Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response of the human detrusor to stretch is regulated by TREK‐1, a two‐pore‐domain (K2P) mechano‐gated potassium channel

Mechano‐gated two‐pore‐domain potassium (K2P) channels are expressed in the human bladder, with TREK‐1 being the predominant functional subunit. TREK‐1 channels in bladder smooth muscle are activated by membrane stretch and negative pressure applied to the patch pipette. Inhibition of TREK‐1 channels in the human detrusor significantly delays relaxation of bladder smooth muscle and triggers small‐amplitude spontaneous contractions in response to stretch. Application of negative pressure to cell‐attached patches (–20 mmHg) causes a 19‐fold increase in the open probability (NPo) of human TREK‐1 channels. l‐Methionine (1 mm) dramatically decreases the NPo of TREK‐1 channels from 0.045 ± 0.003 to 0.008 ± 0.001 (n = 8, P ≤ 0.01). Addition of arachidonic acid (10 μm) increases the open probability of methionine‐inhibited unitary currents up to 0.43 ± 0.05 at 0 mV (n = 9, P ≤ 0.05). TREK‐1 channels may serve as a promising pharmacological target for bladder dysfunction in humans.
Associations between income inequality and mortality among US states: the importance of time period and source of income data.

OBJECTIVES We used census data to examine associations between income inequality and mortality among US states for each decade from 1949 to 1999 and tax return income data to estimate associations for 1989. METHODS Cross-sectional correlation analyses were used to assess income inequality-mortality relationships. RESULTS Census income analyses revealed little association between income inequality and mortality for 1949, 1959, or 1969. An association emerged for 1979 and strengthened for 1989 but weakened for 1999. When income inequality was based on tax return data, associations were weaker for both 1989 and 1999. CONCLUSIONS The strong association between income inequality and mortality observed among US states for 1989 was not observed for other periods from 1949 through 1999. In addition, when tax return rather than census data were used, the association was weaker for 1989 and 1999. The potential for distal social determinants of population health (e.g., income inequality) to affect mortality is contingent on how such determinants influence levels of proximal risk factors and the time lags between exposure to those risk factors and effects on specific health outcomes.
Off-channel effect of high-frequency overstimulation on duration tuning of low-frequency inferior colliculus neurons in guinea pigs

Conclusion. High-frequency overstimulation can cause the loss of duration selectivity in low-frequency inferior colliculus neurons in guinea pigs. Objective. To investigate the effect of high-frequency overstimulation on duration tuning in low-frequency inferior colliculus neurons in guinea pigs. Materials and methods. Duration tuning pattern was recorded by measuring the spikes of single neurons in response to the best frequency (BF) of different durations. The effect of high-frequency overstimulation was verified by comparing the responses before and after the tone exposure. Results. In total, 40 duration-tuned neurons were successfully recorded before and after the tone exposure. After the high-frequency tone trauma, a total of 29 neurons (72.5%) became non-duration-tuned.
Further Psychometric Support for the Sensation Seeking Scale-Form V

In this study, we investigated the psychometric properties of the Sensation Seeking Scale-V (SSS-V; Zuckerman, Eysenck, & Eysenck, 1978). Participants were 498 undergraduate students at a public university. A confirmatory factor analysis supported the SSS-V four-factor structure. In addition, the internal consistency was high and the convergent validity of the SSS-V was supported. These findings replicate research supporting the construct validity and reliability of the SSS-V in a nonclinical college sample.
Isolation and Characterization of Dominant Mutations in the Bacillus subtilis Stressosome Components RsbR and RsbS

ABSTRACT The general stress response of Bacillus subtilis is controlled by the activity state of the σB transcription factor. Physical stress is communicated to σB via a large-molecular-mass (>106-Da) structure (the stressosome) formed by one or more members of a family of homologous proteins (RsbR, YkoB, YojH, YqhA). The positive regulator (RsbT) of the σB stress induction pathway is incorporated into the complex bound to an inhibitor protein (RsbS). Exposure to stress empowers an RsbT-dependent phosphorylation of RsbR and RsbS, with the subsequent release of RsbT to activate downstream processes. The mechanism by which stress initiates these reactions is unknown. In an attempt to identify changes in stressosome components that could lead to σB activation, a DNA segment encoding these proteins was mutagenized and placed into B. subtilis to create a merodiploid strain for these genes. Eight mutations that allowed heightened σB activity in the presence of their wild-type counterparts were isolated. Two of the mutations are missense changes in rsbR, and six are amino acid changes in rsbS. Additional experiments suggested that both of the rsbR mutations and three of the rsbS mutations likely enhance σB activity by elevating the level of RsbS phosphorylation. All of the mutations were found to be dominant over wild-type alleles only when they are cotranscribed within an rsbR rsbS rsbT operon. The data suggest that changes in RsbR can initiate the downstream events that lead to σB activation and that RsbR, RsbS, and RsbT likely interact with each other concomitantly with their synthesis.
Building a comprehensive model to investigate factors behind switching intention of high-technology products

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that underpin consumer switching intention in the smartphone industry. Most of the literature on brand switching uses conventional models that lack the ability to explain this behavior for high-technology products. Such products have unique characteristics that make the switching process more challenging from the consumer perspective. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model is built based on the related theories that consider the distinctive aspects of high-technology products. Furthermore, two variables “relative advantage of product features” and “company innovativeness” are introduced for the first time to evaluate consumer attitude to switch a high-technology product. The smartphone industry was selected to test the proposed model, where an online survey was sent to Apple and Samsung users. Findings The results confirm the expectation that perceived product usefulness, perceived ease of use and relative advantage of product features are the major factors driving the intention of users to switch, whereas subjective norms have limited impact. The financial cost of switching is the main barrier to consumers’ decision to switch to a new technology. The pleasure consumers feel toward their brand and the other brand is positively associated with their attitude toward switching. Research limitations/implications This research contributes to the literature on brand switching by introducing a comprehensive model that explains consumer switching behavior of high-technology products. Research findings would allow managers to draft better marketing strategies to improve consumer brand awareness. Originality/value The majority of literature on brand switching uses simple models to explain consumer behavior. This study is the first attempt to build a comprehensive model that considers the characteristics of high-technology products and how they shape consumer behavior during the decision-making process.
Distinguishing Features of Cuban Children Referred for Professional Help Because of ADHD: Looking Beyond the Symptoms

Objective: To distinguish Cuban children clinically referred because of ADHD from an at-risk community sample and a community control group in terms of symptoms, associated difficulties and impairment of family and peer relations. Method: Parents and teachers of 1,036 children (6-8 years old) completed an established ADHD rating scale and a behavioral screening measure, including peer functioning.We also administered a structured clinical interview and measures of family impairment to the clinical sample and to an at-risk community-based subsample. Results: Although both clinical and at-risk groups displayed more externalizing and internalizing symptoms than controls, referred children were not only characterized by higher levels of ADHD symptoms, but also by greater impairment of family and peer relations than at-risk community children or community controls. Conclusion: The findings suggest that ADHD has major consequences on the family and peer functioning of Cuban children, which may lead to their referral for treatment.
The Relationships Among Serum Lipid Levels, Adiposity, And Depressive Symptomatology In Persons Aging With Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) appears to occur prematurely in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). Stress may play a significant role in the development of CVD. Depression is the most common form of stress complicating the care of persons with SCI. Methods: In 188 persons with SCI, 46% with tetraplegia and 54% with paraplegia, the relationship between depression and the serum lipid profile was studied. Depression was measured by the Older Adult Health and Mood Questionnaire (OAHMQ) for persons with disability. Total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides were measured; body mass index (BMI) was computed and percent body fat was determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Results: Depression and level of SCI were found to have significant interactive effects on serum lipid levels. Serum total and LDL cholesterol, as well as triglycerides, were all higher among persons with paraplegia who were depressed compared to those who were not depressed. This was not found in persons with tetraplegia. Inverse relationships were evident between serum triglycerides and HDL cholesterol levels. Persons with paraplegia who were depressed had significantly more adiposity than those not depressed. BMI correlated directly with serum triglycerides and indirectly with serum HDL cholesterol. Conclusion: Depression appears to be a strong determinant of adverse lipid profiles in patients with paraplegia. The association between depression and adiposity in these patients compounds the risk for cardiovascular disease.
Education for reconstruction : a post-apartheid response to the education crisis in South Africa

In this article education is presented as one of the important tools for the reconstruction of the South African society after the demise of apartheid. The kind of education that, in my opinion, will effectively achieve the reconstruction objective, is what I prefer to term “education for reconstruction”. The construct: Education for reconstruction is further developed. It is postulated that Ubuntu Education is the kind of education that will make the grade in the drive to achieve the goal of reconstruction. I focus on the best I believe the envisaged Ubuntu education can bring about. I recommend Ubuntu education which is presented as the promoter of interdependence, loving relationships, caring, mutual respect and commitment. The relation between Ubuntu and the Biblical social values is highligted and the importance thereof for education, indicated. I conclude by urging those who are responsible for the education of the country’s youth not to divorce education from responsibility. I subsequently express the conviction that, if used correctly, Ubuntu education will facilitate the smooth integration of young people into the community, church, industry and the global community.
Synthesis of stress protein 70 (Hsp70) in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) red blood cells

Unlike enucleated mammalian red blood cells (rbcs), the nucleated rbcs of lower vertebrates are capable of protein synthesis and may, therefore, serve as a valuable model to investigate the adaptive significance of stress protein synthesis in cells. This study examined the synthesis of stress protein 70 (Hsp70) in rbcs of the temperature-sensitive rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in response to heat shock and anoxia. Through western blot analysis, we have demonstrated that rainbow trout rbcs synthesize Hsp70 both constitutively and in response to an increase in temperature. Radioisotopic labelling experiments indicated that the temperature at which Hsp70 synthesis was induced in fish acclimated to 10 °C was between 20 and 25 °C. Actinomycin D blocked de novo Hsp70 synthesis, implying that synthesis of Hsp70 is regulated at the level of transcription in rainbow trout rbcs. Since trout rbcs rely heavily on aerobic metabolism, but may also experience very low oxygen levels within the circulation, we also examined the relative importance of (1) anoxia as a stimulus for Hsp70 synthesis and (2) oxygen as a requirement for protein synthesis under control and heat-shock conditions. We found that trout rbcs were capable of protein synthesis during 2 h of anoxia, but did not increase Hsp70 synthesis. Moreover, rbcs subjected to combined anoxia and heat shock exhibited increases in Hsp70 synthesis that were similar in magnitude to those in cells exposed to heat shock alone. The latter results suggest that rainbow trout rbcs are (1) able to synthesize non-stress proteins during anoxia, (2) capable of tolerating periods of reduced oxygen availability without increased synthesis of stress proteins and (3) able to maintain the integrity of their heat-shock response even during periods of anoxia.
First clinical trial with etomoxir in patients with chronic congestive heart failure.

In the failing human myocardium, both impaired calcium homoeostasis and alterations in the levels of contractile proteins have been observed, which may be responsible for reduced contractility as well as diastolic dysfunction. In addition, levels of a key protein in calcium cycling, i.e. the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase, and of the alpha-myosin heavy chain have been shown to be enhanced by treatment with etomoxir, a carnitine palmitoyltransferase inhibitor, in normal and pressure-overloaded rat myocardium. We therefore studied, for the first time, the influence of long-term oral application of etomoxir on cardiac function in patients with chronic heart failure. A dose of 80 mg of etomoxir was given once daily to 10 patients suffering from heart failure (NYHA functional class II-III; mean age 55+/-4 years; one patient with ischaemic heart disease and nine patients with dilated idiopathic cardiomyopathy; all male), in addition to standard therapy. The left ventricular ejection fraction was measured echocardiographically before and after a 3-month period of treatment. Central haemodynamics at rest and exercise (supine position bicycle) were defined by means of a pulmonary artery catheter and thermodilution. All 10 patients improved clinically; no patient had to stop taking the study medication because of side effects; and no patient died during the 3-month period. Maximum cardiac output during exercise increased from 9.72+/-1.25 l/min before to 13.44+/-1.50 l/min after treatment (P<0.01); this increase was mainly due to an increased stroke volume [84+/-7 ml before and 109+/-9 ml after treatment (P<0.01)]. Resting heart rate was slightly reduced (not statistically significant). During exercise, for any given heart rate, stroke volume was significantly enhanced (P<0.05). The left ventricular ejection fraction increased significantly from 21.5+/-2.6% to 27.0+/-2.3% (P<0.01). In acute studies, etomoxir showed neither a positive inotropic effect nor vasodilatory properties. Thus, although the results of this small pilot study are not placebo-controlled, all patients seem to have benefitted from etomoxir treatment. Etomoxir, which has no acute inotropic or vasodilatory properties and is thought to increase gene expression of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase and the alpha-myosin heavy chain, improved clinical status, central haemodynamics at rest and during exercise, and left ventricular ejection fraction.
Relative asymptotics of orthogonal polynomials for perturbed measures

We survey and present some new results that are related to the behaviour of orthogonal polynomials in the plane under small perturbations of the measure of orthogonality. More precisely, we introduce the notion of a polynomially small (PS) perturbation of a measure. Namely, if and , , are the associated orthonormal polynomial sequences, then is a PS perturbation of if , as . In such a case we establish relative asymptotic results for the two sequences of orthonormal polynomials. We also provide results dealing with the behaviour of the zeros of PS perturbations of area orthogonal (Bergman) polynomials. Bibliography: 35 titles.
Design of Broadband High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers Based on a Series of Continuous Modes

In this letter, a series of continuous modes for designing broadband high-efficiency power amplifiers (PAs) are proposed, which extend the continuous mode concept. The impedance solutions space based on these modes offer a greater freedom for realizing broadband high-efficiency PAs. To verify this theory, a high-efficiency PA over a 54.5% bandwidth from 1.6 to 2.8 GHz is designed. The simulated results show that the fundamental impedances in this PA are found to be in good agreement with the calculated ones. Moreover, this PA delivers average output power of 14.2 W with an average drain efficiency of 75.7% in the target band.
Uptake of the MedsCheck annual medication review service in Ontario community pharmacies between 2007 and 2013

Background: MedsCheck Annual (MCA) is an Ontario government-funded medication review service for individuals taking 3 or more prescription medications for chronic conditions. Methods: This cohort study analyzed linked administrative claims data from April 1, 2007, to March 31, 2013. Trends in MCA claims and recipient characteristics were examined. Results: A total of 1,498,440 Ontarians (55% seniors, 55% female) received an MCA. One-third (36%) had 2 or more MCAs within 6 years. Service provision increased over time, with a sharper increase from 2010 onward. Almost half of Ontario pharmacies made at least 1 MCA claim in the first month of the program. Hypertension, respiratory disease, diabetes, psychiatric conditions and arthritis were common comorbidities. Recipients older than 65 years were most commonly dispensed an antihypertensive and/or antihyperlipidemic drug in the prior year and received an average of 11 unique prescription medications. Thirty-eight percent of recipients visited an emergency department or were hospitalized in the year prior to their first MCA. Discussion: Over the first 6 years of the program, approximately 1 in 9 Ontarians received an MCA. There was rapid and widespread uptake of the service. Common chronic conditions were well represented among MCA recipients. Older MCA recipients had less emergency department use compared with population-based estimates. Conclusions: Medication reviews increased over time; however, the number of persons receiving the service more than once was low. Service delivery was generally consistent with program eligibility; however, there are some findings possibly consistent with delivery to less complex patients.
Characterization of SP41, a surface protein of Brucella associated with adherence and invasion of host epithelial cells

Brucella is an invasive organism that multiplies and survives within eukaryotic cells. The brucellae are able to adhere to the surface of cultured epithelial cells, a mechanism that may facilitate penetration and dissemination to other host tissues. However, no adhesins that allow the bacteria to interact with the surface of epithelial cells before migration within polymorphonuclear leukocytes, monocytes and macrophages have been described. Here, we show that Brucella surface proteins (SPs) with apparent molecular masses of 14, 18 and 41 kDa bound selectively to HeLa cells. However, only antibodies directed against the 41 kDa surface protein (SP41) inhibited in dose–response manner, bacterial adherence and invasion of HeLa cells. HeLa cells treated with neuraminidase did not bind SP41, suggesting the involvement of cellular sialic acid residues in this interaction. Biochemical analysis of SP41 revealed that this protein is the predicted product of the ugpB locus, which showed significant homology to the glycerol‐3‐phosphate‐binding ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporter protein found in several bacterial species. SP41 appears to be exposed on the bacterial surface as determined by immunofluorescence and immunogold labelling with anti‐SP41 antibody. An isogenic ΔugpB mutant showed a significant inhibitory effect on Brucella adherence and invasion of human cultured epithelial cells and this effect could be reversed by restoration of the ugpB on a plasmid. Lastly, we also show that most of the sera from individuals with acute brucellosis, but not sera obtained from healthy donors or patients with chronic brucellosis, mount antibody reactivity against SP41, suggesting that this protein is produced in vivo and that it elicits an antibody immune response. These data are novel findings that offer new insights into understanding the interplay between this bacterium and host target cells, and identify a new target for vaccine development and prevention of brucellosis.
Treatment of gonorrhoea by one oral dose of ampicillin and probenecid combined.

Ithasbeenshown(Odegaard, 1962) bysensitivity testing invitro thattheeffect ofampicillin onmost gonococcal strains issomewhat weaker thanthatof penicillin G,buttheeffect onstrains lesssensitive isbetter withampicillin thanwithpenicillin G. ReynandBentzon (1968), insupport ofthis, found thatthe50percent. inhibitory concentrations for thenaturally-occurring moresensitive strains were abouttwice ashighwithampicillin aswithsodium penicillin G, whereas an opposite tendency was observed intheless sensitive strains. Asthegreat majority ofrelapses after treatment withpenicillin occurinpatients infected with gonococci withreduced sensitivity topenicillin, itis therefore possible thatampicillin couldbe an effective remedyinthetreatment ofgonorrhoea. Thishasproved tobethecase.Willcox (1963) founda failure rateof119 percent.inmale patients withuncomplicated gonorrhoea treated withasingle oraldoseof05g.ampicillin, which provedcomparable totheresults achieved with single injections ofaqueousprocaine penicillin. Willcox(1964) alsofoundthattheresults of ampicillin given orally weresomewhat better than thoseobtained withampicillin byinjection. Alergant(1963), administering ampicillin asa single 1g.oraldoseinthetreatment ofuncomplicated gonorrhoea inmales, hadacurerateof95percent. , whichwashigher thanthatobtained withany previous oralpreparation ofpenicillin, andhe considered ampicillin tobea suitable alternative topenicillin byinjection inthetreatment ofgonorrhoea.Marmell, Sills, Brown,andPrigot (1964) obtained excellent results withampicillin given in divided dosesof1g.WhenGjessing andOdegaard (1965) treated 500maleswithoneoraldoseof1g. ampicillin combined withonesimultaneous injectionof600,000 units procaine penicillin therelapse frequency was3 percent. , whereas 500patients