Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased corticosterone in peripubertal rats leads to long-lasting alterations in social exploration and aggression

Stress during childhood and adolescence enhances the risk of psychopathology later in life. We have previously shown that subjecting male rats to stress during the peripubertal period induces long-lasting effects on emotion and social behaviors. As corticosterone is increased by stress and known to exert important programming effects, we reasoned that increasing corticosterone might mimic the effects of peripubertal stress. To this end, we injected corticosterone (5 mg/kg) on 7 scattered days during the peripuberty period (P28-P30, P34, P36, P40, and P42), following the same experimental schedule as for stress administration in our peripubertal paradigm. We measured play behavior in the homecage and, at adulthood, the corticosterone response to novelty and behavioral responses in tests for anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, aggression, and social exploration. As compared to vehicle, corticosterone-treated animals exhibit more aggressive play behavior during adolescence, increased aggressive behavior in a resident-intruder (RI) test while reduced juvenile exploration and corticosterone reactivity at adulthood. Whereas the corticosterone treatment mimicked alterations induced by the peripuberty stress protocol in the social domain, it did not reproduce previously observed effects of peripuberty stress on increasing anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors, respectively evaluated in the elevated plus maze (EPM) and the forced swim tests. Our findings indicate that increasing corticosterone levels during peripuberty might be instrumental to program alterations in the social domain observed following stress, whereas other factors might need to be recruited for the programming of long-term changes in emotionality. Our study opens the possibility that individual differences on the degree of glucocorticoid activation during peripuberty might be central to defining differences in vulnerability to develop psychopathological disorders coursing with alterations in the social realm.
Population pharmacokinetic studies in pediatrics: Issues in design and analysis

The current review addresses the following 3 frequently encountered challenges in the design and analysis of population pharmacokinetic studies in pediatrics: (1) body size adjustments during the development of pharmacostatistical models, (2) design and validation of limited sampling strategies, and (3) the integration of historical priors in data analysis and trial simulation. Size adjustments with empiric approaches based on body weight or body surface area have frequently proven as a pragmatic tool to overcome large size differences in a pediatric study population. Allometric size adjustments, however, provide a more mechanistic, physiologically based approach that, if used a priori, allows delineation of the effect of size from that of other covariates that show a high degree of collinearity. The frequent lack of dense data sets in pediatric clinical pharmacology because of ethical and logistic constraints in study design can be overcome with the application of D-optimality-based limited sampling schemes in combination with Bayesian and nonlinear mixed-effects modeling approaches. Empirically based dose selection and clinical trial designs for pediatric clinical pharmacology studies can be improved by applying clinical trial simulation techniques, especially if they integrate adult and pediatric in vitro and/or in vivo data as historic priors. Although integration of these concepts and techniques in population pharmacokinetic analyses is not only limited to pediatric research, their application allows researchers to overcome some major hurdles frequently encountered in pharmacokinetic studies in pediatrics and, thus, provides the basis for additional clinical pharmacology research in this previously insufficiently studied fraction of the general population.
Elevation of exhaled ethane concentration in asthma.

Ethane is a product of lipid peroxidation as a result of oxidative stress and can be detected in the exhaled air. Oxidative stress plays a role in the pathogenesis of asthma. We measured exhaled ethane in 26 asthmatic subjects (mean age +/- SEM, 38 +/- 8 yr; 15 male, FEV(1) 60 +/- 4%) and compared it with exhaled nitric oxide (NO) measured by chemiluminescence, a noninvasive marker of oxidative stress and inflammation. Exhaled ethane was collected during a flow- and pressure-controlled exhalation into a reservoir discarding dead space air contaminated with ambient air. A sample of the expired air was analyzed by chromatography. Exhaled ethane levels were elevated in asthma patients not receiving steroid (n = 12, 2.06 +/- 0.30 ppb) compared with steroid-treated patients (n = 14, 0.79 +/- 0.10 ppb, p < 0.01) and to 14 nonsmoking control subjects (0.88 +/- 0.09 ppb, p < 0.05). In patients not receiving steroid treatment there was a positive correlation between exhaled ethane and NO (r = 0.55, p < 0.05) and air trapping assessed by the ratio of residual volume to total lung capacity (RV/ TLC) (r = 0.60, p < 0.05). In addition, untreated patients with FEV(1) < 60% predicted value had higher concentrations of ethane (2.86 +/- 0.37 ppb) compared with less obstructed patients (FEV(1) > 60%, 1.26 +/- 0.12 ppb, p < 0.05). NO concentrations were higher in patients not on steroid treatment (14.7 +/- 1.7 ppb) than in steroid-treated patients (8.6 +/- 0.5 ppb, p < 0.05). Exhaled ethane is elevated in asthma, reduced in steroid-treated patients, and correlates with NO and airway obstruction. It may be a useful noninvasive marker of oxidative stress.
Continuous Lateral Rotation Therapy for Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure: The Effect of Timing

Previous studies have indicated a positive impact of continuous lateral rotational therapy on nosocomial pneumonia, but have shown mixed results in decreasing length of stay or ventilator days. The objective of the study was to determine if the use of a continuous lateral rotational therapy protocol would decrease mortality and morbidity, mean ventilator days, and/or intensive care unit and hospital length of stay in patients with a pulmonary diagnosis. The study also analyzed the effect of the lag time to the initiation of therapy. Prospectively enrolled subjects receiving continuous lateral rotational therapy based on predetermined indications were compared with retrospectively identified control subjects who met the same inclusion criteria from a similar time period in the previous year. Early initiation of continuous lateral rotational therapy resulted in significant decreases in ventilator days and intensive care unit length of stay. The therapeutic benefit of continuous lateral rotational therapy may be enhanced with early identification and treatment of appropriate patients.
Fast and robust automated segmentation of EIT lung images using an anatomically constrained Kalman filter

In this paper we present a new pipeline for the fast and accurate segmentation of impedance images of the lungs using Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT). EIT is an emerging promising non-invasive imaging modality, which produces real-time poor-spatial but high temporal resolution images of impedance inside a body. Recovering impedance itself constitutes a non-linear ill-posed inverse problem, therefore the problem is usually linearized which produces impedance-change images rather than static impedance, and the images are highly blurry and fuzzy along the object boundaries. We provide a mathematical reasoning behind the high suitability of the Kalman filter when it comes to segmenting and tracking conductivity changes in EIT lung images. Next, we use a two-fold approach to tackle the segmentation problem. First, we construct a global lung shape to restrict the search region of the Kalman filter. Next, we proceed by augmenting the Kalman filter by incorporating an adaptive foreground detection system to provide the boundary contours for the Kalman filter to carry out the tracking of the conductivity changes as the lungs undergo deformation in a respiratory cycle.
Telerehabilitation in developmental dyslexia: methods of implementation and expected results.

BACKGROUND Developmental Dyslexia is a disorder, highly frequent in the school population, for which the recommended rehabilitation procedures are not well defined. This study aimed to automatize reading decoding skills by using an innovative system for rehabilitation, based on a telerehabilitation method. It requires an intensive home-exercise with the supervision, by web, of the clinician. The study had three main aims: to diffuse knowledge on new methods for rehabilitation of reading difficulties; to verify whether an intensive and simplified exercise, targeted to the automation of reading, is suitable for different subgroups of dyslexic children; to define the treatment effects on basic cognitive functions underlying reading. METHODS Twenty-five children, grouped according to the neuropsychological and anamnestic profiles, took part to the treatment by the software Reading Trainer®. RESULTS Both speed and accuracy of reading decoding increased significantly after treatment, independently from the functional neuropsychological profile or the history of oral language delay. These changes were specific to decoding and not associated with improvements in reading comprehension or spelling skills. However, there was a "cascade effect" of the treatment efficacy on those basic cognitive functions considered precursors of the ability to read, with significant improvements in rapid lexical access, phonological processing and visual attention. CONCLUSIONS This study provides information on the efficacy of new tools for telerehabilitation of specific reading disorders.
Micronization of a Soft Material: Air-Jet and Micro-Ball Milling

The air-jet and ball-mill are frequently used in fine micronization of active pharmaceutical ingredients to the order of 1–5 μm, which is important for increasing dissolution rates, and also for pulmonary delivery. In this study, we investigated the ability of air-jet and ball-mill to achieve adequate micronization on the lab scale using a model soft material, Pluronic® F-68. Material mechanical properties were characterized using the nanometer 600. Pluronic® F-68 was ball-milled in a micro-mill at different material weights and durations in liquid nitrogen vapor. In comparison, a lab scale air-jet mill was used at various milling parameters according to a full factorial design, where the response factors were particle yield and particle size distribution, which was analyzed using laser diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The yield achieved with the micro-ball mill was 100% but was ~80% for the air-jet mill, which reduced the size of Pluronic® F-68 from 70 μm to sizes ranging between 23–39 μm median diameters. Ball milling produced particles less than 10 μm after 15 min. Although air-jet milling proved capable of particle size reduction of the relatively soft material Pluronic® F-68, limitations to the lower size range achievable were observed. The feed rate of the material into the air jet mill was a significant factor and slower feed rates lead to smaller sizes by allowing more time for particle collisions and subsequent particle breakage to occur. Micro-ball milling under cold condition was more successful at achieving a lower range particle size reduction of soft materials.
Does local autonomy facilitate local government reform initiatives? Evidence from Switzerland

The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent the initiatives of local governments to launch modernisation processes are facilitated by local autonomy, which is increasingly important in both the theory and practice of public policy and management. ,Local government reforms are distinguished according to the institutional structure at which they are directed and local autonomy is assessed as a multidimensional concept. Drawing on a multilevel analysis of the Swiss case, this paper combines data stemming from a survey conducted at the local tier with secondary data from the regional tier. ,The main empirical findings are threefold. First, when local governments undertake managerial or political reform initiatives, their autonomy with respect to higher levels of government matters. Second, it is not local autonomy but rather the perception of structural problems that is the force driving territorial reforms. Third, it is not the autonomy enjoyed by local governments vis-a-vis local factors, but rather the pressures stemming from that context that may lead to reforms. ,By adopting a comparative approach to local autonomy, this paper shows that local governments which have sufficient latitude for local policy making are likely to take initiatives to improve service delivery in accordance with local preferences.
Financial Literacy and Intra-Household Decision Making: Evidence from Rwanda

Research has consistently shown that women’s involvement in household decision making positively affects household outcomes such as nutrition and education of children. Is financial literacy a determinant for women to participate in intra-household decision making? Using data on savings groups in Rwanda, we examine this relationship and show that women with higher financial literacy are more involved in financial and expenditure decisions. Instrumental variable estimations suggest a causal link. For this reason, we perform a decomposition analysis breaking down the gender gap in financial literacy into differences based on observed socio-demographic and psychological characteristics and differences in returns on these characteristics. Our results show high explanatory power by education, happiness, symptoms of depression and openness but also suggest that a substantial fraction can be explained by differences in returns. We argue that this results from a strong role of society and culture.
Coupled physical and digital cadaver dissection followed by a visual test protocol provides insights into the nature of anatomical knowledge and its evaluation

This research effort compared and contrasted two conceptually different methods for the exploration of human anatomy in the first‐year dissection laboratory by accomplished students: “physical” dissection using an embalmed cadaver and “digital” dissection using three‐dimensional volume modeling of whole‐body CT and MRI image sets acquired using the same cadaver. The goal was to understand the relative contributions each method makes toward student acquisition of intuitive sense of practical anatomical knowledge gained during “hands‐on” structural exploration tasks. The main instruments for measuring anatomical knowledge under this conceptual model were questions generated using a classification system designed to assess both visual presentation manner and the corresponding response information required. Students were randomly divided into groups based on exploration method (physical or digital dissection) and then anatomical region. The physical dissectors proceeded with their direct methods, whereas the digital dissectors generated and manipulated indirect 3D digital models. After 6 weeks, corresponding student anatomical assignment teams compared their results using photography and animated digital visualizations. Finally, to see whether each method provided unique advantages, a visual test protocol of new visualizations based on the classification schema was administered. Results indicated that all students, regardless of gender, dissection method, and anatomical region dissected performed significantly better on questions presented as rotating models requiring spatial ordering or viewpoint determination responses in contrast to requests for specific lexical feature identifications. Additional results provided evidence of trends showing significant differences in gender and dissection method scores. These trends will be explored with further trials with larger populations. Anat Sci Ed 1:27–40, 2008. © 2007 American Association of Anatomists.
Hepatic IGF1 DNA methylation is influenced by gender but not by intrauterine growth restriction in the young lamb

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and postnatal catch-up growth confer an increased risk of adult-onset disease. Overnourishment of adolescent ewes generates IUGR in ∼50% of lambs, which subsequently exhibit increased fractional growth rates. We investigated putative epigenetic changes underlying this early postnatal phenotype by quantifying gene-specific methylation at cytosine:guanine (CpG) dinucleotides. Hepatic DNA/RNA was extracted from IUGR [eight male (M)/nine female (F)] and normal birth weight (12 M/9 F) lambs. Polymerase chain reaction was performed using primers targeting CpG islands in 10 genes: insulin, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)1, IGF2, H19, insulin receptor, growth hormone receptor, IGF receptors 1 and 2, and the glucocorticoid receptor. Using pyrosequencing, methylation status was determined by quantifying cytosine:thymine ratios at 57 CpG sites. Messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of IGF system genes and plasma IGF1/insulin were determined. DNA methylation was independent of IUGR status but sexual dimorphism in IGF1 methylation was evident (MF (both P<0.001). IGF1 mRNA expression correlated negatively with IGF1 methylation (r=−0.507, P=0.002) and positively with plasma IGF1 (r=0.884, P<0.001). Carcass and empty body weights were greater in males (P=0.002–0.014) and this gender difference in early body conformation was mirrored by sexual dimorphism in hepatic IGF1 DNA methylation, mRNA expression and plasma IGF1 concentrations.
Twittering for talent: Private military and security companies between business and military branding

ABSTRACT Private military and security companies (PMSCs) play an increasingly important role in the provision of security-related services. In their attempts to win new clients and find suitable personnel, they take on different identities by presenting themselves as conventional businesses, military actors, and humanitarians. In this article, we examine how PMSCs deploy these identities when they recruit new personnel through social media. Our computer-assisted content analysis of Twitter messages posted by two major United States-based companies—CACI and DynCorp International—shows that while both PMSCs amplify their business and military identities to attract the most talented personnel, they construct and communicate these identities in different ways with CACI branding itself as a sophisticated, modern, and patriotic business and DynCorp as a home-grown, traditional military provider. In addition, our analysis lends force to scholars suggesting that state militaries and the private security sector compete increasingly for prospective employees using similar strategies.
Association Between Depressive Symptoms, Multiple Dimensions of Depression, and Elder Abuse

Objective: Depression is conceptualized as both a risk factor for and a consequence of elder abuse; however, current research is equivocal. This study examined associations between elder abuse and dimensions of depressive symptoms in older adults. Method: Participants were 10,419 older adults enrolled in theChicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP), a population-based study of older adults. Regression was used to determine the relationships between depressive symptoms, depression dimensions, and abuse variables. Results: Depressive symptoms were consistently associated with elder abuse. Participants in the highest tertile of depressive symptoms were twice as likely to have confirmed abuse with a perpetrator (odds ratio = 2.07, 95% confidence interval = [1.21, 3.52], p = .008). Elder abuse subtypes and depression dimensions were differentially associated. Discussion: These findings highlight the importance of routine depression screening in older adults as a component of abuse prevention and intervention. They also provide profiles of depressive symptoms that may more accurately characterize risk for specific types of abuse.
Molecular Cloning, Expression, and Identification of Bre Genes Involved in Glycosphingolipids Synthesis in Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) play important roles in the cellular biology of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms, such as cell differentiation, tumor metastasis, and cell coordination. GSLs also serve as receptors for different bacterial toxins. For example, in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, GSLs function as receptors of the insecticidal Cry toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), and mutations in bre genes involved in GSLs synthesis resulted in resistance to Cry5 toxin in this organism. However, the information of GSLs function in insects is still limited. In this study, three genes for glycosyltransferases, bre2, bre3, and bre4, from Helicoverpa armigera were identified and cloned. The previously reported bre5 gene from H. armigera was also analyzed. Protein sequence alignments revealed that proteins codified by H. armigera Bre shared high identity with homologous proteins from other organisms. Expression profile analysis revealed that the expressions of bre genes varied in the different tissues and also in the different developmental stages of H. armigera. Finally, the heterologous expression of bre genes in Trichoplusia ni Hi5 cell line showed that the corresponding translated proteins were localized in the cytoplasm of Hi5 cells. These results provide the bases for further functional studies of bre genes and analyzing potential roles of GSLs in mode of action of Cry1A toxin in H. armigera.
Novel domains in NADPH oxidase subunits, sorting nexins, and PtdIns 3‐kinases: Binding partners of SH3 domains?

Two SH3 domain‐containing cytosolic components of the NADPH oxidase, p47phox and p40phox, are shown by analyses of their sequences to contain single copies of a novel class of domain, the PX (phox) domain. Homologous domains are demonstrated to be present in the Cpk class of phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase, S. cerevisiae Bem1p, and S. pombe Scd2, and a large family of human sorting nexin 1 (SNX1) homologues. The majority of these domains contains a polyproline motif, typical of SH3 domain‐binding proteins. Two further findings are reported. A third NADPH oxidase subunit, p67phox, is shown to contain four tetratricopeptide repeats (TPRs) within its N‐terminal RaclGTP‐binding region, and a 28 residue motif in p40phox is demonstrated to be present in protein kinase C isoforms τ/λ and ζ, and in three ZZ domain‐containing proteins.
Laboratory blood lactate profile is suited to on water training monitoring in highly trained rowers.

AIM This study validated the laboratory testing used to monitor on water training. The purpose was to test that reference heart rates (HR) determined during an incremental test elicit comparable blood lactate levels ([La](b)) during a 30 min on water rowing. METHODS Blood lactate profile were determined during incremental graded exercise in 14 national and international level oarsmen. The HR corresponding to [La](b) of 2 and 3 mmol x l(-1) were determined (HRLa2 and HRLa3 respectively). The rowers then performed a 30 min training session in a boat. Training intensity, as assessed by HR monitors, had to range between HRLa2 and HRLa3. Field [La](b) (Laf) and HR (HRf) were measured at the end of the training session. RESULTS Laf was 2.13+/-0.49 mmol x l(-1) (range: 1.43-3.07) and did not differ significantly from 2 mmol x l(-1). HRf (162+/-7.4 beats x min(-1)) ranged from HRLa2 (159+/-9.5 beats x min(-1)) to HRLa3 (171+/-9 beats x min(-1)). HRf was not significantly different from HRLa2. CONCLUSIONS It was concluded that the HR determined during the laboratory testing are valid for monitoring on water training in highly trained rowers.