Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Mechanical Strain on the Function of Gap Junctions in Osteocytes Are Mediated through the Prostaglandin EP2 Receptor*

Osteocytes embedded in the matrix of bone are thought to be mechanosensory cells that translate mechanical strain into biochemical signals that regulate bone modeling and remodeling. We have shown previously that fluid flow shear stress dramatically induces prostaglandin release and COX-2 mRNA expression in osteocyte-like MLO-Y4 cells, and that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) released by these cells functions in an autocrine manner to regulate gap junction function and connexin 43 (Cx43) expression. Here we show that fluid flow regulates gap junctions through the PGE2 receptor EP2 activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) signaling. The expression of the EP2 receptor, but not the subtypes EP1,EP3, and EP4, increased in response to fluid flow. Application of PGE2 or conditioned medium from fluid flow-treated cells to non-stressed MLO-Y4 cells increased expression of the EP2 receptor. The EP2 receptor antagonist, AH6809, suppressed the stimulatory effects of PGE2 and fluid flow-conditioned medium on the expression of the EP2 receptor, on Cx43 protein expression, and on gap junction-mediated intercellular coupling. In contrast, the EP2 receptor agonist butaprost, not the E1/E3 receptor agonist sulprostone, stimulated the expression of Cx43 and gap junction function. Fluid flow conditioned medium and PGE2 stimulated cAMP production and PKA activity suggesting that PGE2 released by mechanically stimulated cells is responsible for the activation of cAMP and PKA. The adenylate cyclase activators, forskolin and 8-bromo-cAMP, enhanced intercellular connectivity, the number of functional gap junctions, and Cx43 protein expression, whereas the PKA inhibitor, H89, inhibited the stimulatory effect of PGE2 on gap junctions. These studies suggest that the EP2 receptor mediates the effects of autocrine PGE2 on the osteocyte gap junction in response to fluid flow-induced shear stress. These data support the hypothesis that the EP2 receptor, cAMP, and PKA are critical components of the signaling cascade between mechanical strain and gap junction-mediated communication between osteocytes.
Serotonin reuptake inhibitors reverse the impairments in behaviour, neurotransmitter and immune functions in the olfactory bulbectomized rat

This experiment investigated the effects of chronic treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors, fluvoxamine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) and sertraline (10 mg/kg, i.p.), for 20 days on the behaviour, neurotransmitter concentrations and immune functions in the olfactory bulbectomized (OB) rat model of depression. Following fluvoxamine and sertraline administration, the hyperactive behaviour of the OB rat in the ‘open field’ was significantly attenuated. In the elevated plus‐maze, an increase in the number of entries into the open arms and a decrease in the time spent on the closed arms were also largely reversed in the OB rat after fluvoxamine and sertraline treatment. Fluvoxamine and sertraline treatments reversed the decrease in the brain concentrations of noradrenaline (NA) of the OB rat and the increase in the 5‐hydroxyindole‐3‐acetic acid (5‐HIAA) concentration. Fluvoxamine and sertraline treatment also significantly reversed the suppression of lymphocyte proliferation in the OB rat. However, only the chronic administration of fluvoxamine significantly improved depressed neutrophil phagocytosis, sertraline being without effect on this immune parameter.
Design of a permanent magnet motor with SPWM-shaped magnets for an electric scooter

This paper proposes the novel design of a surface-mounted permanent-magnet (SPM) motor with a magnet surface that is a sinusoidal pulse-width-modulation (SPWM) shape for an electric scooter. The optimal SPWM magnet shape on the SPM motor was designed by maximizing the output torque and efficiency and minimizing the magnet volume, and was verified with finite element analysis. The prototype motors were fabricated with magnets of various shapes, with or without an SPWM surface. The experimental results showed that the prototype motors with SPWM-shaped PMs had a high percentage of fundamental harmonics. The amount of rare-earth magnet material used in the motor with SPWM-shaped PMs was less than the amount used in motors without SPWM-shaped PMs.
Percutaneous PFO closure with Amplatzer PFO occluder: predictors of residual shunts at 6 months follow-up.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess predictors of residual shunts after percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure with Amplatzer PFO occluder (AGA Medical Corporation, Golden Valley, MN, USA). METHODS All percutaneous PFO closures, using Amplatzer PFO occluder performed at a tertiary center between May 2002 and August 2006, were reviewed. Follow-up, including saline contrast transesophageal echocardiography, was performed in all patients 6 months after the intervention. PATIENTS A total of 135 procedures were performed. Mean age of the patients was 51 years. The indication for PFO closure was an ischemic cerebrovascular event in 92%, paradoxical systemic embolism in 4%, and a diving accident in 4%. Recurrent events prior to PFO closure were noted in 34%. A concomitant atrial septal aneurysm was present in 61%. RESULTS At 6 months follow-up, a residual shunt was detected in 26 patients (19%). Residual shunts were more common in patients with an atrial septal aneurysm (27 vs. 8%, P= .01) and in patients treated with a 35-mm compared with a 25-mm device (39 vs. 15%, P= .01). A concomitant atrial septal aneurysm remained independently associated with residual shunts when controlled for body mass index, gender, age, atrial dimensions, and presence of a Chiari network (odds ratio 4.1, 95% confidence intervals 1.1-15.0). CONCLUSION The presence of atrial septal aneurysms in patients undergoing percutaneous PFO closure with an Amplatzer PFO occluder significantly increases the rate of residual shunts at 6 months follow-up, even if 35-mm devices are used.
Detection and Species Determination of Malaria Parasites by PCR: Comparison with Microscopy and with ParaSight-F and ICT Malaria Pf Tests in a Clinical Environment

ABSTRACT A rapid procedure for the diagnosis of malaria infections directly from dried blood spots by PCR amplification was evaluated with samples from 52 patients. Plasmodium infections were identified with a genus-specific primer set, and species differentiation betweenPlasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax was analyzed by multiplex PCR. The PCR test with any of the three primer sets was able to detect as few as four parasites per microliter by gel electrophoresis or by nonisotopic paper hybridization chromatography. The diagnoses obtained by PCR correlated closely with those obtained by Giemsa staining except for two samples observed to have mixed P. falciparum-P. vivax infections. These were initially missed by microscopic analysis. In comparison with antigen-capture assays forP. falciparum, the PCR assays were able to detect three infections that were missed by the ParaSight-F test. The PCR test was negative for nine ParaSight-F-positive samples and one ICT Malaria Pf-positive sample, and these were confirmed to be false-positive results. The PCR thus gave no false-negative or false-positive results. Patients undergoing antimalarial therapy were also monitored by the PCR assay. Four of seven patients who were PCR positive forP. vivax at the time of discharge were later readmitted to the hospital with a recurrence of P. vivax infection. We would like to propose that PCR is a sensitive and easy method that can serve as a useful addition to microscopy for the diagnosis and the clinical monitoring of treatment of malaria.
The mechanical scaling of coasting in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

SUMMARY Many fish species span two or three orders of magnitude in length during the growth from larvae to adults, and this change may have dramatic consequences for locomotor performance. We measured how the performance of coasting changes over the life history of zebrafish (Danio rerio) and examined the scaling of mechanics underlying this change. Adult zebrafish coast disproportionately further and faster and maintain their speed for a longer duration than do larvae and juveniles. Measurements of drag on tethered dead fish suggest that adult fish operate in an inertial regime by coasting at relatively high Reynolds numbers (Re>1000), and in vivo drag measurements showed adults to operate with a drag coefficient (Cinert≈0.024) that was consistent with previously published estimates. However, drag scaled differently at lower Re values than those assumed in previous studies. We found a viscous regime at Re<300, which corresponds to the routine coasting of larvae and juveniles. Despite these changes in hydrodynamics over growth, a mathematical model of coasting mechanics suggests that the disproportionately longer coasting of adults is caused primarily by their large body mass and high speed at the beginning of coasting. We therefore propose that changes in coasting performance with growth are dictated primarily by the scaling of momentum rather than resulting from hydrodynamic changes. These results provide an opportunity for new interpretations of function in the growth and evolution of fish.
Expectation, Motivation, and Attitude: A Tourist Behavioral Model

This study focuses on the previsit stage of tourists by modeling the behavioral process incorporating expectation, motivation, and attitude in the context of Chinese outbound travelers. An expectation, motivation, and attitude (EMA) model is proposed based on a comprehensive literature review. An instrument is developed based on previous tourism and marketing studies as well as focus groups to measure the variables in the EMA model. Data are collected from 1,514 Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou residents. Results of the study confirm the proposed relations that expectation of visiting an outbound destination has a direct effect on motivation to visit the destination; motivation has a direct effect on attitude toward visiting the destination; expectation of visiting the outbound destination has a direct effect on attitude toward visiting the destination; and motivation has a mediating effect on the relationship between expectation and attitude. Practical and theoretical contributions are discussed, with future research suggested.
Part I: Cognitive development in children: Piaget development and learning

Cet article de Jean Piaget decrit sa conception du developpement de l'enfant et de la psychologie de l'apprentissage dans le cadre de l'enseignement des sciences. Theoricien reconnu, son travail n'a cesse d'influencer ses contemporains et continue de presenter une source d'informations importante.
Semi-Global Matching in Object Space

Semi-Global Matching (SGM) is a widespread algorithm for image matching which is used for very different applications, ranging from real-time applications (e.g. for generating 3D data for driver assistance systems) to aerial image matching. Originally developed for stereo-image matching, several extensions have been proposed to use more than two images within the matching process (multi-baseline matching, multi-view stereo). These extensions still perform the image matching in (rectified) stereo images and combine the pairwise results afterwards to create the final solution. This paper proposes an alternative approach which is suitable for the introduction of an arbitrary number of images into the matching process and utilizes image matching by using non-rectified images. The new method differs from the original SGM method mainly in two aspects: Firstly, the cost calculation is formulated in object space within a dense voxel raster by using the grey (or colour) values of all images instead of pairwise cost calculation in image space. Secondly, the semi-global (path-wise) minimization process is transferred into object space as well, so that the result of semi-global optimization leads to index maps (instead of disparity maps) which directly indicate the 3D positions of the best matches. Altogether, this yields to an essential simplification of the matching process compared to multi-view stereo (MVS) approaches. After a description of the new method, results achieved from two different datasets (close-range and aerial) are presented and discussed.
Controlled Release of Diclofenac from Matrix Polymer of Chitosan and Oxidized Konjac Glucomannan

The controlled release of diclofenac sodium (DFNa) from a chitosan-oxidized konjac glucomannan (CTS-OKG) polymer film was studied. Konjac glucomannan (KGM) was initially oxidized by sodium periodate and then cross-linked to CTS via imine bonds (–C=N–) to form the new CTS-OKG copolymer. The DFNa loaded CTS-OKG polymers were characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Finally, the release profiles of DFNa from the CTS-OKG polymer matrices were evaluated in a simulated gastrointestinal fluid system comprised of two hours in simulated gastric fluid (SGF; pH 1.2) followed by 24 h in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF; pH 7.4). A 1:2:1 (w/w/w) ratio of CTS:OKG:DFNa prepared at room temperature for 3 hours gave the highest % encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 95.6 ± 0.6 and resulted in a minimal release of DFNa (<1% over 2 h) in SGF (pH 1.2) and a significantly improved sustained release in SIF (pH 7.4) with ~6% and 19% release over 8 and 24 h, respectively), some 15- and five-fold lower than that of the two commercial DFNa preparations, Diclosian and Voltaren. This formulation may be used for further study as a long term intestine controlled release drug model (at least 3 days).
Constraints in a Hybrid Knowledge Representation System

In our research group, the hybrid knowledge representation system Babylon has been developed providing formalisms for rules, prolog and frames. Beyond it, we implemented Consat, a system for constraint satisfaction. Since applications of Babylon for process diagnosis, planning etc. required constraints. we integrated Consat into the Babylon environment. The paper describes the integration of Consat into Babylon, regarding two aspects. First, constraints should be available as another Babylon formalism by using the functional interface of Consat. On the other hand, it is important to have constraints implicitly controlling other Babylon formalisms, for instance, in order to keep the system's database consistent. While with respect to the first point, the paper describes work already finished, the second form of integration is work in progress.
Ground-based microwave investigations of forest plots in Italy

In this paper, the result obtained on two forest stands of poplar (Populus alba) and pine (Pinus italica) in Italy, by using multi-frequency microwave radiometers, are described. Measurements were performed at L, C, X, Ku and Ka bands at different incidence angles, both in H and V polarizations, by using microwave radiometers mounted on an hydraulic boom. The sensitivity of L-band emission to woody volume was confirmed, although the effect of soil moisture is significant, especially at low values of forest biomass. Measurements carried out in upward direction gave the possibility of separating the contributions of crowns, trunks and soil and, by using a simplified model based on the radiative transfer theory, measuring consequently the forest transmissivity at different frequencies.
Impact of Medical Mistakes: Navigating Work–Family Boundaries for Physicians and Their Families

In today’s society, medical liability claims have skyrocketed and physicians are often held accountable for the error whether or not they are directly involved (Rosenthal & Sutcliffe, 2002). Although patients clearly suffer from those mistakes, physicians often represent second victims because there are many who struggle with feelings of guilt, a strong sense of responsibility, and embarrassment from defining the mistake as their fault (Wears & Wu, 2002). In a study examining impacts of mistakes, one physician stated, ‘‘I was just appalled and devastated that I had done this to somebody’’ (Christensen, Levinson, & Dunn, 1992, p. 426). The high emotional force of medical mistakes requires a coping mechanism (Penson, Svendsen, Chabner, Lynch, & Levinson, 2001). Disclosure typically is the method people use to make sense of unexpected events like mistakes, and through disclosing, seek support (Petronio, 2002). However, to be effective in their jobs, physicians, clergy, and other professionals have to keep a secure boundary around the information they know about others, ensuring confidentiality. Ironically, when traumatic events occur, like facing medical mistakes, the measure of boundary density and restriction of permeability means that these professionals are limited in whom they can talk to for help (Goldberg, Kuhn, Andrew, & Harold, 2002). The safest and most trustworthy recipients tend to be family members. In many cases, drawing the family into problems born out of institutional predicaments complicates the boundaries between work and family life. Three issues make revelations about mistakes by physicians thorny for the physician, family members, and their relationships. First, physicians have trouble admitting they need help largely because their profession trains them as caregivers, not the ones in need (Gundersen, 2001). When physicians face involvement in a mistake, they are often ill-equipped to handle their emotional upheaval (Wears & Wu, 2002). Not until the need to seek help
Executive Dysfunction

Purpose of Review: Executive functions represent a constellation of cognitive abilities that drive goal-oriented behavior and are critical to the ability to adapt to an ever-changing world. This article provides a clinically oriented approach to classifying, localizing, diagnosing, and treating disorders of executive function, which are pervasive in clinical practice. Recent Findings: Executive functions can be split into four distinct components: working memory, inhibition, set shifting, and fluency. These components may be differentially affected in individual patients and act together to guide higher-order cognitive constructs such as planning and organization. Specific bedside and neuropsychological tests can be applied to evaluate components of executive function. While dysexecutive syndromes were first described in patients with frontal lesions, intact executive functioning relies on distributed neural networks that include not only the prefrontal cortex, but also the parietal cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellum. Executive dysfunction arises from injury to any of these regions, their white matter connections, or neurotransmitter systems. Dysexecutive symptoms therefore occur in most neurodegenerative diseases and in many other neurologic, psychiatric, and systemic illnesses. Management approaches are patient specific and should focus on treatment of the underlying cause in parallel with maximizing patient function and safety via occupational therapy and rehabilitation. Summary: Executive dysfunction is extremely common in patients with neurologic disorders. Diagnosis and treatment hinge on familiarity with the clinical components and neuroanatomic correlates of these complex, high-order cognitive processes.
Slicing aspect-oriented software

Program slicing has many applications in software engineering activities including program comprehension, debugging, testing, maintenance, and model checking. In this paper, we propose an approach to slicing aspect-oriented software. To solve this problem, we present a dependence-based representation called aspect-oriented system dependence graph (ASDG), which extends previous dependence graphs, to represent aspect-oriented software. The ASDG of an aspect-oriented program consists of three parts: a system dependence graph for non-aspect code, a group of dependence graphs for aspect code, and some additional dependence arcs used to connect the system dependence graph to the dependence graphs for aspect code. After that, we show how to compute a static slice of an aspect-oriented program based on the ASDG.
Classroom interaction studies as a source for teacher competencies: the use of case studies with multiple instruments for studying teacher competencies in multicultural classes

Dealing with ethnic and linguistic diversity is one of the major challenges in today’s education. Therefore, the formulation of competencies for teachers and teacher training should take into account the specific requirements of teaching in multicultural schools. In 2002, a series of small‐scale studies were conducted to identify and formulate teachers’ communicative competencies in multicultural classes through a mixture of instruments and data sources. The studies aimed at providing recommendations for improving these competencies through teacher education and professional development. This study reports on the multiple instruments used to study the practical knowledge and behaviour of experienced teachers in multicultural schools by discussing research evidence from a series of case studies from primary and secondary education. These case studies explored teachers’ knowledge, beliefs and behaviours in creating healthy teacher–student relationships as well as making lesson content accessible for all students, including students with limited language skills. The findings show how small‐scale studies with multiple data collection techniques can help in providing an empirical foundation for the formulation and specification of teacher competencies in multicultural settings. Based on our findings, we argue that by conducting multiple investigations in different settings, using a variety of instruments and by interpreting this data from different communicative domains, a valid, reliable and complete picture of teachers’ scientific competencies can be obtained.
Genome Sequence of Prosthecochloris sp. Strain CIB 2401 of the Phylum Chlorobi

ABSTRACT To date, only 13 genomes of green sulfur bacteria (family Chlorobiaceae) have been sequenced. The sequenced strains do not cover the full phylogenetic diversity of the family. We determined the complete genome sequence of Prosthecochloris sp. strain CIB 2401, thereby increasing the genome information for the poorly represented marine Chlorobiaceae.
The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory: Differentiating hostile and benevolent sexism.

The authors present a theory of sexism formulated as ambivalence toward women and validate a corresponding measure, the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI). The ASI taps 2 positively correlated components of sexism that nevertheless represent opposite evaluative orientations toward women: sexist antipathy or Hostile Sexism (HS) and a subjectively positive ( for sexist men ) orientation toward women, Benevolent Sexism (BS). HS and BS are hypothesized to encompass 3 sources of male ambivalence: Paternalism, Gender Differentiation, and Heterosexuality. Six ASI studies on 2,250 respondents established convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity. Overall ASI scores predict ambivalent attitudes toward women, the HS scale correlates with negative attitudes toward and stereotypes about women, and the BS scale (for nonstudent men only) correlates with positive attitudes toward and stereotypes about women. A copy of the ASI is provided, with scoring instructions, as a tool for further explorations of sexist ambivalence.