Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Actions of Norepinephrine and Isoflurane on Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission in Adult Rat Spinal Cord Substantia Gelatinosa Neurons

Volatile inhaled anesthetics and nitrous oxide (N2O) are often used together in clinical practice to produce analgesia. Because the analgesic effect of N2O is, at least in part, mediated by norepinephrine (NE) release in the spinal cord, we examined the interaction between isoflurane (ISO) and NE in the adult rat spinal cord with respect to central nociceptive information processing. The effects of clinically relevant concentrations of ISO (1 MAC) and NE (20 &mgr;M) on spontaneous inhibitory transmission in substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons were examined using the blind whole-cell patch-clamp method. ISO prolonged the decay time and increased the total charge transfer of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents. NE increased the frequency and mean amplitude of inhibitory postsynaptic currents and the charge transfer as well. Coapplication of both drugs led to an additive increase of the charge transfer and frequent temporal summation of inhibitory postsynaptic currents. We conclude that both ISO and NE enhance the inhibitory synaptic transmission in the rat SG neurons and their interaction is additive, suggesting that ISO may add to the analgesic action of N2O at the spinal cord dorsal horn level.
Explicit and Implicit Lexical Knowledge: Acquisition of Collocations Under Different Input Conditions

To date, there has been little empirical research exploring the relationship between implicit and explicit lexical knowledge (of collocations). As a first step in addressing this gap, two laboratory experiments were conducted that evaluate different conditions (enriched, enhanced, and decontextualized) under which both adult native speakers (Experiment 1) and advanced nonnative speakers of English (Experiment 2) acquire collocations. Three different tests of collocational knowledge were used to assess gains after treatment: two traditional explicit tests (form recall and form recognition) and an innovative implicit test (priming). Results from mixed-effects modeling showed that all conditions led to significant long-term gains in explicit form recall and recognition both for natives and nonnatives, while no condition facilitated implicit collocational priming effects either for natives or nonnatives.
Effect of storage conditions on quality and aflatoxin contamination of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Peanuts are prone to various types of deterioration during storage which renders them unsuitable for consumption and trade resulting in large economic losses. Peanut kernels of Homabay Local, Valencia Red, ICGV-SM 12991 and ICGV-SM 99568 varieties were stored for six months in jute, polypropylene and polyethylene bags to assess the effect of the storage bags, temperature and relative humidity (R.H.) on quality and aflatoxin contamination. Moisture content (M.C.), physical damage, rancidity and aflatoxin levels were determined before storage and after every 30 days during storage. Moisture content of the peanuts varied significantly (p ≤ 0.05) from 3.3 to 6.9% with samples stored in different bag types recording mean values of: 5.1% - polypropylene, 5.2% - polyethylene, and 5.3% - jute. Physical damage – which ranged from 0.1 to 9.8% - was significantly influenced by storage temperature and R.H. , and the type of storage bag. Rancidity ranged from 0.8 to 5.3 and increased with storage duration from a mean of 1.5 before storage to a peak of 2.5 after 5 months of storage. There was a significant variation in the total aflatoxin levels ranging from 0 – 47.8 μg/kg, where peanuts stored in polyethylene bags were 7.3 and 13.4% more contaminated than samples stored in polypropylene and jute bags, respectively. Dried peanuts should be packaged in a container that will impede critical increases in M.C. and aflatoxin contamination and stored in a well-ventilated dry room with adequate air circulation.
Factorization techniques for student performance classification and ranking

Historically, student performance prediction has been approached with regression models. For instance, the KDD Cup 2010 used the root mean squared error (RMSE) as an evaluation criterion. This is appropriate when the goal is to predict student marks or how well will they perform in a given exercise. Since in many datasets the target variable is binary, i.e. a student has solved the exercise or failed in it, it would be natural to look at this problem as to a classification task. Another, probably not so usual case could be when we only have a socalled positive feedback, i.e. only the successful solutions are recorded. In this case, neither the regression nor the classification approaches would be useful and one could look on this problem as to a ranking task. We propose to look at solving the student performance prediction as a classification or ranking tasks, respectively, where models are optimized for appropriate error measures which are the Hinge loss and the Area under the ROC curve. Experimental comparison of these techniques are introduced using two, large-scale datasets. Both methods are well known in their respective fields, thus the goal of this paper is to introduce them in the educational data mining community.
Exploring the Cuban blogosphere: Discourse networks and informal politics

Despite the rapid growth of a blogosphere literature interested in blogging practices across democratic countries and authoritarian regimes, little is known about Cuban blogs. This study aims to bridge this gap by specifically looking at 66 blogs from four ideologically diverging Cuban blog platforms. By applying a combination of social network analysis and content analysis techniques, the study investigates structure and content of the Cuban blogosphere. Findings show that blog interactions have developed differently depending on the blogs’ ideological orientation although cross-ideologictsal interactions have sometimes emerged. The Cuban blogosphere has extended beyond national borders primarily via diaspora blogs, centering its discourse network on domestic political issues divergent from those available on state- or US-controlled mainstream media.
Biodiversity Is Our Life

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity, in recognition of life on Earth. Eight years ago, more than 190 countries agreed, through the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, to reduce biodiversity loss by 2010. This October, the Convention will meet in Nagoya, Japan, to evaluate progress and agree on new biodiversity targets for the world. Shortly before that, the UN General Assembly will address the biodiversity crisis for the first time.
Immunologic Effects of Omalizumab in Children With Severe Refractory Atopic Dermatitis: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

SR Iyengar, EG Hoyte, A Loza. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2013;162(1):89–93 Case reports on the benefit of anti-IgE therapy in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) have been published. This study is investigating the effect of omalizumab on symptomatic improvement of AD in a randomized, placebo-controlled manner. Eight patients between the ages of 4 and 22 years (mean age: 11.6 years) with severe, treatment-refractory AD were recruited. Four patients received omalizumab every 2 to 4 weeks for 24 …
Legislative background, characteristics and improvement of Chinese Regulations on Emergency Handling, Investigation and Disposal of Electric Power Safety Accidents

Regulations on Emergency Handling, Investigation and Disposal of Electric Power Safety Accidents is the first administrative regulation which regulates emergency handling, investigation and disposal of electric power safety accidents. It marks that electric power safety supervision and management in China have embarked on the road to legalization. The Regulations on Emergency Handling, Investigation and Disposal of Electric Power Safety Accidents rank the accidents, adjust the criteria for ranking accidents, specify the right of accident investigation and disposal, define the legal responsibilities and give clearer and more specific regulations based on the characteristics of the electric power industry.
Disorder-Specific Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Separation Anxiety Disorder in Young Children: A Randomized Waiting-List-Controlled Trial

Background: Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the earliest and most common mental disorders in childhood, and a strong predictor of adult psychopathology. Despite significant progress in psychotherapy research on childhood anxiety disorders, no randomized controlled trial has been conducted with a disorder-specific treatment program for young children suffering from SAD. Methods: Forty-three children (ages 5–7) with SAD and their parents were assigned to either a 16-session disorder-specific SAD treatment program including parent training and classical cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) components, or to a 12-week waiting list group. Categorical and/or continuous data for anxiety, impairment/distress and quality of life were collected at baseline, after treatment/waiting list condition, and at a 4-week follow-up. Results: Intention-to-treat analyses indicate that 76.19% of children allocated to the treatment group definitively no longer fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for SAD at follow-up, compared to 13.64% in the waiting list group. Between 91 and 100% of children rated themselves or were rated by their father, mother or therapist as very much or much improved on the global success rating immediately after treatment. Results indicated large time by treatment condition interaction effect sizes (d = 0.98–1.41) across informants for reduction of distress/avoidance in separation situations after the test for the treatment condition. Further, parents reported significant improvements in impairment/distress in the child’s major life domains and the child’s quality of life. Treatment gains were maintained at the 4-week follow-up assessment. Conclusions: Results indicate the short-term efficacy of a disorder-specific treatment approach for SAD, and are among the first to indicate that CBT programs work with young children.
A mouse temperature-sensitive mutant defective in H1 histone phosphorylation is defective in deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis and chromosome condensation.

By means of a temperature-sensitive mutant (ts85 strain), we have studied the effect of the decrease in H1 histone phosphorylation on DNA synthesis and chromosome condensation. When ts85 cells were incubated at 39 degrees C (nonpermissive temperature), the rate of H1 histone phosphorylation was decreased gradually and reached half that at 33 degrees C (permissive temperature) by 6-h incubation. Wild-type cells, growth-revertant ts85 cells (ts85R-MN3), and other ts mutants which were arrested mainly at the G2 phase at 39 degrees C had no defects in H1 histone phosphorylation. When ts85 cells were synchronized at the G1/S boundary at 33 degrees C and released from the blockade at 39 degrees C, approximately 70% of cells passed through the S phase and stopped at the G2 phase. The rest were distributed in G1/S to the S phase and mitotic cells were not detected at all. When ts85 cells, synchronized at the G1/S boundary, were further incubated for 8 h at 39 degrees C with a synchronizing agent, the rate of phosphorylation of H1 histone was decreased and the cells were not able to complete DNA synthesis after release from the blockade. Cytofluorometric analysis revealed that the cells had DNA contents of the S phase. Taken together with our earlier data [Matsumoto, Y. , Yasuda, H. , Mita, S. , Marunouchi, T. , & Yamada, M. (1980) Nature (London) 184, 181-183], both events, incomplete DNA replication and a defect in chromosome condensation, were thought to be ascribed to the decrease in H1 histone phosphorylation.
Validation of a previous-day recall measure of active and sedentary behaviors.

PURPOSE A previous-day recall (PDR) may be a less error-prone alternative to traditional questionnaire-based estimates of physical activity and sedentary behavior (e.g., past year), but the validity of the method is not established. We evaluated the validity of an interviewer administered PDR in adolescents (12-17 yr) and adults (18-71 yr). METHODS In a 7-d study, participants completed three PDR, wore two activity monitors, and completed measures of social desirability and body mass index. PDR measures of active and sedentary time was contrasted against an accelerometer (ActiGraph) by comparing both to a valid reference measure (activPAL) using measurement error modeling and traditional validation approaches. RESULTS Age- and sex-specific mixed models comparing PDR to activPAL indicated the following: 1) there was a strong linear relationship between measures for sedentary (regression slope, β1 = 0.80-1.13) and active time (β1 = 0.64-1.09), 2) person-specific bias was lower than random error, and 3) correlations were high (sedentary: r = 0.60-0.81; active: r = 0.52-0.80). Reporting errors were not associated with body mass index or social desirability. Models comparing ActiGraph to activPAL indicated the following: 1) there was a weaker linear relationship between measures for sedentary (β1 = 0.63-0.73) and active time (β1 = 0.61-0.72), (2) person-specific bias was slightly larger than random error, and (3) correlations were high (sedentary: r = 0.68-0.77; active: r = 0.57-0.79). CONCLUSIONS Correlations between the PDR and the activPAL were high, systematic reporting errors were low, and the validity of the PDR was comparable with the ActiGraph. PDR may have value in studies of physical activity and health, particularly those interested in measuring the specific type, location, and purpose of activity-related behaviors.
A Novel Allosteric Potentiator of AMPA Receptors: 4-[2-(Phenylsulfonylamino)ethylthio]-2,6-Difluoro-Phenoxyacetamide

We report that a novel sulfonylamino compound, 4-[2-(phenylsulfonylamino)ethylthio]-2,6-difluoro-phenoxyacetamide (PEPA), selectively potentiates glutamate receptors of the AMPA subtype. PEPA (1–200 μm) dose dependently potentiated glutamate-evoked currents in Xenopus oocytes expressing AMPA (GluRA–GluRD), but not kainate (GluR6 and GluR6+KA2) or NMDA (ζ1 + ε1–ε4), receptor subunits. PEPA was effective at micromolar concentrations and, in contrast to the action of cyclothiazide, preferentially modulated AMPA receptor flop isoforms. At 200 μm, PEPA potentiated glutamate responses by 50-fold in oocytes expressing GluRCflop (EC50 ∼50 μm) versus only threefold for GluRCflip; a similar preference for flop isoforms was observed for other AMPA receptor subunits. Dose–response analysis for GluRCflop revealed that 100 μm PEPA produced a sevenfold increase in AMPA receptor affinity for glutamate. PEPA produced considerably weaker potentiation of kainate-evoked than glutamate-evoked currents, suggesting modulation of the process of receptor desensitization. In human embryonic kidney 293 cells transfected with AMPA receptor subunits, PEPA either abolished or markedly slowed the rate of onset of desensitization and potentiated steady-state equilibrium currents evoked by glutamate with subunit (GluRC ≥ GluRD > GluRA) and splice-variant (flop > flip) selectivity similar to that observed in oocytes. Our results show that PEPA is a novel, flop-preferring allosteric modulator of AMPA receptor desensitization at least 100 times more potent than aniracetam.
Reply to Parsons: Many tumor types follow the monoclonal model of tumor initiation

We agree that some cancers may primarily have a polyclonal origin that results in genetically heterogeneous tumors. Retracing the Evolutionary Steps in Cancer (RESIC), as currently implemented (1), is not applicable to these cases. Depending on the source of heterogeneity, we are considering several refinements to our algorithm. Should this heterogeneity arise from interactions between separate cell populations, as in the polyclonal colorectal cancer example by Parsons (2), we will remove the independence assumption of cell niches. However, such modification requires information on the mechanisms, frequency, and strength of interniche interactions, which is not currently available. Without this knowledge, any implemented modifications might not accurately represent biology. For tumor …
Area Efficient and High Speed VLSI Based Pipelined 64-Point Radix-4 Mixed Architecture Design

In this paper, a new VLSI based Radix-4 FFT architecture is developed by combining the mixed radix and pipelining architectures. Proposed architecture named as “Radix-4 Combined Single Path Delay Feedback (SDF) Multipath Delay Commutator (MDC) FFT”. As the name itself, design of proposed FFT architecture is designed with the help of both SDF and MDC data flow structures. Both SDF and MDC architectures have different types of advantages based on their dataflow structures. SDF structure has advantages in improving the speed and MDC structure has advantages in reducing the low chip area & lower power consumption. In addition to developed architecture, Modified Bit Parallel Multiplier (MBPM) has been used in the place of twiddle factor multiplication. Simulation of proposed FFT architectures are evaluated by using ModelSim 6.3C and performances are validated by using Xilinx Plan-ahead Integrated Circuit (IC) vendors. Proposed new circuits will be absolutely used in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and Software Defined Radio (SDR) system.
NcFDL: Non-commutative fuzzy description logic and its application

In this paper we introduce Non-commutative Fuzzy DL (NcFDL) which integrates the power of DL, Fuzzy and non-commutative triangular norms (pseudo t-norms). We also give an application of NcFDL. We observe that the domain of search is narrower and hence the decision time is significantly shorter.
Type I collagen gel induces Madin-Darby canine kidney cells to become fusiform in shape and lose apical-basal polarity

In the embryo, epithelia give rise to mesenchyme at specific times and places. Recently, it has been reported (Greenburg, G., and E. D. Hay. 1986. Dev. Biol. 115:363-379; Greenberg, G., and E. D. Hay. 1988. Development (Camb.). 102:605-622) that definitive epithelia can give rise to fibroblast-like cells when suspended within type I collagen gels. We wanted to know whether Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, an epithelial line, can form mesenchyme under similar conditions. Small explants of MDCK cells on basement membrane were suspended within or placed on top of extracellular matrix gels. MDCK cells on basement membrane gel are tall, columnar in shape, and ultrastructurally resemble epithelia transporting fluid and ions. MDCK explants cultured on type I collagen gel give rise to isolated fusiform-shaped cells that migrate over the gel surface. The fusiform cells extend pseudopodia and filopodia, lose cell membrane specializations, and develop an actin cortex around the entire cell. Unlike true mesenchymal cells, which express vimentin and type I collagen, fusiform cells produce both keratin and vimentin, continue to express laminin, and do not turn on type I collagen. Fusiform cells are not apically-basally polarized, but show mesenchymal cell polarity. Influenza hemagglutinin and virus budding localize to the front end or entire cell surface. Na,K-ATPase occurs intracellularly and also symmetrically distributes on the cell surface. Fodrin becomes diffusely distributed along the plasma membrane, ZO-1 cannot be detected, and desmoplakins distribute randomly in the cytoplasm. The loss of epithelial polarity and acquisition of mesenchymal cell polarity and shape by fusiform MDCK cells on type I collagen gel was previously unsuspected. The phenomenon may offer new opportunities for studying cytoplasmic and nuclear mechanisms regulating cell shape and polarity.
Disclosure of Parental HIV Status to Children: Experiences of Adults Receiving Antiretroviral Treatment at an Urban Clinic in Kampala, Uganda

Limited data are available on the experiences of parental HIV disclosure to children in Uganda. We conducted a qualitative study comprising sixteen in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions with parents receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. Analysis was done using Atlas.ti qualitative research software. Back-and-forth triangulation was done between transcripts of the in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, and themes and subthemes were developed. Barriers to parents' disclosure included perceptions that children are too young to understand what HIV infection means and fears of secondary disclosure by the children. Immediate outcomes of disclosure included children getting scared and crying, although such instances often gave way to more enduring positive experiences for the parents, such as support in adherence to medical care, help in household chores, and a decrease in financial demands from the children. Country-specific interventions are needed to improve the process of parental HIV disclosure to children and this should encompass preparation on how to deal with the immediate psychological challenges associated with the parent's disclosure.
Walking and Running with StarlETH

This paper presents the latest advances we made in static and dynamic locomotion with our compliant quadrupedal robot StarlETH. It summarizes the robot design and outlines the different underlying control principles used to achieve sophisticated locomotion performance. The focus of the paper is put on experimental findings which illustrate that the applied actuation and control principles are a valuable approach to bring our robotic devices a step closer to their natural counterparts.
Homological Computations for Term Rewriting Systems

An important problem in universal algebra consists in finding presentations of algebraic theories by generators and relations, which are as small as possible. Exhibiting lower bounds on the number of those generators and relations for a given theory is a difficult task because it a priori requires considering all possible sets of generators for a theory and no general method exists. In this article, we explain how homological computations can provide such lower bounds, in a systematic way, and show how to actually compute those in the case where a presentation of the theory by a convergent rewriting system is known. We also introduce the notion of coherent presentation of a theory in order to consider finer homotopical invariants. In some aspects, this work generalizes, to term rewriting systems, Squier’s celebrated homological and homotopical invariants for string rewriting systems.
Geography of Food Consumption Patterns between South and North China

The geographical environment, food culture, and dietary habits are substantially different between the southern and northern regions in China. We investigated the associations with dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome between Chinese adult from the southern and northern regions (North: 1249; South: 1849) using data from the Chinese Health and Nutrition 2009 survey. Respectively, four dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis in each of the two regions. Using factor analysis, each dietary pattern of factor score was calculated for three groups by tertile (T1 < T2 < T3). In the northern region, the association between the Alcohol and Western pattern and the risk of abdominal obesity (OR: 1.31; 95%: 1.01, 1.68) (OR: Odds Ratio), hypertriglyceridemia (OR: 1.35; 95%: 1.05, 1.74), high fasting blood glucose (OR: 1.37; 95%: 1.05, 1.80), and hypertension (OR: 1.55; 95%: 1.45, 1.99) was increased compared T1 to T3. In the southern region, the Convenience Food pattern was positively associated with hypertriglyceridemia (OR: 1.53; 95%: 1.03, 2.26), low high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (OR: 1.96; 95%: 1.12, 3.43), and metabolic syndrome (OR: 1.79; 95%: 1.03, 3.11). The Alcohol dietary pattern was positively associated with high fasting blood glucose (OR: 1.83, 95%: 1.13, 2.97). There are some dietary pattern differences in the two regions. It is necessary to consider the factors of food culture and food intake habits in order to provide nutrition education to Chinese individuals from different regions in the future.