Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the Effects of Halothane, Isoflurane, and Sevoflurane on Atrioventricular Conduction Times in Pentobarbital-Anesthetized Dogs

It is not known how sevoflurane affects the cardiac conduction system.We compared the effects of halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane on specialized atrioventricular (AV) conduction times in eight pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs. AV conduction times with three inhaled anesthetics at end-tidal concentrations of 1 and 2 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration (MAC), were measured by His-bundle electrocardiography during both sinus rhythm and right atrial pacing at a slightly higher rate than sinus one. Heart rate and arterial pressure were simultaneously recorded. Halothane prolonged AV nodal conduction time during sinus rhythm (A-H interval) at 2 MAC compared with the control value, whereas isoflurane and sevoflurane did not alter the A-H interval, His-Purkinje conduction time (H-V interval), and ventricular conduction time (H-S interval) during sinus rhythm at 1 and 2 MAC. All three inhaled anesthetics did not change AV conduction times during right atrial pacing. No significant difference in AV conduction times was observed between isoflurane and sevoflurane. Heart rate during sinus rhythm remained unchanged despite a decrease in arterial pressure with three inhaled anesthetics. The property of sevoflurane and isoflurane which does not affect the cardiac conduction system may be important in the stability of the cardiac rhythm during anesthesia with these drugs. (Anesth Analg 1995;81:249-53)
P2Y6 Receptor Contributes to Neutrophil Recruitment to Inflamed Intestinal Mucosa by Increasing Cxc Chemokine Ligand 8 Expression in an AP‐1‐dependent Manner in Epithelial Cells

Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases are characterized by the presence of CXCL8 at the site of lesions resulting in neutrophil recruitment and loss of tissue functions. We report that P2Y6 receptor activation stimulates CXCL8 expression and release by intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). In this context, we investigated if uridine 5′‐diphosphate (UDP) enemas stimulate neutrophil recruitment to the mucosa of mice suffering from colitis‐like disease and we characterized the signaling events linking P2Y6 to CXCL8 expression in IEC. Methods: Neutrophil recruitment was monitored by immunofluorescence and FACS analysis. Expression of Cxcl1, a mouse functional homolog of CXCL8, was determined by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Pharmacological inhibitors and interfering RNAs were used to characterize the signaling pathway. The outcomes of these treatments on protein phosphorylation and on CXCL8 expression were characterized by western blots, qPCR, luciferase, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. Results: Mutation of the AP‐1 site in the CXCL8 core promoter abolished the UDP‐stimulating effect. The c‐fos/c‐jun dimer was identified as the AP‐1 complex regulating CXCL8 in response to UDP stimulation. Regulation of CXCL8 expression by P2Y6 required PKC&dgr; activation upstream of the signaling pathway composed of MEK1/2‐ERK1/2 and c‐fos. UDP administration to mice suffering from colitis‐like disease increased the number of neutrophil infiltrating the mucosa, correlating with Cxcl1 increased expression in IEC and the severity of inflammation. Conclusions: This study not only describes the P2Y6 signaling mechanism regulating CXCL8 expression in IEC, but it also illustrates the potential of targeting P2Y6 to reduce intestinal inflammation. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2012)
Geometrical nonlinear analysis by plane quadrilateral element

Various corotational schemes for solid, shell, bending plate and beam elements have been proposed so far. Nevertheless, this approach has rarely been utilized for membrane problems. In this paper, a new quadrilateral element will be suggested for solving nonlinear membranes. The simplicity, rapid convergence and high accuracy of the formulation are the three main characteristics of the presented element. It is worth emphasizing; the recommended element can solve structures with irregular geometry and distorted mesh. This element is insensitive to the aspect ratio. In addition, using this element leads to high-accuracy results. Several numerical examples will be tested to prove the high precision of authors' element in coarse distorted meshes with a large aspect ratio.
Small fenestra stapedotomy for otosclerosis in a Canadian teaching centre.

OBJECTIVE This study reports the results of 112 primary stapedotomies and 13 revision stapedotomies performed by the senior author. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective case review of all primary and revision stapedotomies performed at University Hospital between 1994 and 1999. All patients in this series had otosclerosis and underwent stapedotomy using a 0.6-mm diameter platinum wire/Teflon piston prosthesis. The air-bone gap was calculated as the difference between the preoperative boneconduction and the postoperative air-conduction thresholds. The average follow-up time post-stapedotomy to audiometric testing was approximately 2.5 months. OUTCOME MEASURES An average air-bone gap closure at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz to 10 dB or less was used as the criterion for success. The effects of stapedotomy on speech reception thresholds (SRTs), speech discrimination scores (SDSs), and airconduction thresholds are also reported. RESULTS In primary stapedotomy, an air-bone gap closure of 10 dB or less was achieved in 85.7% of patients. A significant hearing gain was achieved at all frequencies (250-8000 Hz), with the greatest benefit being achieved at the lower frequencies. The SRT was significantly improved post-stapedotomy by an average of 26.7 dB, and no significant change was found in the SDS. In revision stapedotomy, 38.5% of patients had a significant hearing gain at 250 to 4000 Hz. The SRT was significantly improved postoperatively by an average of 12.7 dB, and no significant change was found in SDS. Overall complication rates were similar to other series with two cases of partial hearing loss (1.6%), one incus fracture (0.8%), one large tympanic membrane perforation (0.8%), and one perilymphatic fistula (0.8%), which was successfully repaired. No patients in this series experienced complete sensorineural hearing loss, facial nerve injury, worsened tinnitus, or reparative granuloma. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study are comparable to other similar studies examining the use of stapedotomy in patients with otosclerosis. The high success rate and low incidence of serious complications support stapedotomy, without a laser but with resident involvement, as a highly effective treatment for otosclerosis.
Trellis Encoding of memoryless discrete-time sources with a fidelity criterion

For memoryless discrete-time sources and bounded single-letter distortion measures, we derive a bound on the average per-letter distortion achievable by a trellis source code of fixed constraint length. For any fixed code rate greater than R(D^{\ast}) , the rate-distortion function at D^{\ast} , this bound decreases toward D^{\ast} exponentially with constraint length.
Mobile Phone Use and Incidence of Glioma in the Nordic Countries 1979–2008: Consistency Check

Background: Some case-control studies have reported increased risks of glioma associated with mobile phone use. If true, this would ultimately affect the time trends for incidence rates (IRs). Correspondingly, lack of change in IRs would exclude certain magnitudes of risk. We investigated glioma IR trends in the Nordic countries, and compared the observed with expected incidence rates under various risk scenarios. Methods: We analyzed annual age-standardized incidence rates in men and women aged 20 to 79 years during 1979–2008 using joinpoint regression (35,250 glioma cases). Probabilities of detecting various levels of relative risk were computed using simulations. Results: For the period 1979 through 2008, the annual percent change in incidence rates was 0.4% (95% confidence interval = 0.1% to 0.6%) among men and 0.3% (0.1% to 0.5%) among women. Incidence rates have decreased in young men (20–39 years) since 1987, remained stable in middle-aged men (40–59 years) throughout the 30-year study period, and increased slightly in older men (60–79 years). In simulations, assumed relative risks for all users of 2.0 for an induction time of up to 15 years, 1.5 for up to 10 years, and 1.2 for up to 5 years were incompatible with observed incidence time trends. For heavy users of mobile phones, risks of 2.0 for up to 5 years' induction were also incompatible. Conclusion: No clear trend change in glioma incidence rates was observed. Several of the risk increases seen in case-control studies appear to be incompatible with the observed lack of incidence rate increase in middle-aged men. This suggests longer induction periods than currently investigated, lower risks than reported from some case-control studies, or the absence of any association.
Solving optimal control problems using a gegenbauer transcription method

In this paper we describe a novel direct optimization method using Gegenbauer-Gauss (GG) collocation for solving continuous-time optimal control (OC) problems (CTOCPs) with nonlinear dynamics, state and control constraints. The time domain is mapped onto the interval [0; 1], and the dynamical system formulated as a system of ordinary differential equations is transformed into its integral formulation through direct integration. The state and the control variables are fully parameterized using Gegenbauer expansion series with some unknown Gegenbauer spectral coefficients. The proposed Gegenbauer transcription method (GTM) then recasts the performance index, the reduced dynamical system, and the constraints into systems of algebraic equations using optimal Gegenbauer quadratures. Finally, the GTM transcribes the infinite-dimensional OC problem into a parameter nonlinear programming (NLP) problem which can be solved in the spectral space; thus approximating the state and the control variables along the entire time horizon. The high precision and the spectral convergence of the discrete solutions are verified through two OC test problems with nonlinear dynamics and some inequality constraints. The present GTM offers many useful properties and a viable alternative over the available direct optimization methods.
The effect of lens-induced anisometropia on accommodation and vergence during human visual development.

PURPOSE Clear and single binocular vision, a prerequisite for normal human visual development, is achieved through accommodation and vergence. Anisometropia is associated with abnormal visual development, but its impact on accommodation and vergence, and therefore on the individual's visual experience, is not known. This study determined the impact of transiently induced anisometropia on accommodative and vergence performance of the typically developing human visual system. METHODS One hundred eighteen subjects (age range, 2.9 months to 41.1 years) watched a cartoon movie that moved between 80 and 33 cm under six different viewing conditions: binocular and monocular, and with ±2 diopters (D) and ±4 D of lens-induced anisometropia. Twenty-one subjects (age range, 3.1 months to 12.1 years) also watched the movie with 11% induced aniseikonia. Accommodation and vergence were recorded in both eyes using a videoretinoscope (25 Hz). RESULTS The main effect of viewing condition was statistically significant for both accommodation and vergence (both P < 0.001), with monocular accommodative and vergence gains statistically significantly smaller than the binocular and four induced anisometropia conditions (P < 0.001 for both accommodation and vergence). The main effect of age approached significance for accommodation (P = 0.06) and was not significant for vergence (P = 0.32). Accommodative and vergence gains with induced aniseikonia were not statistically significantly different from the binocular condition (both P > 0.5). CONCLUSIONS Accommodative and vergence gains of the typically developing visual system deteriorated marginally (accommodation more than vergence) with transiently induced anisometropia (up to ±4 D) and did not deteriorate significantly with induced aniseikonia of 11%. Some binocular cues remained with ±4 D of induced anisometropia and 11% induced aniseikonia, as indicated by the accommodative and vergence gains being higher than in monocular viewing.
STARTUP/SEED STAGE INVESTMENT BY VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDS (IN ISRAEL): ENTREPRENEURS IN RESIDENCY AND EXECUTIVE IN RESIDENCY PROGRAMS By

What constitutes venture capital and what constitutes angel financing is a natural question. In the time period after the bubble burst in 2000 it became easy to differentiate: 1. Angel investors: usually “high status” individuals, former successful technology entrepreneurs who use their financial wealth, which financed birth and initial growth of ventures. 2. Venture capital (VC): independently managed, dedicated pools of capital that focus on equity-linked investments in privately held, high growth companies needing mid stage financing. Startup/seed financing were usually not acceptable VC funding phases, because of the greater risks involved. The growth in “Startup/Seed Financing” by VCs (almost 100% in Israel during FY 2004 alone), shows that Israeli VCs contrary to their Silicon Valley counterparts are interested in participating earlier in the venture’s life. In the post Google IPO era, since 2004, Israeli VC partnerships are eagerly pursuing “good” startup/seed ventures, by using a combination of new programs like the “Entrepreneur/Executive in Residency (EIR)” programs among others. No academic papers that analyze these phenomena or even describe it have been found. On the other hand, newspapers and VC magazines have mentioned and described the work of EIRs in the VC industry in Israel. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the characteristics of and relationships between: “VC partners” and the “Entrepreneurs” who received financing in the startup/seed phases. This will allow comparison between many types of VC-Entrepreneur relationships in startup/seed stage ventures and shed light on the nascent entrepreneurs and the EIR programs in particular. We believe that knowledge concerning this type of program will help VCs in other countries by either encouraging them to adopt this practice or to abandon it. The question of how VC equity financing will evolve over the next decade and how it will work with startup/seed ventures is a particularly critical one.
Effects of Prosocial Media on Social Behavior

Helping and aggression are core topics in social psychology. So far, abundant evidence that violent media decreases helping and increases aggression has been collected. However, recent theoretical and empirical work has demonstrated that the media may also increase prosocial outcomes and decrease antisocial outcomes. In fact, exposure to media with prosocial content increases the accessibility of prosocial thoughts, empathy, and helping behavior and decreases aggression and aggression-related cognition and affect. The present article reviews this research and provides an overview of when and why media exposure instigates helping and reduces aggression.
The effects of an intrinsically motivating instructional environment on software learning and acceptance

Abstract The most important goal of computer software training and interface design has been to help users learn and use software effectively. While research has provided useful information about how to achieve this outcome, it appears to have overlooked the contribution that ‘fun’ and ‘motivation’ can add to learning. This study develops and tests a model of the relationship between intrinsically motivating software instruction and two outcome variables — learning performance and perceived ease of software use. The researchers manipulated two design variables to create learning environments that were either high or low in intrinsic motivation. One variable, the computer interface, consisted of either a direct manipulation interface (the Macintosh Finder), defined as being high in intrinsic motivation, or a command‐based interface (disk operating system — DOS), which was less motivating. The second design variable, training method, also consisted of two categories — exploration training (more motivating) and instruction‐based training (less motivating). Additionally, the study evaluated the motivational impact of one individual characteristic — cognitive spontaneity. Results of a laboratory experiment indicated that subjects using the direct manipulation interface found the learning experience more intrinsically motivating and performed better in hands‐on computer tasks than in command‐based subjects. Also, subjects who were high in cognitive spontaneity were more likely to report the learning experience as intrinsically motivating. Learners who reported high levels of intrinsic motivation performed better in hands‐on tasks than those who did not, and perceived the software as easier to use. Exploration training, however, failed to exhibit a positive relationship to intrinsic motivation. These results suggest that an intrinsically motivating instructional environment can lead to improved software learning and performance. This is explained in terms of four key dimensions spanning multiple theories of intrinsic motivation: challenge, curiosity, control and fantasy.
The impact of the popular media on cosmetic dentistry.

UNLABELLED The popular media's influence on social norms with respect to people's appearance is likely to have played a part in the recent growth of cosmetic dentistry. AIMS This study was designed to investigate the manner in which the popular media have affected the perception and delivery of aesthetic dentistry in New Zealand. METHODS A nationwide survey was posted to a random sample of 600 general dental practitioners (GDPs) requesting sociodemographic details and information on the types of aesthetic dental procedures provided and the demand for those. Information was also sought on GDPs' awareness of television programmes and reality "makeover" television shows (such as "Extreme Makeover") covering issues related to aesthetic dentistry, together with the impact of such programmes (and that of different print media) on their patients' perceptions of, and demand for, aesthetic dentistry. RESULTS The response rate was 81.2 percent. A majority of participants perceived an increased demand for tooth whitening (77.8 percent) and veneers (54.8 percent) subsequent to the airing of those television programmes, with 85.2 percent reporting patients mentioning "Extreme Makeover" in relation to aesthetic dentistry. Some 56.8 percent believed that patients had higher aesthetic expectations subsequent to the airing of that programme. An increased demand for tooth whitening was reported by more female than male GDPs, and also by younger practitioners and those who were practising in larger centres. Similar patterns were observed with respect to GDPs recommending tooth whitening for patients. Women's magazines were ranked by GDPs as having the highest impact on patients' perceptions of aesthetic dentistry. CONCLUSION The popular media (especially television) appear to have had an impact on the demand for various aesthetic dental procedures in New Zealand.
Corporate Social Performance, Innovation Intensity and Their Impacts on Financial Performance: Evidence from Lending Decisions

This study examines how loan requests for intensifying Corporate Social Performance (CSP) and loan requests for increasing innovation intensity affect loan officers’ credit judgments and lending decisions. I also examine the impact of a balanced loan request for both CSP and innovation intensity. I designed an experiment by manipulating the purpose of a loan request from a pharmaceutical company in order to create four alternative lending scenarios: (1) a full loan request for intensifying CSP activities; (2) a full loan request for increasing innovation intensity; (3) a loan request for a balanced investment in both CSP and innovation; and (4) a general purpose loan request (control group). My findings support that CSP investment is interpreted by loan officers as an indicator of superior Corporate Financial Performance. However, I did not find a clear positive relationship between innovation intensity and lending decisions. These results are consistent with the view that lenders could be reluctant to fund innovation intensity initiatives since the value of investments in R&D as collateral is very limited in practice and there is a considerable time lag between this investment and its payoff. Contrary to my expectations, I did not find that a balanced loan request for both CSP and R&D is interpreted by loan officers as the most favorable lending scenario for an innovative firm.
The status of strategic human resource management in Trinidad and Tobago

Volume 28 No. 1 March 2003 The Status of Strategic Human Resource Management in Trinidad and Tobago by Roland G. Baptiste, University of the West Indies , Trinidad and Tobago & Vanessa Bailey, HR Management Practitioner, Trinidad & Tobago This exploratory study was undertaken to determine the status of strategic human resource management (SHRM) in Trinidad and Tobago. The objective was to identify hypotheses concerning the demographics related to the practice of human resource management in Trinidad and Tobago, the extent of the practice of strategic human resource management (SHRM), and the quality of SHRM being practiced. Hypotheses were identified and it was argued that the pursuit of this line of research would be of value to practitioners, teachers and students, and it was suggested that this study should be extended to the Caribbean region. Pages: 1-16
KMT2D regulates specific programs in heart development via histone H3 lysine 4 di-methylation

KMT2D, which encodes a histone H3K4 methyltransferase, has been implicated in human congenital heart disease in the context of Kabuki syndrome. However, its role in heart development is not understood. Here, we demonstrate a requirement for KMT2D in cardiac precursors and cardiomyocytes during cardiogenesis in mice. Gene expression analysis revealed downregulation of ion transport and cell cycle genes, leading to altered calcium handling and cell cycle defects. We further determined that myocardial Kmt2d deletion led to decreased H3K4me1 and H3K4me2 at enhancers and promoters. Finally, we identified KMT2D-bound regions in cardiomyocytes, of which a subset was associated with decreased gene expression and decreased H3K4me2 in mutant hearts. This subset included genes related to ion transport, hypoxia-reoxygenation and cell cycle regulation, suggesting that KMT2D is important for these processes. Our findings indicate that KMT2D is essential for regulating cardiac gene expression during heart development primarily via H3K4 di-methylation. Highlighted article: Cardiac-specific depletion of the H3K4 methyltransferase KMT2D causes dysregulation of genes associated with cell cycle regulation, ion homeostasis and hypoxia signaling.
Dendritic plasticity in mouse barrel cortex following postnatal vibrissa follicle damage

Neonatal damage to a row of mystacial vibrissae in the mouse causes cytoarchitectonic alterations in the contralateral SmI barrel cortex. The region for the appropriate row of barrels develops as a smaller homogeneous zone while barrels in adjacent rows are expanded. To investigate the effects of this pehnomenon on the morphology of individual neurons, adult mice in which Row‐C vibrissae (the middle row) had been cauterized on days 1–5 following birth were processed by the Golgi‐Cox method. All neurons in layer IV of the Row‐C zones, of the Row‐C barrels of a control hemisphere, and some neurons in the adjacent enlarged Row‐B barrels were measured with a computer‐assisted microscope. Their location with respect to cytoarchitectonic boundaries was determined from a Nissl counterstain. Data from 239 cells are presented. For each cell, measures of dendritic length and branching were obtained. The orientation of the dendritic trees with respect to the barrel sides was also measured.