Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motor unit recruitment in human biceps brachii during sustained voluntary contractions

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of the difference between the recruitment threshold of a motor unit and the target force of the sustained contraction on the discharge of the motor unit at recruitment. The discharge characteristics of 53 motor units in biceps brachii were recorded after being recruited during a sustained contraction. Some motor units (n= 22) discharged action potentials tonically after being recruited, whereas others (n= 31) discharged intermittent trains of action potentials. The two groups of motor units were distinguished by the difference between the recruitment threshold of the motor unit and the target force for the sustained contraction: tonic, 5.9 ± 2.5%; intermittent, 10.7 ± 2.9%. Discharge rate for the tonic units decreased progressively (13.9 ± 2.7 to 11.7 ± 2.6 pulses s−1; P= 0.04) during the 99 ± 111 s contraction. Train rate, train duration and average discharge rate for the intermittent motor units did not change across 211 ± 153 s of intermittent discharge. The initial discharge rate at recruitment during the sustained contraction was lower for the intermittent motor units (11.0 ± 3.3 pulses s−1) than the tonic motor units (13.7 ± 3.3 pulses s−1; P= 0.005), and the coefficient of variation for interspike interval was higher for the intermittent motor units (34.6 ± 12.3%) than the tonic motor units (21.2 ± 9.4%) at recruitment (P= 0.001) and remained elevated for discharge duration (34.6 ± 9.2%versus 19.1 ± 11.7%, P < 0.001). In an additional experiment, 12 motor units were recorded at two different target forces below recruitment threshold (5.7 ± 1.9% and 10.5 ± 2.4%). Each motor unit exhibited the two discharge patterns (tonic and intermittent) as observed for the 53 motor units. The results suggest that newly recruited motor units with recruitment thresholds closer to the target force experienced less synaptic noise at the time of recruitment that resulted in them discharging action potentials at more regular and greater rates than motor units with recruitment thresholds further from the target force.
Interplay between neuromodulator‐induced switching of short‐term plasticity at sensorimotor synapses in the neonatal rat spinal cord

In the present study, we investigated the modulation of short‐term depression (STD) at synapses between sensory afferents and rat motoneurons by serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline. STD was elicited with trains of 15 stimuli at 1, 5 and 10 Hz and investigated using whole‐cell voltage‐clamp recordings from identified motoneurons in the neonatal rat spinal cord in vitro. STD was differentially modulated by the amines. Dopamine was effective at all stimulation frequencies, whereas serotonin affected STD only during 5 and 10 Hz stimulus trains and noradrenaline during 1 and 5 Hz trains. Dopamine and serotonin homogenized the degree of depression observed with the different stimulation modalities, in contrast to noradrenaline, which amplified the rate differences. The different modulatory profiles observed with the amines were partly due to GABAergic interneuron activity. In the presence of GABAA and GABAB receptor antagonists, the rate and/or kinetics of STD did not vary with the stimulation frequency in contrast to the control condition, and noradrenaline failed to alter either synaptic amplitude or STD, suggesting indirect actions. Dopamine and serotonin strongly decreased STD and converted depression to facilitation at 5 and 10 Hz during the blockade of the GABAergic receptors in 50% of the neurons tested. Altogether, these results show that STD expressed at sensorimotor synapses in the neonatal rat not only is a function of the frequency of afferent firing but also closely depends on the neuromodulatory state of these connections, with a major contribution from GABAergic transmission.
Longitudinal study of parent caregiving self‐efficacy and parent stress reactions with pediatric cancer treatment procedures

Pain/distress during pediatric cancer treatments has substantial psychosocial consequences for children and families. We examined relationships between parents' caregiving self‐efficacy, parents' affect in response to their children's cancer‐related treatment procedures, and parents' symptoms of post‐traumatic stress at follow‐up.
Physiological differences between neurons in layer 2 and layer 3 of primary visual cortex (V1) of alert macaque monkeys

The physiological literature does not distinguish between the superficial layers 2 and 3 of the primary visual cortex even though these two layers differ in their cytoarchitecture and anatomical connections. To distinguish layer 2 from layer 3, we have analysed the response characteristics of neurons recorded during microelectrode penetrations perpendicular to the cortical surface. Extracellular responses of single neurons to sweeping bars were recorded while macaque monkeys performed a fixation task. Data were analysed from penetrations where cells could be localized to specific depths in the cortex. Although the most superficial cells (depth, 145–371 μm; presumably layer 2) responded preferentially to particular stimulus orientations, they were less selective than cells encountered immediately beneath them (depth, 386–696 μm; presumably layer 3). Layer 2 cells had smaller spikes, higher levels of ongoing activity, larger receptive field activating regions, and less finely tuned selectivity for stimulus orientation and length than layer 3 cells. Direction selectivity was found only in layer 3. These data suggest that layer 3 is involved in generating and transmitting precise, localized information about image features, while the lesser selectivity of layer 2 cells may participate in top‐down influences from higher cortical areas, as well as modulatory influences from subcortical brain regions.
The web impact factor: a critical review

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to analyze the link‐based web site impact measure known as the web impact factor (WIF). It is a quantitative tool for evaluating and ranking web sites, top‐level domains and sub‐domains. The paper also aims to discuss the WIF's advantages and disadvantages, data collection problems, and validity and reliability of WIF results.Design/methodology/approach – A key to webometric studies has been the use of large‐scale search engines, such as Yahoo! and AltaVista that allow measurements to be made of the total number of pages in a web site and the total number of back‐links to the web site. These search engines provide similar possibilities for the investigation of links between web sites/pages to those provided by the academic journals citation databases from the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI). But the content of the web is not of the same nature and quality as the databases maintained by the ISI.Findings – This paper reviews how the WIF has been developed a.
Factors associated with adherence to physical activity guidelines in patients with prostate cancer

This study aimed to estimate the proportion of patients with prostate cancer (PCa) meeting the National Physical Activity Guidelines of Australia (NPAGA) and determine sociodemographic and medical factors associated with meeting these guidelines. Secondary aims included examining physical activity (PA) levels by treatment type and domain (leisure, work, transport and domestic) and establishing a predictive model of the likelihood that men with PCa would meet NPAGA.
Complete removal of a colonic neoplasm extending into a diverticulum with hybrid endoscopic submucosal dissection–mucosal resection and endoscopic band ligation

Intramucosal neoplasm is a good indication for endoscopic treatment [1]; however, resection should be avoided when the lesion has spread into a diverticulum because of the high risk for perforation. The usefulness of endoscopic band ligation (EBL) for hemostasis in cases of hemorrhage from a colonic diverticulum has been reported [2,3], and the “resect and discard strategy” has been used for adenomatous polyps [4]. Therefore, we hypothesized that EBL could be used to entrap an adenomatous lesion spreading into a diverticulum. A 73-year-old womanwas referred for the treatment of a colonic neoplasm extending into a diverticulum. Colonoscopy showed a flat, elevated, 30-mm lesion in the sigmoid colon. Magnification with Fuji Intelligent Color Enhancement (FICE; Fujinon, Tokyo, Japan) showed a regular or slightly irregular surface and vessel pattern without demarcation, indicating an intramucosal neoplasm (●" Fig.1). The lesion was resected in a triple approach consisting of a hybrid technique (endoscopic submucosal dissection [ESD] followed by endoscopic mucosal resection [EMR] with snaring) [5], then endoscopic band ligation (EBL) of the remainder after suction (●" Video 1). First, we initiated a circumferential incision from the side opposite the diverticulum, then continuedwith ESD. Following sufficient dissection, EMR with snaring was used to resect the part of the lesion outside the diverticulum. The endoscope was reinserted after a band ligator device (MD-48710 EVL; Sumitomo Bakelite, Tokyo, Japan) had been attached to the tip of the endoscope. The remnant of neoplastic tissue within the diverticulum was suctioned into the attachment cap, and an elastic O-band was released, successfully entrapping the tissue (●" Video 1). At 4 days after treatment, colonoscopy performed to observe the ulcer bed revealed prolapse of the ligated portion. No adverse events were associated with the endoscopic treatment (●" Fig.2a). At 3 months after treatment, colonoscopy revealed absence of the diverticulum and the formation of a scar at the site that
E-government and records management: an assessment tool for e-records readiness in government

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to indicate that, with the proliferation of information communication technologies (ICT), electronic records are being generated in many public sector organisations in Africa, which has resulted in many challenges hitherto never experienced by archivists and records managers.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews literature on ICT, records management and e‐governance and the challenges faced by archivists and records managers particularly in developing countries as they deal with records generated by ICT.Findings – The paper shows that, while many governments have systems and procedures for managing paper‐based records, the same cannot be said for electronic records and other digital images.Practical implications – The paper demonstrates that, without proper planning and adoption of various methods, e‐records created using modern ICT are likely to become inaccessible in the future, thus compromising the ability to remain accountable to the citizens.Originali.
A bibliometric study of literature on digital libraries

– The study has been undertaken with the purpose of finding out the growth and characteristics of digital library literature. , – Over 1,000 articles for the period 1998‐2004 were collected from LISA Plus and were analyzed to study authorship patterns, authors' productivity and prominent contributors, language‐wise and year‐wise distribution of articles, country‐wise distribution of journals, core journals in the subject area, and indexing term frequency. , – Some of the important findings are that most articles (61 percent) are single‐authored; author productivity is not in agreement with Lotka's Law, except in one case where number of articles is three; the maximum number of articles were published in 2003 with English being the most productive language; maximum articles were published in the journal D‐lib Magazine; distribution of articles nearly follows Bradford's Law; and USA ranked first for maximum number of journals. , – The paper is relevant to those interested in bibliometrics and provides a comprehensive overview of authorship in the library and information science community.
Modeling agent-based performance evaluation for e-learning systems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how rapidly evolving information technology has dramatically changed the knowledge dissemination process. However, many of them lack a generic evaluation process to verify the system's performance. In an attempt to solve this problem, this study seeks to propose an agent‐based model to provide a dynamic, flexible framework for performance evaluations of e‐learning projects.Design/methodology/approach – The paper proposes an agent‐based model which comprises a learning model, balanced scorecard and option‐pricing approach to evaluate the performance of an e‐learning project.Findings – E‐learning could be the paradigm shift of traditional education. Thus, the paper provides organizations with a methodology to deliberately evaluate their e‐learning projects by treating it as a continuous improvement process.Originality/value – The original contributions in this paper are: application of a balance scorecard to weigh different perspectives; application of a real o.
Digital divide and economic development: case study of sub-Saharan Africa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the nexus between the digital divide and development and discusses attempts being made at continental, regional and country levels to bridge the digital divide in sub‐Saharan Africa.Design/methodology/approach – An analytical and comparative approach of global e‐readiness, digital opportunity, and information society indices is applied to infer the status of the digital divide in sub‐Saharan Africa.Findings – The paper finds that there is a link between bridging the digital divide and economic development. However, there is as yet no unanimity as to whether the digital divide is narrowing or widening in developing countries including those in sub‐Saharan Africa. Nevertheless, countries in sub‐Saharan Africa are making tremendous strides, especially in infrastructure development and mobile phone connectivity, to bridge the digital divide.Research limitations/implications – An empirical study is needed to determine the impact of the surge in infrastructure a.
Trends in information categories on costume and textile collection web sites

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to assess trends in information categories featured on costume and textile collection web sites, and to assess differences in the online capabilities of these features between 1997 and 2006.Design/methodology/approach – The instrument was a content analysis of costume and textile collection web sites developed from a study completed in 1997. The previous study identified information categories which included hyperlinks to other sites, events calendars and forms to arrange visits, FAQs, online tours, and discussion group links. Information about education programs, contacting staff, volunteering, membership, and museum purchases was also noted. Data were collected from the 60 web sites used in the original study.Findings – The findings revealed that costume and textile museums were using web sites to stimulate interest in visiting the physical museum. A picture of the artifact does not show all the specific features of an actual costume and textile, and thus the au.
Melatonin and thyroid hormones in the cold and in darkness. Association with mood and cognition

The purpose of the study was to examine the cold-induced effects on pineal and thyroid hormones as well as the associations of these hormones with psychological performance and to determine how psychological performance could be affected by demographic, anthropometric, physiological or biochemical measures during cold acclimatisation. The feasibility of urinary melatonin (MT), rather than 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s), as an indicator of MT secretion was also examined. In the laboratory study, seasonal cold acclimatisation, its effects on hormones and their associations with mood and cognition were assessed in 15 young urban subjects exposed to cold in winter or summer in bright or dim light. In the field study, the associations of mood and cognition with demographic, anthropometric, physiological and biochemical measures were determined in healthy, euthyroid subjects (n = 133) in Antarctica in the beginning and at the end of summer and winter seasons. In both seasons, simple task performance was consistently impaired in the cold in experimental and field conditions. In complex tasks, negative, positive and mixed effects were observed. In the experimental study, serum MT and thyroid hormone levels were positively associated with mood. MT was negatively associated with simple task performance. Free triiodothyronine (T3) and thyrotropin (TSH) had mixed effects on simple task performance. TSH was positively associated with complex task performance. In the field study, higher age was associated with impaired cognition, especially in complex task performance. Total T3 was positively associated with mood and total thyroxine (T4) with complex task accuracy. Both urinary MT and aMT6s were good indicators of MT secretion, but the variation was smaller for MT. In conclusion, the associations of serum MT, TSH and thyroid hormone levels with mood and cognition found in experimental and field conditions are consistent with the psychological changes associated with the onset and consequent stages of the previously established polar T3 syndrome. In the field study, cognition and mood were associated with subject’s age and gender, which seemed to affect the physiological changes during acclimatisation to cold and darkness in Antarctica.
Antagonism of stimulation-produced analgesia by naloxone, a narcotic antagonist

Analgesia produced by focal electrical stimulation of the brain is partially reversed by the narcotic antagonist naloxone. The absence of complete reversal does not appear to be caused by inadequate doses of naloxone since doses higher than 1 milligram per kilogram of body weight did not increase the antagonism. It is suggested that stimulation-produced analgesia may result, at least in part, from release of an endogenous, narcotic-like substance, such as that recently reported by other investigators.
Opioid‐mediated muscle afferents inhibit central motor drive and limit peripheral muscle fatigue development in humans

We investigated the role of somatosensory feedback from locomotor muscles on central motor drive (CMD) and the development of peripheral fatigue during high‐intensity endurance exercise. In a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled design, eight cyclists randomly performed three 5 km time trials: control, interspinous ligament injection of saline (5KPlac, L3–L4) or intrathecal fentanyl (5KFent, L3–L4) to impair cortical projection of opioid‐mediated muscle afferents. Peripheral quadriceps fatigue was assessed via changes in force output pre‐ versus postexercise in response to supramaximal magnetic femoral nerve stimulation (ΔQtw). The CMD during the time trials was estimated via quadriceps electromyogram (iEMG). Fentanyl had no effect on quadriceps strength. Impairment of neural feedback from the locomotor muscles increased iEMG during the first 2.5 km of 5KFentversus 5KPlac by 12 ± 3% (P < 0.05); during the second 2.5 km, iEMG was similar between trials. Power output was also 6 ± 2% higher during the first and 11 ± 2% lower during the second 2.5 km of 5KFentversus 5KPlac (both P < 0.05). Capillary blood lactate was higher (16.3 ± 0.5 versus 12.6 ± 1.0%) and arterial haemoglobin O2 saturation was lower (89 ± 1 versus 94 ± 1%) during 5KFentversus 5KPlac. Exercise‐induced ΔQtw was greater following 5KFentversus 5KPlac (−46 ± 2 versus−33 ± 2%, P < 0.001). Our results emphasize the critical role of somatosensory feedback from working muscles on the centrally mediated determination of CMD. Attenuated afferent feedback from exercising locomotor muscles results in an overshoot in CMD and power output normally chosen by the athlete, thereby causing a greater rate of accumulation of muscle metabolites and excessive development of peripheral muscle fatigue.
Dissociation between sensing and metabolism of glucose in sugar sensing neurones

Some of the neurones controlling sleep, appetite and hormone release act as specialized detectors of ambient glucose. Their sugar sensing is conventionally thought to involve glucokinase‐dependent metabolism of glucose to ATP, which then alters membrane excitability by modulating ATP‐dependent channels or transporters, such as ATP‐inhibited K+ channels (KATP). However, recent studies also provide examples of both glucose‐excited (GE) and glucose‐inhibited (GI) neurones that sense glucose independently of such metabolic pathways. Two‐thirds of hypothalamic GE neurones in primary cultures are also excited by the non‐metabolizable glucose analogue α‐methylglucopyranoside (α‐MDG), which acts as a substrate for electrogenic (depolarizing) sodium–glucose cotransporter (SGLT). The excitatory responses to both glucose and α‐MDG are abolished by arresting SGLT activity by sodium removal or the SGLT inhibitor phloridzin. Direct depolarization and excitation by glucose‐triggered SGLT activity may ensure that GE neurones continue to sense glucose in ‘high‐energy’ states, when KATP channels are closed. A major class of hypothalamic GI neurones, the orexin/hypocretin cells, also appear to use a non‐metabolic sensing strategy. In these cells, glucose‐induced hyperpolarization and inhibition are unaffected by glucokinase inhibitors such as alloxan, d‐glucosamine, and N‐acetyl‐d‐glucosamine, and mimicked by the non‐metabolizable glucose analogue 2‐deoxyglucose, but not by stimulating intracellular ATP production with lactate. The dissociation between sensing and metabolism of sugar may allow the brain to predict and prevent adverse changes in extracellular glucose levels with minimal impact on the flow of intracellular fuel.
Acute exercise modulates the Foxo1/PGC‐1α pathway in the liver of diet‐induced obesity rats

PGC‐1α expression is a tissue‐specific regulatory feature that is extremely relevant to diabetes. Several studies have shown that PGC‐1α activity is atypically activated in the liver of diabetic rodents and contributes to hepatic glucose production. PGC‐1α and Foxo1 can physically interact with one another and represent an important signal transduction pathway that governs the synthesis of glucose in the liver. However, the effect of physical activity on PGC‐1α/Foxo1 association is unknown. Here we investigate the expression of PGC‐1α and the association of PGC‐1α/Foxo1 in the liver of diet‐induced obese rats after acute exercise. Wistar rats swam for two 3 h‐long bouts, separated by a 45 min rest period. Eight hours after the acute exercise protocol, the rats were submitted to an insulin tolerance test (ITT) and biochemical and molecular analysis. Results demonstrate that acute exercise improved insulin signalling, increasing insulin‐stimulated Akt and Foxo1 phosphorylation and decreasing PGC‐1α expression and PGC‐1α/Foxo1 interaction in the liver of diet‐induced obesity rats under fasting conditions. These phenomena are accompanied by a reduction in the expression of gluconeogenesis genes, such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose‐6‐phosphate (G6Pase). Thus, these results provide new insights into the mechanism by which exercise could improve fasting hyperglycaemia.