Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Trial-by-Trial Window into Sensorimotor Transformations in the Human Motor Periphery

The appearance of a novel visual stimulus generates a rapid stimulus-locked response (SLR) in the motor periphery within 100 ms of stimulus onset. Here, we recorded SLRs from an upper limb muscle while humans reached toward (pro-reach) or away (anti-reach) from a visual stimulus. The SLR on anti-reaches encoded the location of the visual stimulus rather than the movement goal. Further, SLR magnitude was attenuated when subjects reached away from rather than toward the visual stimulus. Remarkably, SLR magnitudes also correlated with reaction times on both pro-reaches and anti-reaches, but did so in opposite ways: larger SLRs preceded shorter latency pro-reaches but longer latency anti-reaches. Although converging evidence suggests that the SLR is relayed via a tectoreticulospinal pathway, our results show that task-related signals modulate visual signals feeding into this pathway. The SLR therefore provides a trial-by-trial window into how visual information is integrated with cognitive control in humans. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The presentation of a visual stimulus elicits a trial-by-trial stimulus-locked response (SLR) on the human limb within 100 ms. Here, we show that the SLR continues to reflect stimulus location even when subjects move in the opposite direction (an anti-reach). Remarkably, the attenuation of SLR magnitude reflected the cognitive control required to generate a correct anti-reach, with greater degrees of attenuation preceding shorter-latency anti-reaches and no attenuation preceding error trials. Our results are strikingly similar to neurophysiological recordings in the superior colliculus of nonhuman primates generating anti-saccades, implicating the tectoreticulospinal pathway. Measuring SLR magnitude therefore provides an unprecedented trial-by-trial opportunity to assess the influence of cognitive control on the initial processing of a visual stimulus in humans.
LOW DOSE KETAMINE FOR PAINLESS LABOUR: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF 100 PATIENTS

Background: The phencyclidine derivative Ketamine is widely used as intramuscular and intravenous anaesthetic agent. In contrast to other anaesthetics, ketamine has potent analgesic properties in sub-anaesthetic doses. Recent studies indicate that analgesia produced by ketamine is mediated through opiate receptors and N-methyl D aspartate receptors. As systematically administered ketamine is unlikely to produce the respiratory depression, it seemed to offer an obvious advantage over the narcotics in which major drawback is respiratory depression. Aims & Objective: (1) To study the following parameters in pregnant women given ketamine v/s pregnant women not given analgesic - (a) Maternal outcome in form of duration of labour, mode of delivery, complication of third stage of labour. (b) Foetal outcome in form of Apgar score at 1 min and 5 min. (2) To study pharmacological effect of ketamine on mother (3) To evaluate patient’s satisfaction about this method. Material and Methods: The present study was Randomized controlled trial, conducted in Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Smt. SCL Municipal General Hospital affiliated to NHL Medical College Ahmedabad over a span of 3 yrs. from 2010 to 2012. Study included primigravida and multigravida. 100 women fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were taken for the study. Study population divided into Control Group (no drug administered) and Study group (intravenous ketamine administered). Results: The duration of 1st and 2nd stage was remarkably shortened in study group. 64% of parturient in study group delivered within 3 hours of entering the active phase of labour compared to only 10% in control group. In study group 98% delivered vaginally only 2% required instrumental delivery. There was no inhibition of bearing down reflex by ketamine, no maternal exhaustion in study group. In present study ketamine had no effect on APGAR score at 1 min & at 5 min. 30% had marginal rise in pulse rate with range of 10-15 beats /min. 16% had risen in B.P. not beyond 15-20 mm of Hg. 10% cases had nausea but no vomiting. 90% of cases had excellent pain relief & 8% had satisfactory pain relief, while 2% had no pain at all. Conclusion: The low dose intravenous ketamine suits best to this situation as it provides effective analgesia in low doses, safe without significant maternal and foetal complications, does not prolong duration of labour and there is no increase in rate of instrumental delivery or caesarean section rate. Since it reduces maternal pain thereby reducing the maternal exhaustion the patients on ketamine are very co-operative during labour, easy to administer and monitor without the help of an expertise and cost effective.
Biogeochemistry and biodiversity of methane cycling in subsurface marine sediments (Skagerrak, Denmark).

This biogeochemical, molecular genetic and lipid biomarker study of sediments ( approximately 4 m cores) from the Skagerrak (Denmark) investigated methane cycling in a sediment with a clear sulfate-methane-transition zone (SMTZ) and where CH(4) supply was by diffusion, rather than by advection, as in more commonly studied seep sites. Sulfate reduction removed sulfate by 0.7 m and CH(4) accumulated below. (14)C-radiotracer measurements demonstrated active H(2)/CO(2) and acetate methanogenesis and anaerobic oxidation of CH(4) (AOM). Maximum AOM rates occurred near the SMTZ ( approximately 3 nmol cm(-3) day(-1) at 0.75 m) but also continued deeper, overall, at much lower rates. Maximum rates of H(2)/CO(2) and acetate methanogenesis occurred below the SMTZ but H(2)/CO(2) methanogenesis rates were x 10 those of acetate methanogenesis, and this was consistent with initial values of (13)C-depleted CH(4) (delta(13)C c. -80 per thousand). Areal AOM and methanogenic rates were similar ( approximately 1.7 mmol m(-2) day(-1)), hence, CH(4) flux is finely balanced. A 16S rRNA gene library from 1.39 m combined with methanogen (T-RFLP), bacterial (16S rRNA DGGE) and lipid biomarker depth profiles showed the presence of populations similar to some seep sites: ANME-2a (dominant), ANME-3, Methanomicrobiales, Methanosaeta Archaea, with abundance changes with depth corresponding to changes in activities and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Below the SMTZ to approximately 1.7 m CH(4) became progressively more (13)C depleted (delta(13)C -82 per thousand) indicating a zone of CH(4) recycling which was consistent with the presence of (13)C-depleted archaeol (delta(13)C -55 per thousand). Pore water acetate concentrations decreased in this zone (to approximately 5 microM), suggesting that H(2), not acetate, was an important CH(4) cycling intermediate. The potential biomarkers for AOM-associated SRB, non-isoprenoidal ether lipids, increased below the SMTZ but this distribution reflected 16S rRNA gene sequences for JS1 and OP8 bacteria rather than those of SRB. At this site peak rates of methane production and consumption are spatially separated and seem to be conducted by different archaeal groups. Also AOM is predominantly coupled to sulfate reduction, unlike recent reports from some seep and gassy sediment sites.
Follistatin and noggin are excluded from the zebrafish organizer.

The patterning activity of the Spemann organizer in early amphibian embryos has been characterized by a number of organizer-specific secreted proteins including Chordin, Noggin, and Follistatin, which all share the same inductive properties. They can neuralize ectoderm and dorsalize ventral mesoderm by blocking the ventralizing signals Bmp2 and Bmp4. In the zebrafish, null mutations in the chordin gene, named chordino, lead to a severe reduction of organizer activity, indicating that Chordino is an essential, but not the only, inductive signal generated by the zebrafish organizer. A second gene required for zebrafish organizer function is mercedes, but the molecular nature of its product is not known as yet. To investigate whether and how Follistatin and Noggin are involved in dorsoventral (D-V) patterning of the zebrafish embryo, we have now isolated and characterized their zebrafish homologues. Overexpression studies demonstrate that both proteins have the same dorsalizing properties as their Xenopus homologues. However, unlike the Xenopus genes, zebrafish follistatin and noggin are not expressed in the organizer region, nor are they linked to the mercedes mutation. Expression of both genes starts at midgastrula stages. While no patterned noggin expression was detectable by in situ hybridization during gastrulation stages, later expression is confined to presumptive cartilage cells in the branchial arches and the neurocranium and to proximal regions of the pectoral fin buds. follistatin transcripts in gastrulating embryos are confined to anterior paraxial regions, which give rise to head mesoderm and the first five somites. The dorsolateral extent of this expression domain is regulated by Bmp2b, Chordino, and Follistatin itself. In addition, transient expression was observed in a subset of cells in the posterior notochord anlage. Later, follistatin is expressed in brain, eyes, and somites. Comparison of the spatiotemporal expression pattern of follistatin and noggin with those of bmp2b and bmp4 and overexpression studies suggest that Noggin and Follistatin may function as Bmp antagonists in later processes of zebrafish development, including late phases of D-V patterning, to refine the early pattern set up by the interaction of Chordino and Bmp2/4. It thus appears that many, but not all, aspects of early dorsoventral patterning are shared among different vertebrate species.
Time in bed, quality of sleep and school functioning of children

This study describes the relationship of time in bed and quality of sleep with concentration and functioning at school. Neurotic and psychosomatic symptoms have been used as control variables. The sample consisted of 449 Dutch children in the seventh and eighth grades of elementary school. The age of the children varied between 9 y 5 mo and 14 y 5 mo. Seven schools participated in the research, with a total of 18 classes. The results indicated that 43% of the children had difficulty getting up in the morning. Furthermore, 15% of the children reported sleep problems and 25% did not feel rested at school. Time in bed and sleep quality show no relationship with concentration. Sleep quality, feeling rested at school and less distinct bedtimes were clearly related to school functioning. Another result was that children who had no difficulty getting up displayed more achievement motivation. Being open to the teacher’s influence and achievement motivation depended mainly on sleep characteristics. Not getting bored at school, self‐image as a pupil and control over aggressive behaviour were also influenced by gender, age, neuroticism and neurosomaticism.
Platelet serotonin transporter in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome both before and after treatment with alosetron

OBJECTIVES:Serotonin reuptake is mediated by a transporter protein (SERT), and its dysfunctions can alter serotonergic transmission. The present study examines the binding profile of platelet SERT in healthy volunteers as well as in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (D-IBS), both before and after treatment with the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist alosetron.METHODS:Binding of [3H]paroxetine to SERT was assayed in platelet membranes collected from D-IBS patients (12 women, age 21–73 yr) and healthy volunteers (12 women, age 24–68 yr). Both maximal binding capacity (Bmax) and dissociation constant (Kd) were estimated. In D-IBS patients, binding parameters and symptom severity score were evaluated at baseline and after treatment with alosetron (1 mg b.i.d. for 8 wk). RESULTS:At baseline, Bmax and Kd values of [3H]paroxetine binding were respectively lower and higher in D-IBS patients than in healthy volunteers (Bmax: 518.7 ± 155.9 vs 1151.9 ± 187.4 fmol/mg, p < 0.001; Kd: 0.19 ± 0.05 vs 0.06 ± 0.02 nmol/L, p < 0.001). Symptom severity score in D-IBS patients (50.9 ± 18.8) was negatively correlated with Bmax (r = − 0.964; p < 0.001) but not Kd values (r = − 0.164; p = 0.609). After treatment with alosetron, symptom severity score decreased significantly (14.4 ± 3.7; p < 0.001), whereas Bmax (522.7 ± 39.7 fmol/mg) and Kd values (0.17 ± 0.07 nmol/L) did not change.CONCLUSIONS:The present results indicate that SERT expressed on platelet membranes of D-IBS patients is characterized by low density and binding affinity and suggest a possible correlation between the reduced capacity of serotonin reuptake and the severity of D-IBS symptoms.
Facing faces: studies on the cognitive aspects of physiognomy.

Physiognomy, the art of reading personality traits from faces, dates back to ancient Greece, and is still very popular. The present studies examine several aspects and consequences of the process of reading traits from faces. Using faces with neutral expressions, it is demonstrated that personality information conveyed in faces changes the interpretation of verbal information. Moreover, it is shown that physiognomic information has a consistent effect on decisions, and creates overconfidence in judgments. It is argued, however, that the process of "reading from faces" is just one side of the coin, the other side of which is "reading into faces. " Consistent with the latter, information about personality changes the perception of facial features and, accordingly, the perceived similarity between faces. The implications of both processes and questions regarding their automaticity are discussed.
Cellulose biosynthesis.

There is probably no major biochemical process in plants that is both so important and so poorly understood at the molecular level as cellulose synthesis. This is surprising, because the basic synthetic event is a simple polymerization of glucose residues from a substrate such as UDP-glucose to form the homopolymer p-l,4-~-glucan (for reviews on the structure and industrial uses of cellulose, see Kuga and Brown, 1991; French et al., 1993). However, this is a deceptively simple description, and the process is clearly very complex and requires many higher levels of organization. This complexity can be ascribed to a number of factors that relate to the forms and patterns in which cellulose is deposited in nature. First, the stereochemistry imposed by the p-1,4-glycosidic linkage creates a linear, extended glucan chain in which every other glucose residue is rotated -180O with respect to its neighbor (Figure 1). This means that cellobiose, and not glucose, is the basic repeating unit of the molecule and contrasts with other glucan polymers such as starch (a-l,4-glucan) or callose (p-l,3-gIucan; see Figure l), in which the disaccharide is not the repeating unit and the chains are not perfectly extended but assume less ordered, helical conf igu rations. The extended nature of the p-1P-glucan chain creates a situation in which chains can interact with each other in a very precise manner to form a rigid structure. Thus, cellulose in nature never occurs as a single chain but exists from the time of synthesis as a composite of many chains, called microfibrils (Figure 1). The chains associate very strongly via both intraand interchain hydrogen bonding between glucose residues in a manner so precise that microfibrillar cellulose is largely crystalline. Although this notion has been controversial for many years, the general consensus now is that, in the cellulose I crystal (that is, the form found in nature), the chains are aligned parallel to each other. This at least eliminates complications of the sort involved in the synthesis of antiparallel chain structures such as DNA, and it suggests that the mechanism of polymerization of adjacent chains probably proceeds in a
Evaluation and Management of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Adolescent Males Presenting to a Pediatric Emergency Department: Is the Chief Complaint Diagnostic?

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to (1) describe evaluation and treatment patterns for adolescent males presenting with a concern for sexually transmitted infection (STI) in a pediatric emergency department, (2) assess the rates of STIs in symptomatic males, and (3) determine the utility of urinalysis alone in predicting STIs in adolescent males. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of all patients presenting to our pediatric emergency department from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2007. Inclusion criteria included males, aged 15 to 21 years, with an STI or urinary chief complaint. Exclusion criteria were referrals from pediatricians, a previous history of urinary tract infection or preexisting urologic condition, or primary complaint of scrotal and/or testicular pain. Results: A total of 270 patients were identified. Testing included urinalysis with microscopy (UA) (64%), urine culture (53%), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC), and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) (93%), and Trichomonas vaginalis (5%). Sixty-four percent of males tested positive for either GC or CT, or both. Overall, 91% of patients were treated for CT and GC, 18% for T. vaginalis, and 5% for urinary tract infection. The sensitivity and specificity of a positive UA for presence of GC and/or CT were 86% and 82%, respectively, whereas the positive and negative predictive values were 89% and 77%, respectively. There were no positive urine cultures in the cohort. Conclusions: Sixty-four percent of patients were diagnosed with either GC or CT. Although UA is helpful in predicting STI, limited use is warranted, given the high prevalence of disease in this selected population. The urine culture does not appear to be a necessary adjunct in the management of these patients.
Influence of antenatal physical exercise on heart rate variability and QT variability

Abstract Objective: We sought to characterise the influence of an antenatal exercise programme on ECG-derived cardiac variables. Methods: Fifity-one healthy pregnant women were recruited and randomly assigned (2 × 2×2 design) to an exercise group or a control group. Exercising groups attended weekly classes from the 20th week of pregnancy onwards. Cardiovascular assessments (heart rate variabiliy (HRV), QT, and the QT variability index (QTVI)) were performed at 12–16, 26–28, 34–36 weeks and 12 weeks following birth, during supine rest and exercise conditions. Results: Advancing gestation was associated with an increased maternal heart rate (p = 0.001), shorter QT interval (p = 0.003), diminished HRV (p = 0.002) and increased QTVI (p = 0.002). Each of these changes was reversed within 12 weeks postpartum (p < 0.004). The Exercise group displayed exaggerated changes for all variables (except QT) but only during supine rest in the third trimester (p < 0.029). Conclusion: Advancing gestation is associated with a shift in HRV/QTVI towards values that have been associated with an elevated risk of arrhythmia. A 20-week exercise programme undertaken between mid and late pregnancy exaggerated these changes during rest in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Early Biochemical Defects Caused by Dietary Trace Element Deficiencies

Many of the early studies of the metabolism of the trace elements were aimed at providing methods of assessing the adequacy of intake of individual elements. This may be achieved either by estimating body reserves of the elements or by determining whether their essential functions are being adequately maintained. Newly-evolving methods of assessing reserves include, for zinc, studies of metallothionein concentrations in blood or urine (Bremner et al. 1987) and, for iron, immunoassay of plasma ferritin levels (Peter & Wang, 1981). However, since trace element reserves are only of value in ensuring adequate functional capacity, methods based on the former approach must be calibrated against functional criteria. Furthermore, it has become increasingly evident that adverse biochemical changes can occur before diagnostic signs of trace element deficiencies are apparent. Such defects include reduced candidacidal activity of neutrophils from copper and selenium-deficient rats, mice and cattle (Boyne & Arthur, 1981, 1986a), degenerative changes in pancreas of cattle with low Cu intakes (Fell et al. 1985) and restricted growth of many species when Zn intakes are inadequate. Increasingly, therefore, investigations will concentrate on the functional roles of the trace elements with a view to being able to identify subclinical deficiencies. In the past, investigators frequently studied the multiple roles of individual elements, but to understand their significance each must be seen as an integral part of a particular metabolic pathway. For this reason, the present review will attempt to indicate how the trace elements function within an animal’s overall metabolism. The reference in the title to early defects relates to the time-course of onset of a deficiency and it should be recognized throughout that this may correspond to depletion for only a few days in the case of Zn but at the other extreme may extend with manganese deficiency into a second generation.
Degenerations of Abelian Differentials

Consider degenerations of Abelian differentials with prescribed number and multiplicity of zeros and poles. Motivated by the theory of limit linear series, we define twisted canonical divisors on pointed nodal curves to study degenerate differentials, give dimension bounds for their moduli spaces, and establish smoothability criteria. As applications, we show that the spin parity of holomorphic and meromorphic differentials extends to distinguish twisted canonical divisors in the locus of stable pointed curves of pseudocompact type. We also justify whether zeros and poles on general curves in a stratum of differentials can be Weierstrass points. Moreover, we classify twisted canonical divisors on curves with at most two nodes in the minimal stratum in genus three. Our techniques combine algebraic geometry and flat geometry. Their interplay is a main flavor of the paper.
Imaging the Zona Pellucida of Canine and Feline Oocytes Using Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract Ultrastructure of the zona pellucida (ZP) of canine and feline oocytes has not been fully investigated. The objective of the study was to evaluate the potential use of the low vacuum scanning electron microscope (LVSEM) with oocytes. This required development of a method to prepare canine and feline cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) for LVSEM to provide ultrastructural information on the ZP. COCs were collected from ovaries, and cumulus cells were either partially or completely removed to reveal the ZP. COCs and zona-intact oocytes were fixed at 4°C for 1 h in 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M sodium cacodylate buffer, pH 7.4 and subsequently viewed wet or further processed by critical point drying, and viewed uncoated or sputter coated with gold. Although the spongy surface of the ZP was visible at low vacuum in uncoated oocytes, coated oocytes had more details at high vacuum. The ZP surface of canine and feline oocytes contained numerous various-sized, spherical or elliptical pores that narrowed centripetally splitting into several smaller, deep pores. The round to oblong cumulus cells tightly surrounded the ZP. Each corona radiata cumulus cell tapered into a thin projection that entered the ZP. Our detailed techniques will enable future studies connecting ultrastructural and molecular aspects of oocyte maturation and development in mammals.