Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuronal nitric oxide synthase modulates basal catecholamine secretion in bovine chromaffin cells

The role of endogenously produced nitric oxide (NO) in the regulation of basal catecholamine (CA) secretion was studied in chromaffin cells. Treatment of chromaffin cells with nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors produced a dose‐dependent increase in basal catecholamine secretion, which paralleled their ability to inhibit NOS activity. This inhibitory profile was similar to that found in neurons, suggesting the constitutive expression of neuronal NOS (nNOS) in these cells, which was confirmed by Western blot analysis. A study of the kinetics and pharmacology of nNOS activity expressed in chromaffin cells in culture indicated that NOS activity is calcium‐dependent, increases with time, and is highly dependent on both intracellular concentrations of L‐arginine (Km ∼ 4 μM, Vmax = 908 ± 60 pmol/hr × 106 cells) and transport of L‐arginine into the cells (exhibiting two affinity constants of k1 = 3.2 ± 0.3 μM and k2 = 126 ± 5.5 μM). The effects of NOS inhibitors on CA secretion were mediated by the L‐arginine‐NO‐cGMP pathway, insofar as exogenous L‐arginine was able to partially block the increase in CA secretion evoked by them, and 1H‐[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3‐a]quinoxaline‐1‐one (ODQ), a specific inhibitor of guanylate cyclase, and zaprinast, an inhibitor of the cGMP phosphodiesterase, were able to increase and inhibit, respectively, basal CA secretion in a dose‐dependent manner. These results suggest that chromaffin cells exhibit a tonic production of NO by nNOS that keeps the basal CA secretion at low levels, and this could be necessary for maintaining a normotensive state. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Haematological parameters do senesce in the wild: evidence from different populations of a long‐lived mammal

Increasing evidence of senescence has been reported from long‐term studies of wild populations. However, most studies have focused on life‐history traits like survival, reproduction or body mass, generally from a single intensively monitored population. However, variation in the intensity of senescence across populations, and to a lesser extent between sexes, is still poorly understood. In addition, the pattern of age‐specific changes in haematological parameters remains virtually unknown to date for any population of vertebrate living in the wild. Using repeated blood samples collected from known‐aged (2–15 years of age) roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from two populations facing highly different environmental conditions, we filled the gap. In particular, we investigated age‐specific changes in haematocrit, albumin and creatinine. We reported clear evidence of senescence in all haematological parameters. Moreover, senescence patterns differed between sexes and populations. The rate of senescence was higher in males than in females for haematocrit with no site difference. On the other hand, the rate of senescence in creatinine was higher at Trois Fontaines than at Chizé with no sex difference. Our findings provide a first demonstration of age‐specific declines in haematological parameters in wild populations of large herbivores and show that the process of senescence in vertebrates is not restricted to body mass or fitness components. We also demonstrate that the senescence pattern of haematological parameters is context dependent and varies both between sexes and according to environmental conditions.
A high-accuracy ASR technique based on correlational weight analysis for elderly users

This paper proposes a robust template based on the previously proposed ECWRT (enhanced cross word reference template) for template-based ASR, by using correlational weight adjusting method to improve robustness against elderly speech variation named CWCWRT. This work addresses two vital issues: such as outlier rejection in training set and elimination of unwanted utterances which usually happen by the elderly people. Consequently, two main steps are investigated in this paper, firstly, correlational analyzing, and secondly, weight adjusting. For experiments, the corpus is built by 30 commands in Mandarin and English collected from three elderly (age 62±3 years) and three adults (age 22±2 years) having total 30 utterances for each of them. Two types of platforms including PC and GPCE063A embedded platform are conducted, both inside test and outside test are also applied. The results show that the average recognition rate for inside testis 97% in PC simulation and 90% in the embedded platform. The outside test results are 93% and 87% in two platforms respectively. The related and previous works including cross word reference template (CWRT) and ECWRT are also compared the comparison exhibit that the proposed CWCWRT gives higher robustness and accuracy than two baselines.
Real-time BAPES implementation for fast spectral Doppler estimation

The echoes backscattered from blood red cells moving in a vessel are typically elaborated though a spectral analysis and then displayed in the sonogram. The preferred frequency estimator is the Welch method, which is robust and fast, but requires at least 64-128 samples, gathered one per pulse repetition interval (PRIs), to guarantee adequate spectral resolution. The Blood Amplitude and Phase EStimator (BAPES) is an alternative technique that was recently proven suitable for producing good spectrograms using down to 16 PRIs per frame. This achievement allows a better time resolution and/or higher B-mode frame rates when working in Duplex mode, but unfortunately BAPES requires much more calculations than Welch, making its real-time employment quite challenging. In this work we present a BAPES implementation on a state-of-the-art fixed point DSP. This implementation, exploiting the Newton method for inverse matrix approximation, produces a 128 frequency-point frame in less than 5 ms. The error measured in a test on the common carotid artery of a volunteer was lower than 0.2% with respect to a floating-point reference implementation.
Ameliorating effects of two extracts of Nigella sativa in middle cerebral artery occluded rat

Purpose: Aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of Nigella sativa (400 mg/kg, orally) for 7 days were administered and evaluated for their neuroprotective effects on middle cerebral artery occluded (MCAO) rats. Materials and Methods: Cerebral ischemia was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion for 2 h followed by reperfusion for 22 h. After 24 h of ischemia, grip strength, locomotor activity tests were performed in the surgically operated animals. After behavioral tests, animals were immediately sacrificed. Infarct volumes followed by the estimation of markers of oxidative stress in the brains were measured. Results: Locomotor activity and grip strength of animals were improved in both aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts pretreated rats. Infarct volume was also reduced in both extracts pretreated rats as compared with MCAO rats. An elevation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and a reduction in glutathione and antioxidant enzymes, viz., superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase levels were observed following MCAO. Pretreatment of Nigella sativa extracts showed the reduction in TBARS, elevation in glutathione, SOD and catalase levels as compared with MCAO rats. Conclusion: The present study observed the neuroprotective effects of both the extracts of Nigella sativa in cerebral ischemia. The neuroprotective effects could be due to its antioxidant, free radical scavenging, and anti-inflammatory properties.
5th Workshop on Enhanced Web Service Technologies (WEWST 2010)

The 5th Workshop on Enhanced Web Service Technologies (WEWST 2010), collocated with the 8th IEEE European Conference on Web Services (ECOWS 2010), addresses innovative aspects of Web services. It features 5 regular papers, selected from 13 submission. Each submission has been reviewed by 4 members of the international program committee.
Cognitive functioning in adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder

objectives: Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) appear to be deficient in executive control. The purpose of this study was to determine if adults with ADHD are also deficient in executive control. Method: The performance of 18 adults with ADHD and 18 control subjects was compared on two tests of executive control, and two control tasks. The executive control tasks used in the study were the Trail Making Test (B), and the Tower of Hanoi. The control tasks used were the Trail Making Test (A), and the Benton Facial Recognition Test. Results: The subjects with ADHD performed more poorly than did the normal controls on the executive control tasks. The subjects with ADHD, however, also performed more poorly on the Trail Making Test (A). Conclusions: The ADHD subjects showed a deficit in executive control, but this deficit was not confined to the executive control domain.
Major bleeding events in Jordanian patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI): Incidence, associated factors, impact on prognosis, and predictability of the CRUSADE bleeding risk score. Results from the First Jordanian PCR (PCR1)

Objective: Determine the incidence of major bleeding events, their risk factors, and their impact on prognosis in Jordanian patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Evaluate the ability of the CRUSADE bleeding risk score (BRS) to predict major bleeding. Methods: Major bleeding events were defined according to the CRUSADE classification and their incidence was evaluated from hospital admission to one year of follow up. The CRUSADE bleeding risk score was calculated for each patient during the index admission. Incidence of major bleeding events was evaluated in each of the bleeding score quintiles. JoPCR1 is a prospective, observational, multicenter registry of consecutive patients who underwent PCI at 12 tertiary care centers in Jordan. A case report form was used to record data prospectively at hospital admission, at discharge, and at 1 and 12 months of follow-up. Results: The study included 2426 consecutive patients who underwent PCI. During the index hospitalization, major and minor bleeding events occurred in 0.95% and 2.6% of patients, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that only two variables were significantly associated with major bleeding: female gender (OR=3.7; 95% CI 1.6, 8.5; p=0.002) and past history of cardiovascular disease (OR=2.6; 95% CI 1.1, 5.9; p=0.026). Patients who had in-hospital major bleeding events had higher cardiac mortality during index hospitalization (13.0% vs. 0.7%, p<0.005) and at one year of follow up (13.0% vs. 1.8%, p<0.005) compared to those who had no such events. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the CRUSADE BRS has a high ability to predict major bleeding. Conclusion: Major bleeding events were uncommon in this ME registry of a contemporary cohort of patients undergoing PCI but were associated with a higher mortality rate compared with those who did not have major bleeding events. CRUSADE BRS was highly predictive of the incidence of major bleeding events.
The Visual Analogue Mood Scale: Can a Single-Item Scale Accurately Classify Depressive Mood State?

Visual analogue mood scales provide extremely rapid, single-item assessment of affective states. This study examined discrimination on a single-item visual analogue depression scale between dysphoric or mildly depressed and nondepressed individuals in a sample of 284 college students. The visual analogue mood scale significantly discriminated subjects by mood category and achieved comparable hit rate, sensitivity, and specificity relative to other well validated mood scales.
The Gene Expression of Antioxidant Enzymes in Streptozotocin-Induced Experimental Diabetes in Rat Liver Tissue

In this study, Wistar rats were experimentally induced diabetes and the gene expression profile of CuZn-SOD and CAT enzymes were investigated in the liver tissue of these rats. The rats were divided into two groups as control and the experimental diabetes group (DM). In group DM, as a single dose of 50 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) dissolved in 0.01 M citrate buffer (pH: 4.5) was given intraperitoneally to the rats. 0.01 M citrate buffer which is the vehicle for STZ was applied to the rats in control group. 72 hours after STZ treatment, blood samples were collected from the tail vein, and the blood sugar levels were measured. Rats with fasting blood sugar levels above 350 mg/dl were considered to be diabetic. The rats were decapitated 21 days after STZ treatment. The liver tissues were collected, and the gene expression profile of CuZn-SOD and CAT in the liver was measured using real-time PCR technique. In conclusion, it was found that a significant decrease was observed in the expression of CuZn-SOD and CAT genes in DM group when they were compared to that of control group.
Incorporation of complex doctrinal theories in a model of statutory interpretation: an example of adequate causal link

This paper shows how a complex legal doctrinal theory (the doctrine of causation in law) may be represented in a semi-formal, two-layered model of statutory interpretation. The content of the theory is clarified by the proposed knowledge representation. It is argued that doctrinal theories in the reading proposed here are a source of intermediate legal concepts and, in consequence, of rules that enable the judge to argue efficiently in complex cases without entering into wider considerations involving case-based reasoning structures.
Identification, characterization, and spatial localization of two flagellin species in Helicobacter pylori flagella

Flagellar filaments were isolated from Helicobacter pylori by shearing, and flagellar proteins were further purified by a variety of techniques, including CsCl density gradient ultracentrifugation, pH 2.0 acid disassociation-neutral pH reassociation, and differential ultracentrifugation followed by molecular sieving with a Sephacryl S-500 column or Mono Q anion-exchange column, and purified to homogeneity by preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transfer to an Immobilon membrane. Two flagellin species of pI 5.2 and with apparent subunit molecular weights (Mrs) of 57,000 and 56,000 were obtained. N-terminal amino acid analysis showed that the two H. pylori flagellin species were related to each other and shared sequence similarity with the N-terminal amino acid sequence of Campylobacter coli, Bacillus, Salmonella, and Caulobacter flagellins. Analysis of the amino acid composition of the predominant 56,000-Mr flagellin species isolated from two strains showed that it was comparable to the flagellins of other species. The minor 57,000-Mr flagellin species contained a higher content of proline. Immunoelectron microscopic studies with polyclonal monospecific H. pylori antiflagellin antiserum and monoclonal antibody (MAb) 72c showed that the two different-Mr flagellin species were located in different regions of the assembled flagellar filament. The minor 57,000-Mr species was located proximal to the hook, and the major 56,000-Mr flagellin composed the remainder of the filament. Western immunoblot analysis with polyclonal rabbit antisera raised against H. pylori or Campylobacter jejuni flagellins and MAb 72c showed that the 56,000-Mr flagellin carried sequences antigenetically cross-reactive with the 57,000-Mr H. pylori flagellin and the flagellins of Campylobacter species. This antigenic cross-reactivity did not extend to the flagellins of other gram-negative bacteria. The 56,000-Mr flagellin also carried H. pylori-specific sequences recognized by two additional MAbs. The epitopes for these MAbs were not surface exposed on the assembled inner flagellar filament of H. pylori but were readily detected by immunodot blot assay of sodium dodecyl sulfate-lysed cells of H. pylori, suggesting that this serological test could be a useful addition to those currently employed in the rapid identification of this important pathogen.
FAST: Feasibility Analysis for a Completely Superconducting Magnet System

FAST (Fusion Advanced Studies Torus), the Italian proposal for a European satellite facility to ITER, is a compact tokamak ( R0= 1.82 m, a= 0.64 m, triangularity δ = 0.4) able to investigate non linear dynamics effects of alpha-particle behavior in burning plasmas and to test technical solutions for the first wall/divertor directly relevant for ITER and DEMO (e.g.: full-tungsten wall and divertor and advanced liquid metal divertor). The machine is designed to operate with Deuterium plasmas in a dimensionless parameter range close to that of ITER and to access advanced tokamak regimes with long pulse duration with respect to the current diffusion time. It foresees a maximum magnetic field on plasma axis of 8.5 T and a maximum plasma current of 8 MA. In the present design phase, the feasibility of a superconducting solution for the magnet system is being investigated by ENEA. It consists of 18 Toroidal Field, 6 Poloidal Field and 6 Central Solenoid module coils, all of which wound by Nb3Sn and NbTi Cable-In-Conduit Conductors. All the main aspects driving the magnets' design, from mechanical to neutronic and thermal analyses, are here presented and discussed.
On the Folly of Rewarding Domestic Stability while Hoping for International Expansion

Generally, strategic changes are made to improve organizational performance. Such improvements should benefit most of the organizational members, yet, one of the consistent findings in management research is that most strategic changes face substantial employee resistance (e.g., Lawrence, 1969; March, 1981; Argyris, 1985; Hirsch, 1987). Why should employees resist intended improvements of the organizational performance that is the basis of their livelihood? Are there a few sore losers that through political ingenuity rouse the resistance of the majority of would-be winners against their own best interests? Have researchers been fooled by a resisting minority that "steals the show" of the silent majority of employees that accomplish the change? Or does the resistance stem from the irrational stability-proneness of the employees? One common explanation is that strategic changes tend to violate the organizational cultures. For instance, Schein (1987, p. 5) states that "it is the discovery of how strong cultures can be a real constraint on
Induction of tumour‐suppressor phosphoprotein p53 in the apoptosis of cultured rat cerebellar neurones triggered by excitatory amino acids

We found that primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule cells, although definitely postmitotic and terminally differentiated, express the tumour‐suppressor phosphoprotein p53. In particular, granule cells both expressed significant levels of p53 mRNA and positively reacted to an anti‐p53 antibody, from the first day of culturing. During neurone differentiation, p53 mRNA content did not significantly change, at least up to 12 days in vitro, while p53 immunoreactivity increased gradually. p53 expression appeared to be further modulable being upregulated after stimulation of glutamate ionotropic receptors by glutamate or kainate. Although qualitatively similar, p53 induction by glutamate and kainate differed in terms of intensity and time‐course. The glutamate increase of p53 immunoreactivity appeared within 30 min after the treatment and lasted for at least 2 h. Kainate‐induced increase of p53 immunoreactivity was delayed, becoming apparent within 2 h and lasting for at least 8 h. Both kainate‐ and glutamate‐induced increases of p53 immunoreactivity were prevented by the non‐competitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK 801. As shown by the electrophoretic mobility shift analysis, both glutamate and kainate induced increases of p53 DNA binding activity. Blockade of p53 induction by a specific p53 antisense oligonucleotide resulted in a partial reduction of excitotoxicity with a complete inhibition of the excitatory amino acids induced apoptosis.
Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference System on Downstream Water Level Forecasting

To optimize water resource management, a better reservoir operation system is required. However, all flood control decisions depend on many variables; it is never an easy task. For example, water level prediction under tidal effects is one of the essential judgments in flood control problems, and it determines that reservoir release water or not. Therefore, in order to predict the optimal reservoir drainage, avoidable of inundating downstream area, reliable water level prediction system is necessary. A five-layer ANFIS model with three input and one output variables is built in this paper. Differ from other researches in the past, the estuary tide is considered as an input variable in this ANFIS model. Since the downstream area is located in tideland, the tide impacts water level as well as the other two inputs, rainfall and drainage of reservoir. Predicting downstream water level accurately is very valuable for reservoir to manipulate drainage in flood season, and reservoir could control flood efficiently thus. The ten past years of 16 typhoon events with over four thousand hourly data are collected and used to train ANFIS model. Some successful results are displayed in this paper, and it demonstrates that ANFIS is appropriate for forecasting water level.
The Horizontal Electric Field Induced by a Lightning Return Stroke

Problem statement: Develop a new formula which describes the horizontal electric field induced by a lightning return stroke in contact wit h an imperfect conductive surface. Approach: A new method for describing the horizontal electric f ield induced by a lightning return stroke will be presented. The method presented here had utilized a n approach which purposely downplayed the physics of how image theory was employed in the presence of an imperfect conductive surface. It did so by adopting a technique which had focused on the geometry that existed between the lightning channel and surface ground. In doing so, new expre ssions for surface currents had been derived. This study presented the derivation of these currents al ong with the horizontal electric field which transp ired as a result of their usage. Results: The equation derived had elicited the concept that the channel's image varies with surface conductivity. Conclusion: A method for deriving the horizontal electric field induced by a lightning return stroke had been presented. As the results had shown, once the surface conductivity began to decrease, the horizon tal electric field played an increasingly more significant role.