Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential effects of potassium channel blockers on extracellular concentrations of dopamine and 5‐HT in the striatum of conscious rats

1 The selective Ca2+ ‐activated K+ channel blocker apamin increased extracellular 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) concentrations in the striatum when administered through the microdialysis probe at doses of 0.1 mM and 1 mM. Extracellular dopamine concentrations increased only at the highest dose administered (1 mM). 2 Mast cell degranulating peptide (MCDP), which blocks the dendrotoxin sensitive delayed rectifier (DR) current, increased extracellular concentrations of dopamine at doses of 10 μm‐100μm but had no effect on 5‐HT. 3 The non selective K+ channel blocker tetraethylammonium (TEA) induced a dose‐dependent (1 mM‐10 mM) increase in extracellular dopamine concentrations and an increase in 5‐HT which showed little or no dose‐dependency. 4 4‐Aminopyridine (4‐AP), a blocker with some similar characteristics to MCDP, increased extracellular dopamine concentrations at doses of 10 μm‐1 mM, but had no effect on 5‐HT. 5 These findings suggest that dopamine release may be modulated by DR‐like current and/or A‐current K+ channels. However, in view of the similar effects of MCDP and 4‐AP at the concentrations used it is more likely that the dendrotoxin‐sensitive DR‐like current is involved. In contrast, 5‐HT release appears to be modulated by Ca2+ ‐activated K+ channels.
Carnaval et émigration saisonnière au Mexique

Le contact des societes traditionnelles avec la modernite signifie-t-il necessairement leur perte d’originalite ? A partir d’une enquete sur le carnaval d’une communaute otomi de la Huaxteque (Mexique) l’auteur montre que la confrontation de la population locale avec les realites sociales et economiques globales, les influences que subissent les travailleurs migrants et la presence des elements de culture urbaine et hispanique ont, paradoxalement, ravive d’anciens modeles d’organisation spatiotemporelle. Metissage et modernisation ont favorise la resurgence d’une structure dualiste et remis en lumiere une cosmogonie traditionnelle articulee sur les oppositions masculin/feminin, haut/bas, exterieur/interieur, vie/mort.
An Empirical Study on Credit Rating Change Behavior

Taking advantage of the fexibility of the simple hazard rate model estimation technique similar to Shumway (2001), this paper studies the effects of duration, momentum, and rating policies on credit rating changes. In contrast to previous findings, we find that the duration effect on credit rating changes is not monotonic. Further, we document that the duration effect on downgrade is mainly caused by the downgrade momentum.
Candida parapsilosis: a review of its epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical aspects, typing and antimicrobial susceptibility

The Candida parapsilosis family has emerged as a major opportunistic and nosocomial pathogen. It causes multifaceted pathology in immuno-compromised and normal hosts, notably low birth weight neonates. Its emergence may relate to an ability to colonize the skin, proliferate in glucose-containing solutions, and adhere to plastic. When clusters appear, determination of genetic relatedness among strains and identification of a common source are important. Its virulence appears associated with a capacity to produce biofilm and production of phospholipase and aspartyl protease. Further investigations of the host-pathogen interactions are needed. This review summarizes basic science, clinical and experimental information about C. parapsilosis.
Parallelism in Manipulator Dynamics

This paper addresses the problem of efficiently computing the motor torques required to drive a manipulator arm in free motion, given the desired trajectory—that is the inverse dynamics problem. It analyzes the high degree of parallelism inherent in the computations and presents two "mathemati cally exact "formulations especially suited to high-speed, highly parallel implementations using VLSI devices. The first method presented is a parallel version of the recent linear Newton-Euler recursive algorithm. The time cost is linear in the number of joints, but the real-time coefficients are re duced by almost two orders of magnitude. The second formu lation reports a new parallel algorithm that shows that it is possible to improve on the linear time dependency. The real time required to perform the calculations increases only as the [log 2] of the number of joints. Either formulation is sus ceptible to a systolic pipelined architecture in which complete sets of joint torques emerge at successive intervals of four floating-point operations. Hardware requirements necessary to support the algorithm are not excessive, and a VLSI im plementation architecture is possible.
The Time-Varying-Parameter Model for Modeling Changing Conditional Variance: The Case of the Lucas Hypothesis

The main econometric issue in testing the Lucas (1973) hypothesis in a time series context is estimation of the forecast-error variance conditional on past information. The conditional variance may vary through time as monetary policy evolves and agents are obliged to infer its present state. Under the assumption that a monetary policy regime is continuously changing, a time-varying-parameter model is proposed for the monetary-growth function. Based on Kalman-filtering estimation of recursive forecast errors and their conditional variances, the Lucas hypothesis is tested for the U.S. economy (1964:1–1985:4) using monetary growth as aggregate demand variable. The Lucas hypothesis is rejected in favor of Friedman's (1977) hypothesis—the conditional variance of monetary growth affects real output directly, not through the coefficients on the forecast-error term in the Lucas-type output equation.
Association between ADIPOQ Gene Polymorphism rs182052 and Obesity in Korean Women

Abstract The association between adiponectin concentration and obesity have been reported and genetic variations of the ADIPOQ gene are known to influence the plasmatic concentration of adiponectin. Therefore, we investigated the effect of AIPOQ single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on obesity-related variables, and their modulation by dietary intakes in Korean women. The subjects con-sisted of 3,217 Korean women aged 40-59 years partic-ipating in the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study (KoGES). The general characteristics, anthropometric vari-ables, serum blood profiles were measured. Dietary in-take was analyzed using the Food Frequency Question-naire. Subjects with the T allele of AIPOQ rs182052 showed significantly higher obesity-related variables such as weight (p=0.005), BMI (p＜0.000), fat body mass (p=0.005), and waist-hip ratio (p=0.007) than those with the C allele. Moreover, the rs182052 T allele was associated with an increased risk of obesity prevalence (p=0.019). However, there were not any significant inter-actions observed between the genotype of ADIPOQ rs182052 and dietary intake on BMI and fat body mass. These findings suggest that the obesity-related variables may be more dominantly affected by the genotype of ADIPOQ rs182052 than dietary intake in middle aged Korean women.Keywords: ADIPOQ, single nucleotide polymorphism, rs182052, obesity, gene-diet interactions
Export Premium, Self-Selection and Learning-by-Exporting: Evidence from Chinese Matched Firms

This study empirically focuses on examining the hypotheses of export premium (exporters are more productive than non-exporters), selection-into-exporting (more productive firms are ones that tend to become exporters) and learning-by-exporting (new export market entrants have higher productivity growth than non-exporters in the post-entry period). The propensity score matching method is used to adjust for observable differences of firm characteristics between exporters and non-exporters, allowing an adequate ‘like-for-like’ comparison. We also use the difference-in-difference matching estimator to capture the magnitude of different productivity growth between matched new export market entrants and non-exporters in the post-entry period up to two years. Drawing on 2,340 Chinese firms in the period 2000–02, we find evidence for export premium and self-selection, and once the firm has entered the export market there is additional productivity growth from the learning effect, in particular in the second year after entry.
Melastatin-type transient receptor potential channel 7 is required for intestinal pacemaking activity.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Interstitial cells of Cajal are pacemakers in the gastrointestinal tract, regulating rhythmicity by activating nonselective cation channels. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the melastatin-type transient receptor potential (TRPM) channel, especially TRPM7, was suggested as being involved in defecation rhythm. The aim here was to show that the nonselective cation channel in interstitial cells of Cajal in mouse small intestine has properties essentially identical to those of murine TRPM7, heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney cells. METHODS The patch-clamp technique for whole-cell recording was used in cultured or single interstitial cells of Cajal. TRPM7-specific small interfering RNAs were used for specific inhibition of TRPM7. RESULTS Electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of the nonselective cation channel in interstitial cells of Cajal were the same as those of TRPM7. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry all showed abundant and localized expression of TRPM7 messenger RNA and protein in mouse small intestine. Treatment of primary cultured interstitial cells of Cajal with TRPM7-specific small interfering RNA resulted in inhibition of pacemaking activity. CONCLUSIONS TRPM7 is required for intestinal pacemaking. The protein is a likely potential target for pharmacological treatment of motor disorders of the gut.
Does Leadership Matter? A summary of evidence on the role and impact of political leadership in English local government

This paper explores the impact of different forms of political leadership created through the Local Government Act 2000. The concept of facilitative leadership is used to explore how leaders use powers and abilities to draw citizens and other stakeholders into a shared vision for the locality, and enable local councils and other actors to shape places and improve service performance. The paper also reflects on possible implications for proposals in the 2006 Local Government White Paper. It is an interim output from the five year evaluation of council constitutions.
Cleavage of bipartite substrates by rice and maize ribonuclease P. Application to degradation of target mRNAs in plants.

The objective of this investigation is to examine the potential for using plant ribonuclease P (RNase P) as a tool for cleaving target mRNAs and thereby disrupting gene expression in plants. RNase P is a ubiquitous ribonucleoprotein that is uniquely responsible for the 5′ maturation of nearly
Inter-provincial Disparities in Rural ‘People's Livelihood’ in China

This article presents an empirical study of the evolution of income disparities in rural China across 24 provinces for 1980–2004. Provincial data on rural net incomes, rural living expenditures and rural expenditures on food are used to study the trends in inter-provincial disparities. Direct statistical measures of dispersion estimated from this data and adjusted for price differentials across provinces and across time, reveal an uneven but sustained increase in inter-provincial rural inequalities. With rural economic growth positively associated with overall provincial growth in the entire period as well as most sub-periods, the gaps in per capita incomes as well as consumption expenditure including expenditures on food across provinces have widened. Divergences across provinces, however, are fewer and show tendencies of reduction during phases of income growth. The findings, placed against the background of the large literature on the subject of inequality in China, provide support to the view that the implications of sustained increases in inequality could not only effect future economic growth but prove to be destabilising as well.
"Wealth and Stealth": The 21st Century Challenge to Comprehensive Reproductive Health Education and Services in Canada

This qualitative study explored the information available on abortion, contraception and parenting from websites accessible to internet users in Canada. The research questions focused on a comparison of pro-life and pro-choice websites on the discourse in Canada around reproductive rights. A textual analysis was conducted of five websites, with data analyzed using phenomenological research methodology. Themes emerged highlighting key differences between pro-choice and pro-life websites. Pro-choice websites offer accurate and up-to-date information presented in a static resource format, while pro-life websites offer value-laden and inaccurate information presented in an interactive, user-friendly fashion. The analysis highlights how the internet, as an emerging 21st century information resource, is also a site of production for reproductive rights discourse in Canada. These results have direct implications for social work practice and policy, particularly emphasizing the need for client referrals to accessible and accurate websites, and engagement with reproductive rights advocacy and public health education.
Organ identity specification factor WGE localizes to the histone locus body and regulates histone expression to ensure genomic stability in Drosophila

Over‐expression of Winged‐Eye (WGE) in the Drosophila eye imaginal disc induces an eye‐to‐wing transformation. Endogenous WGE is required for organ development, and wge‐deficient mutants exhibit growth arrest at the larval stage, suggesting that WGE is critical for normal growth. The function of WGE, however, remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the subcellular localization of WGE to gain insight into its endogenous function. Immunostaining showed that WGE localized to specific nuclear foci called the histone locus body (HLB), an evolutionarily conserved nuclear body required for S phase‐specific histone mRNA production. Histone mRNA levels and protein levels in cytosolic fractions were aberrantly up‐regulated in wge mutant larva, suggesting a role for WGE in regulating histone gene expression. Genetic analyses showed that wge suppresses position‐effect variegation, and that WGE and a HLB component Mute appears to be synergistically involved in heterochromatin formation. Further supporting a role in chromatin regulation, wge‐deficient mutants showed derepression of retrotransposons and increased γH2Av signals, a DNA damage marker. These findings suggest that WGE is a component of HLB in Drosophila with a role in heterochromatin formation and transposon silencing. We propose that WGE at HLB contributes to genomic stability and development by regulating heterochromatin structure via histone gene regulation.
Alpha‐nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and tobacco smoke exposure: Effects on bronchial hyperresponsiveness in children

To cite this article: Torjussen TM, Lødrup Carlsen KC, Munthe‐Kaas MC, Mowinckel P, Carlsen K‐H, Helms PJ, Gerritsen J, Whyte MK, Lenney W, Undlien DE, Shianna KV, Zhu G, Pillai SG. Alpha‐nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and tobacco smoke exposure: Effects on bronchial hyperresponsiveness in children. Pediatric Allergy Immunology 2012: 23: 40–49.
Frequency domain near-infrared multiwavelength imager design using high-speed, direct analog-to-digital conversion

Abstract. Frequency domain near-infrared spectroscopy (FD-NIRS) has proven to be a reliable method for quantification of tissue absolute optical properties. We present a full-sampling direct analog-to-digital conversion FD-NIR imager. While we developed this instrument with a focus on high-speed optical breast tomographic imaging, the proposed design is suitable for a wide-range of biophotonic applications where fast, accurate quantification of absolute optical properties is needed. Simultaneous dual wavelength operation at 685 and 830 nm is achieved by concurrent 67.5 and 75 MHz frequency modulation of each laser source, respectively, followed by digitization using a high-speed (180 MS/s) 16-bit A/D converter and hybrid FPGA-assisted demodulation. The instrument supports 25 source locations and features 20 concurrently operating detectors. The noise floor of the instrument was measured at <1.4 pW/√Hz, and a dynamic range of 115+ dB, corresponding to nearly six orders of magnitude, has been demonstrated. Titration experiments consisting of 200 different absorption and scattering values were conducted to demonstrate accurate optical property quantification over the entire range of physiologically expected values.
Business relatedness measurements

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend understanding of business relatedness, a concept that is central to diversification issues. These questions are put forward: What characterizes existing types of measurements of business relatedness? What are the weaknesses of these types? What would be the features of a model for measurement of business relatedness? Design/methodology/approach – As relatedness concerns specific business attributes, common attributes used in measurements are presented. A review of previous studies on types of measurements of business relatedness (codes or indices, researcher assessments and managerial perceptions) is followed by a discussion on correlations between perceptual and objective measurements.Findings – The review shows that application of standard industrial classification codes/indices and researcher assessments suffer from weak content validity of the measurements, and underestimation of the multidimensionality of the construct. Use of managerial perceptions nee.
An examination of the stakeholders and elite athlete development pathways in tennis

Research question: The research questions that guided this investigation were (1) ‘What are the roles of sport development stakeholders in elite player development pathways? ’ and (2) ‘How are those elite pathways modelled in tennis? ’ Research methods: Data from 18 semi-structured in-depth interviews with international tennis experts were thematically analysed to explore stakeholder involvement and how their interactions and strategies shape elite tennis pathways. Results and findings: The results show that during the attraction/retention process of elite sport development national tennis associations (NTAs) are responsible for initiating programmes that local clubs and coaches deliver. During the talent identification and selection process NTAs, clubs and coaches cooperate to identify talent. Throughout the talent development process, tennis players progress from clubs to NTA training centres or private academies. Last, during the nurturing process, NTAs support players in the transition from junior to senior level and once players are self-sufficient, the NTA support decreases. Implications: These findings offer empirical evidence on the roles of stakeholders and their support to players in shaping development pathways in tennis. The shift in stakeholder dynamics and variation in their roles and relationships suggests that stakeholders can have different levels of involvement depending on the developmental process. These results help draw meaningful practical implications. For instance, the heightened role of local clubs during most of the sport development processes points towards the need to revisit the level of support clubs receive and their capacity to deliver optimal developmental pathways.
Choosing between risky prospects: the characterization of comparative statics results, and location independent risk

We consider expected utility maximizers choosing from a family of risky prospects and examine how choice is influenced by the decision makers attitude to risk. If the family of risky prospects can be ordered so that as decision makers are more risk tolerant they choose a gamble higher in the ordering, then it is natural to say that the family of risky prospects admit a comparative static result. The paper characterizes when comparative static results of this sort exist. An application is to propose a criterion of location independent riskiness.
Irx4 identifies a chamber‐specific cell population that contributes to ventricular myocardium development

Background: The ventricular myocardium is the most prominent layer of the heart, and the most important for mediating cardiac physiology. Although the ventricular myocardium is critical for heart function, the cellular hierarchy responsible for ventricle‐specific myocardium development remains unresolved. Results: To determine the pattern and time course of ventricular myocardium development, we investigated IRX4 protein expression, which has not been previously reported. We identified IRX4+ cells in the cardiac crescent, and these cells were positive for markers of the first or second heart fields. From the onset of chamber formation, IRX4+ cells were restricted to the ventricular myocardium. This expression pattern persisted into adulthood. Of interest, we observed that IRX4 exhibits developmentally regulated dynamic intracellular localization. Throughout prenatal cardiogenesis, and up to postnatal day 4, IRX4 was detected in the cytoplasm of ventricular myocytes. However, between postnatal days 5–6, IRX4 translocated to the nucleus of ventricular myocytes. Conclusions: Given the ventricle‐specific expression of Irx4 in later stages of heart development, we hypothesize that IRX4+ cells in the cardiac crescent represent the earliest cell population in the cellular hierarchy underlying ventricular myocardium development. Developmental Dynamics 243:381–392, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Implementation of smartphone seamless positioning system based on mobile navigation electronic map

The popularization of smartphone and continuous upgrading of configuration make the 4A target (anytime, anywhere, anybody and anything) for location service become possible. Pedestrian navigation based on smartphone is an ideal solution for indoor and outdoor seamless positioning. Mobile navigation electronic map is the basis of pedestrian navigation. A smartphone seamless positioning system based on outdoor and indoor mobile navigation electronic map is proposed in this paper. Indoor map adding seamless connection between indoor and outdoor geographic information, which is convenient for initial position determination and heading constraint. The inertial sensors and GNSS module are combined to complete the navigation solution, and the navigation software is designed in eclipse environment. The Baidu map software package is used to carry on the secondary development to support the solution and display. The experiment verified the feasibility of the smartphone seamless positioning system, which can real time display the navigation solution and work dead zone free.