Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of the positive inotropic response to certain ganglionic stimulants.

Tetramethylanmmonium (TMA), nicotine and acetylcholine produce a transitory positive inotropic effect, in time presence of atropine, on isolated papillary muscles and auricular preparations of time cat and on the heart in the heart-lung preparation of the dog. Following this response time myocardium is refractory to the same drug or time other two which were studied. The positive inotropic effects of all three drugs are blocked by ganghionic blocking agents (hexamethonium, tetracthmylammonium and d tubocurarine). However, histological examination of serial sections of papillary muscles which responded to the positive inotropic action of TMA, nicotine or acetylcholine, failed to reveal the presence of ganglion cells, suggesting that the cardiostimulant activity of these substances is not dependent on the presence of ganglia. Cocaine and ephedrine inhibit the positive inotropic response of the atropinized papillary muscle of the cat to either TMA or epinephrine. Intravenous injection of choline 2:6-xylyl ether bromide in the dog, blocks time cardiac responses to stimulation of postganglionic sympathetic nerves but not to vagal stimulation or epinephrine injection. This choline derivative also blocks the positive inotropic response of the papillary muscle to TMA or nicotine but not to epinephrine or norepinephrine. After the administration of dichloroisproterenol, TMA or nicotine, as well as epinephrine or norepinephrine, fail to produce their usual positive inotropic response. The intravenous admninistration of reserpine (0.5 to 50 mg/kg) to cats markedly reduces the myocardial content of catecholamines within 20 hours. Papillary muscles and auricles from these cats exhibit little or no positive inotropic response to either TMA or nicotine but respond markedly to epinephrine or norepinephrine. Myocardial catecholamines in cats are reduced by almost 80% within 15 to 26 days following bilateral removal of the sympathetic innervation to the heart. Auricles and papillary muscles from these animals still exhibit a positive inotropic response to TMA or nicotine in the presence of atropine but the responses are significantly less than those of similar preparations from nonsympathectomized animals. There appear to be two possible explanations for the above findings. (1) The cardiostimulant action of TMA, nicotine or acetylcholine is mediated via stimulation of postganglionic sympathetic nerve endings. (2) There exist in the heart certain elements which do not possess the morphological characteristics of ganglia but which behave pharmacologically as if they were and that TMA and certain ganglionic stimulants may act directly on these elements to liberate epinephrine-like substances.
Vaccinia virus and the EGF receptor: A portal for infectivity?

We previously demonstrated that occupancy of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor reduced the ability of vaccinia virus to infect L cells [Eppstein et al: Nature 318:663, 1985]. This result suggested that vaccinia virus was utilizing the EGF receptor as one pathway to infect cells. We have studied this system further, and now find that antibodies to the EGF receptor also reduce the ability of vaccinia virus to infect cells productively. Inclusion of both EGF and antibodies to the EGF receptor did not cause inhibition over that obtained by EGF alone, providing another line of evidence that the antiviral effects on vaccinia virus were at the level of the EGF receptor. The antiviral effects of EGF or synthetic peptides corresponding to the third disulfide loop of TGF‐α or the vaccinia virus growth factor were specific to vaccinia virus and did not inhibit replication of herpes simplex virus type 2 or vesicular stomatitis virus. The inhibitory effects on replication of vaccinia virus were obtained when EGF (but not insulin or growth hormone) was present prior to, but not after, productive viral adsorption. These results provided further evidence that the antivaccinia viral effects of EGF were at the level of initial receptor occupancy. As interferon (IFN) treatment has been shown to interfere with the action of some growth factors, including EGF, we examined the effects of IFN treatment of cells on the antivaccinia viral activity of EGF. Our results show that the antivaccinia effect of IFN‐β either interfered with or partially coalesced with the inhibitory effects of EGF. The former interpretation is consistent with the report that IFN treatment results in a decrease both in the apparent number and affinity of cell‐surface receptors for EGF [Zoon et al: Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 83:8226, 1986].
Sequential revision of belief: an application to complex decision making situations

This research addresses the process of sequential revision of beliefs or judgments in complex situations. The task domain, military command and control, provides decision makers with opportunities to revise their tactical judgments as streams of information flow in for their consideration. A contrast-inertia model is proposed that describes subject's sequential revision of beliefs exhibited by subjects and a resulting order-effect that is observed when subjects attempt to integrate pieces of confirming and disconfirming evidence. Two experiments were conducted to test the predictions of the contrast-inertia model and to investigate various aspects of the order effect. The experiments manipulated the initial starting position or anchor against which subjects contrast new evidence to revise their beliefs. Results form both experiments showed strong recency and order effects when subjects integrated inconsistent pieces of evidence sequentially, regardless of the initial anchor. Moreover, the contrast-inertia model fit the experimental data very well and confirmed the basic assumptions predicting an order effect.
Re-Mediating Reading Difficulties: Appraising the Past, Reconciling the Present, Constructing the Future

A small but significant portion of otherwise normal American children encounter major difficulties in learning to read when provided regular classroom reading instruction. These children (heretofore called "remedial readers") and the special intervention programs designed to help them become better readers (heretofore called "remedial reading") are the dual foci of this chapter. We offer a caveat, however: The fact that there exists a sizable number of children who have reading difficulties need not be interpreted as a negative reflection on the overall status of reading ability of American students. It is an irrefutable fact that children in Grades K–8 today read as well or better than children at any other time in the history of the United States (Berliner & Biddle, 1995; Farr, Fay, Myers, & Ginsberg, 1987; Kibby, 1993, 1995a, b). Even in the last 30 years—and in spite of the surfeit of negativity in the media—reading achievement has improved significantly for 9and 13-year olds (Campbell, Voekl, & Donahue, 1997). Further, although some studies find that the achievement of high school students since 1963 has not increased—indeed, has decreased slightly (Gates & MacGinitie, 1978; MacGinitie & MacGinitie, 1989)—the general conclusion from the NAEP data (Campbell et al., 1997) and an analysis of changes in median scores on the nation's major reading achievement tests (Linn, Graue, & Sanders, 1990) is that, even at the high school level, reading abilitiy has increased during this era.
Irradiation biology of male brown marmorated stink bugs: is there scope for the sterile insect technique?

Abstract Purpose: Brown marmorated stink bugs, Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), are regularly intercepted, but there are few eradication tools. Currently, no sterile insect technique program exists for Hemiptera. Materials and methods: Adult males were irradiated at 4–60 Gy, mated and their progeny reared for two generations, with mortality assessed at F1 egg, F1 adult and F2 egg stages. Results: The F1 eggs showed a dose response to irradiation between 4 and 36 Gy, with 97% sterility at 16 Gy, and higher doses producing complete egg mortality. Only rare F1 survivors had progeny, but the F2 generation showed identical responses between maternal and paternal lines; most egg batches showed either very low or very high mortality. Irradiation with 16 Gy resulted in 98.5% sterility, cumulative over F1 and F2. Conclusions: Lack of a dose response at the F2 generation precludes the use of irradiation-induced inherited sterility. The conventional sterile insect technique appears possible by irradiation of males from ∼12 to 16 Gy. The effect of radiation dose on females is not known, thus we cannot conclude whether bi-sex release is feasible so for now the release of males only is recommended. More work is needed on the competitive fitness of irradiated males, and logistics such as mass rearing or field collection, in order to determine the feasibility of the approach. Graphical Abstract
Alterations in the Coagulation Profile in Renal Pig‐to‐Monkey Xenotransplantation

Five monkey recipients of a porcine renal xenograft were studied to determine the relationship between fibrin formation in acute humoral xenograft rejection (AHXR) and procoagulant and anticoagulant factor levels to establish whether changes in coagulation parameters could be used to predict AHXR and determine whether AHXR is associated with overt disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) in this model.
Randomized, Double-Blinded Phase II Evaluation of Docetaxel with or without Doxercalciferol in Patients with Metastatic, Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer

Purpose: Docetaxel is standard of care for androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC). Doxercalciferol (1α-hydroxyvitamin D2) had modest activity in phase I/II trials. Preclinical data support combining vitamin D analogues with docetaxel to treat AIPC. Experimental Design: Chemotherapy-naive men with metastatic AIPC were randomized 1:1 to receive, on a 4-week cycle, docetaxel (35 mg/m2 i.v., days 1, 8, and 15) with or without doxercalciferol (10 μg orally, days 1-28). The primary end point was prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response. Secondary end points were progression-free survival, overall survival, objective response, and toxicity. Survival was analyzed as intent to treat. Results: Seventy patients were randomized. Median follow-up was 17.6 months (range, 3.3-45.2). PSA response rate was 46.7% [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 30-64] in the doxercalciferol arm and 39.4% (95% CI, 25-56) with placebo (P = 0.560). Median progression-free survival in the doxercalciferol arm was 6.17 months (95% CI, 4.20-10.7) versus 6.20 months (95% CI, 4.83-9.07) with placebo (P = 0.764). Median overall survival in the doxercalciferol arm was 17.8 months (95% CI, 14.9-23.6) versus 16.4 months (95% CI, 11.9-23.8) with placebo (P = 0.383). Twenty-four patients in the doxercalciferol arm and 23 in the placebo arm were evaluable for objective response. No complete responses were observed. Partial objective response rate was 12.5% with doxercalciferol versus 8.7% with placebo (P = 0.672). Rate of grade ≥3 toxicity was 46% with doxercalciferol versus 42% with placebo (P = 0.785). Conclusions: Daily doxercalciferol with weekly docetaxel did not enhance PSA response rate or survival. Toxicity was similar between arms. Despite the disappointing results of this study, other vitamin D analogues remain under active investigation.
Low all-cause mortality in the volunteer-based Rotterdam section of the European randomised study of screening for prostate cancer: self-selection bias?

Objectives: The likelihood of self-selection bias in a cohort of men that entered the volunteer-based randomised prostate cancer screening trial was assessed. In addition, the accuracy of the randomisation was evaluated by comparison amongst the trial arms. Setting: The Rotterdam section of the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC). Participants were recruited from population registries and randomised after receipt of written informed consent (49% participation rate). Methods: Data from 37,614 men who entered the Rotterdam trial between June 1994 and July 1999 were linked to the Causes of Death Registry of Statistics Netherlands. For the assessment of self-selection bias, mortality in the trial cohort and the area of Rotterdam was compared by calculating standardised mortality ratios (SMRs, 95% confidence interval [CI]). Comparisons between the screening and the control arm were made by means of relative risk (RR). Results: There were a total of 1661 deaths (4.4%) in the trial cohort, during an average follow-up time of 2.8 years. The observed number of deaths in the two arms combined was lower than expected (SMR 86.7%, 95% CI 81.6-92.1), which was reflected in the major cause of death categories, especially in all malignant neoplasms. No difference was observed in the all-cause mortality rate among the screening and control arm, aged 55-69 years at entry (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.89-1.12), nor when all causes, excluding prostate cancer mortality, were considered. Conclusions: The preliminary results show that the screening and the control arm were comparable, but men recruited for the trial seemed healthier than men in the target population.
Long‐term outcome of renal transplantation from octogenarian donors: A multicenter controlled study

To assess whether biopsy‐guided selection of kidneys from very old brain‐dead donors enables more successful transplantations, the authors of this multicenter, observational study compared graft survival between 37 recipients of 1 or 2 histologically evaluated kidneys from donors older than 80 years and 198 reference‐recipients of non–histologically evaluated single grafts from donors aged 60 years and younger (transplantation period: 2006‐2013 at 3 Italian centers). During a median (interquartile range) of 25 (13‐42) months, 2 recipients (5.4%) and 10 reference‐recipients (5.1%) required dialysis (crude and donor age‐ and sex‐adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] 1.55 [0.34‐7.12], P = .576 and 1.41 [0.10‐19.54], P = .798, respectively). Shared frailty analyses confirmed similar outcomes in a 1:2 propensity score study comparing recipients with 74 reference‐recipients matched by center, year, donor, and recipient sex and age. Serum creatinine was similar across groups during 84‐month follow‐up. Recipients had remarkably shorter waiting times than did reference‐recipients and matched reference‐recipients (7.5 [4.0‐19.5] vs 36 [19‐56] and 40 [24‐56] months, respectively, P < .0001 for both comparisons). Mean (± SD) kidney donor risk index was 2.57 ± 0.32 in recipients vs 1.09 ± 0.24 and 1.14 ± 0.24 in reference‐recipients and matched reference‐recipients (P < .0001 for both comparisons). Adverse events were similar across groups. Biopsy‐guided allocation of kidneys from octogenarian donors permits further expansion of the donor organ pool and faster access to a kidney transplant, without increasing the risk of premature graft failure.
Distribution of descending projections from primary auditory neocortex to inferior colliculus mimics the topography of intracollicular projections

To ascertain whether the auditory neocortex also innervates the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (CNIC) and not only its dorsal (DCIC) and external (ECIC) cortices, the anterograde tracers Phaseolus vulgaris‐leucoagglutinin (PHA‐L) and biotinylated dextran (BD) were injected into the primary auditory neocortex of albino rats (Te1), and labeled corticocollicular fibers were studied via light and electron microscopy. Axons from discrete regions of Te1 form two rostrocaudally oriented laminar plexuses of terminal fibers in the ipsilateral inferior colliculus (IC) and one in the contralateral IC. The first ipsilateral plexus, located in the medial half of the IC, has a dorsomedial to ventrolateral orientation, parallel to the isofrequency planes of the IC; is continuous through the CNIC and DCIC; and extends into the rostral ECIC. The second plexus is located in the deep layers of the lateral ECIC. These two plexuses meet caudally and ventrally, at the border between the CNIC and the lateral ECIC. The plexus in the contralateral IC is less dense and shorter than the two ipsilateral plexuses and is symmetric to the medial plexus. The thickness of the three plexuses is correlated with the size of the injection site, and their mediolateral and dorsoventral positions change as the injection site in Te1 is displaced rostrocaudally, with more caudal injections resulting in more dorsolateral medial plexuses and more dorsomedial lateral plexuses. Furthermore, the ventromedial border of the IC receives nontopographic, convergent projections from wide regions of rostral portions of Te1. The distribution of these corticocollicular plexuses mimics the topography of previously described intracollicular fibers. Electron microscopy shows that, in all three subdivisions of the ipsilateral IC, corticocollicular fibers form small boutons with features generally associated with excitatory transmission; i.e., they contain round synaptic vesicles and form asymmetric synapses with thin dendritic shafts and spines.
Afferent signals from pigeon extraocular muscles modify the activity of neck muscles during the vestibulocollic reflex

Movements of the head and eye which, together, result in changes in the direction of gaze are linked in a number of species, including man, and eye position is known to affect the activity of neck muscles. This head–eye linkage has generally been ascribed to modification of neck muscle activity by internal estimates of eye position derived from motor commands. We have recently shown that afferent signals from stretch receptors in the extraocular muscles are involved in the moment-to-moment control of eye movements during the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR). We have now studied the interactions between head and eye movements by recording the electromyographic activity of several neck muscles during horizontal (yaw) or frontal (roll tilt) vestibular stimulation. Such a stimulus evokes a VOR in the eyes and a vestibulocollic reflex (VCR) in neck muscles. Imposing movements on one eye at saccadic velocities produced considerable inhibition of the VCR response of a number of neck muscles. The magnitude of these effects was dependent on the parameters of the imposed eye movement. Thus systematic changes were seen when the amplitude, velocity or direction of eye movement was varied. Movement of the eye in the opposite direction to that produced by a normal VOR produced a large inhibition of the VCR response, whereas movements in the same direction as the VOR produced only modest inhibition of the VCR response of the neck muscles tested. Slow, sinusoidal, imposed eye movements that mimicked the slow phase of the VOR produced changes in the gain of the VCR response which appear to correct for errors in the imposed eye velocity and thus tend to maintain the direction of gaze. The results show that changes in eye position have striking effects on the electromyographic activity of neck muscles during the VCR, and strongly suggest that extraocular muscle afferent signals are involved in head–eye coordination.
Novel influenza A(H1N1) virus among gravid admissions.

BACKGROUND Pandemic novel influenza A(H1N1) is a substantial threat and cause of morbidity and mortality in the pregnant population. METHODS We conducted an observational analysis of 18 gravid patients with H1N1 in 2 academic medical centers. Cases were identified based on direct antigen testing (DAT) of nasopharyngeal swabs followed by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis (rRT-PCR) or viral culture. Patient demographics, symptoms, hospital course, laboratory and radiographic results, pregnancy outcome, and placental pathologic information were recorded. Results were then compared with published reports of the H1N1 outbreak and reports of flu pandemics of 1918 and 1957. RESULTS Eighteen pregnant patients were admitted with H1N1 during the study period. All patients were treated with oseltamivir phosphate beginning on the day of admission. Mean (SD) age was 27 (6.6) years (age range, 18-40 years); median length of hospital stay was 4 days. Intensive care unit admission rate was 17% (n = 3). Demographically, 2 patients were health care workers (11%); 15 were black (83%); 2, Hispanic (11%); and 1, white (6%). None reported recent travel. Half of the patients presented with gastrointestinal or abdominal complaints; 13 patients met sepsis criteria (72%). The most common comorbidities were asthma, sickle cell disease, and diabetes. Fourteen patients tested positive for H1N1 on DAT (initial or repeated) (78%); in the other 4 cases, H1N1 was identified by viral culture or rRT-PCR (22%). Seven patients delivered during hospitalization (39%), 6 prematurely and 4 via emergency cesarean delivery. There were 2 fetal deaths (11%). No maternal mortality was recorded. CONCLUSIONS Admitted pregnant patients with H1N1 are at risk for obstetrical complications including fetal distress, premature delivery, emergency cesarean delivery, and fetal death. A high number of patients presented with gastrointestinal and abdominal complaints. Early antiviral treatment may improve maternal outcomes.
Proteus mirabilis pmrI, an RppA-Regulated Gene Necessary for Polymyxin B Resistance, Biofilm Formation, and Urothelial Cell Invasion

ABSTRACT Proteus mirabilis is naturally resistant to polymyxin B (PB). To investigate the underlying mechanisms, Tn5 mutagenesis was performed, and a mutant exhibiting increased PB susceptibility was isolated. The mutant was found to have Tn5 inserted into the PpmrI (Proteus pmrI) gene, a gene which may encode a UDP-glucuronic acid decarboxylase. In other bacteria, pmrI belongs to the seven-gene pmrF operon, which is involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) modification. While the PpmrI knockout mutant had a wild-type LPS profile and produced amounts of LPS similar to those produced by the wild type, LPS of the knockout mutant had higher PB-binding activity than that of the wild type. PB could induce alterations of LPS in the wild type but not in the PpmrI knockout mutant. Moreover, the PpmrI knockout mutant exhibited decreased abilities in biofilm formation and urothelial cell invasion. Complementation of the PpmrI mutant with the full-length PpmrI gene led to restoration of the wild-type phenotypic traits. Previously we identified RppA, a response regulator of the bacterial two-component system, as a regulator of PB susceptibility and virulence factor expression in P. mirabilis. Here we showed that RppA could mediate the induction of PpmrI expression by PB. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay further demonstrated that RppA could bind directly to the putative PpmrI promoter. Together, these results provide a new insight into the regulatory mechanism underlying PB resistance and virulence expression in P. mirabilis.
Shareholder Protection, Stock Market Development, and Politics

This paper presents a political economy model where there is mutual feedback between investor protection and stock market development. Better investor protection induces companies to issue more equity and thereby leads to a broader stock market. In turn, equity issuance expands the shareholder base and increases support for shareholder protection. This feedback loop can generate multiple equilibria, with investor protection and stock market size being positively correlated across equilibria. The model's predictions are tested on panel data for 47 countries over 1993-2002, controlling for country and year effects and endogeneity issues. We also document international convergence in shareholder protection to best-practice standards, and show that it is correlated with cross-border M&A activity, consistent with the model.