Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution of neurones expressing inwardly rectifying and Ca(2+)‐permeable AMPA receptors in rat hippocampal slices.

1. Current‐voltage (I‐V) relationships and Ca2+ permeability of receptor channels activated by bath application of kainate, a non‐desensitizing agonist of alpha‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors, were examined in various types of neurones in hippocampal slices of 5‐ to 13‐day‐old rats by using the tight‐seal patch clamp recording technique. 2. Three types of responses were observed: type I response with outwardly rectifying I‐V relationship, type II response with I‐V relationship of marked inward rectification, and intermediate response with I‐V relationship of weaker inward rectification. Neurones with type I, type II and intermediate I‐V relationships of kainate responses were referred to as type I, type II and intermediate neurones, respectively. 3. Permeability of Ca2+ ions was estimated by the reversal potential of kainate response in the outside‐out patch in Na(+)‐free extracellular solution containing 100 mM Ca2+. The reversal potentials were ‐44.4 +/‐ 14.0 mV (mean +/‐ S.D.) for type I (n = 7), +11.8 +/‐ 3.6 mV for type II (n = 5), and ‐8.7 +/‐ 7.4 mV for the intermediate neurones (n = 7). The values of PCa/PCs, the ratios of the permeability coefficients of Ca2+ and Cs+, estimated according to the constant‐field equation were 0.08 for type I, 1.71 for type II, and 0.50 for the intermediate neurones. 4. Type II and intermediate responses were observed mainly in non‐pyramidal neurones in various areas of the hippocampus, most frequently observed in the stratum molecular of the dentate gyrus and in the stratum radiatum and the stratum lacunosum‐molecular of both the CA1 and CA3 regions. Both type II and intermediate neurones stained with biocytin had round‐ or ellipsoidal‐shaped somata and issued divergent axonal projections to the surrounding structures. 5. Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) recorded in type II neurones had 6‐cyano‐7‐nitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐dione (CNQX)‐sensitive fast and D‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonovalerate (APV)‐sensitive slow components. The I‐V relationship of the fast component showed a strong inward rectification, indicating that inwardly rectifying AMPA receptors are involved in excitatory synaptic transmission.
Gender effect on clinical features and drug treatment response in social anxiety disorder (social phobia)

Objective. To investigate differences concerning clinical and treatment response features in male and female patients with social anxiety disorder (SOAD). Method. Male (n=41) and female patients (n=21) with SOAD were compared with regard to age and mode of onset; SOAD subtype; symptom severity; presence of comorbid psychiatric conditions; and response after drug treatment. The χ2-test was used for comparisons between categorical variables and Student's t-test for continuous variables. The adopted level of statistic significance was 5%. Results. Male patients had a higher mean age (t= −2.9; df =42; P=0.006), more severe initial symptoms (t =−2.6; df =37.4; P =0.01) and, more often, more than one comorbid psychiatric condition (χ2=10.98; df =1; P =0.001). Alcohol abuse was more frequent in men (χ2=7.62; df =1; P =0.006). With regard to treatment response, male patients displayed greater reductions in the severity of their baseline symptoms. Patients with SOAD were randomly selected from both samples in order to generate subgroups of 18 male and 18 female age-matched patients. Despite controlling for age, we still found that men exhibited a trend toward greater severity of symptoms at baseline than women with SOAD (t =−1.8; df =33.1; P =0.07). Conclusion. The findings suggest differences concerning initial severity and comorbidity rates between men and women suffering from SOAD.
Long‐term in vivo modulation of synaptic efficacy at the neuromuscular junction of Rana pipiens frogs

Prolonged changes in motor neurone activity can result in long‐term changes in synaptic transmission. We investigated whether mechanisms commonly thought to be involved in determining synaptic efficacy of vertebrate motor neurones are involved in these long‐term changes. The nerve supplying the cutaneus pectoris muscle was chronically stimulated via skin surface electrodes in freely moving frogs for 5–7 days. Chronic stimulation induced a 50% reduction in evoked endplate potential (EPP) amplitude at stimulated neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). These changes appear to be presynaptic since miniature EPP (mEPP) amplitude was unchanged while mEPP frequency was decreased by 46% and paired‐pulse facilitation was increased by 26%. High frequency facilitation (40 Hz, 2 s) was also increased by 89%. Moreover, stimulated NMJs presented a 92% decrease in synaptic depression (40 Hz, 2 s). An increase in mitochondrial metabolism was observed as indicated by a more pronounced labelling of active mitochondria (Mitotracker) in stimulated nerve terminals, which could account for their greater resistance to synaptic depression. NMJ length visualized by α‐bungarotoxin staining of nAChRs was not affected. Presynaptic calcium signals measured with Calcium Green‐1 were larger in stimulated NMJs at low frequency (0.2 Hz) and not different from control NMJs at higher frequency (40 Hz, 2 s and 30 s). These results suggest that some mechanisms downstream of calcium entry are responsible for the determination of synaptic output, such as a down‐regulation of some calcium‐binding proteins, which could explain the observed results. The possibility of a change in frequenin expression, a calcium‐binding protein that is more prominently expressed in phasic synapses, was, however, refuted by our results.
D‐Glucose Prevents Glutathione Oxidation and Mitochondrial Damage After Glutamate Receptor Stimulation in Rat Cortical Primary Neurons

Abstract: The possible neuroprotective effect of D‐glucose against glutamate‐mediated neurotoxicity was studied in rat cortical neurons in primary culture. Brief (5‐min) exposure of neurons to glutamate (100 μM) increased delayed (24‐h) necrosis and apoptosis by 3‐ and 1.8‐fold, respectively. Glutamate‐mediated neurotoxicity was accompanied by a D‐(‐)‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonopentanoate (100 μM) and Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (1 mM)‐inhibitable, time‐dependent ATP depletion (55% at 24 h), confirming the involvement of NMDA receptor stimulation followed by nitric oxide synthesis in this process. Furthermore, the presence of D‐glucose (20 mM), but not its inactive enantiomer, L‐glucose, fully prevented glutamate‐mediated delayed ATP depletion, necrosis, and apoptosis. Succinate‐ cytochrome c reductase activity, but not the activities of NADH‐coenzyme Q1 reductase or cytochrome c oxidase, was inhibited by 32% by glutamate treatment, an effect that was abolished by incubation with D‐glucose. Lactate accumulation in the culture medium was unmodified by any of these treatments, ruling out the possible involvement of the glycolysis pathway in either glutamate neurotoxicity or D‐glucose neuroprotection. In contrast, D‐glucose, but not L‐glucose, abolished glutamate‐mediated glutathione oxidation and NADPH depletion. Our results suggest that NADPH production from D‐glucose accounts for glutathione regeneration and protection from mitochondrial dysfunction. This supports the notion that the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway may be an important factor in protecting neurons against glutamate neurotoxicity.
Dose and Time Dependency of Inflammatory Responses in the Mouse Lung to Urban Air Coarse, Fine, and Ultrafine Particles From Six European Cities

We investigated the dose and time dependency of inflammatory and cytotoxic responses to size-segregated urban air particulate samples in the mouse lung. Coarse (PM10−2.5), fine (PM2.5−0.2), and ultrafine (PM0.2) particles were collected in six European cities (Duisburg, Prague, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Barcelona, Athens) in selected seasons using a modified Harvard high-volume cascade impactor. Healthy C57Bl/6J mice were intratracheally exposed to the particulate samples in a 24-h dose-response study (1, 3, and 10 mg/kg) and in 4-, 12-, and 24-h time course studies (10 mg/kg). After the exposures, the lungs were lavaged and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was assayed for indicators of inflammation and tissue damage: total cell number, cell differential, total protein, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cytokine (tumor necrosis alpha [TNF-α], interleukin-6 [IL-6], and keratinocyte-derived chemokine [KC]) concentrations. In general, PM10−2.5 samples had higher inflammatory activity than PM2.5−0.2 samples. PM0.2 samples showed negligible inflammatory activity. PM10−2.5 and PM2.5−0.2 samples caused large increases in BALF cytokine concentrations at 4 h, but not at 12 or 24 h, after exposure. The BALF total cell number and total protein concentrations increased significantly at 12 h for both the PM10−2.5 and PM2.5−0.2 samples, but only PM10−2.5 samples produced consistent, significant increases at 24 h after exposure. There was more heterogeneity in BALF cytokine and neutrophil cell number responses to PM2.5−0.2 samples than to PM10−2.5 samples between the sampling campaigns. Thus, particle size, sources, and atmospheric transformation processes affect the inflammatory activity and response duration of urban air particulate matter in the mouse lung.
Dissociation of Hippocampal and Striatal Contributions to Spatial Navigation in the Water Maze

Two experiments were conducted to compare the effects of fornix/fimbria and caudate-putamen lesions in Long-Evans hooded rats (Rattus norvegicus) trained on two water maze tasks that differed in the type of spatial localization required for optimum solution. In Experiment 1, the lesioned rats and surgical controls were trained on the standard place task in the water maze (Morris, 1981) and given two postacquisition tests (a platform removal probe and platform relocation test). In Experiment 2, rats with similar lesions and control rats were trained on a modified cue navigation task. Fornix/fimbria lesions impaired a late stage of place task acquisition but did not impair acquisition of the cue task. Caudate-putamen lesions resulted in a severe place acquisition impairment and a transient cue acquisition impairment, both of which were characterized by an initial tendency to swim near the wall of the pool. Post-hoc analyses of the direction and angles of departure from the start points suggested that rats with fornix/fimbria lesions used non-allocentric spatial strategies to solve the place task. These rats also demonstrated a significantly weakened spatial bias for the former training quadrant on the platform removal probe and reduced flexibility in navigating to a novel platform location on the platform relocation test. In contrast, rats with caudate-putamen lesions showed a significant spatial bias for the former training quadrant but failed to cross the exact location within the quadrant where the platform was formerly positioned. The results suggest that the hippocampus mediates the allocentric spatial component of the water maze place task while the dorsomedial striatum may play an important role in the acquisition of the procedural aspects of both place and cue versions of the task.
Diffraction at the vertex of a quarter plane

The uniform theory of diffraction (UTD) technique has been thoroughly employed for practical applications such as the prediction of the radar cross section (RCS) of complex targets, or the computation of radiation characteristics of antennas in their operating platform (aircraft, ships, satellites, etc.). The UTD framework is based on a diffraction coefficient constructed via canonical diffraction problems. Among these problems, the quarter plane problem plays an fundamental role. Edge diffracted rays are usually added and higher order contributions, namely vertex and doubly diffracted rays, also need to be added. We focus our attention on the vertex diffracted contribution consisting of dominant and subdominant terms. Exact solutions for the quarter plane (QP) diffraction have been given in literature (Satterwhite, R.S. and Kouyoumjian, R.G., 1970; Smyshlyaev, V.P., 1993), but they are difficult to implement and not well suited for practical asymptotic evaluation. Our solution, although not derived from the exact solution of the QP, is nicely simple and uniformly compensates for the discontinuity of the leading single and double diffraction UTD contribution at their shadow boundaries.
Public Sector Leaders' Strategies to Improve Employee Retention

Public Sector Leaders’ Strategies to Improve Employee Retention by Michael D. Izard-Carroll BA, Canisius College, 2003 MBA, Canisius College, 2005 MA, University at Buffalo, 2008 Certificate in Project Management, University at Buffalo, 2010 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University April 2016 Abstract The U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics consistently reports significant employee turnover in the public sector, including the federal, state, and local levels. High turnover results in compromised public goods and services provided to a community. The widespread nature of the problem and the scarcity of literature focusing on employee retention strategies in the public sector merited this case study. Public sector leaders from Western New York who had implemented employee retention strategies in a public organization comprised the population for the study. Cost-benefit theory, human capitalThe U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics consistently reports significant employee turnover in the public sector, including the federal, state, and local levels. High turnover results in compromised public goods and services provided to a community. The widespread nature of the problem and the scarcity of literature focusing on employee retention strategies in the public sector merited this case study. Public sector leaders from Western New York who had implemented employee retention strategies in a public organization comprised the population for the study. Cost-benefit theory, human capital theory, and social capital theory provided the conceptual context for developing and executing the study. A total of 7 public sector leaders participated in semistructured interviews, which provided the primary source of data. Data were open coded, resulting in themes of employee development, engagement and empowerment, and positive work experience. The results contribute to social change by identifying practical business strategies that leaders may use to improve retention in their respective organizations. Maintaining a well-qualified, dedicated public workforce may lead to improved government goods and services on which communities rely. Public Sector Leaders’ Strategies to Improve Employee Retention by Michael D. Izard-Carroll BA, Canisius College, 2003 MBA, Canisius College, 2005 MA, University at Buffalo, 2008 Certificate in Project Management, University at Buffalo, 2010 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration
Association Between Breast Cancer Recurrence and Immunosuppression in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Cohort Study

Breast cancer recurrence may be promoted by immunosuppression due to decreased immune surveillance. The aim of this study was to examine the rates of breast cancer recurrence in patients with immune‐mediated disease and treated breast cancer who received therapy with methotrexate, thiopurines, or anti–tumor necrosis factor (anti‐TNF).
Care recipients' and family members' perceptions of quality of older people care: a comparison of home-based care and nursing homes.

AIMS To compare care recipients' and their relatives' perceptions of quality of care in nursing homes and home-based care. BACKGROUND Older people care is increasingly being provided in community care facilities and private homes instead of hospitals. A few studies have compared care recipients' and relatives' perceptions of care quality in nursing homes as opposed to home-based care. DESIGN Cross-sectional surveys. METHODS Care recipients' and relatives' perceptions of quality of care were measured by questionnaire in 2003 in two older people care organisations. Quality measures were compared between care settings. Multiple regression was used to determine the predictors of overall quality ratings for each group, and possible interactions between quality measures and care settings were tested. RESULTS Care recipients rated their opportunities for activities significantly lower in home care than in nursing homes. Relatives of care recipients in home-based care rated several aspects of care quality significantly lower than relatives of nursing home residents. No significant interaction effects regarding predictors of overall quality ratings between the care settings were found. Staff behaviour was the strongest predictor of care recipients' overall quality rating, and staff professional skills were the strongest predictor of relatives' overall quality rating. CONCLUSIONS Compared with nursing homes, home-based older people care seems to be in greater need of development regarding staff competence, staff interaction with relatives and activities offered to older people. In both settings, nursing staff behaviour influences these stakeholders' satisfaction with care. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE These results point to a need to improve services in both care settings, but especially in home-based care. It is suggested that care recipients' preferences for social and physical activities be investigated on a regular basis in both care settings. Efforts should also be made to improve communication and interaction between family members and older people care staff, especially in home-based care.
Distance Education, Web-Resources Design, and Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act

Introduction About 20% of the U.S. population, nearly 54 million individuals , have some kind of disability. For 26 million Ameri-cans, the disability is severe (McNeil, 1997). Despite recent increases in enrollment, people with disabilities are underrepresented in postsecondary education. Longitudinal data indicate that students with high-school diplomas are less likely to enroll in public four-year colleges, and that those who do enroll are less likely to graduate (Horn and Berktold, 1999). As Gadbow and Du Bois (1998) point out, a large majority of people under the age of 65 are intellectually capable of succeeding in postsecondary education, yet most have not attended institutions of higher learning. With the recent advances in digital information technology , distance education could potentially open up unprecedented opportunities for this hitherto underserved segment of the population. This is particularly true for people with print disabilities, who, be it because of blindness, visual impairment or motor problems, have difficulties attending traditional on-site programs. With the help of screen readers (software that converts the text on the screen to voice or sends it to a Braille embosser) digitized text is, at
Differing Views on Long-Term Inflation Expectations

Persistently low price inflation, falling energy prices, and a strengthening dollar have helped push down market-based measures of long-term inflation compensation over the past two years. The decline in inflation compensation could reflect a lower appetite for risk among investors or decreased market liquidity. A third alternative supported by recent research suggests that the decline reflects lower long-term inflation expectations among investors. Projections indicate the underlying expectations will revert back to typical long-run levels only slowly.
Secreted IgM Enhances B Cell Receptor Signaling and Promotes Splenic but Impairs Peritoneal B Cell Survival

B cell survival has a central role in maintaining immune responses to foreign organisms while curbing autoimmunity. In this study, we show that mature B cell survival is impaired and B cell turnover is accelerated in the spleen of mice lacking secreted IgM. Although in vitro responses to BCR cross-linking were normal, there was a marked reduction in basal ERK and global tyrosine phosphorylation in splenic B cells from serum IgM-deficient mice, suggesting diminished interaction with cognate Ag in vivo. The provision of BAFF either in vitro or in vivo reversed the increase in B cell apoptosis, demonstrating that other survival signals can compensate for the loss of secreted IgM in the spleen. In striking contrast to the splenic compartment, peritoneal B cell survival was enhanced in secreted IgM-deficient mice, despite a similar reduction in basal BCR signaling compared with wild type mice. These results suggest that secreted IgM acts as an adjuvant, boosting BCR signals to maintain survival and maintenance of mature splenic B cells while increasing B cell apoptosis in the peritoneum. BAFF administration mitigated the consequences of secreted IgM deficiency on B cell survival in the spleen but not in the peritoneum. This work provides new insight into the regulation of B cell signaling and homeostasis in different peripheral compartments by secreted IgM.
Diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging: Detection of ischemic injury 39 minutes after onset in a stroke patient

A neurologist witnessed the in‐hospital onset of an ischemic stroke in a 71‐year‐old right‐handed male who suddenly developed global aphasia and right hemiplegia. Diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) 39 minutes after the ictus demonstrated high signals in the left internal carotid artery territory. T1‐ and T2‐weighted images failed to detect this change. Magnetic resonance angiography showed occlusions in branches of the left anterior and middle cerebral arteries and an atheromatous stenotic lesion in the ipsilateral proximal internal carotid artery. The patient was treated with intravenous heparin and low molecular dextran solution. Repeated magnetic resonance imagings identified an infarction slightly smaller than the abnormality demonstrated by the initial DWI. DWI detects hyperacute ischemic injury within 1 hour of symptom onset in human ischemic stroke. Ann Neurol 1999;45:794–797
ANÁLISE DO COMPORTAMENTO DOS PREÇOS DO BOI GORDO E DO BOI MAGRO NA PECUÁRIA DE CORTE PAULISTA, NO PERÍODO DE 1995 A 2006.

Este trabalho analisou os efeitos dos choques nos precos do boi gordo sobre o comportamento dos precos do boi magro no estado de Sao Paulo, no periodo de janeiro de 1995 a janeiro de 2007. Utilizaram-se na analise os testes de raiz unitaria de Dickey-Fuller Aumentado (ADF), de causalidade de Granger, de co-integracao de Johansen, o metodo de auto-regressao vetorial (VAR), decomposicao dos erros da variância e funcao de resposta de impulso. Os resultados mostraram que existe relacao unidirecional entre os precos das duas categorias animais, o que confirma a importância do preco do boi gordo na formacao do preco do boi magro, embora os precos nao apresentem relacao de equilibrio no longo prazo.