Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Neurokinin-1 Receptor Inhibition on Anxiety Behavior in Neonatal Rats Selectively Bred for an Infantile Affective Trait

Interest in understanding the etiology and developing new treatments for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents has led to recent studies of neurotransmitters not traditionally associated with neural pathways for fear and anxiety. The binding of the neurotransmitter substance P (SP) to its neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor may be a crucial component in mediating the anxiety response. While previous studies using rodent models have documented the anxiolytic effects of SP antagonists, the role of individual differences in affective temperament has not yet been examined in studies of drug response. This study used intracerebroventricular injections of the NK1 antagonist Spantide II at concentrations of 10 and 100 pmol to examine the consequences of blocking the SP-NK1 pathway in high and low line rats selectively bred for high or low levels of ultrasonic distress calls after a brief maternal separation. Affective temperament was a significant factor in determining drug response. Spantide II resulted in a significant reduction of distress calls in subjects in the high anxiety line, while low line subjects with low anxiety were resistant to the drug. These data indicate that the SP-NK1 pathway could be an important therapeutic target for the treatment of various stress disorders, but drug response might be influenced by the individual’s state anxiety or history of chronic stress.
Subjektive Theorien von Lehrkräften zur Kooperation

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschaftigt sich mit der unterrichtsbezogenen Kooperation von Lehrkraften. Vor dem Hintergrund der bisherigen Kooperationsforschung werden drei Formen der Zusammenarbeit differenziert: der Austausch, die gemeinsame Arbeitsorganisation und die Kokonstruktion. Die zentralen Fragestellungen der Arbeit beziehen sich zum einen auf die Subjektiven Theorien von Lehrkraften zur Kooperation und darauf wie diese sich verandern, wenn Lehrpersonen in schulubergreifende Lerngemeinschaften eingebettet sind. Lerngemeinschaften werden als Kooperationskontext dargestellt, der eine intensive unterrichtsbezogene Zusammenarbeit unterstutzt. In zwei qualitativen Studien zeigt sich, dass Lehrkrafte, die in Lerngemeinschaften eingebettet sind, andere Subjektive Theorien zur Kooperation haben als solche Lehrpersonen, die nicht in einer solchen schulubergreifenden Lerngemeinschaft arbeiten. In einer dritten quantitativen Studie wird die Kooperation in Lerngemeinschaften genauer untersucht und mit derjenigen in schulinternen Fachgruppen verglichen. Dabei werden nicht nur verschiedene Kooperationsformen, sondern auch Bedingungen von Kooperation sowie Nutzenaspekte in den Blick genommen. Die Studie zeigt Unterschiede zwischen der Lerngemeinschafts- und der Fachgruppenkooperation auf. Insgesamt nehmen die Lehrkrafte Lerngemeinschaften als einen gunstigen Kooperationskontext wahr.
Synapsin‐regulated synaptic transmission from readily releasable synaptic vesicles in excitatory hippocampal synapses in mice

The effects of synapsin proteins on synaptic transmission from vesicles in the readily releasable vesicle pool have been examined by comparing excitatory synaptic transmission in hippocampal slices from mice devoid of synapsins I and II and from wild‐type control animals. Application of stimulus trains at variable frequencies to the CA3‐to‐CA1 pyramidal cell synapse suggested that, in both genotypes, synaptic responses obtained within 2 s stimulation originated from readily releasable vesicles. Detailed analysis of the responses during this period indicated that stimulus trains at 2–20 Hz enhanced all early synaptic responses in the CA3‐to‐CA1 pyramidal cell synapse, but depressed all early responses in the medial perforant path‐to‐granule cell synapse. The synapsin‐dependent part of these responses, i.e. the difference between the results obtained in the transgene and the wild‐type preparations, showed that in the former synapse, the presence of synapsins I and II minimized the early responses at 2 Hz, but enhanced the early responses at 20 Hz, while in the latter synapse, the presence of synapsins I and II enhanced all responses at both stimulation frequencies. The results indicate that synapsins I and II are necessary for full expression of both enhancing and decreasing modulatory effects on synaptic transmission originating from the readily releasable vesicles in these excitatory synapses.
Prebiotics in infant formula

The gastrointestinal microbiota of breast-fed babies differ from classic standard formula fed infants. While mother's milk is rich in prebiotic oligosaccharides and contains small amounts of probiotics, standard infant formula doesn’t. Different prebiotic oligosaccharides are added to infant formula: galacto-oligosaccharides, fructo-oligosaccharide, polydextrose, and mixtures of these. There is evidence that addition of prebiotics in infant formula alters the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota resembling that of breastfed infants. They are added to infant formula because of their presence in breast milk. Infants on these supplemented formula have a lower stool pH, a better stool consistency and frequency and a higher concentration of bifidobacteria in their intestine compared to infants on a non-supplemented standard formula. Since most studies suggest a trend for beneficial clinical effects, and since these ingredients are very safe, prebiotics bring infant formula one step closer to breastmilk, the golden standard. However, despite the fact that adverse events are rare, the evidence on prebiotics of a significant health benefit throughout the alteration of the gut microbiota is limited.
General Distributional Properties of Discounted Warranty Costs With Risk Adjustment Under Minimal Repair

We study the distributional properties (mean, variance, characteristic function) of the discounted warranty cost (DWC) for general warranty programs including free replacement (FRW), pro rata (PRW), and FRW/PRW in the context of minimal repair. Because only failure times & types are needed in the derivation of these properties, the reliability of the systems is modeled according to a general competing risk model. Under these assumptions, our results extend those obtained in 2004 by Bai & Pham. By obtaining the characteristic function of the DWC, we can consider some risk management issues, an area that has not yet been extensively studied in this context. More precisely, we show how risk adjustment principles considered in the economics and actuarial science literature can be applied to the determination of a warranty reserve. Because some of these risk adjustment calculations require the probability mass or density function of the DWC, we show how to numerically invert the characteristic function of the DWC to obtain risk adjusted warranty costs with MATLAB in an appendix.
Smooth Speed Control for Low-Speed High-Torque Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Motor Using Proportional–Integral–Resonant Controller

This paper proposes a speed and current proportional-integral-resonant (PIR) control strategy to realize smooth speed control of the low-speed high-torque permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive system by minimizing the periodic torque ripples. Some nonideal factors causing periodic torque ripples, such as harmonics of rotor flux, cogging torque, current measurement errors, and dead time of inverter, are mathematically modeled, and their effects on current and speed control are analyzed, according to their locations in the system. Stability analysis is carried out, considering the delays caused by current loop and speed measurement as they may make the whole system unstable under the proposed PIR control strategy, and the optimal phase adjustment parameters for resonant item to keep the system stable are then obtained through theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. Finally, experimental results achieved on a 10-kW setup prove that the proposed strategy effectively minimizes the periodic speed ripples of PMSM drive.
MRI Experiments as a Tool to Study Asymptotic-Shear Flow Behaviour of a Worm-Like Reverse Micellar Phase

Abstract This paper deals with a Magnetic Resonance micro-Imaging (MRI) analysis of asymptotic kinematics which is a condition adopted in some rheological characterisations. Asymptotic kinematics (for example the slow shearing) aim is to evaluate material properties at “equilibrium”, avoiding structural changes induced by external stimuli. Measured material functions in these mechanical conditions deal with the structure/morphology of materials and can be used to investigate the structure as a function of the state variables only, as temperature, pressure and composition. In this paper MRI experiments were performed to study some shear flow behaviours of surfactant wormy micelles made by lecithin/water and diluted in cyclohexane (reverse micellar phase L2). MRI was used as a non-invasive tool in order to follow the structural responses both during slow shearing and when the sample is stirred outside the linear behaviour range. Relations can be found between the typical NMR parameters, strictly related to the microstructure, and the rheological macroscopic parameters as zero-shear viscosity.
Post-Scheduling SINR Mismatch Analysis for Multiuser Orthogonal Random Beamforming Systems

In this letter, we analyze the post-scheduling SINR mismatch of a multiuser orthogonal random beamforming (ORBF) system. The mismatch probability is derived for a Gaussian broadcast channel with M transmit antennas and K single-antenna users. Numerical results are shown to be identical to theoretical results. The probability analysis enables us to calculate the minimum number of users to satisfy a target mismatch probability. Another way to use the mismatch probability is to control CQI mismatch handling mechanisms.
Objectively measured daily-life physical activity of moderate-to-severe Brazilian asthmatic women in comparison to healthy controls: A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Considering the complex relationship between asthma symptoms and exercise, asthmatics are usually believed to be less active in daily life than healthy subjects. However, few studies have objectively assessed daily-life physical activity (DLPA) of asthmatic adults. Objective: To objectively assess DLPA of a sample of Brazilian asthmatic women in comparison to healthy controls, and to investigate the associations between DLPA and asthma control, health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression levels, and the Six-minute walk test (6MWT) in this population. Methods: Sixty-six women were included, 36 in the asthma group (AG) and 30 in the control group (CG). The AG was composed by clinically stable moderate-to-severe asthmatics. The CG was composed by apparently healthy volunteers. All subjects underwent DLPA assessment (considered as the average of steps taken during six consecutive days measured by a pedometer) and performed the 6MWT. Additionally, participants in the AG were assessed using the Asthma Control Questionnaire, the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results: There was no difference between the AG and the CG regarding DLPA (7490.3 ± 3330.2 vs 6876.4 ± 3242.1 steps respectively, p = 0.45), even after adjustment for covariates. DLPA was significantly correlated to the activity limitation domain of the AQLQ among asthmatics (r = 0.43, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Despite the association between self-perceived activity limitation and DLPA among asthmatics, there were no differences regarding DLPA between a sample of moderate-to-severe Brazilian asthmatic women and apparently healthy controls.
Applications of biomimetic systems in drug delivery

This review article highlights recent activities in the field of biomimetic systems and their application in controlled drug delivery. A definition and overview of biomimetic processes is given, with a focus on synthesis and assembly for the creation of novel biomaterials. In particular, systems are classified on the basis of three subsets, which include biological, biohybrid and synthetic structures. Examples focus on the current and proposed clinical significance for systems that mimic processes where the underlying molecular principles are well understood. Biomimetic materials and systems are presented as exceptional candidates for various controlled drug delivery applications and have enormous potential in medicine for the treatment of disease.
Prevalence of primary HIV drug resistance among seroconverters during an explosive outbreak of HIV infection among injecting drug users.

OBJECTIVES This study examined the frequency of transmission of drug resistant HIV in the population of injecting drug users (IDU) in Vancouver, Canada during a period of particularly high virus transmission. DESIGN All subjects enrolled in the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study who seroconverted from HIV negative to positive status (n = 61) between December 1996 and February 1998 were eligible for analysis. The first seropositive sample from 57 individuals with plasma samples available was analyzed for resistance to antiretroviral agents by population based sequencing of the HIV protease and reverse transcriptase genes. METHODS Plasma viral RNA was extracted and the viral reverse transcriptase and protease regions were amplified by nested reverse transcription-PCR. The presence of mutations associated with antiretroviral drug resistance was assessed by automated sequence analysis. RESULTS Protease and reverse transcriptase sequences were successfully obtained from the 57 recent seroconverters. No cases of transmission of variants associated with significant resistance to protease inhibitors or nucleoside and non-nucleosides reverse transcriptase inhibitors were detected. CONCLUSION The frequency of transmission of drug resistant HIV amongst these recently infected IDU is extremely low, with no protease or reverse transcriptase inhibitor resistant strains detected soon after seroconversion. The data provide no rationale for withholding treatment from this already marginalized population.
Can Youthful Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Wharton’s Jelly Bring a Breath of Fresh Air for COPD?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major global cause of morbidity and mortality, projected to become the 3rd cause of disease mortality worldwide by 2020. COPD is characterized by persistent and not fully reversible airflow limitation that is usually progressive and is associated with an abnormal chronic inflammatory response of the lung to noxious agents including cigarette smoke. Currently available therapeutic strategies aim to ease COPD symptoms but cannot prevent its progress or regenerate physiological lung structure or function. The urgently needed new approaches for the treatment of COPD include stem cell therapies among which transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells derived from Wharton’s jelly (WJ-MSCs) emerges as a promising therapeutic strategy because of the unique properties of these cells. The present review discusses the main biological properties of WJ-MSCs pertinent to their potential application for the treatment of COPD in the context of COPD pathomechanisms with emphasis on chronic immune inflammatory processes that play key roles in the development and progression of COPD.
Small-World model of associative memory

"Small-World" networks is a term recently coined by Watts and Strogatz to describe networks which simultaneously exhibit a high degree of node clustering and short minimum path lengths between nodes. Such networks represent a very efficient architecture for achieving maximal internode communication with minimal connection length-a feature that is extremely important in highly connected physical networks, where interconnections consume most space. Neural networks-both in the brain and in hardware implementation-can benefit greatly from a small-world architecture, and there is evidence that this strategy is widely used in the nervous system. In this paper, we study the recall performance of associative memories with regard to their small-world characteristics. The results indicate that, indeed, a small-world approach can lead to networks with high performance and minimal interconnect requirements.
Unpacking the effect of IT capability on the performance of export‐focused SMEs: a report from China

Abstract. Export‐focused small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in China face a number of barriers to success, two primary ones being the liability of foreignness and resource scarcity. In order to transcend these challenges and be able to survive/prosper in the hypercompetitive international market, where players include large resourceful multinational organizations with experience in varied national contexts, these firms need to develop different organizational capabilities. In this paper, we specifically examine the role of a key organizational capability – information technology (IT) capability – and its different dimensions, in determining performance of export‐focused SMEs in China. Our study reveals that IT capability has a positive impact on such firms' performance. This finding indicates the need for their owners/managers to invest in IT capability. Further, the study also highlights specific sub‐dimensions of IT capability that export‐focused Chinese SMEs should (or should not) develop, so as to derive maximum performance‐related gains for the minimum amount spent on IT.
A role for p38 in transcriptional elongation of p21CIP1 in response to Aurora B inhibition

Aurora kinases play important functions in mitosis. They are overexpressed in many cancers and are targets for anticancer therapy. Inhibition of Aurora B results in cytokinesis failure and polyploidization, leading to activation of the p53 tumor suppressor and its target genes, including p21. The pathways that mediate p21 activation after Aurora B inhibition are not well understood. In this study, we identified a role for the p38 MAP kinase in activation of p21 when Aurora B is inhibited. We show that p38 is required for the acute cell cycle arrest in G1 and to prevent endoreduplication when Aurora B is inhibited. Stabilization of p53 occurs independently of p38, and recruitment of p53 to the p21 promoter also does not require p38. Instead, enrichment of the elongating form of RNA PolII at the distal region of the p21 gene is strongly reduced when p38 is blocked, indicating that p38 acts in transcriptional elongation of p21. Thus, our results identify an unexpected role of p38 in cell cycle regulation in response to Aurora B inhibition, by promoting the transcriptional elongation of the cell cycle inhibitor p21.
The role of alcohol in injuries presenting to St Vincent ’ s Hospital Emergency Department and the associated short-term costs

This bulletin presents the results from research investigating the role of alcohol in injury presentations to an inner-city emergency department and the associated short-term economic costs. In this study injured patients attending St Vincent’s Hospital Emergency Department during September 2004 and February 2005 were interviewed about their alcohol consumption prior to the injury event and where possible, administered a breathalyser test. One-third of the injured patients interviewed reported consuming alcohol prior to the injury and almost two-thirds of these patients stated that they had been drinking at licensed premises. Alcohol consumption was found to be more prevalent amongst patients presenting with injuries resulting from interpersonal violence, with almost two-thirds of these patients reporting that they had been drinking prior to the injury. The estimated annual cost of alcohol to St Vincent’s Emergency Department was as much as $1.38 million. While the overall economic cost of alcohol-related injuries is probably much greater than our estimate indicates, the research described here highlights the resources that could be devoted to other illness and disease if a proportion of alcohol-related injuries were reduced.
Risk, predictability and biomedical neo‐pragmatism

Singleton baby boy Lars is born at 25 weeks gestation. He weighs 523 g and his mother did not receive antenatal glucocorticoid. Although the online calculator http:// www.nichd. nih.gov/about/org/cdbpm/pp/prog_epbo/epbo _case. cfm (based on ref (1) predicts a 90% chance of ‘death or moderate to severe neurodevelopmental impairment’, Lars survives just fine and makes it to high school age without any developmental problem whatsoever. He just happens to be that one out of ten. Does not this remind you of those familiar stories of great grandfathers who smoked for their entire lives and lived to see their great grandchildren getting married? How can this be, with tobacco smoking being associated with a two to fourfold increased mortality risk, adjusted for social status (2)? The educated reader will readily agree that I am confusing individual and population risk here. Maybe I also mingle inappropriately those general concepts that reach beyond the medical context, i.e. prediction in individuals and in populations? How are risk and prediction defined in the first place, and how understood? Tricky issues, indeed. In what follows, I offer a few brief thoughts about these concepts, zooming in on the biomedical sciences context.
Research, part of a Special Feature on Balancing Ecology and Community using Cumulative Effects Models Cumulative Effects Planning: Finding the Balance Using Choice Experiments

Cumulative effects management requires understanding the environmental impacts of development and finding the right balance between social, economic, and environmental objectives. We explored the use of choice experiments to elicit preferences for competing social, economic, and ecological outcomes in order to rank land and resource development options. The experiments were applied in the Southeast Yukon, a remote and resource rich region in Northern Canada with a relatively large aboriginal population. The case study addresses two issues of concern in cumulative effects management: the willingness to discount future environmental costs for immediate development benefits, and the existence of limits of acceptable change for communities affected by development. These issues are thought to be particularly relevant for First Nations in Northern Canada where cultural identify is tied to the land and continuity of the community is an important value. We found that residents of the Southeast Yukon value benefits from both development and conservation and must make trade-offs between these competing objectives in evaluating land use scenarios. Based on the preference information we evaluated four land use scenarios. Conservation scenarios ranked higher than development scenarios, however, there was significant heterogeneity around preferences for conservation outcomes suggesting a low degree of consensus around this result. We also found that residents did not discount the future highlighting the importance of intergenerational equity in resource development decisions. We did not find evidence of development thresholds or limits of acceptable change. Interestingly we found no difference in preferences between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal populations.