Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intrinsic brain activity sets the stage for expression of motivated behavior

Research in many species has provided increasingly detailed information on relevant, primarily subcortical brain systems supporting the expression of basic appetites and drives. While basic appetites and drives are essential for adaptation and survival in any environment, they are naturally constrained by an organism's inherent biology and modulated as circumstances dictate. The brain mechanisms which serve to constrain and modulate them, however, remain much less well understood. We suggest that the manner in which such constraint and potential modulation is achieved likely involves processes that emerge from the coordinated behavior of multiple brain systems, and functional brain imaging techniques such as PET and fMRI are beginning to help us understand aspects of such coordination. In this review we argue that, in pursuit of this understanding, we must focus not only on changes evoked in brain systems during various behaviors, but also on the ongoing and very costly intrinsic activity within these systems, for the latter may be at least as important as the evoked activity in terms of brain function in general and the constraint and modulation of basic appetites and drives in particular. Distinguishing intrinsic from evoked activity in the context of functional brain imaging experiments is challenging, however. Here we review some evolving strategies for doing so. J. Comp. Neurol. 493:167–176, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Understanding the role of HIV load in determining weight change in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy.

BACKGROUND In this prospective cohort study, we determined the relationship between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA load and body weight in patients with HIV infection. METHODS Repeated-measures analysis was restricted to patients with >or=2 study visits, 4-9-month intervals between study visits, and complete data on virus load, resting energy expenditure (REE), and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The outcome was change in body weight across study intervals. The main predictor was virus load. Separate analyses were performed for weight change in patients receiving and patients not receiving HAART. RESULTS The eligible sample consisted of 318 participants associated with 1886 study intervals. Sixty-one patients (19%) were women, and 173 (54%) were undergoing HAART at the time of enrollment. There was a significant interaction (P=.01) between virus load and HAART use. In the absence of HAART, each log(10) increase in virus load was associated with a 0.92-kg decrease in body weight (P=.003), but during HAART, virus load was not significantly associated with weight change. During HAART, a CD4(+) cell count decrease of 100 cells/mm(3), rather than a change in the virus load, was associated with a 0.35-kg decrease in body weight (P<.001). REE was independently associated with weight change in both models (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS Patients with HIV infection who are losing weight and are not taking HAART should be considered for HAART. Patients who are already receiving HAART and have unsuppressed virus loads may benefit virologically from an intensified regimen, because such a regimen may lead to complete suppression if there is an accompanying increase in CD4(+) cell counts. Further research is needed to understand the strong independent effect of changes in REE among patients receiving and patients not receiving HAART.
On a Numerical and Graphical Technique for Evaluating Some Models Involving Rational Expectations

Campbell and Shiller (1987) proposed a graphical technique for the present value model which consists of plotting the spread and theoretical spread as calculated from the cointegrated vector autoregressive model. We extend these techniques to a number of rational expectation models and give a general definition of spread and theoretical spread. The main results are the asymptotic distributions of the variance ratio, noise ratio, and correlation between the estimated spread and theoretical spreads. We derive sup tests for the recursively calculated quantities. Finally we apply the methods to two previous studies by Campbell and Shiller (1987) and Engsted (2002).
Multilocus Sequence Types of Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Singapore Carrying Metallo-β-Lactamase Genes, Including the Novel blaIMP-26 Gene

ABSTRACT Nine imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were found to contain a variety of metallo-β-lactamase genes, including bla IMP-1, bla IMP-7, bla VIM-2, bla VIM-6, and the novel bla IMP-26. Multilocus sequence typing showed a diversity of sequence types. Comparison with isolates from an earlier study showed that the epidemic clones from 2000 have not become established.
Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Detects the Inflammatory Phase of Sclerosing Peritonitis

Objective We studied the effectiveness of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in detecting inflammation in known or suspected cases of sclerosing peritonitis in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). Design We undertook FDG-PET scanning in PD patients presenting with symptoms or signs suggestive of sclerosing peritonitis (SP), and in patients on long-term PD with no symptoms of SP. Setting The study was performed in a PD unit in a tertiary-care hospital. Patients and Methods Three patients with known or strongly suspected SP underwent FDG-PET scans, 1 within 3 months of presentation with symptoms and 2 who were scanned more than 9 months after presentation. One patient was scanned at an early and a late time point. Five patients who had been on PD for more than 5 years and who were asymptomatic also underwent FDG-PET scanning. Scans were interpreted by a specialist in nuclear medicine. Results The scan performed in the early stages of SP showed increased peritoneal uptake. However, three scans taken more than 9 months after presentation with suspected SP showed mild peritoneal abnormalities only. One of 5 asymptomatic long-term PD patients showed increased peritoneal uptake associated with loss of ultrafiltration and high transporter status. Conclusions FDG-PET scanning may be a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of the acute phase of SP. More study is needed to define its role in the diagnosis of SP in asymptomatic PD patients.
Effect of dietary calcium intake on lead exposure in Inuit children attending childcare centres in Nunavik

High blood lead levels (BLLs) can be found in Inuit from Nunavik. At the same time, various nutrients such as calcium could lower lead absorption and toxicity. We examined the effect of dietary calcium intakes on BLLs in 245 preschool Inuit children attending childcare centres in Nunavik. Calcium intake was assessed with one 24-h dietary recall and BLLs were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in whole blood samples. Multiple imputation was performed to deal with missing data. Median blood lead concentration was 0.08 μmol/L. A high proportion of children did not meet the Estimated Average Requirement for vitamin D intake (73 %) and, to a lower extent, for calcium (20 %). Calcium intake was negatively associated with BLLs ( p = 0.0001) while child’s age and energy intake were positively associated with BLLs ( p = 0.015 and p = 0.024, respectively). Consuming traditional foods rich in calcium as well as milk and alternatives may protect against lead exposure.
Polyaniline. Preparation of a conducting polymer(IUPAC Technical Report)

Abstract Eight persons from five institutions in different countries carried out polymerizations of aniline following the same preparation protocol. In a "standard" procedure, aniline hydrochloride was oxidized with ammonium peroxydisulfate in aqueous medium at ambient temperature. The yield of polyaniline was higher than 90 % in all cases. The electrical conductivity of polyaniline hydrochloride thus prepared was 4.4 ± 1.7 S cm-1 (average of 59 samples), measured at room temperature. A product with defined electrical properties could be obtained in various laboratories by following the same synthetic procedure. The influence of reduced reaction temperature and increased acidity of the polymerization medium on polyaniline conductivity were also addressed. The conductivity changes occurring during the storage of polyaniline were monitored. The density of polyaniline hydrochloride was 1.329 g cm-3. The average conductivity of corresponding polyaniline bases was 1.4 x108 S cm-1, the density being 1.245 g cm-1. Additional changes in the conductivity take place during storage. Aging is more pronounced in powders than in compressed samples. As far as aging effects are concerned, their assessment is relative. The observed reduction in the conductivity by ~10 % after more than one-year storage is large but, compared with the low conductivity of corresponding polyaniline (PANI) base, such a change is negligible. For most applications, an acceptable level of conductivity may be maintained throughout the expected lifetime.
Neuroimaging Studies of Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances: A Selective Review

Objectives: To critically review and integrate, from a developmental perspective, recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of 4 childhood psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). Method: We reviewed published reports in refereed journals. We briefly describe the major findings with respect to the brain morphometry, chemistry, and function of children with psychiatric disorders and synthesize the reports in a summary to update clinicians. Results: Some cortical grey matter abnormalities associated with schizophrenia appear to predate the onset of frank psychosis and continue to advance after the onset of psychosis, at least in more severe cases. Pediatric BD is associated with abnormalities in a circuit, thought to be involved in mood regulation, that encompasses the amygdala, striatum, and ventral PFC. Frontostriatal abnormalities are reported consistently in ADHD, potentially reflecting abnormalities in the development of cognitive control. Children with MDD show prefrontal cortical alterations that may differ in familial and nonfamilial subtypes of MDD. Conclusions: Results from neuroimaging studies of childhood psychopathology reveal abnormalities in the developmental trajectories observed in healthy children. Although MRI has increased our understanding of the pathophysiology of these disorders, routine neuroimaging for children with severe emotional disturbances is not indicated for diagnostic purposes.
A Mechanistic Study to Assess Whether Isoproterenol Can Reverse the Negative Chronotropic Effect of Fingolimod

The sphingosine‐1‐phosphate receptor modulator fingolimod (FTY720) elicits a negative chronotropic effect at treatment initiation that attenuates thereafter. The authors determined whether isoproterenol can counteract this effect. In this randomized, crossover study, 14 healthy subjects received 5 infusions of isoproterenol (titrated to increase heart rate to 100–120 bpm) or intravenous placebo. The first infusion was 2 hours before and the other 4 infusions were between 3 and 6 hours after a 5‐mg oral dose of fingolimod. Telemetry and pharmacokinetic data were collected for 24 hours. During isoproterenol infusion 1 (before fingolimod administration), heart rate was increased 80% from preinfusion 68 ±9 bpm to a maximum 122 ± 15 bpm. Administration of fingolimod decreased heart rate from 73 ± 11 bpm predose to a nadir of 57 ± 8 bpm. The subsequent isoproterenol infusion 2 in the presence of fingolimod increased mean heart rate by 85% to a maximum 105 ±21 bpm. A 41% higher total isoproterenol dose was needed to increase heart rate to the target range with fingolimod (97 ± 6 mcg) compared with isoproterenol alone (69 ± 27 mcg). Isoproterenol infusions 3 to 5 had similar effects on heart rate as infusion 2. Fingolimod had no significant influence on blood pressure responses to isoproterenol. Isoproterenol did not alter the pharmacokinetics of fingolimod. The pure beta‐agonist isoproterenol can reverse the heart rate reduction that occurs transiently after initiating fingolimod treatment.
Clonal spread of serogroup A meningococci: a paradigm for the analysis of microevolution in bacteria

Extensive epidemiological analyses of epidemics of meningococcal meningitis have resulted in large, well‐defined strain collections which represent the local diversity and global spread of serogroup A bacteria. Several genes for cell surface proteins are conserved during spread, with a few exceptions: analysis of these exceptions has revealed some of the phenomena which can lead to microevolution. Micro‐evolution is so rapid with serogroup A meningococcal that several independent recombination events have been documented within the last few decades. In a few cases, the recombinant bacteria have become established by clonal replacement plus epidemic spread. Comparison with other bacteria indicates that serogroup A meningococcal provide a number of advantages for analysis of microevolution.
Multiple receptor types for octopamine in the locust.

1. Three different pharmacological classes of octopamine receptor mediate the actions of octopamine on the locust extensor‐tibiae neuromuscular preparation. A receptor classification scheme is proposed based on the results of detailed studies with agonists and antagonists. 2. Octopamine1 class receptors mediate the slowing of a myogenic rhythm found in a specialized proximal bundle of muscle fibres. Octopamine2A class receptors mediate the increase in amplitude of slow motoneurone twitch tension and octopamine2B class receptors mediate the increase in relaxation rate of twitch tension induced by firing either the fast or the slow motoneurones. 3. Octopamine1 receptors can be distinguished from the 2A and 2B classes since chlorpromazine (and yohimbine) are much better blocking agents than metoclopramide at the former receptors, whereas the converse is true for the latter class. Also clonidine is a more effective agonist than naphazoline for the former receptors and the converse is true for the latter class. 4. Octopamine 2A can be distinguished for octopamine 2B receptors since metoclopramide, mianserin and cyproheptadine show a strong preference for blocking the former class. Also naphazoline is a much better agonist than tolazoline at the former receptors and tolazoline is a much better agonist than clonidine at a latter. 5. The results are discussed in terms of the location of the various classes of octopamine receptors, their possible relationship to vertebrate alpha‐adrenoreceptors, and the significance of the results for studies on octopamine receptors in the vertebrate central nervous system.
DOKTOR-HASTA İLİŞKİSİNDE DİLE VE DAVRANIŞA DAYALI İLETİŞİMSEL SORUNLARI BELİRLEMEYE YÖNELİK BİR ALAN ARAŞTIRMASI

Iletisim gereksinimi, yasamin tamaminda bireyin vazgecilmezleri arasindadir. Sosyal yasam icerisinde saglikliiletisim ortamlarinin olusturulmasiise sagliklibir toplumun yaratilmasiile dogrudan ilintilidir. Bu acidan doktor ve hasta arasinda kurulacak iliskilerin iletisimsel niteligi, turu, boyutu ve etkinligi onem arz etmektedir. Ancak ozellikle saglik sektorunde iletisim kanallarinin kapalibir goruntu yansitmasitoplumsal ve sosyal bir sorun olarak gorulmektedir. Saglik personelinin kendi aralarinda kullandiklaridili, hastalar ile kurulan iletisime tasimalari iletisimsel surecin en onemli sorunlarindan biri oldugu soylenebilir. Ozellikle doktorlarin hastalariyla olan iliskilerinde mesleki terminolojiyi sikca tercih etmeleri ve sozsel isletisimde bu faklijargonu kullanmalarisaglik hizmeti alan-veren iliskisinde olumsuzluklarin yasanmasina neden olabilmektedir. Bu calismada; doktor-hasta iletisimindeki veya iletisimsizligindeki dile dayalisorunlar, bir anket uygulamasiile desteklenerek irdelenmistir. Mesleki kavram ve terimlerle dolu tibbi jargonun temel bilgi alisverisine kadar yansimasinin hastalar acisindan onemli bir sorun yarattigi hipotezinden hareket edilen bu arastirmada, doktorlarin hastalara karsidavranisve tutumlarinin da bilimsel kriterlere dayaliolarak ortaya konulmasihedeflenmistir. Temelde dilsel soruna yonelik yapilan bu calismada oldukca onemli bulgulara ulasilmisve ongorulen hipotezlerin bir cogu dogrulanmistir.
Vers une méthodologie de couplage entre la simulation des grandes échelles et les modèles statistiques

La simulation numerique en mecanique des fluides turbulents est basee sur trois approches differentes : la simulation directe (DNS), la simulation des grandes echelles (LES) et les methodes statistiques RANS. Le travail realise lors de cette these vise a definir une methodologie de couplage entre LES et RANS. Ces deux approches sont en effet complementaires pour des applications industrielles. Les methodes RANS calculent l'ecoulement global, la LES sert de "zoom" autour d'une zone precise de la geometrie. Dans le but de realiser le couplage, trois approches sont adoptees : une pour un couplage dans le sens RANS vers LES (MV), une dans le sens LES vers RANS et une pour le couplage tangent. Apres une serie de tests d'optimisation du choix des parametres intervenant dans la MV, ces trois techniques ont ete appliquees a un cas academique : l'ecoulement entre deux plaques planes paralleles. Enfin la methode a ete testee sur un ecoulement plus complexes : l'ecoulement autour d'une marche montante-descendante.
Home circuit grouping in LOBS-HC ring networks: ILP and heuristic approaches

In LOBS-HC (Labeled Optical Burst Switching with Home Circuits) networks, a critical problem is how to optimally group multiple HCs (Home Circuits) from the same source. We investigate this problem in LOBS-HC rings, and formulate it using ILP (Integer Linear Programming). Since the HC grouping problem is NP-Complete, we propose efficient heuristic algorithms for this problem and evaluate their performance. Numerical results show that while our ILP solutions require minimum number of wavelengths, our heuristic algorithms are nearly optimal. Both ILP and heuristic approaches show that bidirectional LOBS-HC rings require fewer resources than unidirectional ones.
On Canonical Modules of Toric Face Rings

Abstract Generalizing the concepts of Stanley-Reisner and affine monoid algebras, one can associate to a rational pointed fan Σ in ℝ d the ℤ d -graded toric face ring K[Σ]. Assuming that K[Σ] is Cohen-Macaulay, the main result of this paper is to characterize the situation when its canonical module is isomorphic to a ℤ d -graded ideal of K[Σ]. From this result several algebraic and combinatorial consequences are deduced. As an application, we give a relation between the cleanness of K[Σ] and the shellability of Σ.
Visceral Leishmaniasis in Ververt Monkeys: Immunological Responses During Asymptomatic Infections

Nine vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) were infected intradermally with 8 × 107 virulent L. donovani promastigotes. Four animals developed clinical visceral leishmaniasis and died over a period of 18 months. The remaining five animals have remained asymptomatic for a period of 3 years now. Attempts to isolate parasites from spleen and liver through biopsies were fruitless. Immunological respotises of these subclinically infected animals were examined. Enzyme‐linked itnmunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot analyses demonstrated Leishmania specific antibodies in these animals, but the antibody titres were low. When proliferation of peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC) to Con‐cunavalin A (Con A) of these animals was compared with control ‘disease free animals’ there were no significant differences iti response. However L. donovani antigen (fixed promastigotes) specific proliferation was demonstrated in the five subclinically infected animals. High and varying levels of interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) were secreted in PBMC cultures from the five vervet monkeys when stimulated with either Con A or L. donovani antigens. In control animals, IFN‐γ was only detected wheti PBMC were stimulated with Con A. Marked delayed‐type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses were demonstrated in the five subclinically infected animals 48 h after injection with formalin fixed promastgotes.
Physiological Cost Index in Cerebral Palsy: Its Role in Evaluating the Efficiency of Ambulation

The study was undertaken to evaluate whether the Physiological Cost Index (PCI) can be used as a reliable index of efficiency of gait and as an outcome measure in cerebral palsy (CP). Physiological Cost Index was calculated in normal subjects by recording the heart rate manually and with electrocardiograph recording, and the values compared. In another group of subjects, PCI was calculated after they walked 3 different distances (50, 100, and 150 m). The PCI of normal children and children with CP was then estimated by manual recording of the pulse, with the children walking 50 m indoors and 50 m on an uneven surface outdoors. The reproducibility of calculation of PCI was evaluated. The PCI value of each patient was compared to the corresponding Functional Mobility Score. In a group of children with CP, PCI was calculated before and after therapeutic intervention. The PCI values were comparable with either method of heart rate measurement and for the 3 distances walked. The reproducibility of measurement of PCI was satisfactory (Intraclass Correlation Coefficients, 0.80-0.88). The PCI of normal children was 0.1 beats per meter, whereas children with CP had 6 times higher values of PCI, with the highest values in children with a crouch gait. In normal children, 10% greater PCI values were noted when they walked outdoors compared to a 100% increase in children with CP. The higher the PCI values, the lower the Functional Mobility Scores. Therapeutic interventions altered PCI values, and interventions that effectively reduced energy consumption could be identified. We conclude that PCI may be used as a reliable outcome measure of gait efficiency in children with CP.
A Mitotic Cascade of NIMA Family Kinases

The Nek family of protein kinases in humans is composed of 11 members that share an amino-terminal catalytic domain related to NIMA, an Aspergillus kinase involved in the control of several aspects of mitosis, and divergent carboxyl-terminal tails of varying length. Nek6 (314AA) and Nek7 (303AA), 76% identical, have little noncatalytic sequence but bind to the carboxyl-terminal noncatalytic tail of Nercc1/Nek9, a NIMA family protein kinase that is activated in mitosis. Microinjection of anti-Nercc1 antibodies leads to spindle abnormalities and prometaphase arrest or chromosome missegregation. Herein we show that Nek6 is increased in abundance and activity during mitosis; activation requires the phosphorylation of Ser206 on the Nek6 activation loop. This phosphorylation and the activity of recombinant Nek6 is stimulated by coexpression with an activated mutant of Nercc1. Moreover, Nercc1 catalyzes the direct phosphorylation of prokaryotic recombinant Nek6 at Ser206 in vitro concomitant with 20–25-fold activation of Nek6 activity; Nercc1 activates Nek7 in vitro in a similar manner. Nercc1/Nek9 is likely to be responsible for the activation of Nek6 during mitosis and probably participates in the regulation of Nek7 as well. These findings support the conclusion that Nercc1/Nek9 and Nek6 represent a novel cascade of mitotic NIMA family protein kinases whose combined function is important for mitotic progression.
Sensory mechanisms of homing in Salmonid fish. I. Introductory experiments on the olfactory sense in grilse of Baltic salmon (Salmo salar).

'Grilse' of Baltic salmon are young sexually mature fish, mostly males. In 191 'grilse' of River Indalsalven the olfactory sense was eliminated and then the fish were released in the Sundsvall Bay Area 35-40 km north and south of the home river. Most of these fishes failed to orient toward home during spawning time, whereas many of the 100 control animals traumatized on the nose homed as readily as did many of the 100 untreated controls released in the same places. These results indicate an important role for olfaction in homing behaviour and migration in Baltic salmon.