULTS Seedlings of three species (Agriophyllum squarrosum, Artemisia sphaerocephala, Artemisia ordosica) with relatively light seeds emerged well at a 0.5 cm sowing depth under a 7.5 and 10 mm water supply regime. However, few seedlings of these species emerged when the sowing depth was over 1 cm or when water supply was 5 mm. Seedlings of Caragana korshinskii, Hedysarum fruticosum and Medicago sativa emerged from sowing depths of 0.5-4 cm, 0.5-3 cm, and 0.5-4 cm, respectively, under both 7.5 and 10 mm water supply regimes. Under a 5 mm water supply regime, seedlings of these species also emerged at over 1 cm sowing depth. Seeds of all six species sown on the surface of sand did not germinate, and seedlings did not emerge when they were sown at depths greater than 6 cm. CONCLUSIONS Based on these experiments, a 0.5 cm sowing depth resulted in the highest seedling emergence and it is concluded that this is the optimal sowing depth for seedling emergence of all six species.
Generating behavioral acts of predetermined apparent complexity

Behavior of natural and artificial agents consists of behavioral episodes or acts. This study introduces a quantitative measure of behavioral acts -- their apparent complexity. The measure is based on the concept of the Kolmogorov complexity. It is an apparent measure because it is determined solely by the readings of the signals that directly encode percepts and actions during behavior. The article describes an algorithm of generating behavioral acts of predetermined apparent complexity. Such acts can be used to evaluate and develop learning abilities of artificial agents.
The Teaching of Mathematics in British Columbia.

Approximately 3,500 teachers of mathematics in elementary and secondary schools throughout British Columbia completed questionnaires dealing with their backgrounds and aspects of their teaching practices. Results indicate that, in general, teachers are well-prepared academically to teach mathematics but that there is little evidence of the impact of "new math" on the teaching of mathematics. Topics rated as most important by teachers were those dealing with arithmetic skills, and the most frequently used teaching techniques are total class instruction and teacher explanation.
B cells and antibodies in the pathogenesis of myelin injury in Semliki Forest Virus encephalomyelitis.

To determine the contribution of B cells to brain myelin injury in Semliki Forest Virus (SFV) encephalomyelitis, normal C57BL/6 (B6) and B-cell-deficient (C57BL/6-tm1Cgn) B6 mice were infected with SFV. The peak of clinical disease, i.e., the time at which the greatest proportions of mice had moderate to severe clinical signs, appeared earlier in B6 mice [day 7 postinfection (pi)] than in B-cell-deficient mice (day 21 pi). By flow cytometry, no clear differences were found in the percentages of CD3(+)CD4(+) T cells in the brains of B6 and B-cell-deficient mice. However, by day 21 pi, percentages of CD3(+)CD8(+) T cells were greater in brains of B-cell-deficient than in those of B6 mice. On day 21 pi, percentages of CD19(+) B cells were maximal in B6 mice, but B cells were absent in B-cell-deficient mice at all time points. Sera obtained from B6 mice showed antibody responses to SFV, to SFV E2 peptides p137-151 and p115-133, and to peptides of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein p18-32 and myelin basic protein (MBP) p64-75. Sera obtained from B-cell-deficient mice showed minimal or no reactivity to SFV, E2, or myelin peptides. CNS inflammatory and PAS-positive macrophage foci were maximal on days 7-14 pi in all mice. Additionally, B6 mice had brain white matter vacuolation, whereas B-cell-deficient mice did not. These data suggest that brain infiltrating B cells and anti-myelin antibodies contribute to myelin injury in SFV encephalomyelitis.
A 1.8µW 1µV-offset capacitively-coupled chopper instrumentation amplifier in 65nm CMOS

This paper describes a precision capacitively-coupled chopper instrumentation amplifier (CCIA). It achieves 1µV offset, 134dB CMRR, 120dB PSRR, 0.16% gain accuracy and a noise efficiency factor (NEF) of 3.1, which is more than 3x better than state-of-the-art. It has a rail-to-rail DC common-mode (CM) input range. Furthermore, a positive feedback loop (PFL) is used to boost the input impedance, and a ripple reduction loop (RRL) is used to reduce the ripple associated with chopping. The CCIA occupies only 0.1mm2 in a 65nm CMOS technology. It can operate from a 1V supply, from which it draws only 1. 8µA.
A scoring system for antenatal identification of fetal growth retardation

Summary. A scoring system for selection of pregnancies at risk of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is presented. It is based on eight weighted items which include information from previous pregnancies and from the current one including the increment of fundal height and of maternal weight. With a risk population of 7% all IUGR infants were included. The IUGR infants constituted 34% of the risk group.