Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of sympathetic neural regulation of insulin, somatostatin, and glucagon secretion.

The effects of electrical stimulation of the left splanchnic nerve on insulin, somatostatin, and glucagon secretion from the isolated perfused rat pancreas were investigated. Electrical splanchnic nerve stimulation (SNS), performed by square-wave impulses, produced a 25% decrease in effluent flow and a 10-fold increase in perfusate norepinephrine. Both insulin and somatostatin output in the presence of 16.7 mM glucose were inhibited during SNS by 85 and 56% of the basal value, respectively. Glucagon output in the presence of 5.5 mM glucose was stimulated 20-fold by SNS. Perfusion with 10(-6) M propranolol further decreased insulin and somatostatin output during SNS, when expressed as the total decrement beneath basal during stimulation. The glucagon response to SNS tended to be enhanced, although not significantly, by simultaneous infusion of 10(-6) M propranolol. However, 10(-6) M phentolamine (Phe) attenuated the SNS-induced inhibition of insulin and somatostatin output by 50 and 40%, respectively. However, insulin output remained decreased after SNS with Phe. The SNS-induced glucagon response was completely abolished by 10(-6) M Phe alone or by 10(-6) M Phe plus 10(-6) M propranolol. With 10(-6) M Phe plus 10(-6) M propranolol, insulin and somatostatin output remained decreased after SNS. These results suggest that insulin and somatostatin secretions induced by glucose are inhibited during SNS through the alpha-adrenergic mechanism and also that the beta-adrenergic mechanism exerts a stimulatory action. SNS-induced glucagon secretion occurs mainly through alpha-adrenergic activation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Fructose‐1,6‐bisphosphate, when given immediately before reoxygenation, or before injury, does not ameliorate hypoxic ischemic injury to the central nervous system in the newborn pig

Background and MethodsWe demonstrated earlier in our laboratories that fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate (FDP) would improve the outcome of hypoxic ischemic injury to the brain in the adult rabbit. Since many human newborns suffer hypoxic injury to the brain, with a secondary ischemic component due to hypoxic cardiac failure, we set out to reproduce similar experiments in newborn piglets. Hypoxic ischemic CNS damage was induced by ligating both carotid arteries and reducing BP to 66% of normal for 30 min; in the last 15 min, FIO2 was reduced to 0.6. Twelve piglets were randomized to receive either 175 mg/kg of FDP in the last 5 min before reoxygenation or the equivalent volume of saline. The other 20 piglets received 75 mg/kg of FDP in the 5 min immediately before carotid ligation, followed by 1.8 mg/kg·min continuous infusion for the 30 min of hypoxia and ischemia or an equivalent volume of saline. ResultsThere were no significant differences in the neurologic exam scores or pathologic exam scores between the FDP and control animals at either dose level. ConclusionIn this animal model, FDP at the doses given was not effective in ameliorating hypoxic ischemic injury to the CNS. (Crit Care Med 1990; 19:75)
Sodium-dependent transport of L-leucine in membrane vesicles prepared from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Membrane vesicles were prepared by osmotic lysis of spheroplasts of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain P14, and the active transport of amino acids was studied. D-Glucose, gluconate, and L-malate supported active transport of various L-amino acids. The respiration-dependent leucine transport was markedly stimulated by Na+. Moreover, without any respiratory substrate, leucine was also transported transiently by the addition of Na+ alone. This transient uptake of leucine was not inhibited either by carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethyoxyphenylhydrazone or by valinomycin, but was completely abolished by gramicidin D. Increase in the concentration of Na+ of the medium resulted in a decrease of the Km for L-leucine transport, whereas the Vmax was not significnatly affected. Active transport of leucine was inhibited competitively by isoleucine or by valine, whose transport was also stimulated by Na+. On the other hand, Na+ was not required for the uptake of other L-amino acids tested, but rather was inhibitory for some of them. These results show (i) that a common transport system for branched-chain amino acids exists in membrane vesicles, (ii) that the system requires Na+ for its activity, and (iii) that an Na+ gradient can drive the system.
Wnt-5a signaling restores tamoxifen sensitivity in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cells

One third of all breast cancers are estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) negative, carry a poor overall prognosis, and do not respond well to currently available endocrine therapies. New treatment strategies are therefore required. Loss of Wnt-5a has previously been correlated with loss of ERα in clinical breast cancer samples, and we sought to investigate this association further. Three breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, and 4T1) lacking expression of ERα and Wnt-5a, and one breast cancer cell line (T47D) expressing both proteins were used in this study. Wnt-5a signaling was generated in ERα-negative cell lines via stimulation with either recombinant Wnt-5a protein or a Wnt-5a-derived hexapeptide (Foxy-5) possessing Wnt-5a signaling properties. ERα expression was restored at both mRNA and protein level, after treatment with recombinant Wnt-5a or Foxy-5. This restoration of expression occurred in parallel with a reduction in methylation of the ERα promoter. Up-regulated ERα could be activated, initiate transcription of progesterone receptor and pS2, and activate an estrogen response element reporter construct. Significantly, breast cancer cells re-expressing ERα responded to treatment with the selective estrogen receptor modulator tamoxifen, as measured by induction of apoptosis and cell growth inhibition. Finally, Foxy-5 also increased ERα expression in an in vivo model of ERα-negative breast cancer. This represents the first evidence that Wnt-5a signaling acts to re-establish ERα expression in ERα-negative breast cancer cells. Our data suggest that combinatorial therapy with Foxy-5 and tamoxifen should be considered as a future treatment possibility for ERα-negative breast cancer patients.
An Indoor TV White Space Resource Collecting and APs Locations Selecting Scheme

Along with the explosive growth of mobile terminal (MT), wireless network has been used more and more extensive. However, the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) in some scenarios such as large-area and mass MT, it can not satisfy the users demands. Different from the WLAN communicate frequency and characteristic, TV signal frequency has more advantages due to the low frequency. To solve the wireless spectrum shortage problem, Federal Communication Commission (FCC) permit the unlicensed user to use the TV white space (TVWS)since 2008. In this paper, we first propose Fast-Fine Real-Time Sensin(FFRTS) method to measure and process the TVWS resource. The FFRTS is based on real-time TVWS sensing which includes both fast and fine sensing. Then we design a algorithm to choose the maximum average throughput point as the priority choices to deploy access point (AP). At last, we use the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) and GNU Radio to collect the real-time data, and process the data by Python module Pandas.
Novel FDSOI band-modulation device: Z2-FET with Dual Ground Planes

A novel sharp switching Z2-FET DGP device (Zero Impact Ionization and Zero Subthreshold Slope FET with Dual Ground Planes) relying on band modulation mechanism is presented in this paper. The device is fabricated in the most advanced FDSOI (Fully Depleted SOI) technology with Ultra-Thin Body and Buried Oxide (UTBB). The Z2-FET DGP is an upgraded version of Z2-FET. It features sharp on-switch, adjustable triggering voltage (Vt1), and wide hysteresis useful for 1T-DRAM memory.
Modelling changes in the components of eggs from broiler breeders over time

Abstract 1. Because the components of the egg differ in nutrient content, and the proportions of these components change over time, the daily intake of nutrients required to produce an egg will also change with time. Information on these relationships is essential when attempting to determine the nutrient requirements of a broiler breeder hen at different stages of lay, and in predicting performance when the hen is supplied with a given amount of food with a given nutrient composition. 2. Yolk weight is related to hen age and may be predicted using a linear-by-linear function, the coefficients of which are the same for Cobb and Ross breeders. Allometric functions may be used to predict albumen weight from yolk weight, and shell weight from the weight of the egg contents. Egg weight is given by the sum of the three components. 3. The proportion of yolk increased with advancing age whilst the proportions of albumen and shell decreased. However, at a given age, larger eggs contain proportionally more albumen. Eggs from Cobb hens had proportionately more albumen than Ross eggs towards the end of lay. 4. A stochastic population model verified that these functions accurately reflect the proportional changes in the egg components with advancing hen age and at a given age, over a range of egg weights.
Overview of Alcoholic De Addictioni Adolescents

Alcohol and other drug use among adolescents has been a public health problem for decades. Although some substance use is developmentally routine, a number of adolescents meet the criteria for a substance use disorder and could significantly benefit from excellent treatment programs. However, parents and health care providers want confirmation of the efficacy of adolescent-specific alcohol treatment programs . The factors surrounding issues regarding the efficacy of current adolescent treatment programs are as follows, adolescent-specific treatment services specific to adolescents; the variety of therapeutic modalities; post treatment relapse and recovery rates; and the need for evidence-based, quality assessments and research. Current Adolescent alcohol treatment efforts are summarized, with regard to the efficacy of adolescent treatment and recovery rates.
Under- and Over-Reaction from Relative and Aggregate Overconfidence

This paper offers a continuous time, general equilibrium model where a risky asset is traded among risk-averse overconfident investors. Two kinds of overconfidence are introduced: investors exhibit relative overconfidence if each investor believes her model is better than others' and aggregate overconfidence if they believe signals have more information content than those in the true model. Relative overconfidence creates market price underreaction, while aggregate overconfidence generates overreaction. Excess trading volume is generated from relative overconfidence but not aggregate overconfidence. A high equity premium and excess price change volatility result from aggregate overconfidence in the early stages of investors' extrapolation of information, but not in the steady state.
Can We Perform Distal Nerve Block Instead of Brachial Plexus Nerve Block Under Ultrasound Guidance for Hand Surgery?

OBJECTIVE Distal nerve blocks are used in the event of unsuccessful blocks as rescue techniques. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the sufficiency for anesthesia of distal nerve block without the need for deep sedation or general anesthesia. The secondary purpose was to compare block performance times, block onset times, and patient and surgeon satisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients who underwent hand surgery associated with the innervation area of the radial and median nerves were included in the study. Thirty-four patients who were 18-65 years old and American Society of Anesthesiologists grade I-III and who were scheduled for elective hand surgery under conscious nerve block anesthesia were randomly included in an infraclavicular block group (Group I, n=17) or a radial plus median block group (Group RM, n=17). The block performance time, block onset time, satisfaction of the patient and surgeon, and number of fentanyl administrations were recorded. RESULTS The numbers of patients who needed fentanyl administration and conversion to general anesthesia were the same in Group I and Group RM and there was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05). The demographics, surgery times, tourniquet times, block perfomance times, and patient and surgeon satisfaction of the groups were similar and there were no statistically significant differences (p>0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in block onset times between the groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Conscious hand surgery can be performed under distal nerve block anesthesia safely and successfully.
Hepadnaviral assembly is initiated by polymerase binding to the encapsidation signal in the viral RNA genome.

Hepadnaviruses, as well as other pararetroviruses, express their pol (P) gene product unfused to the preceding core gene implying that these retroelements have developed a mechanism for initiating assembly and replication that is principally different from the one used by retroviruses and retrotransposons. We have analysed this mechanism for the human hepatitis B virus by using a newly developed, highly sensitive detection method based upon radiolabelling of the P protein at newly introduced target sites for protein kinase A. The results obtained demonstrate that polymerase encapsidation depends on the concomittant encapsidation of the HBV RNA pregenome and that packaging of the viral RNA, in turn, depends on the presence of P protein. Loss of P protein encapsidation by mutations inactivating the HBV RNA encapsidation signal epsilon could be compensated by trans‐complementation with recombinant RNA molecules carrying the epsilon sequence. Thus, in contrast to retroviral replication, the interaction of the hepadnaviral P protein and the RNA genome at its packaging signal appears to be crucial for initiating the formation of replication‐competent nucleocapsids. Furthermore, RNA control of P protein packaging stringently limits the number of polymerase molecules that can be encapsidated.
Impairment of gamma carboxylation of circulating osteocalcin (bone gla protein) in elderly women

Osteocalcin, also called bone gla protein, is a unique noncollagenous protein of the extracellular matrix of bone that circulates in blood. Oseteocalcin contains three residues of the vitamin K‐dependent γ‐carboxyglutamic acid (gla) responsible for the affinity of osteocalcin for bone mineral. In animals treated with the vitamin K antagonist warfarin, the osteocalcin content of bone is markedly reduced and the fraction of osteocalcin released into the circulation is increased. Most studies have shown that osteocalcin increases with aging in women, reflecting an increase in bone turnover, especially after the menopause. To determine if this increase in osteocalcin could be associated with impaired carboxylation, we measured total and noncarboxylated osteocalcin in the serum of 72 women of various ages: 22 premenopausal (31 ± 7 years old), 20 early postmenopausal (54 ± 3 years), and 30 elderly women (85 ± 8 years). As previously reported, total serum osteocalcin was significantly increased in early postmenopausal and elderly women. Noncarboxylated serum osteocalcin was slightly increased in early postmenopausal women (0.95 ± 0.4 versus 0.65 ± 0.5 ng/ml in premenopausal women), markedly elevated in elderly women (1.59 ± 1.1 ng/ml, p < 0.001), and correlated with age (r = 0.47, p < 0.001). Elderly women had values of the same magnitude as in 10 patients on chronic warfarin therapy (1.94 ± 1.1 ng/ml). As a consequence, the increase in carboxylated serum osteocalcin was significant in early postmenopausal women but not in elderly women. Serum levels of vitamin K1 and of menaquinones 6, 7, and 8 were measured in some of the young and elderly women. No difference was found, which does not suggest a major vitamin K deficiency in elderly women. Conversely, our data may be related to an inadequate recycling of vitamin K or to an intrinsic defect of the carboxylation system within the osteoblasts of elderly people. In conclusion, we have shown that circulating osteocalcin is undercarboxylated in elderly women through an unknown mechanism, suggesting a decrease in the osteocalcin content of bone. Further studies should be conducted to determine the importance of these abnormalities in the pathogenesis of the bone loss occurring with aging.
Retention of Community College Students: An Examination of Related Student and Institutional Characteristics of First-Year Community College Students

BALKCUM, KIMBERLY SHARON. Retention of Community College Students: An Examination of Related Student and Institutional Characteristics of First-Year Community College Students. (Under the direction of Siu-Man Raymond Ting). Effective retention strategies are the cornerstone of creating a positive learning climate and a successful college experience in higher education. In an effort to provide an education to all people through an open-door admissions policy, community colleges face the unique challenge of maintaining educational standards while at the same time retaining a diverse group of students who are often under-prepared for the college environment. The purpose of this quantitative, retrospective study was to determine if a particular set of variables could be used to predict fall to spring retention of community college students in one small community college in the southeastern part of the United States. The sample used for this study was selected from an existing data base and included four, separate cohorts of newly enrolled students for the fall semesters of 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. The total sample size was 2945 (N = 2945). Tinto’s Student Interactionalist Theory, the theoretical basis for this study, influenced the selection of both academic and social variables to be examined. Multivariate logistic regression and Chi-square analysis were used to determine the predictive ability of the independent variables on student retention. The results indicated factors related to retention were: completion of a student success course, completion of a remedial English course, completion of a remedial math course, and completion of an online course. © Copyright 2014 Kimberly Sharon Balkcum All Rights Reserved Retention of Community College Students: An Examination of Related Student and Institutional Characteristics of First-Year Community College Students by Kimberly Sharon Balkcum A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Counseling & Counselor Education Raleigh, North Carolina 2014
A novel method for Centromere and length detection in microscopic images of human chromosomes

Many genetic disorders or abnormalities that may occur in the future generations can be predicted through analyzing the shape and morphological characteristics of the human chromosomes. This is usually carried out by an expert, inspecting the Karyotype of the patients. A Karyotype is a particular table that presents the chromosome images in a standard format. To generate a Karyotype, it is necessary to identify each of the 23 pairs of the chromosomes within the microscopic images first. The main step to automate this procedure is the definition of some morphological features for each chromosome. The most common features used for chromosomes identification includes the location of the Centromere and the length of the chromosome. Many other important features, such as Centromeric Index, are usually extracted from the Centromere and length. In this paper, a novel and effective algorithm for Centromere locating and length calculation for the human chromosomes is presented. The proposed algorithm uses the fact that the centromere is the narrowest part of the chromosome. By defining a gray level mask (GLM), which is a linearly varying gray level image along the chromosome longitudinal direction and multiplying it to the binary version of the chromosome image, it is shown that the global minimum in the histogram of the resulted image indicates the location of the centromere. The data set used in this work was provided by the Tesi-Imaging srl in Milan, Italy. A mean value of the absolute error of 3.6 and 5.2 pixels was obtained in identification of the chromosome centromere and length respectively by the proposed method.
Big Data for Individual Education: an angel or a monster?

The rapid de velopment of Information technology has brought the era of Big Data, a buzzword now familiar among most people, which has generated a huge influence on human social lives including politics, economics, culture and so on, which has also transformed the education. With various online courses emerging at different kinds of websites, huge volumes of data of learners has been generated, from attendance rates to test scores, to track the learners comprehensively. Now, by Learning Analytics technology, many educational institutions use these data to analyze students' interests, performance and behavioral issues and then make a personalized plan accordingl y, promoting the development of individual education. In China, little research has been done between Big Data and individual education, so this paper aims to show the opportunities and challenges created by the Big Data, put forward some coping strategies when facing the challenges and provide a reference for the other researchers to make a further study.
AN IMPROVED CALIBRATION ALGORITHM FOR THE L-BAND 1-D SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADIOMETER

L-band one-dimensional (1-D) synthetic aperture radiometer is a passive microwave imager that aims to produce global sea surface salinity and soil moisture maps. Two instrument concepts for the L-band 1-D synthetic aperture radiometer have been proposed and selected as candidate payloads for future Chinese space missions, including MICAP (Microwave Imager Combined Active and Passive) for the Chinese Ocean Salinity Mission and IMI (Interferometric Microwave Imager) for the Water Cycle Observation Mission (WCOM). For a synthetic aperture radiometer, spatial imaging error is defined as the difference between the original brightness temperature (BT) and the retrieved BT images within the alias-free field of view (AF-FOV). The main causes of image spatial error in the L-band 1-D system are antenna elements spacing and antenna patterns error. Flat target transformation (FTT) algorithm is always useful for correcting radiometer imaging, but there is still a concave residual error in the retrieved image. An improved calibration algorithm is proposed, which replaces the cold sky view in the FTT with a stable reference scene BT image. A task simulator has been set up to evaluate the new method. The proposed calibration algorithm is shown to reduce the spatial bias and improve the quality of the retrieved BT image.