Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Upregulation of Cystathionine β-Synthetase Expression Contributes to Visceral Hyperalgesia Induced by Heterotypic Intermittent Stress in Rats

Background Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) functions as a neuromodulator, but whether it modulates visceral pain is not well known. This study was designed to determine the role for the endogenous H2S producing enzyme cystathionine β-synthetase (CBS) and cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) in a validated rat model of visceral hyperalgesia (VH). Methods VH was induced by nine-day heterotypic intermittent stress (HIS). Abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scores were determined by measuring the visceromoter responses to colorectal distension (CRD). Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons innervating the colon were labeled by injection of DiI (1,1'-dioleyl-3,3,3',3-tetramethylindocarbocyanine methanesulfonate) into the colon wall. Patch clamp recording techniques were employed to examine excitability and sodium channel currents of colon specific DRG neurons. Tissues from colon related thoracolumbar DRGs were analyzed for CBS, CSE and sodium channel expression. Results HIS significantly increased the visceromotor responses to CRD in association with an upregulated expression of CBS not CSE proteins in colon related DRGs. Administration of O-(Carboxymethyl)hydroxylamine hemihydrochloride (AOAA), an inhibitor of CBS, attenuated the AWR scores in HIS-treated rats, in a dose dependent fashion. In contrast, AOAA did not produce any effect on AWR scores in healthy control rats. AOAA reversed the potentiation of sodium channel current densities of colon specific DRG neurons of HIS rats. To further confirm the role for CBS-H2S signaling, NaHS was used to mimic the production of H2S by CBS. Application of NaHS significantly enhanced neuronal excitability and potentiated sodium channel current densities of colon DRG neurons from healthy control rats. Furthermore, AOAA reversed the upregulation of NaV1.7 and NaV1.8 in colon related DRGs of HIS rats. Conclusion Our results suggest that upregulation of CBS expression might play an important role in developing VH via sensitization of sodium channels in peripheral nociceptors, thus identifying a specific neurobiological target for the treatment of VH in functional bowel syndromes.
Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Activity in Type 2 Diabetes: A Different Relationship With Coronary Heart Disease and Diabetic Retinopathy

Background—Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, a key regulator of fibrinolysis, is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and is a potential therapeutic target for CHD. However, the relationship between PAI-1 and the most common diabetic microvascular complication, retinopathy, is unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between PAI-1 activity and both retinopathy and CHD in type 2 diabetes. Methods and Results—We determined PAI-1 activity and both retinopathy (assessed by masked grading of 3-field retinal photographs) and CHD status (assessed by ECG and standard questionnaires) in 147 men and women with type 2 diabetes, mean age (SD) 64 (7) years, in a cross-sectional setting. Plasma PAI-1 activity was inversely associated with prevalent retinopathy (P=0.006) and severity of retinopathy (P=0.022), and was associated with lower risk of diabetic retinopathy, independent of major retinopathy risk factors (duration of diabetes and HbA1c) and determinants of PAI-1 (obesity and triglyceride level) (OR 0.74 [0.60 to 0.92], P=0.006). Conversely, higher plasma PAI-1 activity was independently associated with greater risk of CHD, after adjusting for the major CHD risk factors and determinants of PAI-1 (OR 1.31 [1.06 to 1.62], P=0.001). Conclusion—These data support mounting evidence that a higher PAI-1 plasma level is independently associated with a lower risk of retinopathy but a higher risk of CHD in type 2 diabetes.
Rheem: Enabling Multi-Platform Task Execution

Many emerging applications, from domains such as healthcare and oil & gas, require several data processing systems for complex analytics. This demo paper showcases system, a framework that provides multi-platform task execution for such applications. It features a three-layer data processing abstraction and a new query optimization approach for multi-platform settings. We will demonstrate the strengths of system by using real-world scenarios from three different applications, namely, machine learning, data cleaning, and data fusion.
Attitude control of rigid body via input-to-state stability and small-gain theorem

A robust nonlinear attitude control approach is proposed based on input-to-state stability (ISS) and small-gain theorem. The angle rate command profiles are designed via ISS, which provide desired angle velocities to achieve robust tracking of the expectable attitude angles. Then, an attitude control law is designed by utilizing small-gain theorem to enforce the commands and guarantee that the closed-loop system is input-to-state practically stable (ISpS) with respect to the bounded uncertainties and unknown disturbances. Finally, the algorithm is tested using computer simulations.
Parental tobacco smoking behaviour and their children's smoking and cessation in adulthood.

AIMS To examine the extent to which childhood exposure to parental tobacco smoking, smoking cessation and parental disapproval of smoking predicts daily smoking and attempts to quit in adulthood. DESIGN A longitudinal prospective design was used to examine the possible association between parental smoking variables in childhood and adolescence and subsequent smoking and cessation by age 26 years. PARTICIPANTS Interview data were collected as part of a longitudinal study of some 950 individuals followed from birth to age 26 years. Outcome measures were daily smoking and self-reported attempts to quit smoking. FINDINGS Less daily smoking among the participants at age 26 was related more strongly to parental smoking cessation in the adolescent years than the childhood years. By contrast, inconsistent advice about smoking in childhood and adolescence predicted later daily smoking. Cessation attempts to age 26 were unrelated to earlier parental quitting but were related to consistent advice in adolescence from both parents about smoking. CONCLUSIONS Encouraging parents to voice consistent messages about their disapproval of smoking has a significant role to play in discouraging smoking in their adult children and promoting attempt to quit where their children are smokers.
Age as a Criterion for Setting Priorities in Health Care? A Survey of the German Public View

Although the German health care system has budget constraints similar to many other countries worldwide, a discussion on prioritization has not gained the attention of the public yet. To probe the acceptance of priority setting in medicine, a quantitative survey representative for the German public (n = 2031) was conducted. Here we focus on the results for age, a highly disputed criterion for prioritizing medical services. This criterion was investigated using different types of questionnaire items, from abstract age-related questions to health care scenarios, and discrete choice settings, all performed within the same sample. Several explanatory variables were included to account for differences in preference; in particular, interviewee's own age but also his or her sex, socioeconomic status, and health status. There is little evidence that the German public accepts age as a criterion to prioritize health care services.
Effect of the ATP-binding cassette drug transporters ABCB1, ABCG2, and ABCC2 on erlotinib hydrochloride (Tarceva) disposition in in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies employing Bcrp1−/−/Mdr1a/1b−/− (triple-knockout) and wild-type mice

We tested whether erlotinib hydrochloride (Tarceva, OSI-774), an orally active epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is a substrate for the ATP-binding cassette drug transporters P-glycoprotein (P-gp; MDR1, ABCB1), breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP; ABCG2), and multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2; ABCC2) in vitro and whether P-gp and BCRP affect the oral pharmacokinetics of erlotinib hydrochloride in vivo. In vitro cell survival, drug transport, accumulation, and efflux of erlotinib were done using Madin-Darby canine kidney II [MDCKII; wild-type (WT), MDR1, Bcrp1, and MRP2] and LLCPK (WT and MDR1) cells and monolayers as well as the IGROV1 and the derived human BCRP-overexpressing T8 cell lines. In vivo, the pharmacokinetics of erlotinib after p.o. and i.p. administration was studied in Bcrp1/Mdr1a/1b−/− (triple-knockout) and WT mice. In vitro, erlotinib was actively transported by P-gp and BCRP/Bcrp1. No active transport of erlotinib by MRP2 was observed. In vivo, systemic exposure (P = 0.01) as well as bioavailability of erlotinib after oral administration (5 mg/kg) were statistically significantly increased in Bcrp1/Mdr1a/1b−/− knockout mice (60.4%) compared with WT mice (40.0%; P = 0.02). Conclusion: Erlotinib is transported efficiently by P-gp and BCRP/Bcrp1 in vitro. In vivo, absence of P-gp and Bcrp1 significantly affected the oral bioavailability of erlotinib. Possible clinical consequences for drug-drug and drug-herb interactions in patients in the gut between P-gp/BCRP-inhibiting substrates and oral erlotinib need to be addressed. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(8):2280–7]
An environment for integrating subjective and objective usability findings based on measures

The last decade marked the development of a large number of tools for assessing the usability of user interfaces. Those tools are based on different subjective and objective methods. For obtaining a good assessment of usability, integrating findings in a single and complementary manner, is promising. In this paper, we present an evaluation support environment that addresses this issue. This environment is built on the concepts of measurement information model defined by ISO/IEC 15939 standard. This model goes from the collection of base measures extracted from specific evaluation tools to the definition of indicators. These indicators provide a basis framework that integrates measures and supports decision-making. The environment contributes to automate the collection and analysis of measures. Further, it supports the interpretation of results and allows detecting accurate usability problems. Finally, it gives some recommendations for enhancing user interfaces. The feasibility and the execution of the environment are presented into a case study for assessing a traffic supervision system.
Effects of halothane on single atrial, ventricular, and Purkinje fibers.

The action of halothane on sinoatrial, ventricular, and Purkinje fibers was studied by means of intracellular microelectrodes. Rabbit atrial fibers were not very sensitive to even high (2%) concentrations of halothane. Sheep Purkinje fibers showed a significant hyperpolarization from 82 mv to 87 mv, a marked shortening of the duration of the action potential from 370 msec to 233 msec, and a diminution of the overshoot from 30 mv to 21 mv under the influence of 1% halothane. The rate of rise was not significantly changed with this concentration. In the presence of 2% halothane the resting potential did not differ significantly from the value obtained with 1% halothane. The duration of the action potential and of the refractory period were further diminished to 165 msec and to 109 msec, respectively. The rate of rise was now significantly reduced to 245 v/sec and the overshoot further decreased to 17 mv. Conduction time was increased by about 20% with 1% halothane and more than twofold with 2% halothane. Ventricular fibers of sheep did not show significant changes of the resting potential under the influence of 2% halothane. However, the duration of the action potential was markedly shortened from 338 msec to 231 msec, the effective refractory period was significantly reduced from 295 msec to 208 msec, and the overshoot decreased from 21 mv to 11 mv. Possible mechanisms underlying these changes and which may cause arrhythmias are discussed. ADDITIONAL
Oldest skeleton of a plesiadapiform provides additional evidence for an exclusively arboreal radiation of stem primates in the Palaeocene

Palaechthonid plesiadapiforms from the Palaeocene of western North America have long been recognized as among the oldest and most primitive euarchontan mammals, a group that includes extant primates, colugos and treeshrews. Despite their relatively sparse fossil record, palaechthonids have played an important role in discussions surrounding adaptive scenarios for primate origins for nearly a half-century. Likewise, palaechthonids have been considered important for understanding relationships among plesiadapiforms, with members of the group proposed as plausible ancestors of Paromomyidae and Microsyopidae. Here, we describe a dentally associated partial skeleton of Torrejonia wilsoni from the early Palaeocene (approx. 62 Ma) of New Mexico, which is the oldest known plesiadapiform skeleton and the first postcranial elements recovered for a palaechthonid. Results from a cladistic analysis that includes new data from this skeleton suggest that palaechthonids are a paraphyletic group of stem primates, and that T. wilsoni is most closely related to paromomyids. New evidence from the appendicular skeleton of T. wilsoni fails to support an influential hypothesis based on inferences from craniodental morphology that palaechthonids were terrestrial. Instead, the postcranium of T. wilsoni indicates that it was similar to that of all other plesiadapiforms for which skeletons have been recovered in having distinct specializations consistent with arboreality.
Using Latent Semantic Analysis of Email to Detect Change in Social Groups

Email text data is a rich resource that, when properly used, may enhance warning of economically material events in commercial enterprises. Armed with the temporal text classification of an email time stamp on a large data set, we combine latent semantic analysis with statistical process control, to detect potential change in sentiment. A novel approach to identifying the causes of change is proposed by averaging concept scores across statistically significant time periods and then performing an inverse singular valued decomposition. The resulting term by significant time period matrix, is used to explore potential causes of change and are compared to historical events. Our findings suggest that causes for significant change in semantic intent can be identified in some circumstances. On a dataset of 50,000 unique emails from Enron, we demonstrate this novel approach to investigate semantic change in email text data.
The Effect of Reference Group Classification and Change in Alcohol Consumption on the Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease

BACKGROUND Many studies suggest that mild alcohol consumption can help avert cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study investigated the association between alcohol consumption and CVD incidence, and assessed whether this differed by reference group classification. As alcohol consumption amounts may change over time, the results of simple and time-dependent analyses were compared. METHODS Data were from a community-based cohort study on 40- to 69-year-old Koreans recruited in 2001 to 2002. A total of 8,330 participants were followed up for 10 years and classed as nondrinkers (0 g/d), drinker group 1 (<15 g/d), and drinker group 2 (≥15 g/d). The risk of CVD, including myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease, was compared among groups using simple and time-dependent Cox analysis. Occasional drinkers (<2.5 g/d), nondrinkers, and lifetime abstainers were used as comparison reference groups. RESULTS Simple Cox analysis indicated that drinker group 1 exhibited a significantly lower risk of myocardial infarction (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.21, 0.92) and coronary artery disease (HR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.4, 0.94) than nondrinkers. Time-dependent analysis based on alcohol consumption change showed that the beneficial effects of drinker group 1 were significant only for myocardial infarction, not for coronary artery disease. The benefits did not change significantly when either nondrinkers or lifetime abstainers were the reference group. However, when occasional drinkers were included in the reference group, the benefits of drinker group 1 were not significant for myocardial infarction (HR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.29, 1.45) or coronary artery disease (HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.42, 1.19). Occasional drinkers and drinkers had more similar sociodemographic characteristics than did nondrinkers and drinkers. CONCLUSIONS Further studies on alcohol consumption and its effects on health must use repeated measurement to define drinking status, as simple and time-dependent analyses can show different alcohol consumption risks. These findings do not indicate a beneficial effect of drinking <15 g/d when occasional drinkers and nondrinkers are included in the reference group.
Verifying Geostatistical Travel Time Properties on Routing Networks

Nowadays, many systems are increasingly relying on interconnected, geolocated, and mobile devices. In order to cope with this, geographical information system (GIS) have evolved to precisely capture not only the spatial characteristics of real world transportation networks but also temporal dimension, including the variability of travel duration related to traffic jams. This paper explores the verification of a number of interesting spatiotemporal properties identified from a set of real world cases and expressed on enriched GIS data structures. It details our progress on developing efficient algorithmic modules to verifying such properties. We have applied our algorithms on the medical emergency infrastructures deployed in Belgium.
Developmental dysplasia of the hip

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a spectrum of anatomical abnormalities of the hip joint in which the femoral head has an abnormal relationship with the acetabulum. Most studies report an incidence of 1 to 34 cases per 1,000 live births and differences could be due to different diagnostic methods and timing of evaluation. Risk factors include first born status, female sex, positive family history, breech presentation and oligohydramnios. Clinical presentations of DDH depend on the age of the child. Newborns present with hip instability, infants have limited hip abduction on examination, and older children and adolescents present with limping, joint pain, and/or osteoarthritis. Repeated, careful examination of all infants from birth and throughout the first year of life until the child begins walking is important to prevent late cases. Provocative testing includes the Barlow and Ortolani maneuvers. Other signs, such as shorting of the femur with hips and knees flexed (Galeazzi sign), asymmetry of the thigh or gluteal folds, and discrepancy of leg lengths are potential clues. Treatment depends on age at presentation and outcomes are much better when the child is treated early, particularly during the first six months of life.
Cognitive behavioural therapy for major psychiatric disorder: does it really work? A meta-analytical review of well-controlled trials

Background Although cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is claimed to be effective in schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder, there have been negative findings in well-conducted studies and meta-analyses have not fully considered the potential influence of blindness or the use of control interventions. Method We pooled data from published trials of CBT in schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder that used controls for non-specific effects of intervention. Trials of effectiveness against relapse were also pooled, including those that compared CBT to treatment as usual (TAU). Blinding was examined as a moderating factor. Results CBT was not effective in reducing symptoms in schizophrenia or in preventing relapse. CBT was effective in reducing symptoms in major depression, although the effect size was small, and in reducing relapse. CBT was ineffective in reducing relapse in bipolar disorder. Conclusions CBT is no better than non-specific control interventions in the treatment of schizophrenia and does not reduce relapse rates. It is effective in major depression but the size of the effect is small in treatment studies. On present evidence CBT is not an effective treatment strategy for prevention of relapse in bipolar disorder.
Accreation and breakup of planetesimals in atmospheres of protoplanets

Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Modellierung der Akkretionsphase von Protoplaneten. Die Arbeit befasst sich mit der Fragestellung, ob denn alle Planetesimale, unterschiedlicher Grose und Starke, die Oberflache eines Protoplaneten erreichen oder aufgrund Aufbruch und thermischer Ablation sich bereits in der primaren Atmosphare vollstandig "auflosen".
The Code Book : The Evolution of Secrecy from Mary , Queen of Scots to Quantum Cryptography

coherent exposition difficult. Almost every war, however, has notable instances where some cipher message solution foils a plot or wins a battle. Here it is easy to connect the cryptographic or cryptanalytic technicalities with particular historical events, but a book that relies too much on such instances becomes in effect no more than an adventure story anthology. So it is no surprise that there are few general surveys of the history of cryptography and fewer good ones. The rule of thumb seems to be one new book every thirty years. In 1902 and 1906 Alois Meister published his immensely scholarly Die Anfänge der Modernen Diplomatischen Geheimschrift and Die Geheimschrift im Dienste der Päpstlichen Kurie, reproducing and summarizing texts relevant to cryptography in the late medieval and early modern periods. The readership cannot have been large. At the opposite extreme of readability was the 1939 Secret and Urgent: The Story of Codes and Ciphers by the journalist and naval affairs commentator Fletcher Pratt. The book presented a breezy series of thrilling anecdotal historical episodes involving ciphers and code-breaking exploits. Each episode came complete with Sunday supplement-style character sketches and just the
Leptin Expression in the Rat Ovary Depends on Estrous Cycle

Leptin is a hormone originally identified in adipocytes. It is involved in the regulation of fat deposition and energy expenditure and in other functions, such as reproduction. The presence of leptin has been reported in several reproductive organs. However, few studies have addressed its expression in the ovary. Moreover, the existing information is not consistent with regard to the particular cell types responsible for leptin expression. In this work we studied the distribution of leptin in the rat ovary by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH). Leptin staining was found in steroid-producing cells: thecal, luteal, and interstitial cells. The strongest signal with both techniques was found in the cytoplasm of oocytes. A weak reaction for leptin mRNA was detected in granulosa of all growing follicles, although leptin protein was found only in the mature follicle. Western blotting analysis detects a strongly reactive 16-kD band, giving further support to the presence of leptin in the rat ovary. Variations in this immunoreactive band were found throughout the estrous cycle. Localization of leptin in the ovary may contribute to a better understanding of female reproductive function.