Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Orthostatic blood pressure changes and arterial baroreflex sensitivity in elderly subjects.

BACKGROUND orthostatic hypotension in elderly people is often attributed to diminished afferent baroreflex sensitivity, but this has not been demonstrated. We examined the hypothesis that postural change in blood pressure is related to baroreflex sensitivity, independent of the confounding effect of baseline blood pressure. METHODS we studied 25 active, untreated elderly subjects free of postural symptoms (mean age 70 +/- 1 years): 16 with hypertension (clinic blood pressure 194 +/- 6/98 + 3 mmHg) and nine normotensive controls (clinic blood pressure 134 + 3/77 + 3 mmHg). We assessed baroreflex sensitivity from the heart rate and blood pressure responses to the Valsalva manoeuvre and a pressor and depressor stimulus (bolus phenylephrine injection or sodium nitroprusside infusion respectively). Subjects were then passively tilted to 60 degrees and maximum changes in systolic blood pressure, heart rate, forearm blood flow and forearm vascular resistance recorded. RESULTS maximum change in systolic blood pressure with head-up tilt was correlated with supine systolic blood pressure (r = 0.60, P = 0.001). Maximum change in systolic blood pressure with orthostasis was greater in the hypertensive subjects (45 +/- 4 mmHg versus 29 +/- 6, P = 0.04) and the heart rate increment was less (16 +/- 2 bpm versus 24 +/- 4, P = 0.02). The increase in forearm vascular resistance with tilt was similar in the two groups (47 +/- 11 versus 38 +/- 7 units, P = 0.52). All three methods of assessing baroreflex sensitivity showed a reduction in the hypertensive subjects (all P < or = 0.02). Lower values of baroreflex sensitivity were related to greater falls in systolic blood pressure with tilt, after adjustment for the baseline level of systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS we found a relationship between baroreflex sensitivity and the systolic blood pressure fall with orthostasis, even after adjustment for prevailing systolic blood pressure. Despite equivalent changes in forearm vascular resistance with tilt, greater falls in systolic blood pressure were seen in hypertensive subjects than in normotensive controls, due in part to an inadequate baroreflex-mediated heart rate response. The postural fall in blood pressure often observed in elderly hypertensive subjects may be related to the reduced baroreflex sensitivity seen in this condition.
Moduli of compact Legendre submanifolds of complex contact manifolds

Let X be a compact complex submanifold of a complex manifold Y with normal bundle N such that H(X, N) = 0. In 1962 Kodaira [K] proved that such a submanifold X belongs to the complete analytic family {Xt | t ∈ M } of complex submanifolds Xt of Y with the moduli space M being a ( dim C H(X, N) ) -dimensional complex manifold. Moreover, there is a canonical isomorphism kt : TtM −→ H(Xt, Nt) which associates a global section of the normal bundle Nt of Xt ↪→ Y to any tangent vector at the corresponding point t ∈ M . In this paper, we study complete analytic families of compact complex Legendre submanifolds of complex contact manifolds. There are two main results about these families which we discuss: the first result gives an analogue of the above mentioned Kodaira’s existence theorem, while the second result unveils rich geometric structures — families of torsion-free affine connections — canonically induced on moduli spaces of compact Legendre submanifolds. The latter phenomenon of inducing geometric structures on moduli spaces of compact complex submanifolds is very much in the spirit of Penrose’s twistor theory which has already demonstrated in a spectacular way how a number of non-linear differential equations in the form of constraints on curvature tensors of torsion-free connections can be treated with the help of complex analysis (see e.g. the books [B-B, B-E, Be, M, P-R, WW] and references cited therein). Surprisingly enough, no generality is lost when one considers Legendre relative deformation problems instead of the Kodaira ones: the class of moduli spaces studied by Kodaira can be canonically realized as a proper subclass of the class of moduli spaces of compact Legendre submanifolds. Our interest in Legendre moduli spaces stems from the fact that when one tries to find a twistor interpretation of a torsion-free affine connection with irreducibly acting holonomy group one normally ends up in the Legendre moduli space rather than in the Kodaira one [Br, L1]. Moreover, the main motivation for the present work is a conjecture that any torsion-free
Correction for The Cardiolipin Transacylase, Tafazzin, Associates with Two Distinct Respiratory Components Providing Insight into Barth Syndrome

Mutations in the mitochondrial cardiolipin (CL) transacylase, tafazzin (Taz1p), result in the X-linked cardioskeletal myopathy, Barth syndrome (BTHS). The mitochondria of BTHS patients exhibit variable respiratory defects and abnormal cristae ultrastructure. The biochemical basis for these observations is unknown. In the absence of its target phospholipid, CL, a very large Taz1p complex is missing, whereas several discrete smaller complexes are still observed. None of the identified Taz1p complexes represents Taz1p homodimers. Instead, yeast Taz1p physically assembles in several protein complexes of distinct size and composition. The ATP synthase and AAC2, both required for oxidative phosphorylation, are identified in separate stable Taz1p complexes. In the absence of CL, each interaction is still detected albeit in reduced abundance compared with when CL is present. Taz1p is not necessary for the normal expression of AAC2 or ATP synthase subunits or assembly of their respective complexes. In contrast, the largest Taz1p complex requires assembled ATP synthase and CL. Mitochondria in Delta taz1 yeast, similar to ATP synthase oligomer mutants, exhibit altered cristae morphology even though ATP synthase oligomer formation is unaffected. Thus, the Taz1p interactome defined here provides novel insight into the variable respiratory defects and morphological abnormalities observed in mitochondria of BTHS patients.
Growth Requirements of the Meningococcus

The meningococcus has been considered one of the more fastidious microorganisms with respect to growth requirements. Mueller and Hinton (1941) have shown, however, that excellent growth of this organism, as well as of the gonococcus, may be obtained on an agar medium containing only "double strength" meat infusion, casein hydrolysate, and starch paste. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the essential factors in these mixtures.
Folic acid supplementation enhances repair of the adult central nervous system

Folic acid supplementation has proved to be extremely effective in reducing the occurrence of neural tube defects (NTDs) and other congenital abnormalities in humans, suggesting that folic acid can modulate key mechanisms for growth and differentiation in the central nervous system (CNS). To prevent NTDs, however, supplemental folate must be provided early in gestation. This suggests that the ability of folic acid to activate growth and differentiation mechanisms may be confined to the early embryonic period. Here, we show that folic acid can enhance growth and repair mechanisms even in the adult CNS. Using lesion models of CNS injury, we found that intraperitoneal treatment of adult rats with folic acid significantly improves the regrowth of sensory spinal axons into a grafted segment of peripheral nerve in vivo. Regrowth of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons into a similar graft also was enhanced, although to a smaller extent than spinal axons. Furthermore, folic acid supplementation enhances neurological recovery from a spinal cord contusion injury, showing its potential clinical impact. The results show that the effects of folic acid supplementation on CNS growth processes are not restricted to the embryonic period, but can also be effective for enhancing growth, repair, and recovery in the injured adult CNS. Ann Neurol 2004;56:221–227
Exogenous Heat Shock Cognate Protein 70 Pretreatment Attenuates Cardiac and Hepatic Dysfunction With Associated Anti-inflammatory Responses in Experimental Septic Shock

ABSTRACT It has been recently demonstrated that intracellular heat shock cognate protein 70 (HSC70) can be released into extracellular space with physiologic effects. However, its extracellular function in sepsis is not clear. In this study, we hypothesize that extracellular HSC70 can protect against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)–induced myocardial and hepatic dysfunction because of its anti-inflammatory actions. In Wistar rats, septic shock developed with hypotension, tachycardia, and myocardial and hepatic dysfunction at 4 h following LPS administration (10 mg/kg, i.v.). Pretreatment with recombinant bovine HSC70 (20 &mgr;g/kg, i.v.) attenuated LPS-induced hypotension and tachycardia by 21% and 23%, respectively (P < 0.05), improved myocardial dysfunction (left ventricular systolic pressure: 33%; max dP/dt: 20%; min dP/dt: 33%, P < 0.05), and prevented hepatic dysfunction (glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase: 81 vs. 593 IU/L; glutamic-pyruvic transaminase: 15 vs. 136 IU/L, P < 0.05) compared with LPS-treated rats at 4 h. Heat shock cognate protein 70 also prevented LPS-induced hypoglycemia (217 vs. 59 mg/dL, P < 0.05) and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (1,312 vs. 6,301 IU/L, P < 0.05). Furthermore, HSC70 decreased LPS-induced elevation of circulating tumor necrosis factor &agr; and nitrite/nitrate, and tissue expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase 2, and matrix metalloproteinase 9 in the heart and liver. To investigate underlying mechanisms, we found that HSC70 attenuated LPS-induced nuclear translocation of nuclear factor &kgr;B subunit p65 by blocking the phosphorylation of inhibitor of nuclear factor &kgr;B. Finally, we showed that HSC70 repressed the activation of MAPKs caused by LPS. These results demonstrate that in LPS-induced septic shock, extracellular HSC70 conveys pleiotropic protection on myocardial, hepatic, and systemic derangements, with associated inhibition of proinflammatory mediators including tumor necrosis factor &agr;, nitric oxide, cyclooxygenase 2, and matrix metalloproteinase 9, through mitogen-activated protein kinase/nuclear factor &kgr;B signaling pathways. Therefore, extracellular HSC70 may have a promising role in the prophylactic treatment of sepsis.
Epidural and Intrathecal n‐Butyl‐p‐Aminobenzoate Solution in the Rat: Comparison with Bupivacaine

Background Epidural administration of an aqueous suspension of n‐butyl‐p‐aminobenzoate (BAB) to humans results in long‐lasting sensory blockade without motor block. The dose‐response of BAB administered epidurally and intrathecally as a solution was studied in rats to define the local anesthetic properties in an established animal model. Methods The time course of changes in tail withdrawal latency and motor function were determined in rats after epidural or intrathecal administration of solutions of BAB or bupivacaine. The dose‐response relation was determined and median effective dose values were calculated. Results After epidural and intrathecal administration of BAB solutions, the onset and duration of the antinociceptive action were comparable to bupivacaine. Median effective dose values for tail‐withdrawal latency of 6 s or more were significantly greater for BAB. After both routes of administration, BAB clearly affected motor function. Conclusions When administered epidurally and intrathecally as a solution, BAB is a local anesthetic of relative low potency with onset and duration of action comparable to those of bupivacaine. These findings suggest that the long‐lasting action obtained after applying BAB suspension results from the slow dissolution (continuous release) of the solid BAB deposited in the epidural space.
Male Dominance Rank, Mating and Reproductive Success in Captive Bonobos (Pan paniscus)

In the recent past, application of DNA genotyping techniques has enabled researchers to more accurately test relationships between dominance rank (DR), mating success (MS) and reproductive success (RS). Paternity studies often reveal that reproductive outcome does not always correlate with male DR and/or MS and thus open room for discussion and interpretation of alternative reproductive tactics of both sexes. In this study, we analysed male DR, MS and RS in a group of bonobos at Twycross Zoo (UK). Genetic relationships were determined using 8 tetrameric microsatellite loci. Despite clear and asymmetric dominance relationships, analysed using normalised David’s scores based on a dyadic index of dominance among the group’s 3 mature males, we found that the most dominant male did not sire the most offspring. In fact, both infants conceived during the observation period were found to be sired by the lower-ranking males. Although the alpha male had almost exclusive mating access to one of the females during the time she was showing a maximal anogenital swelling, her infant was sired by the lowest-ranking male who mostly mated with her when outside the maximal swelling period. This result suggests that either sperm competition operates and/or ovulation is decoupled from the phase of maximal anogenital swelling which could allow greater female choice.
Identification and removal of nitroxide spin label contaminant: Impact on PRE studies of α‐helical membrane proteins in detergent

NMR paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) provides long‐range distance constraints (∼15–25 Å) that can be critical to determining overall protein topology, especially where long‐range NOE information is unavailable such as in the case of larger proteins that require deuteration. However, several challenges currently limit the use of NMR PRE for α‐helical membrane proteins. One challenge is the nonspecific association of the nitroxide spin label to the protein‐detergent complex that can result in spurious PRE derived distance restraints. The effect of the nitroxide spin label contaminant is evaluated and quantified and a robust method for the removal of the contaminant is provided to advance the application of PRE restraints to membrane protein NMR structure determination.
Boosting Performance on an Evaluative Math Test

This study compared the effectiveness of goal activation versus self-affirmation and a control condition as interventions for increasing performance on an evaluative task (a difficult math test; N = 78; M age = 20.3 yr., SD = 1.9). Although there has been much recent literature on the effects of activating goals, the existing literature does not examine possible spillover effects of activating goals on performance tasks. Results indicated that goal activation resulted in significant performance enhancements over both the self-affirmation and control conditions, while self-affirmation did not improve performance significantly relative to the control condition. Additionally, interest in the task, as a cue for self-regulatory resources, mediated the effect of goal activation on increased performance.
Nano 3D printing-enabled micropost array gradients

Here we introduce a two-photon Direct Laser Writing (DLW) strategy to create arrays of dual-structured microposts that vary in height (and therefore, stiffness) from post-to-post for cell mechanobiological studies. Using the Nanoscribe Professional GT system, we tuned the mechanical stiffness of each arrayed micropost through changes in relative heights of dual-structured posts. ANSYS simulations revealed that the theoretical stiffness of microposts could be modulated in the range of 2 to 250 nN/μm over the length of an array. Experimental results obtained from seeding human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) revealed cell-generated traction forces up to 37.1 +/−7.2 nN. We envision that the ability to measure the traction forces of cells seeded on the presented stiffness gradients will enable researchers to better understand, and subsequently, control cellular behaviors, thereby impacting fields including tissue engineering, biomaterials, and regenerative medicine.
Research on Consistency Maintenance of Flowchart Design

Flowchart1 brings the advantage of efficiency into the program design. Designers can achieve clearer structure refer to flowchart. It's a powerful method in the process of program design. However, the traditional flowchart is only designed on single site. It leads to the low efficiency and less diversity. Based on these problems, this paper aims at using collaborative algorithm to complete the distributed flowchart design. The paper mainly solves the problems of the operation conflicts which come from different sites, and analyzes the typical consistency maintenance algorithm, constructs the flowchart model, analyzes the flowchart operations, devises the conflict resolution strategy and describes the consistency maintenance work flow. At last, a correctness proof is also given to validate the whole strategy.
Feasible industrial fabrication of thin film transistor based on randomized network of single walled carbon nanotubes

In this paper, the fabrication of thin film transistor based on randomized network of single walled carbon nano tubes (SWCNTs-TFT) is presented. The randomized network is obtained by deposition of dispersed SWCNTs on the substrate with a novel technique combining vacuum filtration and silanization of substrate. This approach, which is compatible with all kind of substrates, allows a fabrication process at room temperature that is capable to overcome the high temperature procedure for CNTs deposition. The drain and source electrodes of the TFT are based on an interdigitated electrode (IDE) with 8 μm channel length and 3mm channel width. The obtained device shows output performance with an apparent mobility of 40.7 cm2/Vs, current density 0.05 μA/μm and ION /IOFF ratio 2×103. A comparison of the model describing the SWCNTs-TFT with that of (metal-oxide-semiconductor) MOS-like device confirms a p-type behavior. The proposed approach can be easily transformed to large areas leading to a suitable use in low cost industrial application.
Scoring More than Touchdowns: The Impact of Athletic Success on the Brand Equity of a University

Previous research and individual cases have indicated a relationship between athletic success, such as winning a conference title or bowl game, and indirect benefits that indicate an increase in the overall status of a university. While much of the research in this area focuses on showing the direction and strength of the advertising effect athletics can have for a university, there has been little research on how a football team’s success can impact the value of a university’s brand overall. This study provides an examination of this phenomenon through a brand equity framework. The analysis begins with an attempt to confirm the impact of athletic performance and conference affiliation on measures of increased awareness, and then extends the analysis through a discussion of four elements of brand equity including brand awareness, associations, perceived quality, and loyalty. In addition to discovering trends, emphasis is placed on evaluating the main drivers behind the relationship and what this means for branding in universities today.
Accounting knowledge in innovative firms - direct contacts with external auditors for strategic actions

Managers' use of auditors in decision processes is well known in the accounting literature, but little is known about owner-managers in innovative firms and their acquisition of accounting knowledge through direct contacts with external auditors. We conducted a multiple embedded study of exploratory character based on 21 interviews with owner-managers and external auditors connected to six innovative firms. We show that owner-managers in innovative firms apply informal management control in early phases of the innovation process and thus also rely heavily on external auditors for such purposes. However, management's acquisition of accounting knowledge may contribute over time to the development of a more formalised control system as their competence increases. This study suggests that a competence-based view may be useful for understanding the role of accounting and external auditors in innovative firms' management control systems.
Modeling mortality in the intensive care unit: comparing the performance of a back-propagation, associative-learning neural network with multivariate logistic regression.

The objective of this study was to compare and contrast two techniques of modeling mortality in a 30 bed multi-disciplinary ICU; neural networks and logistic regression. Fifteen physiological variables were recorded on day 3 for 422 consecutive patients whose duration of stay was over 72 hours. Two separate models were built using each technique. First, logistic and neural network models were constructed on the complete 422 patient dataset and discrimination was compared. Second, the database was randomly divided into a 284 patient developmental dataset and a 138 patient validation dataset. The developmental dataset was used to construct logistic and neural net models and the predictive power of these models was verified on the validation dataset. On the complete dataset, the neural network clearly outperformed the logistic model (sensitivity and specificity of 1 and .997 vs. .525 and .966, area under ROC curve .9993 vs. .9259), while both performed equally well on the validation dataset (area under ROC of .82). The excellent performance of the neural net on the complete dataset reveals that the problem is classifiable. Since our dataset only contained 40 mortality events, it is highly likely that the validation dataset was not representative of the developmental dataset, which led to a decreased predictive performance by both the neural net and the logistic regression models. Theoretically, given an extensive dataset, the neural network should be able to perform mortality prediction with a sensitivity and a specificity approaching 95%. Clinically, this would be an extremely important achievement. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
PKC‐ɛ pseudosubstrate and catalytic activity are necessary for membrane delivery during IgG‐mediated phagocytosis

In RAW 264.7 cells [ 1 ], PKC‐ɛ regulates FcγR‐mediated phagocytosis. BMDM behave similarly; PKC‐ɛ concentrates at phagosomes and internalization are reduced in PKC‐ɛ−/− cells. Two questions were asked: what is the role of PKC‐ɛ? and what domains are necessary for PKC‐ɛ concentration? Function was studied using BMDM and frustrated phagocytosis. On IgG surfaces, PKC‐ɛ−/− macrophages spread less than WT. Patch‐clamping revealed that the spreading defect is a result of the failure of PKC‐ɛ−/− macrophages to add membrane. The defect is specific for FcγR ligation and can be reversed by expression of full‐length (but not the isolated RD) PKC‐ɛ in PKC‐ɛ−/− BMDM. Thus, PKC‐ɛ function in phagocytosis requires translocation to phagosomes and the catalytic domain. The expression of chimeric PKC molecules in RAW cells identified the ɛPS as necessary for PKC‐ɛ targeting. When placed into (nonlocalizing) PKC‐δ, ɛPS was sufficient for concentration, albeit to a lesser degree than intact PKC‐ɛ. In contrast, translocation of δ(ɛPSC1B) resembled that of WT PKC‐ɛ. Thus, ɛPS and ɛC1B cooperate for optimal phagosome targeting. Finally, cells expressing ɛK437W were significantly less phagocytic than their PKC‐ɛ‐expressing counterparts, blocked at the pseudopod‐extension phase. In summary, we have shown that ɛPS and ɛC1B are necessary and sufficient for targeting PKC‐ɛ to phagosomes, where its catalytic activity is required for membrane delivery and pseudopod extension.