Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corticosterone Exerts Site‐Specific and State‐Dependent Effects in Prefrontal Cortex and Amygdala on Regulation of Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Insulin and Fat Depots

Chronic stress stimulates corticosterone secretion and recruits brain pathways that regulate energy balance (caloric acquisition and deposition) and facilitate hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal responsiveness to new stressors. We implanted corticosterone or cholesterol bilaterally either near the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) or in the prefrontal cortex to determine whether high concentrations of the steroid act at either site, with or without chronic stress. Rats were adrenalectomized and treated systemically with low doses of corticosterone. Half were maintained at room temperature and the other half were exposed to 5 °C cold for 5 days before all rats were restrained. There was limited diffusion of corticosterone from brain implants. Corticosterone in prefrontal cortex, but not CeA, decreased plasma insulin and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) responses to acute restraint in both control and chronically cold stressed rats. Corticosterone implants near CeA decreased the weight of fat depots only in cold; corticosterone implants in prefrontal cortex were ineffective. We conclude that (i) corticosterone inhibits insulin and ACTH secretion by an action in prefrontal cortex but not CeA; (ii) high concentrations of corticosterone secreted during chronic stress alter metabolism through (autonomic) outputs of the CeA and prefrontal cortex in site‐ and variable‐specific fashion; and (iii) the amygdala is a component of a stress‐recruited, state‐dependent pathway.
Time-Scale Modification of Complex Acoustic Signals in Noise

Abstract : A new approach is introduced for time-scale modification of short- duration complex acoustic signals to improve their audibility. The method preserves an approximate time-scaled temporal envelope of a signal, thus capitalizing on the perceptual importance of the signal's temporal structure, while also maintaining the character of a noise background. The basis for the approach is a subband signal representation, derived from a filter bank analysis/synthesis, the channel phases of which are controlled to shape the temporal envelope of the time-scaled signal. Channel amplitudes and filter bank inputs are selected to shape the spectrum and correlation of the time-scaled background. The phase, amplitude, and input control are derived from locations of events that occur within filter bank outputs. A frame-based generalization of the method imposes phase consistency and background noise continuity across consecutive synthesis frames. The approach and its derivatives are applied to synthetic and actual complex acoustic signals consisting of closely spaced sequential time components. Time-Scale modification, Slow-motion audio replay, Complex acoustic signal, Signal enhancement, Noise background preservation, Improved audibility, Temporal envelope, Filter bank analysis/synthesis, Sine-wave.
The effects of a lutein-based supplement on objective and subjective measures of retinal and visual function in eyes with age-related maculopathy – a randomised controlled trial

Lutein and zeaxanthin are lipid-soluble antioxidants found within the macula region of the retina. Links have been suggested between increased levels of these carotenoids and reduced risk for age-related macular disease (ARMD). Therefore, the effect of lutein-based supplementation on retinal and visual function in people with early stages of ARMD (age-related maculopathy, ARM) was assessed using multi-focal electroretinography (mfERG), contrast sensitivity and distance visual acuity. A total of fourteen participants were randomly allocated to either receive a lutein-based oral supplement (treated group) or no supplement (non-treated group). There were eight participants aged between 56 and 81 years (65·50 (sd 9·27) years) in the treated group and six participants aged between 61 and 83 years (69·67 (sd 7·52) years) in the non-treated group. Sample sizes provided 80 % power at the 5 % significance level. Participants attended for three visits (0, 20 and 40 weeks). At 60 weeks, the treated group attended a fourth visit following 20 weeks of supplement withdrawal. No changes were seen between the treated and non-treated groups during supplementation. Although not clinically significant, mfERG ring 3 N2 latency (P= 0·041) and ring 4 P1 latency (P= 0·016) increased, and a trend for reduction of mfERG amplitudes was observed in rings 1, 3 and 4 on supplement withdrawal. The statistically significant increase in mfERG latencies and the trend for reduced mfERG amplitudes on withdrawal are encouraging and may suggest a potentially beneficial effect of lutein-based supplementation in ARM-affected eyes.
Follow-up Study of HER-2 / neu Amplification in Primary Breast Cancer 1

Amplification of the HER-2/neu oncogene was determined in 362 tumors from patients with primary breast cancer (185 node-positive patients and 177 node-negative patients). The overall amplification rate was 33% (30% for node-negative patients; 31% for patients with 1-3 positive nodes; 40% for patients with >3 positive nodes). Gene copy number was not associated with axillary lymph node status, steroid receptor status, or patient age but was weakly correlated with the size of the primary tumor. Amplification of the HER-2/neu gene did not correlate with either disease-free or overall survival in univariate or multivariate analyses. The results were unambiguously negative for patients with node-negative disease. Although the univariate results for node-positive patients were marginally significant ( /' = 0.07), the significance was not retained in multivariate analyses. Thus, while HER-2/neu amplification may be biologically important in primary breast cancer, it will only be of marginal utility as a prognostic factor for predicting clinical outcome.
Optimization of flux-surface density variation in stellarator plasmas with respect to the transport of collisional impurities

Avoiding impurity accumulation is a requirement for steady-state stellarator operation. The accumulation of impurities can be heavily affected by variations in their density on the flux-surface. Using recently derived semi-analytic expressions for the transport of a collisional impurity species with high-Z and flux-surface density-variation in the presence of a low-collisionality bulk ion species, we numerically optimize the impurity density-variation on the flux-surface to minimize the radial peaking factor of the impurities. These optimized density-variations can reduce the core impurity density by 0.75Z (with Z the impurity charge number) in the large helical device case considered here, and by 0.89Z in a Wendelstein 7-X standard configuration case. On the other hand, when the same procedure is used to find density-variations that maximize the peaking factor, it is notably increased compared to the case with no density-variation. This highlights the potential importance of measuring and controlling these variations in experiments.
Modeling Relations among Discrete Developmental Processes: A General Approach to Associative Latent Transition Analysis

To understand one developmental process, it is often helpful to investigate its relations with other developmental processes. Statistical methods that model development in multiple processes simultaneously over time include latent growth curve models with time-varying covariates, multivariate latent growth curve models, and dual trajectory models. These models are designed for growth represented by continuous, unidimensional trajectories. The purpose of this article is to present a flexible approach to modeling relations in development among two or more discrete, multidimensional latent variables based on the general framework of loglinear modeling with latent variables called associative latent transition analysis (ALTA). Focus is given to the substantive interpretation of different associative latent transition models, and exactly what hypotheses are expressed in each model. An empirical demonstration of ALTA is presented to examine the association between the development of alcohol use and sexual risk behavior during adolescence.
Development of the lung liquid reabsorptive mechanism in fetal sheep: synergism of triiodothyronine and hydrocortisone.

1. Thyroidectomy was performed on twelve fetal sheep between 111 and 115 days gestation. Measurement of fetal lung liquid secretion and absorption rates (Jv) were made at rest and during short (45 min) and long (5 h) infusions of adrenaline (0.5 micrograms/min) in a total of thirty‐seven experiments, some in the absence of triiodothyronine (T3) and hydrocortisone and some at set times after the administration of the two hormones. 2. T3 was given either as an I.V. infusion (60 micrograms/24 h) or as a bolus of 30 micrograms; hydrocortisone was given as an infusion of 10 mg/24 h. Both hormones were administered together. 3. Before T3 and hydrocortisone were given short infusions of adrenaline had no effect on Jv but 4 h after exposure to the hormones secretion rate was reduced to near zero (Jv = ‐0.5 +/‐ 1.6 ml/h, n = 4) by adrenaline; after 24 h of hormone exposure, absorption of fetal lung liquid was produced by adrenaline (Jv = ‐3.6 +/‐ 2.2 ml/h, n = 4) which was even greater after 72 h, (Jv = ‐11.2 +/‐ 2.2 ml/h, n = 4). 4. During long infusions of adrenaline when T3 and hydrocortisone were given at the start of the experiment, an effect on lung liquid secretion was evident at 2 h and absorption was produced at 4 h (Jv = ‐4.2 +/‐ 2.5 ml/h, n = 3). The effect was significantly different from control long infusions of adrenaline performed the previous day in the absence of hormones. 5. After 24 or 48 h of stopping T3 and hydrocortisone administration, adrenaline no longer produced absorption of lung liquid, indicating that the effect of the two hormones was reversible within 24‐48 h. 6. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide put into lung liquid (4 x 10(‐5) to 3 x 10(‐4) M) blunted the effect of the hormones at 4 h and prevented absorption of lung liquid at 24 h. Jv during adrenaline was ‐3.6 +/‐ 1.5 ml/h in control experiments but was +3.3 +/‐ 0.9 ml/h after cycloheximide, n = 4, P < 0.01. This indicated that the two hormones produced their effect through protein synthesis.
Effects of fish oil on graft arteriosclerosis and MHC class II antigen expression in rat heterotopic cardiac allografts.

The effect of fish oil on accelerated graft coronary arteriosclerosis was assessed in Lewis to Brown-Norway rat heterotopic cardiac allografts. Twelve Brown-Norway rats were supplemented with 2 ml/kg/day of fish oil (68.3 mg eicosopentaenoic acid and 47.5 mg decosahexaenoic acid per milliliter). Eleven additional animals, receiving an isocaloric amount of safflower oil, served as control. All diets began 1 week before operation. Immunosuppression was obtained with low-dose cyclosporine (2 mg/kg/d). When killed (100 days), there were no significant differences in percentage weight gain, graft function, or histologic rejection score. Although lipid profiles were comparable, total cholesterol:high-density lipoprotein ratio was marginally higher in animals treated with fish oil (p = 0.069). Mean percentage luminal occlusion (before and after correcting for differences in size between coronary vessels analyzed) and average intimal thickness were similar between animals treated with fish oil and safflower oil as assessed by computer-assisted digitized, morphometric planimetry. In all allografts, donor interstitial dendritic cells were repopulated with recipient dendritic cells. The major histocompatibility complex class II cell density in the fish oil group did not differ significantly from rats supplemented with safflower oil (1.48 +/- 0.68 vs 1.48 +/- 0.65 cells per mm2, p = 0.995). In conclusion, fish oil did not exert any beneficial effect over safflower oil in terms of graft coronary arteriosclerosis, histologic rejection, or plasma lipids. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Institutional strategy for effective blended e-learning: HCI perspective of sustainable embedding

E-learning is a subject of interest in HCI research where issues of design and usability are heavily addressed. However, the strategic implementation of e-learning goes beyond design and usability issue and has to take into account broader issues that are of relevance to business and management of the education provider. This view is also a concern of the MIS interest group of HCI who seeks to understand the business, managerial, organizational, and cultural contexts of how human interacts with information and technology. This paper put forward the concept of sustainable embedding as an institutional strategy for e-learning based on two important themes of MIS: technology acceptance and technology continuance. The strategic actions for sustainable embedding effective e-learning are outlined as an illustration of the concept.
Demonstration of an application for remote outlier detection and accommodation

This work describes a tool for data analysis and time series cleaning, with a specific focus on outlier detection and accommodation. Data can be previously collected or obtained in real-time from a remote laboratory experiment using a wireless sensor network (WSN). The tool, presented as a local Matlab Graphical User Interface or as a remote application, allows the user to fill in missing data, resample and select a wide range of state-of-the-art and classical outlier detection and accommodation methods such as Kernel PCA, Modified Z-Score and Grubb's Test. After the accommodation, the different methods can be compared one with another, as well as with the original series, providing several scalar metrics, such as Euclidian Distance or Complex-Invariant Time Distance, and graphical comparison metrics. Thus, this tool will provide quick access to time series cleaning techniques, applicable, in particular, to data from industrial or clinical scenarios.
Surplus, storage and status in a rural Greek community

ABSTRACT This study draws on a range of nineteenth- and twentieth-century ethnographic materials from an agrarian community in Greece to explore the links between a nexus of behaviours related to avoiding subsistence risk. Producing a ‘normal surplus’, along with storage strategies and the growing of a wide range of crops, was part of a mix of risk-avoidance behaviours. Ultimately, however, the success of these behaviours depended on access to sufficient agricultural land. A lack of intra-community status differentiation based on land ownership noted during ethnographic fieldwork in the later twentieth century partly resulted from two historical factors: (1) households lacking sufficient land to produce an adequate ‘normal surplus’ left the community to take up other lower status activities in the wider (‘complex’) society of Greece; (2) wealthier households, unable to generate substantial wealth from sales of agricultural surpluses beyond the community, sold their property to generate capital for participation in other economic activities elsewhere.
Combinatorial de novo design and application of a biomimetic affinity ligand for the purification of human anti‐HIV mAb 4E10 from transgenic tobacco

Monoclonal anti‐HIV antibody 4E10 (mAb 4E10) is one of the most broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV, directed against a specific epitope on envelope protein gp41. In the present study, a combinatorial de novo design approach was used for the development of a biomimetic ligand for the affinity purification of mAb 4E10 from tobacco transgenic extract in a single chromatographic step. The biomimetic ligand (4E10lig) was based on a L‐Phe/β‐Ala bi‐substituted 1,3,5‐triazine (Trz) scaffold (β‐Ala‐Trz‐L‐Phe, 4E10lig) which potentially mimics the more pronounced electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions of mAb 4E10‐binding sequence determined by screening of a random peptide library. This library was comprised of Escherichia coli cells harboring a plasmid (pFlitrx) engineered to express a fusion protein containing random dodecapeptides that were inserted into the active loop of thioredoxin, which itself was inserted into the dispensable region of the flagellin gene. Adsorption equilibrium studies with this biomimetic ligand and mAb 4E10 determined a dissociation constant (KD) of 0.41 ± 0.05 µM. Molecular modeling studies of the biomimetic ligand revealed that it can potentially occupy the same binding site as the natural binding core peptide epitope. The biomimetic affinity adsorbent was exploited in the development of a facile mAb 4E10 purification protocol, affording mAb 4E10 of high purity (approximately 95%) with good overall yield (60–80%). Analysis of the antibody preparation by SDS‐PAGE, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), and western blot showed that the mAb 4E10 was fully active and free of degraded variants, polyphenols, and alkaloids. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Effects of &bgr;-Adrenoceptor Antagonists on Proinflammatory Cytokine Concentrations After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Rats

BACKGROUND: Proinflammatory cytokines increase in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Recent evidence suggested that &bgr;-adrenoceptor antagonist could reduce proinflammatory cytokines. We conducted the present study to examine whether &bgr;-adrenoceptor antagonists would reduce proinflammatory cytokine concentrations after SAH in rats. METHODS: In Experiment 1, to investigate the time course of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-&agr; (TNF-&agr;), rats were randomized into groups: 1, 3, 6, and 12 h after SAH or sham operation. CSF and blood samples were obtained at each time point. In Experiment 2, to investigate the effects of &bgr;-adrenoceptor antagonists on the IL-6 and TNF-&agr; concentrations, rats were randomized into groups: 1) control group: SAH + normal saline, 2) propranolol group: SAH + propranolol, 3) metoprolol group: SAH + metoprolol, and 4) butoxamine group: SAH + butoxamine (&bgr;2-adrenoceptor antagonist). CSF and blood samples were obtained 6 h after SAH. IL-6 and TNF-&agr; concentrations in samples were measured. RESULTS: In Experiment 1, CSF IL-6 concentrations in the SAH groups increased markedly and peaked at 6 h after SAH, whereas CSF TNF-&agr; concentrations in the SAH groups were consistently low. In Experiment 2, CSF IL-6 concentrations in the propranolol and butoxamine groups were significantly lower compared with those in the control group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05 for each group). Plasma IL-6, CSF TNF-&agr;, and plasma TNF-&agr; concentrations were comparable in all four groups. CONCLUSIONS: CSF IL-6 concentrations increased in the acute stage of SAH and &bgr;-adrenoceptor antagonists with a &bgr;2-adrenoceptor blocking action suppressed this elevation of IL-6 concentrations after SAH in rats.
Contraceptive Use in HIV-Positive Women

The objective was to describe contraceptive use in women with HIV infection in France over the past decade. The study included 575 sexually active women of reproductive age, who knew the serologic status of their steady partners. It is part of a prospective observational study initiated in 1993 that was designed to investigate the gynecologic status of HIV-infected women. Women answered a standardized questionnaire about contraceptive use and sexual activity at each semiannual visit. Multivariate models were used to investigate parameters associated with the use of contraceptive methods. Contraceptive use was reported in 91% of the visits of women with an HIV-seronegative partner and 69% of women with an HIV-seropositive partner (P = 0.0001). Consistent condom use was higher in serodiscordant couples than in seroconcordant couples (odds ratio [OR] = 6.1, 95% CI = 0.1–0.2, P < 0.001). The use of oral contraception and intrauterine devices was higher in seroconcordant than in serodiscordant couples (OR = 2.1, 95% CI =1.5–2.9, P < 0.001). Among women with an HIV-seronegative partner, the use of oral contraception and intrauterine devices decreased after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy in 1998 (P = 0.02) and was higher in couples with inconsistent condom use (OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.3–3.3). These data emphasize that contraception counseling should include a discussion on reproductive issues as well as transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, taking into account the partner's serostatus.
Simulation of Thermal Characteristics for Helical Slow-Wave Circuit of TWT

A simulated model has been established to calculate the temperature of helical slow-wave circuits accurately. The Finite Element Method software ANSYS was used to analyze the thermal distortion of the helical slow-wave circuit of TWT. The thermal analysis results show the thermal stress makes helical tape concave at the positions contacting with rods and convex at the part between the two rods, and the expansion of the helical tape width and thickness are very small and could be ignored. The effect of thermal strain in helical slow-wave circuit on TWT cold-test characteristics was analyzed in detail. The quasi-periodic boundary conditions in the computer code MAFIA was employed to determine the effect on dispersion and on-axis interaction impedance of helical slow-wave circuit. With the helix temperature getting higher, the phase velocity decreases obviously and the interaction impedance varieties slightly.
The Anticholinergic Biperiden in Depressive Disorders

In an open study the cholinolytic biperiden was administered to 10 severely depressed inpatients in an average dose of 12 mg per day for 30 days. Patients were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, the research Diagnostic Criteria and the Newcastle Scale. A significant improvement was demonstrated in the global score of the Hamilton Depression Scale (p less than 0.001). Especially the factors retardation (p less than 0.001) and agitation (p less than 0.001) and the items depressed mood (p less than 0.001), initial insomnia (p less than 0.05), work and interest (p less than 0.001) and gastrointestinal symptoms (p less than 0.001) could favorably be influenced. Nevertheless, biperiden treatment had to be discontinued after three weeks in two patients because of a paranoid syndrome in one case and symptoms of inner restlessness and disturbances of vital feelings in the other case. There was a positive correlation between the clinical response and the cortisol non-suppressability to dexamethasone prior to the study (p less than 0.03). These results taken together with other findings from the literature suggest that cholinergic mechanisms may have an important impact on the pathogenesis of certain forms of depression.
An In-vitro Evaluation of Lectin Cytotoxicity using Cell Lines Derived from the Ocular Surface

Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins of non-immune origin capable of binding to one or more specific sugar residues. The potential for using lectins as a means of locating and "anchoring" a drug delivery system to a target site on a mucosal surface in order to promote controlled drug delivery and enhanced absorption has been described in previous work. Toxicity is evident for many lectins, and this study has investigated the cytotoxicity of lectins to cells derived from the cornea and conjunctiva. Cultures of transformed cell lines from the conjunctiva and cornea were exposed to solution of lectins, and the viability of these cells assessed by their ability to take up an MTT stain relative to the control. Clear evidence of lectin cytotoxicity was apparent for all of the lectins tested in this study, particularly at higher concentrations and over the longer (48 h) time period. This would raise issues with their potential use in targeted drug delivery systems. The lectins from Lycopersicon esculentum and Helix pomatia appeared to show the least cytotoxic activity and so could be considered the most promising. The lectins from Solanum tuberosum and Triticum vulgaris showed significant cytotoxicity, which contrasts with previous in-vivo studies. However, they might be considered for investigation as targeted therapeutic agents in the treatment of malignant diseases.