Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of hypocapnia and cerebral perfusion on orthostatic tolerance

Vasovagal syncope (a common form of fainting) is frequently associated with excessive breathing and leads to reductions in carbon dioxide (hypocapnia) and cerebral hypoperfusion. The prevention of hypocapnia during orthostatic stress has been shown to improve orthostatic tolerance, but it still remains to be quantified in a larger population, with a more sustained orthostatic stress. Resting brain blood flow has been shown to impact orthostatic tolerance; however, the importance of resting brain blood flow per se in the pathophysiology of vasovagal syncope has not been clearly explicated. Our findings show that cerebral hypoperfusion either at rest or induced by hypocapnia at pre‐syncope do not impact on orthostatic tolerance, probably due to a compensatory increase in oxygen extraction of the brain.
The tailored activity program (TAP) to address behavioral disturbances in frontotemporal dementia: a feasibility and pilot study

Abstract Purpose: To explore the feasibility of implementing the Tailored Activity Program with a cohort of people with frontotemporal dementia and their carers (dyads). Methods: The Tailored Activity Program is an occupational therapy based intervention that involves working collaboratively with family carers and prescribes personalized activities for behavioral management in people with dementia. Twenty dyads randomized into the study (Tailored Activity Program: n = 9; Control: n = 11) were assessed at baseline and 4-months. Qualitative analyzes evaluated feasibility and acceptability of the program for the frontotemporal dementia cohort, and quantitative analyzes (linear mixed model analyzes, Spearman’s rho correlations) measured the impact of the program on the dyads. Results: The Tailored Activity Program was an acceptable intervention for the frontotemporal dementia dyads. Qualitative analyses identified five themes: “carer perceived benefits”, “carer readiness to change”, “strategies used by carer to engage person with dementia”, “barriers to the Tailored Activity Program uptake/implementation”, and “person with dementia engagement”. Quantitative outcomes showed an overall reduction of behavioral symptoms (F18.34 = 8.073, p = 0.011) and maintenance of functional performance in the person with dementia (F18.03 = 0.375, p = 0.548). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the potential for using an activity-based intervention such as the Tailored Activity Program in frontotemporal dementia. Service providers should recognize that while people with frontotemporal dementia present with challenging issues, tailored therapies may support their function and reduce their behavioral symptoms. Implications for rehabilitation The Tailored Activity Program is an occupational therapy based intervention that involves prescribing personalized activities for behavioral management in dementia. The Tailored Activity Program is an acceptable and feasible intervention approach to address some of the unique behavioral and functional impairments inherent in frontotemporal dementia.
The Push—Pull Tactic for Mitigation of Mountain Pine Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Damage in Lodgepole and Whitebark Pines

ABSTRACT In an attempt to improve semiochemical-based treatments for protecting forest stands from bark beetle attack, we compared push—pull versus push-only tactics for protecting lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon) and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) stands from attack by mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) in two studies. The first was conducted on replicated 4.04-ha plots in lodgepole pine stands (California, 2008) and the second on 0.81-ha plots in whitebark pine stands (Washington, 2010). In both studies, D. ponderosae population levels were moderate to severe. The treatments were 1) push-only (D. ponderosae antiaggregant semiochemicals alone); 2) push—pull (D. ponderosae antiaggregants plus perimeter traps placed at regular intervals, baited with four-component D. ponderosae aggregation pheromone); and 3) untreated controls. We installed monitoring traps baited with two-component D. ponderosae lures inside each plot to assess effect of treatments on beetle flight. In California, fewer beetles were collected in push—pull treated plots than in control plots, but push-only did not have a significant effect on trap catch. Both treatments significantly reduced the rate of mass and strip attacks by D. ponderosae, but the difference in attack rates between push—pull and push-only was not significant. In Washington, both push—pull and push-only treatments significantly reduced numbers of beetles caught in traps. Differences between attack rates in treated and control plots in Washington were not significant, but the push-only treatment reduced attack rates by 30% compared with both the control and push—pull treatment. We conclude that, at these spatial scales and beetle densities, push-only may be preferable for mitigating D. ponderosae attack because it is much less expensive, simpler, and adding trap-out does not appear to improve efficacy.
An approach for mobile robot navigation under randomly distributed passive RFID environment

In this paper, we describe an autonomous navigation system for a mobile robot using randomly distributed passive RFID tags. Furthermore, in order to acquire the robot's location and orientation precisely, we developed the Read-time model. According to the conventional approaches, more than two readers are required to estimate the orientation of the robot when using a passive RFID system. With our proposed method, a mobile robot is able to estimate its location and orientation accurately with a randomly distributed arrangement of RFID tags. The experimental results illustrate that the proposed method can successfully do both.
Impact of Lisinopril and Atenolol on Kidney Function in Hypertensive NIDDM Subjects With Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy is characterized by hypertension and a relentless decline in kidney function. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have been claimed to preserve kidney function better than an equal blood pressure (BP) reduction with conventional antihypertensive treatment (renoprotection). We compared the effect on kidney function of lisinopril (10–20 mg/day) and atenolol (50–100 mg/day) in hypertensive NIDDM patients (mean age 60 ± 8 years) with diabetic nephropathy. Forty-three (21 lisinopril and 22 atenolol) patients were enrolled in a 1-year randomized double-blind parallel study. Eight patients dropped out, and the results for the remaining 35 patients (16 lisinopril and 19 atenolol) are presented. Diuretics were required in 10 of 16 lisinopril patients and 12 of 19 atenolol patients. The following variables were measured: 24-hour ambulatory BP (Takeda TM2420), albuminuria (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), fractional albumin clearance, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ([51Cr]EDTA technique). The average reduction in mean arterial BP during the 12 months was identical in the two groups 12 ± 2 vs. 11 ± 1 mmHg in the lisinopril and atenolol group, respectively. Albuminuria was on average reduced 45% in the lisinopril group vs. 12% in the atenolol group (P < 0.01), and fractional albumin clearance was on average reduced 49% in the lisinopril group vs. 1% in the atenolol group (P < 0.05). GFR declined identically in the two groups 11.7 ± 2.3 vs. 11.6 ± 2.3 ml.min−1.year−1 in the lisinopril and atenolol groups, respectively. In conclusion, both drugs arrested the progressive rise in albuminuria characteristically found in diabetic nephropathy, but lisinopril reduced albuminuria more than an equally effective antihypertensive treatment with atenolol. Longer follow-up is required to clarify if this difference is of importance for the progression in kidney function.
Nuclear expression of renin-angiotensin system components in NRK-52E renal epithelial cells

Introduction: Isolated nuclei of sheep proximal tubules express angiotensin (Ang) receptors as well as angiotensinogen (AGT) and renin. The present study characterized the NRK-52E tubular epithelial cell line for the intracellular expression of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) components. Methods: RAS components were visualized by immunofluorescent staining in intact cells and protein expression in isolated nuclei. Results: An antibody to the angiotensin I (Ang I) sequence of AGT (AI-AGT) revealed only cytosolic staining, while an antibody to an internal sequence of AGT (Int-AGT) revealed primarily nuclear staining. Immunoblots of nuclear and cytosolic fractions confirmed the differential cell staining of AGT. Immunostaining for renin was present on nuclei of intact cells. Nuclear renin activity averaged 0.77±0.05 nmol/mg protein/h that was reduced by aliskiren (0.13±0.01 nmol/mg/h, n=3, p<0.01); trypsin activation increased activity three-fold. Peptide staining localized angiotensin II (Ang II) and Ang-(1-7) to the nucleus and peptide content averaged 59±2 and 57±22 fmol/mg (n=4), respectively. Peptide metabolism in isolated nuclei revealed the processing of Ang I to Ang-(1-7) by thimet oligopeptidase. Conclusion: We conclude that the NRK-52E cells express an intracellular RAS localized to the nucleus and may be an appropriate cell model to elucidate the functional relevance of this system.
Letter to the editor: Escherichia coli harbouring mcr-1 gene isolated from poultry not exposed to polymyxins in Brazil.

SA Lentz 1 2 , D de Lima-Morales 2 3 , VM Cuppertino 1 , LdS Nunes 3 , AS da Motta 1 , AP Zavascki 4 , AL Barth 3 , AF Martins 1 3 1. 1. ICBS – Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, UFRGS Univ. Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil 2. These authors contributed equally to this work. 3. LABRESIS – Lab. de Pesquisa em Resistência Bacteriana, HCPA Hosp. de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil 4. Infectious Diseases Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
Production of aroma compounds by cryotolerant Saccharomyces species and hybrids at low and moderate fermentation temperatures

Among the most important factors influencing wine quality are yeast strains and fermentation temperature. Fermentation at low temperature is presently used in winemaking to improve both aroma formation and retention. In this study, we have analysed the oenological characteristics of Tempranillo wines produced at 12 and 28°C by different Saccharomyces species and hybrids.
Militarism in the everyday : responses to domestic abuse in the British Armed Forces

This thesis is an empirical study of responses to domestic abuse in marriages between civilian women, and men serving in the British Armed Forces. It draws on 45 in-depth interviews with victim-survivors and perpetrators of abuse and with support workers in both military and civilian roles. The thesis is informed by feminist theorisations of domestic abuse which identify the gender inequalities at its roots. I explore the ways in which aspects of everyday militarism shape responses to domestic abuse in this context, including the impact both of hegemonic forms of military gendered identity, and of the structural violences which shape the lives of civilian women married to servicemen in the British military. In addition, I draw attention to some of the depoliticising ways in which the causes of domestic abuse have been understood within the British military community, and point to the impact that these depoliticising notions have on broader attempts to engage politically with domestic abuse and with militarism. The thesis highlights the linkages which exist between multiple forms of gendered violence which occur on different ‘scales’ from the intimate to the global. I draw connections between the gendered project of militarism and the everyday gendered relations of inequality which shape the social contexts in which the individuals who participated in the study responded to abuse. I argue that the common failure to recognise and to respond to domestic abuse as a gendered social and political problem in this context serves to both depoliticise and to reproduce everyday forms of militarism and thus, that it plays a role in the enabling of the use of armed violence on the geopolitical stage.
Changes in the Status of Neurotransmitter Receptors in a Rabbit Model of Hepatic Encephalopathy

It has previously been shown in an animal model of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) that the number of receptors for the inhibitory neurotransmitter, γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), increases and that the number of receptors for the excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamate, decreases. To determine the functional status of other neurotransmitter systems in HE, measurements were made of the specific binding of other neurotransmitters to synaptic membranes prepared from the brains of normal rabbits and rabbits in HE due to galactosamine‐induced acute liver failure. The development of HE was associated with: (i) a decrease in the density (Bmax) of receptors for the two excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters, aspartate and kainic acid; (ii) an increase in the Bmax of both the low and high affinity binding site for strychnine, a marker for the inhibitory neurotransmitter glycine; (iii) a decrease in the affinity (Kd) of receptors for dopamine, and (iv) no appreciable change in either the specific binding of [3H]D‐ala2‐methionine enkephalinamide or [3H]naloxone, markers for opiate receptors, or in the Bmax or the Kd of receptors for acetylcholine. If it is assumed that the sensitivity of the brain to neurotransmitters varies directly with the density of neurotransmitter receptors, HE may be associated with increased sensitivity to inhibitory amino acid neurotransmitters and decreased sensitivity to excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters. Thus, the observed changes in neurotransmitter receptors in HE afford a feasible pathophysiological basis for the mediation of the neural inhibition of HE.
Sustainable Value and Generativity in the Ecological Metadata Language (EML) Platform: Toward New Knowledge and Investigations

This paper examines Ecological Metadata Language (EML) as a generative platform facilitating new ecological research. It reflects on literature about the EML platform, and on the EML platform itself. First, it identifies a substantial gap in literature about use of the EML platform for intended research. Second, it identifies some strengths and weaknesses of the EML platform to support research about variance, process, and configurational theories. Third, it examines the EML platform's strengths and weaknesses in mediating values, particularly those concerning new kinds of ecological research envisioned in EML literature. Finally, it contributes some brief directions for future research, including: expanding notions of valuable (meta) data, of use and of users; articulating clear value; and exploring the morphology of (meta) data.
Performance Analysis of Network Coding With Virtual Overhearing in Wireless Networks

Due to the broadcast nature of wireless channels, overhearing plays an important role in interflow network coding in that it serves as a way to acquire the side information for the decoding of network-coded packets. Since overhearing only takes effect in the one-hop neighborhood of nodes, it, in turn, restricts the identification of network coding opportunities. That is, if the side information for packet decoding cannot be overheard, no coding opportunity can be identified. Hence, in this paper, we aim to relax such a restriction to further explore network coding opportunities. Specifically, we propose a virtual overhearing (VOH) technique to enable network coding when the side information cannot be obtained from traditional overhearing previously mentioned. VOH allows a node to obtain a packet sent by another node that can be two or more hops away. As a result, VOH can serve as a supplementary way for side information acquirement, thus still enabling network coding between network flows when traditional overhearing is not possible to obtain the needed side information. The additional coding opportunities brought by VOH can be translated into additional performance gains. We first analyze network coding with VOH in a simple topology and show that with VOH, network capacity could be improved by over 12% (in some situations, network throughput could be improved by 50%). Then, we conduct simulations in NS-2 to show the advantage of VOH.
Lipopolysaccharide‐induced expression of FAS ligand in cultured immature boar sertoli cells through the regulation of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and miR‐187

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces germ cell apoptosis, but its mechanism of action is not clear. One possibility is that LPS regulates the expression of FAS ligand (FASLG) in Sertoli cells, which will then influence germ cell apoptosis. In this study, LPS reduced the viability of cultured, immature boar Sertoli cells in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner; enhanced the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor α (TNFA), interleukin‐1β (IL1B), nitric oxide (NO), and transforming growth factor‐β (TGFB); and increased the expression of FASLG in a dose‐dependent manner. While 10 μg/ml LPS enhanced the expression of FASLG, reduced cell cycle progression, and impaired the ultrastructure of Sertoli cells, this dose did not induce apoptosis. LPS also had no effect on the activity or expression of matrix metalloproteinases 2 or 9 (MMP2 or MMP9). In contrast, the expression of ssc‐miR‐187 increased following LPS challenge, and inhibition of ssc‐miR‐187 blocked LPS‐induced expression of FASLG. Our results therefore suggest that LPS reduces the viability of and enhances FASLG expression in cultured, immature boar Sertoli cells through elevated secretion of TNFA, IL1B, NO, and TGFB as well as through the regulation of ssc‐miR‐187 potency. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 82: 880–891, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Structural Properties of Major White Matter Tracts in Strabismic Amblyopia.

PURPOSE In order to better understand whether white matter structural deficits are present in strabismic amblyopia, we performed a survey of the tissue properties of 28 major white matter tracts using diffusion and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging approaches. METHODS We used diffusion-based tensor modeling and a new quantitative T1 protocol to measure fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and myelin-sensitive T1 values. We surveyed tracts in the occipital lobe, including the vertical occipital fasciculus (VOF)-a newly rediscovered tract that bridges dorsal and ventral areas of the occipital lobe, as well as tracts across the rest of the brain. RESULTS Adults with long-standing strabismic amblyopia show tract-specific elevations in MD. We rank-ordered the tracts on the basis of their MD effect-size. The four most affected tracts were the anterior frontal corpus callosum (ACC), the right VOF, the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) and the left optic radiation. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that most white matter tissue properties are relatively robust to the early visual insult caused by strabismus. However, strabismic amblyopia does affect MD, not only in occipital tracts, such as the VOF and optic radiation, but also in long range association tracts connecting visual cortex to the frontal and temporal lobes (ILF) and connecting the two hemispheres (ACC).
Relationship between coal consumption and economic growth for OECD and non-OECD countries

Abstract This study uses panel cointegration tests to examine the relationship between coal consumption and economic growth for OECD and non-OECD countries. We formulate a hypothesis that developing countries have a more powerful relationship since coal is generally used in the early stage of economic development. To prove this hypothesis, we analyse 58 countries for the period 1971–2010 and those 58 countries into two groups: OECD and non-OECD. We use three-panel unit root tests for robustness of the test results. The results indicate that all panel data are non-stationary. Then, we apply two cointegration tests to confirm the long-run equilibrium between coal consumption and economic growth. One is based on an error correction model and the other on residuals. The cointegration test results indicate that coal consumption and economic growth have long-run equilibrium in OECD countries. In contrast, coal consumption and economic growth have no long-run relationship in non-OECD countries. In addition, we investigate the coal consumption of the iron and electricity generation sectors. The results are same as with the total coal consumption case. Consequently, only OECD countries have a long-run equilibrium relationship in coal consumption of the iron and electricity generation sectors.
Pharmacokinetics of three gadolinium chelates with different molecular sizes shortly after intravenous injection in rabbits: relevance to MR angiography.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES To mimic an MR angiographic protocol, an experimental model was developed in rabbits to determine gadolinium concentrations in blood early after injection. Contrast agents with different molecular sizes were compared. METHODS The influence of injection parameters (injection rate, duration of injection, volume of injection, dose) was assessed, and two blood pool agents (P760, P717) were compared with the low-molecular-weight Gd-DOTA under similar conditions. RESULTS Two main phases were identified: bolus and post-bolus. Injection parameters strongly influenced the pattern of the bolus phase, but the postbolus phase was sensitive only to the injected dose. The blood pool agents presented a bolus phase profile similar to that of Gd-DOTA, but 45 seconds after injection, 84% of P717 molecules were still present in the blood compartment, compared with 65% of P760 molecules and only 51% of Gd-DOTA molecules. CONCLUSIONS Blood pool agents are useful for MR angiographic protocols involving the postbolus phase. In protocols in which only the bolus phase is imaged, blood pool agents provide similar data to Gd-DOTA, provided that the injection rate, iso-T1 efficiency dose, and volume are similar.
Independent transversals of longest paths in locally semicomplete and transitive digraphs

We present several results concerning the Laborde-Payan-Xuang conjecture stating that in every digraph there exists an independent set of vertices intersecting every longest path. The digraphs we consider are defined in terms of local semicompleteness and local transitivity. We also look at oriented graphs for which the length of a longest path does not exceed 4.