Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sleep misperception in healthy adults: implications for insomnia diagnosis.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Time estimation is a complex cognitive task that is especially challenging when the time period includes sleep. To determine the accuracy of sleep duration perception, we investigated 44 healthy subjects participating in multi-day inpatient sleep protocols during which they had extended nighttime and short daytime sleep opportunities but no time cues or knowledge of time of day. METHODS The first sleep opportunity was at habitual sleep time and duration. The subsequent 3, 4, or 11 days had 12-h nighttime sleep opportunities and 4-h daytime nap opportunities, potentially creating an experimentally induced "insomnia" with substantial time awake during scheduled sleep. RESULTS Subjective sleep duration estimates were accurate for the first (habitual) sleep opportunity. The subjective reports following nighttime 12-h sleep opportunities significantly underestimated objective sleep duration, while those following daytime 4-h sleep opportunities significantly overestimated objective sleep duration. Misperception errors were not explained by poor sleep efficiency, which was lower during 4-h (~39%) than 12-h opportunities (~71%). Subjective sleep estimates after 4-h opportunities correlated with the percentage of REM and N3 sleep. Subjective sleep estimates following 12-h opportunities were, unexpectedly, negatively correlated with NREM stage 2 sleep. CONCLUSION The estimation of sleep duration in the absence of time cues may depend on length of sleep opportunity and/or time of day. The results have implications for understanding sleep state misperception, which is an important consideration in patients with insomnia.
The ESA / ESTEC Concurrent Design Facility

The (ESA) performs pre-Phase-A assessment studies as part of the definition of future space missions. To evaluate the benefits of the Concurrent Engineering (CE) approach to these studies an experimental design facility was created in the ESA Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) at the end of 1998 and used to perform the assessment of several missions. This article describes the adopted approach, the experience gained during the studies performed and highlights the benefits of the application of the concurrent engineering approach to space mission assessment and design.
Finding legitimacy for the role of budget impact in drug reimbursement decisions

Objectives: Research has shown that effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and severity of illness each play a role in drug reimbursement decisions. However, the role of budget impact in such decisions is less obvious. Policy makers almost always demand a budget impact estimate yet seem reluctant to formally include budget impact as a rationing criterion. Health economists even reject budget impact as a legitimate criterion. For these reasons, it is important to examine its use in rationing decisions, and rationales underlying its use. Methods: We trace several rationales supporting the use of budget impact through a literature review, supplemented by semistructured interviews with eleven key stakeholders involved in drug reimbursement decisions in the Netherlands. Results: Budget impact arguments are used in certain instances, although policy makers appear uncomfortable with its use because well described rationales still are lacking. In addition, we identify the following rationales to support budget impact as a rationing criterion: opportunity costs, loss aversion, uncertainty and equal opportunity. Conclusions: Budget impact plays a role in drug reimbursement decisions and has rationales to support its use. However, policy makers do not easily admit that they consider budget impact and are even reluctant to explicitly use budget impact as a formal criterion. A debate would strengthen the theoretical foundation of budget impact as a legitimate criterion in the context of drug reimbursement decisions. Such discussion of budget impact's role will also enhance policy-makers' accountability.
Małgorzata Kowalik-Olubińska

Since time immemorial, there has existed a stereotypical way of thinking about the gender, which is the perception of men and women through their typical features and behaviours attributed to them by the society. The gender stereotypes are formed in the process of children’s socialization in their families, preschools, and in their contacts with the mass media. Many researchers contend that during the early childhood boys and girls are socialized into separate and unequal genders. Little boys are taught independence and competence that is highly valued in the western culture. However, little girls are taught to be dependant, and passively and home-oriented features keep to be particularly developed in them. The authors of the article focus on the issue of how gender stereotypes defined by adults are shared by preschool children. The authors have used the Sex Stereotype Measure – SSM II (Best et al., 1977) to describe the knowledge of features typical for the masculinity and femininity stereotypes in 3to 6-year-old children. Basing on the listed 32 features characteristic for men and women, as well as on the story outlines presented in Best et al. (1977) the authors have created 32 stories that contained descriptions of those features. The stories have been presented to the children and then they have been asked to choose a figure (a woman or a man) that, in their opinion, the included description was suitable for. The collected research material has made it possible to calculate the indices of masculinity and femininity, as well as a common index. The data analysis has enabled the authors to formulate some conclusions, including the one that children as early as in their preschool age can share the gender stereotypes defined by adults.
Nemo-Nordic 1.0: a NEMO-based ocean model for the Baltic and North seas – research and operational applications

Abstract. We present Nemo-Nordic, a Baltic and North Sea model based on the NEMO ocean engine. Surrounded by highly industrialized countries, the Baltic and North seas and their assets associated with shipping, fishing and tourism are vulnerable to anthropogenic pressure and climate change. Ocean models providing reliable forecasts and enabling climatic studies are important tools for the shipping infrastructure and to get a better understanding of the effects of climate change on the marine ecosystems. Nemo-Nordic is intended to be a tool for both short-term and long-term simulations and to be used for ocean forecasting as well as process and climatic studies. Here, the scientific and technical choices within Nemo-Nordic are introduced, and the reasons behind the design of the model and its domain and the inclusion of the two seas are explained. The model's ability to represent barotropic and baroclinic dynamics, as well as the vertical structure of the water column, is presented. Biases are shown and discussed. The short-term capabilities of the model are presented, especially its capabilities to represent sea level on an hourly timescale with a high degree of accuracy. We also show that the model can represent longer timescales, with a focus on the major Baltic inflows and the variability in deep-water salinity in the Baltic Sea.
Pefloxacin-Induced Achilles Tendon Toxicity in Rodents: Biochemical Changes in Proteoglycan Synthesis and Oxidative Damage to Collagen

ABSTRACT Despite a relatively low incidence of serious side effects, fluoroquinolones and the fluoroquinolone pefloxacin have been reported to occasionally promote tendinopathy that might result in the complication of spontaneous rupture of tendons. In the present study, we investigated in rodents the intrinsic deleterious effect of pefloxacin (400 mg/kg of body weight) on Achilles tendon proteoglycans and collagen. Proteoglycan synthesis was determined by measurement of in vivo and ex vivo radiosulfate incorporation in mice. Collagen oxidative modifications were measured by carbonyl derivative detection by Western blotting. An experimental model of tendinous ischemia (2 h) and reperfusion (3 days) was achieved in rats. Biphasic changes in proteoglycan synthesis were observed after a single administration of pefloxacin, consisting of an early inhibition followed by a repair-like phase. The depletion phase was accompanied by a marked decrease in the endogenous serum sulfate level and a concomitant increase in the level of sulfate excretion in urine. Studies of ex vivo proteoglycan synthesis confirmed the in vivo results that were obtained. The decrease in proteoglycan anabolism seemed to be a direct effect of pefloxacin on tissue metabolism rather than a consequence of the low concentration of sulfate. Pefloxacin treatment for several days induced oxidative damage of type I collagen, with the alterations being identical to those observed in the experimental tendinous ischemia and reperfusion model. Oxidative damage was prevented by coadministration of N-acetylcysteine (150 mg/kg) to the mice. These results provide the first experimental evidence of a pefloxacin-induced oxidative stress in the Achilles tendon that altered proteoglycan anabolism and oxidized collagen.
Industrial Growth: Does Bank Competition, Concentration and Stability Constraint Matter? Evidence from developed and emerging economies

The paper assesses a controversial issue about the role of bank competition in creating spillover effects on growth of non-banking industries in terms of output and new business creation, using a sample of more than 6,000 banks and 23 industries across 48 economies. Three arguments arise from our evidence. First, we distinguish a state of competition between cooperative and non-cooperative interaction, and identify that non-cooperative bank competition promotes growth robustly, but other measurements of competition fail, suggesting that the state of competition matters for growth. Secondly, when banks compete non-cooperatively for large, the high concentration of leading banks is a result of the competitive process of efficient market selection, rather than market power that reduces competition. Thirdly, bank financial stability constrains lending which affects growth, and the constraint appears harder on growth in developed economies in contrast to emerging markets where the constraint is soft or decoupled from growth.
Differentiation of Mouse Hepatic Progenitor Cells Induced by Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor-4 and Cell Transplantation in Mice With Liver Fibrosis

Background. Hepatocyte nuclear factor-4 (HNF-4) plays a central role in the differentiation process of hepatic cells. We investigated the effects of an overexpression of HNF-4 on hepatic progenitor cells isolated from a fetal mouse liver and transplantation of the cells in a mouse model of liver fibrosis. Methods. Hepatic progenitor cells were isolated from the embryonic day 14.0 fetal mouse livers and were purified by magnetic cell sorting to remove the hematopoietic cells. We transfected adenovirus-mediated HNF-4 into the cells, and analyzed the expressions of the liver-specific functions using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and Northern blotting. HNF-4-overexpressing hepatic progenitor cells were then injected into recipient mice, which were treated with dimethylnitrosamine and 30% partial hepatectomy. Results. After 5 days of culture, the cells located in the center of the aggregates were stained positive for albumin, but the peripheral cells for cytokeratin 19. Adenovirus-mediated HNF-4 gene transfer resulted in increases in the expressions of HNF-4, apolipoprotein (Apo)A1, ApoC3, and pregnane X receptor messenger RNA. The mice treated with HNF-4-transfected progenitor cells survived significantly longer than the control mice (P=0.004). The plasma levels of albumin, total cholesterol, and glucose were higher in the mice treated with cells transfected by HNF-4 than in the control mice. Conclusions. These findings demonstrate that adenovirus-mediated HNF-4 transfection induces the differentiation from hepatic progenitor cells to hepatic parenchymal cells in vitro. These cells may be useful as a source for cell transplantation in liver diseases.
Vibrio cincinnatiensis sp. nov., a new human pathogen

A halophilic gram-negative rod was isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid collected from a 70-year-old male having no known contact with seafood or salt water. Positive biochemical tests included oxidase, sensitivity to 0/129, O-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside, lysine decarboxylase and fermentation of glucose, salicin, n-inositol, sucrose, L-mannose, L-arabinose, and arbutin. Negative tests included indole, ornithine decarboxylase, arginine dihydrolase fermentation of lactose, and production of gelatinase and urease. The DNA base composition was 45.0 mol% guanine plus cytosine. Numerical taxonomy indicated 70% similarity with known reference Vibrio sp. strains. The 5S rRNA sequence for this strain has been determined: 5'-U G C C U G G C G A C C A U A G C G U U U U G G A C C C A C C U G A U U C C A U G C C G A A C U C A G U A G U G A A A C G A A A C A G C G U C G A U G G U A G U G U G G G G U C U C C C C A U G U G A G A G U A G A A C A U C G C C A G G C A U-3'. Based on the phenetic, molecular genetic, and nucleic acid sequencing data, it is concluded that Vibrio cincinnatiensis represents a new species of the genus Vibrio sensu strictu (as defined by 5S rRNA sequencing results). On a basis of 5S rRNA comparative sequence analysis, the organism appears to share a recent common ancestor with V. gazogenes (98% homology) and close ancestry with V. mimicus, V. fluvialis, and V. metschnikovii.
Therapeutic targeting of HER 2-CB 2 R heteromers in HER 2-positive breast cancer

Sandra Blasco-Benito, Estefanía Moreno, Marta Seijo-Vila, Isabel Tundidor, Clara Andradas, María M. Caffarel, Miriam Caro-Villalobos, Leyre Urigüen, Rebeca Diez-Alarcia, Gema Moreno-Bueno, Lucía Hernández, Luis Manso, Patricia Homar, Peter J. McCormick, Lucka Bibic, Cristina Bernadó-Morales, Joaquín Arribas, Meritxell Canals, Vicent Casadó, Enric I. Canela, Manuel Guzmán, Eduardo Pérez-Gómez, Cristina Sánchez
Taxonomy and distribution of four Cladoceran families (Branchiopoda: Cladocera: Moinidae, Bosminidae, Chydoridae and Sididae) in Philippine inland waters

Cladocerans are one of the most abundant groups of zooplankton that serves as food for fishes and as an indicator of aquatic ecosystem health. This paper updates the diversity and distribution of cladocerans in freshwater ecosystems in the Philippines. Samples from the University of Santo Tomas – Zooplankton Reference Collection (UST-ZRC) (collected from 2006 to 2012) together with more recent collections (January to October 2013) were examined and analysed. Results indicate the presence of 16 species from families Moinidae, Bosminidae, Sididae and Chydoridae compared to the 56 species that were reported in previous studies. Moinids and Bosminids were mostly encountered in the islands of Luzon and Mindanao but rarely found in the Visayas islands while family Sididae and Chydoridae were more distributed throughout the archipelago. Family Sididae and Chydoridae are considered as the most diverse and well-distributed of the four families inhabiting Luzon, Mindanao and some of the major islands in Visayas. Though seven species of chydorids have been identified in this study, researchers observed very limited number of individual chydorids in sampling locations where they have been collected. Recent alterations to freshwater ecosystems may have also contributed to the disappearance of some species through changes in water quality and the introduction of non-native species. Though no novel species have been identified from these four families so far, our study provides a better understanding of distribution patterns among these taxa.
E-learning in crative planning processes: relational methods os designing on differentiated types of model

This conference paper examines experimental design exercises on a simulated model in relation to designing on a physical model. In the initial design phases, the process of designing on both a haptic and digital model is analysed with regard to the didactic objectives. In this context, only form-related aesthetic aspects are discussed. The starting point is the didactic necessity of imparting to students the process of designing on spatial models. Reduced to form determination, the question examined is for which aspects of design theory the potentials of real and virtual models, as well as of the interaction of both types, can be exploited.
Poverty Consequences of Globalisation in OIC Countries : A Comparative Analysis

Williamson (2002) points out that ‘the world has seen two globalisation booms over the past two centuries and one bust. The first global century ended with World War I and the second started at the end of World War II, while the years in between were ones of anti-global backlash’. In the first period of globalisation, poverty fell from 84 percent in 1820 to 66 percent in 1910. In the second period of globalisation poverty fell from 55 percent in 1950 to 24 percent in 1992. In the inter-war period, the world population living in poverty remains probably stagnant. The historical negative relationship between globalisation and poverty masks variations within and between countries in their experiences with globalisation. Many decades of increasing globalisation have not yet silenced the debate over the benefits of globalisation. The fierce street protests surrounding the ministerial meeting of the WTO and similar protests at the World Bank and the IMF show that anti-globalisation debate is getting strong. Sala-i-Martin, 2002 notes that poverty rates have declined remarkably over the last twenty years. Sala-i-Martin (2002) finds that the number of one-dollar a day poor declined by 235 million between 1976 and 1998. The number of $2/day poor declined by 450 million over the same period. However performance across regions has been far from uniform. Specifically he finds: Asia has undergone dramatic improvements, particularly after 1980. Latin America reduced poverty substantially in the 1970s but that effectively stopped in the 1980s and 1990s. Africa has been a disaster area with respect to poverty as poverty rates in this region have increased substantially over the last thirty years. In Africa, the number of $2/day poor increased by 227 million and the number of $1/day poor increased by 175 million over the period 1970-1998. In 1960, 11 percent of the world’s poor lived in Africa while by 1998 that proportion had risen to 66 percent. In order to understand the impact of trade liberalisation on poverty in the literature two different strands of argumentation: static and dynamic, have been provided. First, according to static argument, the central effect on poverty is assumed to come from the effects on real wages of the unskilled workers, endowed with labour but no human or financial capital. Since developing countries are abundant with unskilled labour, a rise in exports based on labour intensive production techniques leads to a rise in real wage rate of unskilled worker that is instrumental in reducing poverty and income inequality. This, in
Study of the dielectric behaviour of non-uniformly polluted insulators

The aim of this paper is to investigate the dielectric behaviour of polluted insulators. For the purposes of this investigation a mathematical model has been developed that is suitable for calculations under uniform pollution as well as under non-uniform one. Three types of porcelain insulators are examined. Two of them are cap-and-pin suspension insulators and the last one is of fog-type. The flashover process is simulated by means of a computer program, which uses as data experimental results from other researchers. The pollution layer across the surface of the insulator is simulated using measurements of the natural pollution distribution on insulators, being installed in overhead lines. On the other hand, valuable measurements of the flashover voltage of insulators under artificial uniform pollution are used in order to determine the parameters of the arc. The model simulates the surface of the insulator by means of finite elements, uniformly contaminated, across the creepage length. Other data are not required, except the dimensions of the insulator, since the model computes the distribution of the pollution layer and the arc constants from the available experiments. Finally, the critical voltage of the insulator is defined under various distributions of the pollution and under the respective total pollutant deposits on the insulator surface.
Mechanisms of cancer pain 2 . 1 Neurotrophins

Cancerous cells can originate in a number of different tissues such as prostate, breast and lung, yet often go undetected and are non-painful. Many types of cancers will metastasize toward the bone microenvironment first. Tumor burden within the bone causes excruciating breakthrough pain with properties of continual pain inadequately managed with current analgesics. Part of this failure is due to the poor understanding of the etiology of cancer pain. Animal models of cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP) have revealed that the neurochemistry of cancer has features distinctive from other chronic pain states. For example, preclinical models of metastatic cancer often result in the upregulation of neurotrophins, such as NGF and BDNF that can lead to nociceptive sensitization. Preclinical cancer models demonstrate nociceptive neuronal expression of acid sensing receptors, such as ASIC1 and TRPV1 that respond to a significant increase in an acidic cancer-induced environment within the bone. CIBP is correlated with a significant increase in pro-inflammatory mediators acting peripherally and centrally, contributing to neuronal hypersensitive states. And finally, cancer cells generate high levels of oxidative molecules that are thought to significantly increase extracellular glutamate, thus activating primary afferent neurons. Knowledge of the unique neuro-molecular profile of cancer pain will ultimately lead to the development of novel and superior therapeutics for CIBP.
Differential participation of hippocampal formation in cocaine‐induced cortical electroencephalographic desynchronization and penile erection in the rat

We evaluated the role of the hippocampal formation in cocaine‐induced cortical electroencephalographic (EEG) desynchronization and penile erection. Adult, male Sprague‐Dawley rats anesthetized and maintained by chloral hydrate were used. Intravenous (1.5 or 3.0 mg/kg) administration of cocaine dose‐dependently increased intracavernous pressure (ICP), our experimental index for penile erection. This was accompanied by desynchronization of EEG activity recorded from the somatosensory cortex (cEEG), as represented by a decrease in root mean square (RMS) and an increase in mean power frequency (MPF) values. There was a simultaneous increase in the RMS values, without significant changes in the MPF values of EEG signals recorded from the hippocampal formation (hEEG). In animals that received prior application of 10% xylocaine either intrathecally (i.t.) at the L6–S1 spinal levels or directly into the bilateral hippocampal formation, the RMS values of both cEEG and hEEG signals induced by cocaine (1.5 or 3.0 mg/kg, i.v.) were appreciably reduced, along with a further increase in ICP. Unilateral microinjection of cocaine (15 or 30 μg) into the hippocampal formation elicited discernible excitation of both cEEG and hEEG signals. Intriguingly, the ICP underwent a significant and dose‐dependent reduction, which was discernibly antagonized by i.t. application of xylocaine. We conclude that cocaine may effect cortical EEG desynchronization but cause a reduction in ICP via an action on the hippocampal formation. Synapse 30:140–149, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.