Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of adrenalectomy on Fos expression in vasopressinergic and oxytocinergic neurons in response to stress in the rat

This study evaluated the responses of vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) neurons to alterations in hypothalamo–pituitary axis activity by adrenalectomy (ADX) or after restraint stress compared with basal conditions. Wistar male rats were perfuse-fixed by cardiac perfusion under anesthesia 3 h, 1, 3 and 14 days after ADX or Sham surgery. Coronal hypothalamic sections were used for evaluation of Fos, AVP and OT expression by immunohistochemistry. Under basal conditions and after stress, Fos-AVP double labeling showed no difference in the magnocellular subdivisions of the paraventricular nuclei (PVN) or in the supraoptic nuclei (SON), suggesting that the magnocellular AVP system is unlikely to contribute to ACTH secretion after restraint in both Sham and ADX rats. Fos–AVP double labeling in the parvocellular medial paraventricular nucleus (PaMP) in ADX groups was increased after 3 h in basal conditions, and in all periods after restraint stress. There were no differences between Sham and ADX groups in Fos–OT double labeling in any subdivision of the PVN; however, in the SON, the number of Fos–OT double labeled cells was increased at all time-points after stress in the ADX group. Fos expression was increased in the PaMP after 3 h and after restraint stress in the Sham and ADX groups, especially in the ADX group. In conclusion, Fos expression in different cell populations of the PVN can be differentially regulated by short- and long-term absence of glucocorticoid negative feedback and also by stress-related excitatory and/or inhibitory neural inputs. The Fos–AVP double labeling findings in the PaMP also indicate a minor participation of these vasopressinergic neurons in the regulation of the HPA axis after ADX.
Fourth-Order Buck Converter for Maximum Power Point Tracking Applications

Photovoltaic arrays (PVAs) need an intermediate maximum power point tracker as their v-i characteristics are nonlinear. Application of switch-mode dc-dc converters are popular in this area and the buck topology is widely used in these power tracking applications. However, the buck converter with an input L-C filter, with insufficient damping, will exhibit unwanted oscillations, or it may operate at suboptimal power points for certain solar insolations. Suitable damping must be designed otherwise the maximum power point (MPP) becomes unstable. Because of the variable impedance characteristic of PVA the design of optimal damping, suitable for all solar insolations, is a complex task. In order to eliminate these problems a fourth-order buck converter, which will track maximum power (MP) at all solar insolations, is proposed for the photovoltaic (PV) power tracking applications. Mathematical models of the proposed converter are formulated and then boundary conditions, under which the converter capable of tracking MP, are obtained. The combined PV power tracking scheme is simulated in PSIM and then power tracking performance characteristics are generated. Performance of the proposed topology is compared with the buck converter with input filter. The proposed converter effectiveness, in power tracking applications, is verified through experimental studies. Micro-controller, dsPIC30F6010, is employed in the real-time implementation of the perturb and observe (P & O) tracking algorithm.
Single Dose Azithromycin Treatment of Gonorrhea and Infections Caused by C. trachomatis and U. urealyticum in Men

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Single dose regimens have advantages in the treatment of STD. Azithromycin has unique pharmacokinetics that may make single dose regimens feasible. Treatment with a single 1 g dose of azithromycin was compared to 100 mg doxycycline twice daily for seven days. STUDY DESIGN This was a randomized third-party blinded study on 183 male patients, 176 of whom could be evaluated for efficacy. RESULTS Chlamydia trachomatis was cultured from 148 patients, 79 receiving azithromycin and 69 receiving doxycycline. Six patients receiving azithromycin had positive cultures on follow-up, four were known to have had sexual intercourse with infected partners. Fifty-one patients had gonorrhea; 28 were treated with azithromycin and 23 with doxycycline. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was eradicated from all patients except one receiving azithromycin. He denied sexual exposure during follow-up. Sixty patients were infected with Ureaplasma urealyticum, 35 were treated with azithromycin and 25 with doxycycline. Five patients in each group had positive cultures on follow up. Three patients receiving azithromycin and two receiving doxycycline were known to have had sexual exposure during follow-up. CONCLUSION A single dose of azithromycin showed similar effectiveness as a 7-day regimen of doxycycline.
Optic disc detection using template matching based on color plane histograms

In this paper, a robust and efficient histogram based template matching method for automatic detection of Optic Disc (OD) in retinal images to help ophthalmologists for diagnosis of retinal diseases is presented. Based on camera field of view (FOV) and image resolution, the OD size estimation algorithm for creation of specific size templates is proposed. Color plane histograms of OD region were used for template creation instead of complete OD image. Mean of color plane histograms of four templates were used for template matching to detect OD in retinal images. The proposed method is evaluated on retinal images of publically available DRIVE and STARE datasets. The success rate of 100% and 97.5% for DRIVE and STARE dataset respectively is achieved with proposed method. The performance comparison of results with previous methods shows that the proposed method is robust and efficient for the localization of OD in the retinal images with and without pathology.
Effect of Triticale Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles on Ruminal Bacterial Populations as Revealed by Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

Real time PCR was used in this study to determine the effect of triticale dried distillers grains with solubles (TDDGS) as a replacement for grain or barley silage in finishing diets on the presence of six classical ruminal bacterial species (Succinivibrio dextrinosolvens, Selenomonas ruminantium, Streptococcus bovis, Megasphaera elsdenii, Prevotella ruminicola and Fibrobacter succinogenes) within the rumen contents of feedlot cattle. This study was divided into a step-wise adaptation experiment (112 days) that examined the effects of adaptation to diets containing increasing levels of TDDGS up to 30% (n = 4), a short-term experiment comparing animals (n = 16) fed control, 20%, 25% or 30% TDDGS diets over 28 days, and a rapid transition experiment (56 days) where animals (n = 4) were rapidly switched from a diet containing 30% TDDGS to a barley-based diet with no TDDGS. It was found that feeding TDDGS as replacement for barley grain (control vs. 20% TDDGS) decreased 16S rRNA copy numbers of starch-fermenting S. ruminantium and S. bovis (p<0.001 and p = 0.04, respectively), but did not alter 16S rRNA copy numbers of the other rumen bacteria. Furthermore, feeding TDDGS as a replacement barley silage (20% vs. 25% and 30% TDDGS) increased 16S rRNA copy numbers of S. ruminantium, M. elsdenii and F. succinogenes (p<0.001; p = 0.03 and p<0.001, respectively), but decreased (p<0.001) the 16S rRNA copy number of P. ruminicola . Upon removal of 30% TDDGS and return to the control diet, 16S rRNA copy numbers of S. ruminantium, M. elsdenii and F. succinogenes decreased (p = 0.01; p = 0.03 and p = 0.01, respectively), but S. dextrinosolvens and S. bovis increased (p = 0.04 and p = 0.009, respectively). The results suggest that replacement of TDDGS for grain reduces 16S rRNA copy numbers of starch-fermenting bacteria, whereas substitution for barley silage increases 16S rRNA copy numbers of bacteria involved in fibre digestion and the metabolism of lactic acid. This outcome supports the contention that the fibre in TDDGS is highly
Adding a scalar value to texture-based vector field representations by local contrast analysis

Several algorithms can effectively represent vector fields by texture-based representations, visualizing at most all information on the field: direction, orientation, and local magnitude. An open problem still remains the mapping on textures of adjunctive information such as temperature, pressure, and so on, without using colors. This article addresses this issue by proposing a technique to add a scalar value denoting streamlines by means of different levels of contrast. Both streamline starting tones and the range of tones depend on the scalar value to be mapped; in this way, areas visualized by different contrast levels are represented. Two examples show the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
Scenario-Based Stress Tests: Are They Painful Enough?

Forecasts, models and stress tests are important tools for policymakers and business planners. Recent developments in these related spheres have seen greater emphasis placed on stress tests from a regulatory perspective, while at the same time forecasting performance has been criticized. Given the inter linkages between the two, similar limitations apply to stress tests as to forecasts, and should be borne in mind by practitioners. In addition, the recent evolution of stress tests, and in particular the increasing popularity of scenario-based approaches, raises concerns about how well shortcomings of the associated models are understood. This includes estimated stress cases relative to base cases – the degree of pain – that simple scenario modelling approaches engender. This paper illustrates this phenomenon using simulation techniques, and demonstrates that more extreme stress scenarios need to be employed in order to match the inference from simple value-at-risk approaches. Alternatively, complex modelling approaches can address this concern, but are not widely used to date. Some policymakers, however, seem to be aware of these issues, judging by the severity of some recent stress scenarios.
A demographic analysis of suicide among U.S. Navy personnel.

Age-, sex-, race-, and employment-adjusted standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for sailors committing suicide between 1990 and 1996 and compared with adjusted SMRs for civilians. Cluster analyses were conducted on annual rates from 1983 through 1995 to examine differences between comparison groups across time and location. Results showed fewer than expected suicides for Caucasian and African American males and a somewhat higher than expected suicide rate among other ethnic group males and among Caucasian women. The suicide rate showed an increase during the study period, with some evidence toward a clustering effect in time and space.
Security improvements of IEEE 802.11i 4-way handshake scheme

One of the key components of IEEE 802.11i authentication protocol to defend against various malicious attacks is its 4-way handshake scheme. However, since Message 1 in the handshake scheme has not been protected by the Message Integrity Code (MIC), the original 4-way handshake scheme specified by the IEEE standard is vulnerable to the Denial of Service (DoS) attacks and DoS flooding attacks. Several countermeasures have been proposed in the literatures to prevent these attacks. However, they have ignored the feasibility of the solutions and the performance of them against the DoS flooding attacks. Motivated by these, in this paper, two security schemes, namely Message 1 Authentication and Supplicant Active Protection are proposed to protect wireless LAN networks free from the DoS attacks. Based on the analysis and formal verification by Colored Petri Nets (CPN), our proposed schemes could provide stronger secure functionality and outperform the existing schemes in the scenario under the Message 1 flooding attacks.
Laplace Variational Approximation for Semiparametric Regression in the Presence of Heteroscedastic Errors

Variational approximations provide fast, deterministic alternatives to Markov chain Monte Carlo for Bayesian inference on the parameters of complex, hierarchical models. Variational approximations are often limited in practicality in the absence of conjugate posterior distributions. Recent work has focused on the application of variational methods to models with only partial conjugacy, such as in semiparametric regression with heteroscedastic errors. Here, both the mean and log variance functions are modeled as smooth functions of covariates. For this problem, we derive a mean field variational approximation with an embedded Laplace approximation to account for the nonconjugate structure. Empirical results with simulated and real data show that our approximate method has significant computational advantages over traditional Markov chain Monte Carlo; in this case, a delayed rejection adaptive Metropolis algorithm. The variational approximation is much faster and eliminates the need for tuning parameter selection, achieves good fits for both the mean and log variance functions, and reasonably reflects the posterior uncertainty. We apply the methods to log-intensity data from a small angle X-ray scattering experiment, in which properly accounting for the smooth heteroscedasticity leads to significant improvements in posterior inference for key physical characteristics of an organic molecule.
GIMS: an integrated data storage and analysis environment for genomic and functional data

Effective analyses in functional genomics require access to many kinds of biological data. For example, the analysis of upregulated genes in a microarray experiment might be aided by information concerning protein interactions or proteins' cellular locations. However, such information is often stored in different formats at different sites, in ways that may not be amenable to integrated analysis. The Genome Information Management System (GIMS) is an object database that integrates genomic data with data on the transcriptome, protein–protein interactions, metabolic pathways and annotations, such as gene ontology terms and identifiers. The resulting system supports the running of analyses over this integrated data resource, and provides comprehensive facilities for handling and interrelating the results of these analyses. GIMS has been used to store Saccharomyces cerevisiae data, and we demonstrate how the integrated storage of diverse types of data can be beneficial for analysis, using combinations of complex queries. As an example, we describe how GIMS has been used to analyse a collection of aryl alcohol dehydrogenase gene deletion mutants. The GIMS database can be accessed remotely using a Java application that can be downloaded from http://img.cs. man.ac. uk/gims. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relativistic-intensity 1.3 optical cycle laser pulses at 1kHz from a stretched hollow-core-fiber compressor

Waveform-controlled few-cycle light pulses have become an important tool in contemporary ultrafast science not only because they provide high temporal resolution but also because they facilitate sub-cycle gating of highly nonlinear process [1]. Sub-cycle gating of relativistic laser-plasma interactions is of particular interest as it could be a potentially efficient source of high-energy attosecond XUV pulses [2] or MeV femtosecond electron bunches [3] for time-resolved applications. Achieving this requires near-single-cycle pulses with TW peak power and high spatiotemporal fidelity, so they can be focused down to relativistic intensity (>1018 W/cm2 for 800nm light).
On the stabilization of nonlinear systems

We extend the applicability of the global Q-parametrization method of controller design to a large class of unstable nonlinear plants. The main result is a two-step compensation theorem analogous to that of Zames for unstable linear plants - if P:Le2 ¿ Le1 is a nonlinear (possibly unstable) plant and Fo is any incrementally stable controller such that P1:= P(I-Fo(-P))-1 is incrementally stable, then the class of controllers F which yield a f.g. stable closed-loop system in the unity feedback configuration for P, is globally parametrized by finite gain stable maps Q: Li1 ¿ Le2 with F = Fo + Q(I-P1Q)-1.
Institutional distance, firm heterogeneities, and FDI location choice of EMNEs

Purpose This paper aims to propose an integrated framework combining the cost-reduction rationale and the institution-leveraging rationale to explain how institutional distance, both formal and informal, influences emerging multinational enterprises (EMNEs)’ foreign direct investment (FDI) location choice. This paper also explores the moderating role of EMNEs’ FDI experience and strategic intent on value chain positioning as a reflection of firm heterogeneities, on the link between institutional distance and location choice. Design/methodology/approach This paper tests the hypotheses based on a firm-level longitudinal data set of FDI by Chinese EMNEs. The unique data are manually collected from Chinese companies listed on Shenzhen and Shanghai Stock Exchanges, composed of 250 FDI entries of 122 manufacturing firms from 2006 to 2010. The conditional logit model is used to estimate the proposed main effect and moderating effect. Findings Cultural distance does not deter Chinese EMNEs’ entrance in general, but firms investing in low value-added manufacturing subsidiaries are more likely to choose culturally similar countries than those investing in high value-added subsidiaries such as in upstream R&D and downstream marketing. Formal institutional distance with positive direction promotes Chinese EMNEs’ entrance, and this effect is enhanced when firms have less FDI experience and have the strategic intent to invest in high value-added subsidiaries. Originality/value This paper contributes to the current literature by identifying a holistic view of the institutional influences on FDI location choice of EMNEs and revealing how firm-level heterogeneities, particularly FDI experience and strategic intent of subsidiary value chain positioning, shape the boundary conditions of the institutional effects in different ways.
The neuropsychology and neuroanatomy of bipolar affective disorder: a critical review.

UNLABELLED Bearden CE, Hoffman KM, Cannon TD. The neuropsychology and neuroanatomy of bipolar affective disorder: a critical review. Bipolar Disord 2001: 3: 106 150. C Munksgaard, 2001 OBJECTIVES To present a comprehensive review of the existing neuropsychological and neuroimaging literature on bipolar affective disorder. This review critically evaluates two common conceptions regarding the neuropsychology of bipolar disorder: 1) that, in contrast to schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder is not associated with general cognitive impairment independent of illness episodes, and 2) relative right hemisphere (RH) dysfunction is implicated in bipolar illness patients, supported by reports of relatively greater impairment in visuospatial functioning, lateralization abnormalities, and mania secondary to RH lesions. METHODS The major computerized databases (Medline and PSYCInfo) were consulted in order to conduct a comprehensive, integrated review of the literature on the neuropsychology and neuroanatomy of bipolar disorder. Articles meeting specified criteria were included in this review. RESULTS In a critical evaluation of the above notions, this paper determines that: 1) while there is little evidence for selective RH dysfunction, significant cognitive impairment may be present in bipolar illness, particularly in a subgroup of chronic, elderly or multiple-episode patients, suggesting a possible toxic disease process, and 2) the underlying functional correlate of these cognitive deficits may be white matter lesions ('signal hyperintensities') in the frontal lobes and basal ganglia, regions critical for executive function, attention, speeded information processing, learning and memory, and affect regulation. While this hypothesized neural correlate of cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder is speculative, preliminary functional neuroimaging evidence supports the notion of frontal and subcortical hypometabolism in bipolar illness. CONCLUSIONS The etiology of the structural brain abnormalities commonly seen in bipolar illness, and their corresponding functional deficits, remains unknown. It is possible that neurodevelopmental anomalies may play a role, and it remains to be determined whether there is also some pathophysiological progression that occurs with repeated illness episodes. More research is needed on first-episode patients, relatives of bipolar probands, and within prospective longitudinal paradigms in order to isolate disease-specific impairments and genetic markers of neurocognitive function in bipolar disorder.
Ubiquitination Regulates Expression of the Serine/Arginine-rich Splicing Factor 1 (SRSF1) in Normal and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) T Cells*

Background: Mechanisms that control expression of the splicing factor SRSF1 in human T cells are unknown. Results: Ubiquitination and proteasome degradation of SRSF1 occur during T cell activation and in T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Conclusion: Ubiquitin-proteasome degradation regulates SRSF1 expression in human T cells. Significance: Understanding how SRSF1 expression is regulated in SLE may enable new therapeutic approaches. T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) exhibit reduced expression of the critical T cell receptor (TCR)-associated CD3ζ signaling chain and are poor producers of the vital cytokine IL-2. By oligonucleotide pulldown and mass spectrometry discovery approaches, we identified the splicing regulator serine/arginine-rich splicing factor (SRSF) 1 or splicing factor 2/alternative splicing factor (SF2/ASF) to be important in the expression of CD3ζ chain. Importantly, increases in the expression of SRSF1 rescued IL-2 production in T cells from patients with SLE. In this study, we investigated the regulation of SRSF1 expression in resting and activated human T cells. We found that T cell stimulation induced a rapid and significant increase in mRNA expression of SRSF1; however, protein expression levels did not correlate with this increase. Co-engagement of CD28 induced a similar mRNA induction and reduction in protein levels. Proteasomal but not lysosomal degradation was involved in this down-regulation as evidenced by blocking with specific inhibitors MG132 and bafilomycin, respectively. Immunoprecipitation studies showed increased ubiquitination of SRSF1 in activated T cells. Interestingly, T cells from patients with SLE showed increased ubiquitination of SRSF1 when compared with those from healthy individuals. Our results demonstrate a novel mechanism of regulation of the splicing factor SRSF1 in human T cells and a potential molecular mechanism that controls its expression in SLE.
Evaluation of KUPR algorithm in matchup cases of GPM and TRMM

GPM Core Observatory satellite has been in operation since February, 2014. Before the GPM operation started, TRMM had observed the rain rate in tropical regions. GPM's KuPR is a successor of TRMM/PR, and both have the same design [1]. However, differences have been confirmed in their estimates for the same rainfall. Therefore, we focus on the retrieval method of rain rate, and compare the rain rate estimates by KuPR and PR. As a result of comparison, path-integrated attenuation (PIA), surface reference technique (SRT) and non-uniform beam filling (NUBF) are regarded as the factors of differences of the rain rate. Particularly, overestimation of PIA in KuPR is one of the most important factors of the differences of rain rate. On the other hand, rain rate is overestimated in KuPR when SRT is ignored. Therefore, the number of cases is needed to be increased, and it is necessary to improve the parameters of SRT and NUBF.