Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the effects of the hypolipidaemic agents ICI 53072 and clofibrate with those of phenobarbitone on liver size, blood flow and DNA content in the rat

1 The effects of the hypolipidaemic agents ICI 53072 and clofibrate on cardiac output and its distribution to the hepatosplanchnic bed were determined by the use of radioactive microspheres in the rat. The effects of these agents on hepatic DNA content were compared with those of phenobarbitone. Also the effects of ICI 53072 on hepatic microsomal enzymes and bile flow were determined together with the effects of phenobarbitone. 2 ICI 53072 and clofibrate both increased liver size and liver blood flow. A daily dose of 25 mg kg−1 ICI 53072 for 5 days increased liver weight by 55% and liver blood flow by 43%, the latter by enhancing the proportion of cardiac output passing to the hepatosplanchnic bed. The increased liver blood flow with clofibrate (480 mg kg−1 daily for 5 days) was the result of greater cardiac output but the change (35%) was half the increase in liver weight. 3 Phenobarbitone (80 mg kg−1 daily for 5 days) produced a fall in DNA content per unit mass of liver but no change in hepatic DNA relative to body weight. ICI 53072 (25 mg kg−1 daily) increased hepatic DNA relative to body weight but by a lesser extent than it increased liver weight as a proportion of body weight; hence DNA content per unit mass of liver decreased. Clofibrate at three dose levels increased hepatic DNA relative to body weight but only one dose significantly decreased DNA content as a proportion of liver weight. 4 Phenobarbitone (80 mg kg−1 daily) increased bile flow whereas ICI 53072 (25 mg kg−1 daily) had no effect. Both treatments increased hepatic cytochrome P450 content and cytochrome c reductase activity. 5 It is concluded that phenobarbitone increases liver size by hepatocyte enlargement rather than cellular proliferation but that the hepatomegaly produced by the hypolipidaemic agents, at least at some doses, is due to a mixture of both processes. 6 It is further concluded that there is no simple relationship between the mechanism of hepatic enlargement resulting from drug treatment and changes in liver blood flow.
The Weakness of Family Ties and Their Perpetuating Effects on Gender Violence

Research into intimate partner violence has shown that social isolation constitutes a risk factor, and the presence of social networks can be an important source of social support. This research note presents some results of an empirical study carried out in Mexico into women's social relations, especially their family relations, and their role in the promotion of traditional gender norms. Findings indicate that some of the main conditions that are associated with the production of violence against women are either generated or reinforced within the realm of what can be regarded as women's “strong ties. ”
An economic growth model, institutions, economic integration and foreign direct investment of Mexico with the United States

Resumen: Mexico y Estados Unidos son mas que vecinos, son socios comerciales con economias sumamente integradas. En la ultima decada el comercio entre ambos paises casi se ha triplicado llegando a ser cercano a los 230,000 millones de dolares a principios de 2004. Actualmente, Mexico es el segundo socio comercial mas importante de Estados Unidos y este es el socio comercial mas importante de Mexico. El estudio se enfoca en el crecimiento economico regional y como es afectado por la Inversion Extranjera Directa (IED), el comercio y apertura comercial de Estados Unidos y Mexico, y el efecto de la frontera norte. Finalmente, se muestra que Mexico y Estados Unidos tienen una relacion economica de integracion de largo plazo al considerar el producto de las dos naciones. Palabras clave: crecimiento economico, instituciones, integracion economica e Inversion Extranjera Directa.
Is Counterpulsation a Potential Therapy for Ischemic Stroke?

Background: Despite the rapid progress in stroke prevention, effective acute stroke treatment except for thrombolysis is still lacking. Hypoperfusion is related to unfavorable functional outcome, further strokes and long-term mortality. Therefore, the need for a safe and effective way of increasing the cerebral blood flow seems obvious. Currently, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that external counterpulsation (ECP) may enhance the blood supply to the brain and thus may be beneficial to patients with ischemic stroke. Methods: A MEDLINE search in combination with a search for papers in Chinese literature in the Wan Fang and China Academic Journal databases was carried out. Results: Preliminary investigations suggested that ECP may improve the clinical outcome of stroke patients. However, well-designed clinical studies exploring the therapeutic effects of ECP in ischemic stroke are very limited. Conclusions: Randomized-controlled trials with a large sample size are needed to further define the efficacy and safety of ECP in acute stroke management. Future studies should provide insight into the value of ECP in ischemic stroke as well as its possible mechanisms.
Minimum-Energy Point-to-Point Trajectory Planning for a Motor-Toggle Servomechanism

In this paper, we propose a novel minimum-energy point-to-point (PTP) trajectory planning method for a motor-toggle servomechanism, which is described by the mathematical model of a mechatronic system. To generate the mechatronic trajectory, we employed the real-coded genetic algorithm (RGA) to search for the minimum-energy trajectory for the PTP motion profile, which is described by a polynomial with suitable conditions of position, velocity, and acceleration at the start and end points. The RGA algorithm determines the coefficients of polynomials with the fitness function of minimum-energy input, and is performed in numerical simulations and experiments. The results are compared with those of the S-curve by a traditional proportional-integral control. The proposed methodology can also be applied to any mechatronic system driven by a motor.
Decoding the Charitable Brain: Empathy, Perspective Taking, and Attention Shifts Differentially Predict Altruistic Giving

Altruistic behavior varies considerably across people and decision contexts. The relevant computational and motivational mechanisms that underlie its heterogeneity, however, are poorly understood. Using a charitable giving task together with multivariate decoding techniques, we identified three distinct psychological mechanisms underlying altruistic decision-making (empathy, perspective taking, and attentional reorienting) and linked them to dissociable neural computations. Neural responses in the anterior insula (AI) (but not temporoparietal junction [TPJ]) encoded trial-wise empathy for beneficiaries, whereas the TPJ (but not AI) predicted the degree of perspective taking. Importantly, the relative influence of both socio-cognitive processes differed across individuals: participants whose donation behavior was heavily influenced by affective empathy exhibited higher predictive accuracies for generosity in AI, whereas those who strongly relied on cognitive perspective taking showed improved predictions of generous donations in TPJ. Furthermore, subject-specific contributions of both processes for donations were reflected in participants' empathy and perspective taking responses in a separate fMRI task (EmpaToM), suggesting that process-specific inputs into altruistic choices may reflect participants' general propensity to either empathize or mentalize. Finally, using independent attention task data, we identified shared neural codes for attentional reorienting and generous donations in the posterior superior temporal sulcus, suggesting that domain-general attention shifts also contribute to generous behavior (but not in TPJ or AI). Overall, our findings demonstrate highly specific roles of AI for affective empathy and TPJ for cognitive perspective taking as precursors of prosocial behavior and suggest that these discrete routes of social cognition differentially drive intraindividual and interindividual differences in altruistic behavior. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Human societies depend on the altruistic behavior of their members, but teasing apart its underlying motivations and neural mechanisms poses a serious challenge. Using multivariate decoding techniques, we delineated three distinct processes for altruistic decision-making (affective empathy, cognitive perspective taking, and domain-general attention shifts), linked them to dissociable neural computations, and identified their relative influence across individuals. Distinguishing process-specific computations both behaviorally and neurally is crucial for developing complete theoretical and neuroscientific accounts of altruistic behavior and more effective means of increasing it. Moreover, information on the relative influence of subprocesses across individuals and its link to people's more general propensity to engage empathy or perspective taking can inform training programs to increase prosociality, considering their “fit” with different individuals.
Changing Resident Physician Studying Behaviors: A Randomized, Comparative Effectiveness Trial of Goal Setting Versus Use of WOOP.

BACKGROUND Following through on one's goals to study is essential for effective, self-regulated learning. This can be difficult for residents because of clinical demands and limited personal time. WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) is a self-regulation strategy, also known as mental contrasting with implementation intentions. WOOP increases follow-through on goals in many domains, although it has not, to our knowledge, been evaluated in medical education. OBJECTIVE We compared the effect of WOOP versus goal setting on time residents spent studying. METHODS Through a prospective, randomized, comparative effectiveness study, during a 1-month, intensive care unit rotation, we clustered anesthesiology residents in single-blind fashion to WOOP versus goal setting. Both groups received organized study materials. The intervention group performed WOOP to study more; the comparison group set goals to study more. Residents tracked studying with daily diaries. The primary outcome was total time spent studying toward stated goals. Time spent studying "non-goal" medical material was a secondary outcome. RESULTS Of 34 eligible residents, 100% participated. Sixteen residents were randomized to the WOOP group and 18 to the goal-setting group. The WOOP group spent significantly more time studying toward their goals compared with the goal-setting group (median = 4.3 hours versus 1.5 hours; P = .021; g = 0.66). There was no significant difference in time spent studying non-goal medical material between groups (median = 5.5 hours versus 5.0 hours, P = .99). CONCLUSIONS WOOP increased the time residents spent studying toward their goals as compared with setting goals alone.
Multicentre validation of the Geneva Risk Score for hospitalised medical patients at risk of venous thromboembolism

Summary There is a need to validate risk assessment tools for hospitalised medical patients at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). We investigated whether a predefined cut-off of the Geneva Risk Score, as compared to the Padua Prediction Score, accurately distinguishes low-risk from high-risk patients regardless of the use of thromboprophylaxis. In the multicentre, prospective Explicit ASsessment of Thromboembolic RIsk and Prophylaxis for Medical PATients in SwitzErland (ESTIMATE) cohort study, 1,478 hospitalised medical patients were enrolled of whom 637 (43%) did not receive thromboprophylaxis. The primary endpoint was symptomatic VTE or VTE-related death at 90 days. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01277536. According to the Geneva Risk Score, the cumulative rate of the primary endpoint was 3.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.2–4.6%) in 962 high-risk vs 0.6% (95% CI 0.2–1.9%) in 516 low-risk patients (p=0.002); among patients without prophylaxis, this rate was 3.5% vs 0.8% (p=0.029), respectively. In comparison, the Padua Prediction Score yielded a cumulative rate of the primary endpoint of 3.5% (95% CI 2.3–5.3%) in 714 high-risk vs 1.1% (95% CI 0.6–2.3%) in 764 lowrisk patients (p=0.002); among patients without prophylaxis, this rate was 3.2% vs 1.5% (p=0.130), respectively. Negative likelihood ratio was 0.28 (95% CI 0.10–0.83) for the Geneva Risk Score and 0.51 (95% CI 0.28–0.93) for the Padua Prediction Score. In conclusion, among hospitalised medical patients, the Geneva Risk Score predicted VTE and VTE-related mortality and compared favourably with the Padua Prediction Score, particularly for its accuracy to identify low-risk patients who do not require thromboprophylaxis.
Methodological development of an exploratory randomised controlled trial of an early years' nutrition intervention: the CHERRY programme (Choosing Healthy Eating when Really Young)

Abstract Good nutrition in the early years of life is vitally important for a child's development, growth and health. Children's diets in the United Kingdom are known to be poor, particularly among socially disadvantaged groups, and there is a need for timely and appropriate interventions that support parents to improve the diets of young children. The Medical Research Council has highlighted the importance of conducting developmental and exploratory research prior to undertaking full‐scale trials to evaluate complex interventions, but have provided very limited detailed guidance on the conduct of these initial phases of research. This paper describes the initial developmental stage and the conduct of an exploratory randomised controlled trial undertaken to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a family‐centred early years' nutrition intervention. Choosing Healthy Eating when Really Young (CHERRY) is a programme for families with children aged 18 months to 5 years, delivered in children's centres in one urban (Islington) and one rural (Cornwall) location in the United Kingdom. In the development stage, a mixed‐methods approach was used to investigate the nature of the problem and options for support. A detailed review of the evidence informed the theoretical basis of the study and the creation of a logic model. In the feasibility and pilot testing stage of the exploratory trial, 16 children's centres, with a sample of 394 families were recruited onto the study. We hope that the methodology, which we present in this paper, will inform and assist other researchers in conducting community‐based, exploratory nutrition research in early years settings.
Cardiac cell therapy with mesenchymal stem cell induces cardiac nerve sprouting, angiogenesis, and reduced connexin43-positive gap junctions, but concomitant electrical pacing increases connexin43-positive gap junctions in canine heart

Abstract Background Although electrical pacing is of great utility in many cardiovascular diseases, its effects on the combined cardiac cell therapy have not been established. We hypothesised that mesenchymal stem cell transplantation changes cardiac sympathetic nerve and gap junction, and concomitant pacing has additional biological effects. Methods We monitored cardiac rhythm for 4 weeks after human mesenchymal stem cell transplantation (1 × 107, epicardial injection) in 18 dogs in vivo, seven human mesenchymal stem cell with pacing, six human mesenchymal stem cell, and five sham, and evaluated the sympathetic innervation, nerve growth factor-β; tyrosine hydroxylase, angiogenesis, von Willebrand factor, and connexin43 expressions by real time (RT)–polymerase chain reaction and immunostaining. We also measured mRNA expressions of nerve growth factor-β, von Willebrand factor, and connexin43 in vitro culture of human mesenchymal stem cell with or without pacing. Results Human mesenchymal stem cell transplanted hearts expressed higher mRNA of nerve growth factor-β (p < 0.01) with sympathetic nerves (p < 0.05), higher mRNA of von Willebrand factor (p < 0.001) with angiogenesis (p < 0.001), but lower mRNA of connexin43 (p < 0.0001) with reduced gap junctions (p < 0.001) than sham. Pacing with human mesenchymal stem cell transplantation resulted in higher expression of mRNA of connexin43 (p < 0.02) and gap junctions (p < 0.001) compared with sham. In contrast, in vitro paced mesenchymal stem cell reduced expression of connexin43 mRNA (p < 0.02). Conclusion Human mesenchymal stem cell transplantation increased cardiac sympathetic innervation and angiogenesis, but reduced gap junction after transplanted in the canine heart. In contrast, concomitant electrical pacing increased gap junction expression by paracrine action.
Some Early Anatolian Shrines

There are as yet no temples in Western Anatolia prior to the first millennium; no counterparts for the Hittite temples further east. This may be an illusion which further discoveries will dispel, but more probably it is because the west had not yet been brought into contact with the architects and religions which influenced their eastern neighbours. Crete, Greece and the islands built no temples either in those early days: shrines, principally in palaces or private houses, were used for worship instead. There were undoubtedly shrines, as opposed to temples, in Anatolia as well; mostly from private houses, some better authenticated than others, differing in character according to time and place. It may be useful to review the evidence for shrines both in the western and the eastern regions, though with more emphasis on the former, to deduce as much as we can about their nature, and to decide which of them have acceptable claims.
Streptococcus pyogenes pili promote pharyngeal cell adhesion and biofilm formation

Group A Streptococcus (GAS, Streptococcus pyogenes) is a Gram‐positive human pathogen responsible for several acute diseases and autoimmune sequelae that account for half a million deaths worldwide every year. GAS infections require the capacity of the pathogen to adhere to host tissues and assemble in cell aggregates. Furthermore, a role for biofilms in GAS pathogenesis has recently been proposed. Here we investigated the role of GAS pili in biofilm formation. We demonstrated that GAS pilus‐negative mutants, in which the genes encoding either the pilus backbone structural protein or the sortase C1 have been deleted, showed an impaired capacity to attach to a pharyngeal cell line. The same mutants were much less efficient in forming cellular aggregates in liquid culture and microcolonies on human cells. Furthermore, mutant strains were incapable of producing the typical three‐dimensional layer with bacterial microcolonies embedded in a carbohydrate polymeric matrix. Complemented mutants had an adhesion and aggregation phenotype similar to the wild‐type strain. Finally, in vivo expression of pili was indirectly confirmed by demonstrating that most of the sera from human patients affected by GAS‐mediated pharyngitis recognized recombinant pili proteins. These data support the role of pili in GAS adherence and colonization and suggest a general role of pili in all pathogenic streptococci.
Clinical factors associated with floppy iris signs: a prospective study from two centers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relationship of intraoperative floppy iris syndrome with pseudoexfoliation, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and alpha-1 adrenergic blocker (A1AB) use. PATIENTS AND METHODS Five hundred patients were included in this prospective study. Intraoperative adverse events, such as pupillary constriction, iris billowing, and iris prolapse from the wound, were noted. Multinomial regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship of intraoperative floppy iris syndrome with pseudoexfoliation, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, pupil diameter, and A1AB use. RESULTS Pupil constriction was significantly associated with pseudoexfoliation (P < .001). Diabetes mellitus was associated with pupil constriction and iris billowing (P = .005 and .003, respectively). Hypertension was associated with pupil constriction (P = .021). Intraoperative floppy iris syndrome was strongly associated with A1AB use and male gender (P < .001 and .039, respectively). CONCLUSION Intraoperative floppy iris syndrome was observed in 2.8% of patients and was strongly related to A1AB use, particularly in smaller pupil diameters. Pseudoexfoliation, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension were not associated with intraoperative floppy iris syndrome.
Laterally vibrating lithium niobate MEMS resonators with 30% electromechanical coupling coefficient

This paper demonstrates laterally vibrating lithium niobate (LN) microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonators operating at 500 MHz with an electromechanical coupling coefficient (kt2) around 30% — the highest ever attained for this class of resonators. This accomplishment is made possible by the use of direct bonding of bulk X-cut LN wafers to high resistivity silicon and a resonator electrode layout that permits harnessing the full capabilities of the film.
Acetylcholine Synthesis and Release by a Sympathetic Ganglion in the Presence of 2‐(4‐Phenylpiperidino) Cyclohexanol (AH5183)

Abstract: These experiments measured the release and the synthesis of acetylcholine (ACh) by cat sympathetic ganglia in the presence of 2‐(4‐phenylpiperidino) cyclohexanol (AH5183), an agent that blocks the uptake of ACh into synaptic vesicles. Evoked transmitter release during short periods of preganglionic nerve stimulation was not affected by AH5183, but release during prolonged stimulation was not maintained in the drug's presence, whereas it was in the drug's absence. The amount of ACh releasable by nerve impulses in the presence of AH5183was 194 ± 10 pmol, which represented 14 ± 1% of the tissue ACh store. The effect of AH5183 on ACh release was not well antagonized by 4‐aminopyridine (4‐AP), and not associated with inhibition of stimulation‐induced calcium accumulation by nerve terminals. It is concluded that AH5183 blocks ACh release indirectly, and that the proportion of stored ACh releasable in the compound's presence represents transmitter in synaptic vesicles available to the release mechanism. The synthesis of ACh during 30 min preganglionic stimulation in the presence of AH5183 was 2,448 ± 51 pmol and in its absence it was 2,547 ± 273 pmol. Thus, as the drug decreased ACh release it increased tissue content. The increase in tissue content of ACh in the presence of AH5183 was not evident in resting ganglia; it was evident in stimulated ganglia whether or not tissue cholinesterase was inhibited; it was increased by 4‐AP and reduced by divalent cation changes expected to decrease calcium influx during nerve terminal depolarization. It is concluded that increased ACh synthesis during activity can occur independent of transmitter release, and that the activation of nerve terminal ACh synthesis requires increased calcium influx.
[4-(Dimethylamino)phenyl]diphenylphosphine selenide

In the title compound, C20H20NPSe, the P atom lies in a distorted tetrahedral environment. The Tolman cone angle is 157° indicating steric crowding at this atom. In the crystal, weak C—H⋯Se interactions create linked dimeric units and C—H⋯π interactions are also observed.