Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Type I procollagen gene expression in normal and early healing of the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments in rabbits: An in situ hybridization study

The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of procollagen type I messenger RNA (mRNA) in normal and healing medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a rabbit model. Our method of injury involved a surgical model with identical partial lacerations in the midsubstance of the MCL and ACL. Paraffin sections of normal ligaments, and ligaments 3, 7, 14, and 28 days postlaceration were studied by in situ hybridization to compare and follow the level of type I procollagen mRNA in the two ligaments. A complementary DNA (cDNA) probe corresponding to α1(I) procollagen mRNA was labeled with [32P]d‐CTP. After hybridization, autoradiography, and staining of the sections, the level of procollagen mRNA was assessed by microscopic examination. A higher level of procollagen mRNA was consistently detected in normal MCL than in normal ACL, suggesting higher collagen synthetic activity in the MCL. At the injury sites of the MCL and ACL, the levels of type I procollagen mRNA increased at all postlaceration periods, reaching its highest level at 14 days postsurgery. The MCL healing site had a considerably higher level of procollagen mRNA than the ACL healing site (i.e., injury site) at all postoperative intervals. The results demonstrate that procollagen mRNA levels in MCL tissue are higher than those in ACL tissue under normal conditions, as well as in response to injury. The differences in the procollagen mRNA levels of MCL and ACL may reflect the synthesis of collagen in these tissues, and may contribute to the differences in their healing capacities.
MOTHER‐INFANT EXCHANGES: THE EPIGENESIS OF CONVERSATIONAL INTERACTION *

The present study reports research that brought a variety of approaches to bear on the description and analysis of one kind of joint performance of mother and child, starting in about the second month of life, which, in spite of the difference between the knowledge each brings to the interaction, seems to prefigure the adult interpersonal exchanges we call “conversations. ” Here we see infants and mothers gazing at each other, as each smiles and vocalizes, apparently with pleasure and a sort of delighted courtesy. As with adult conversation, there is near-constant communication in one modality (visual) and intermittent, alternating communication in another. This is a description immediately recognizable to many (but not all) American mothers, and so it may cast light upon the potentialities of infancy, if not upon a necessary course of development. Sequences like these can be studied from a number of points of view, and have most frequently been used to extract evidence about mothering or about child development. Work by other researchers has established the importance of eye-toeye contact in early social development’ and the possibility of using operant conditioning techniques to increase the frequency of noncry infant vocalization: a mixed social stimulus serves to reinforce vocalization, but the influence of maternal vocalization (as contrasted with touch, visible presence, smiling, and so forth) is p rep~nderant? -~ Such research, however, which sums the total number of vocalizations over a period of time and considers the maternal response automatic, ignores the interplay between mother and infant in which each is affected by the behavior of the other and the two are coparticipants in an on-going event. This coparticipation is only part of the general question of mutual regulation of mother and child.5 One component of this is apparently based on synchrony of movement,b probably depending on a n orchestration of physiological rhythms,’ which may provide an essential starting point. The first section, THE RESEARCH, will be descriptive, with special attention to the development of patterns of conversation-like alternation and the evidence these may provide of the mutuality involved, and to the characteristics of the infant’s vocalizations, vocalizations that have not been systematically described, since most investigators d o not start from an interest in the interpersonal aspects of communication. In THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS we will broaden the scope considerably in order t o deal with the theoretical justification of the word “conversation” in the title, the needs for further theory and description, and the importance of this area of research for developmental psycholinguistics and the study of the etiology of communication disorders.
Self-Guided Wakefield Experiments Driven by Petawatt-Class Ultrashort Laser Pulses

We investigate the extension of self-injecting laser wakefield experiments to the regime that will be accessible with the next generation of petawatt-class ultrashort pulse laser systems. Using nonlinear scalings, current experimental trends, and numerical simulations, we determine the optimal laser and target parameters, i.e., focusing geometry, plasma density, and target length, that are required to increase the electron beam energy (to >1 GeV) without the use of external guiding structures.
Re‐prescribing of causative drugs in persons discharged after serious drug‐induced upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Several drug classes are known to be associated with serious upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), among others NSAID, low‐dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), vitamin K antagonists (VKA), clopidogrel and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). There are few data on how and to what extent these drugs are reintroduced in patients who have been discharged after a bleeding episode related to any of them.
Muscle reflex stimulates sympathetic postganglionic efferents innervating triceps surae muscles of cats.

Two neural mechanisms contribute to the cardiovascular responses to exercise. The first, central command, proposes a parallel activation of central locomotor and brain stem circuits controlling cardiovascular function. The second, the muscle reflex, proposes that contraction-activated group III and IV afferents increase cardiovascular function. In humans, whole nerve recordings of sympathetic discharge suggest that central command increases sympathetic outflow to skin but not to skeletal muscle and that the muscle reflex increases sympathetic outflow to skeletal muscle but not to skin. We therefore tested the hypothesis that the muscle reflex, but not central command, increases the discharge of single sympathetic postganglionic efferents innervating the triceps surae muscles of decerebrate unanesthetized cats. Central command was evoked by electrical stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region. The reflex was evoked by electrical stimulation of the tibial nerve, which in turn contracted the triceps surae muscles. Hexamethonium abolished spontaneous and evoked activity, verifying that the recordings were from sympathetic postganglionic fibers. The discharge of 13 efferents was increased by static contraction (from 0.6 +/- 0.2 to 1.0 +/- 0.3 imp/s; P < 0.05) but was not increased by central command (from 0.6 +/- 0.2 to 0.8 +/- 0.2 imp/s; P > 0.05). Nevertheless, the discharge of nine efferents, not increased by central command before alpha-adrenergic blockade (from 0.5 +/- 0.2 to 0.9 +/- 0.4 imp/s; P > 0.05), was increased after blockade (from 1.3 +/- 0.2 to 3.2 +/- 0.8 imp/s; P < 0.05). We conclude that the muscle reflex stimulates sympathetic postganglionic efferents innervating the vasculature of skeletal muscle. Furthermore, baroreceptors appear to buffer the central command-induced increases in the discharge of these efferents.
The Association Between the Physical Environment of Primary Schools and Active School Transport

This study examined the relationship between the physical environment characteristics of primary schools and active school transport among 3,438 5- to 12-year-old primary school children in the Netherlands. The environmental characteristics were categorized into four theory-based clusters (function, safety, aesthetics, and destination). The correlations between the clusters and active school transport were examined, and multilevel regression analyses were used to examine the association between the clusters and active school transport. No correlations were found between environmental clusters and active school transport for younger children (age 5-9), but for older children (age 9-12), strong positive correlations were found between aesthetics and active transport as were found for safety and active transport. School neighborhood aesthetics were related to active transport for older primary school children. Presence of parks, good maintenance of green spaces, and absence of litter in the school environment contributed most to the positive association between aesthetics and active school transport.
Lack of association between Rh status, Rh immune globulin in pregnancy and autism

Though causes of autism are considered largely genetic, considerable concern remains that exposure to Rh immune globulin (RhIg), which until 2001 in the United States contained the preservative thimerosal, can cause autism. To determine whether mothers of children with autism are more likely to be Rh negative (Rh−) or to have received RhIg preserved with thimerosal, which is 49.6% ethyl mercury, we surveyed families of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ascertained through a University‐based autism clinic considered free of ascertainment biases related to type of autism or severity. Between 2004 and 2006, 305 mothers of 321 children with an ASD agreed to participate in a telephone interview. Analysis of complete records including the blood group status and RhIg exposure of 214 families showed that Rh− status is no higher in mothers of children with autism than in the general population, exposure to antepartum RhIg, preserved with thimerosal is no higher for children with autism and pregnancies are no more likely to be Rh incompatible. This was also true for autism subgroups defined by behavioral phenotype, gender, IQ, regressive onset, head circumference, dysmorphology, birth status, essential, or complex phenotype. These findings support the consensus that exposure to ethylmercury in thimerosal is not the cause of the increased prevalence of autism. These data are important not only for parents in this country but also for the international health community where thimerosal continues to be used to preserve multi‐dose vials which in turn makes vaccines affordable. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prevention of the first occurrence of neural-tube defects by periconceptional vitamin supplementation.

BACKGROUND The risk of recurrent neural-tube defects is decreased in women who take folic acid or multivitamins containing such during the periconceptional period. The extent to which folic acid supplementation can reduce the first occurrence of defects is not known. METHODS We conducted a randomized, controlled trial of periconceptional multivitamin supplementation to test the efficacy of this treatment in reducing the incidence of a first occurrence of neural-tube defects. Women planning a pregnancy (in most cases their first) were randomly assigned to receive a single tablet of a vitamin supplement (containing 12 vitamins, including 0.8 mg of folic acid; 4 minerals; and 3 trace elements) or a trace-element supplement (containing copper, manganese, zinc, and a very low dose of vitamin C) daily for at least one month before conception and until the date of the second missed menstrual period or later. RESULTS Pregnancy was confirmed in 4753 women. The outcome of the pregnancy (whether the fetus or infant had a neural-tube defect or congenital malformation) was known in 2104 women who received the vitamin supplement and in 2052 who received the trace-element supplement. Congenital malformations were significantly more prevalent in the group receiving the trace-element supplement than in the vitamin-supplement group (22.9 per 1000 vs. 13.3 per 1000, P = 0.02). There were six cases of neural-tube defects in the group receiving the trace-element supplement, as compared with none in the vitamin-supplement group (P = 0.029). The prevalence of cleft lip with or without cleft palate was not reduced by periconceptional vitamin supplementation. CONCLUSIONS Periconceptional vitamin use decreases the incidence of a first occurrence of neural-tube defects.
Is elongation-induced leaf emergence beneficial for submerged Rumex species?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Plant species from various taxa 'escape' from low oxygen conditions associated with submergence by a suite of traits collectively called the low oxygen escape syndrome (LOES). The expression of these traits is associated with costs and benefits. Thus far, remarkably few studies have dealt with the expected benefits of the LOES. METHODS Young plants were fully submerged at initial depths of 450 mm (deep) or 150-240 mm (shallow). Rumex palustris leaf tips emerged from the shallow flooding within a few days, whereas a slight lowering of shallow flooding was required to expose R. acetosa leaf tips to the atmosphere. Shoot biomass and petiole porosity were measured for all species, and treatments and data from the deep and shallow submergence treatments were compared with non-flooded controls. KEY RESULTS R. palustris is characterized by submergence-induced enhanced petiole elongation. R. acetosa lacked this growth response. Upon leaf tip emergence, R. palustris increased its biomass, whereas R. acetosa did not. Furthermore, petiole porosity in R. palustris was twice as high as in R. acetosa. CONCLUSIONS Leaf emergence restores gas exchange between roots and the atmosphere in R. palustris. This occurs to a much lesser extent in R. acetosa and is attributable to its lower petiole porosity and therefore limited internal gas transport. Leaf emergence resulting from fast petiole elongation appears to benefit biomass accumulation if these plants contain sufficient aerenchyma in petioles and roots to facilitate internal gas exchange.
An Empirical Evaluation of a Statistical Dialog System in Public Use

This paper provides a first assessment of a statistical dialog system in public use. In our dialog system there are four main recognition tasks, or slots -- bus route names, bus-stop locations, dates, and times. Whereas a conventional system tracks a single value for each slot -- i.e., the speech recognizer's top hypothesis -- our statistical system tracks a distribution of many possible values over each slot. Past work in lab studies has showed that this distribution improves robustness to speech recognition errors; but to our surprise, we found the distribution yielded an increase in accuracy for only two of the four slots, and actually decreased accuracy in the other two. In this paper, we identify root causes for these differences in performance, including intrinsic properties of N-best lists, parameter settings, and the quality of statistical models. We synthesize our findings into a set of guidelines which aim to assist researchers and practitioners employing statistical techniques in future dialog systems.
Motion planning of networked multi-vehicle system with hybrid measurement model

This paper presents a new motion planning method of a multi-vehicle system in which vehicles can mutually measure the location of other vehicles when distances between vehicles are close. The mutual measurement method reduces uncertainty of location estimation by providing additional information. We propose a motion planning method based on the existence of maximal distance of mutual measurement. We formulate a multi-vehicle system with some disturbance and a new hybrid measurement model. The new model is a hybrid of maximal distance of mutual measurement and Kalman filter. The receding horizon control method is shown to be applicable to the new hybrid measurement model. We demonstrate the validity of our new hybrid measurement model in computer simulation.
Effect of tinnitus location on the psychoacoustic measures of hearing

Abstract Objective: The present study was designed to assess psychoacoustic abilities in individuals with the complaint of tinnitus, the emphasis being on the location of tinnitus in the head. Study design: Psychoacoustic abilities were measured with temporal processing tests using four common measures. Gap-in-noise and modulation function tests were used to measure temporal resolution ability; duration pattern and duration discrimination tests were used to assess temporal ordering and temporal discrimination skills, respectively; and finally a backwards masking test was employed to determine temporal masking abilities. A clinical research design using standard group comparison was used with a cohort of 76 normal hearing participants divided into three groups: one with no complaint of tinnitus (n = 38), a second with tinnitus localized to either one of the ears (n = 22), and a third with tinnitus localized to both ears (n = 16). Results: A comparison between the normal and tinnitus groups revealed poor temporal processing skills in individuals with tinnitus. Within the tinnitus group, a comparison between those with unilateral and bilateral tinnitus indicated poor performance of the participants with bilateral tinnitus for most of the tests. The individuals with unilateral tinnitus were also assessed for tinnitus ear effect and no statistically significant difference was observed. Conclusion: Temporal processing skills were affected in individuals with tinnitus and the severity was more in those with bilateral tinnitus. As persons with temporal processing disorders are at high risk of developing speech perception problems, the early investigation and timely management of tinnitus is essential.
Cheap and Large CAMs for High Performance Data-Intensive Networked Systems

We show how to build cheap and large CAMs, or CLAMs, using a combination of DRAM and flash memory. These are targeted at emerging data-intensive networked systems that require massive hash tables running into a hundred GB or more, with items being inserted, updated and looked up at a rapid rate. For such systems, using DRAM to maintain hash tables is quite expensive, while on-disk approaches are too slow. In contrast, CLAMs cost nearly the same as using existing on-disk approaches but offer orders of magnitude better performance. Our design leverages an efficient flash-oriented data-structure called BufferHash that significantly lowers the amortized cost of random hash insertions and updates on flash. BufferHash also supports flexible CLAM eviction policies. We prototype CLAMs using SSDs from two different vendors. We find that they can offer average insert and lookup latencies of 0.006ms and 0.06ms (for a 40% lookup success rate), respectively. We show that using our CLAM prototype significantly improves the speed and effectiveness of WAN optimizers.
A study on electrode gels for skin conductance measurements

Low-frequency skin conductance is used within several clinical applications and is mainly sensitive to sweating and the moisture content of the stratum corneum, but also how electrodes introduce changes in the electrical properties. Four electrode gels were investigated with regard to sorption characteristics and electrical properties. Skin conductance time series were collected from 18 test subjects during relaxation, exercise and recovery, wearing different pairs of electrodes contralaterally on the hypothenar and the T9 dermatome. Pressure test was applied on the T9 electrodes. Impedance frequency sweeps were taken on the T9 electrodes the same day and the next, parameterized to the Cole model. ANOVA on the initial skin conductance level change, exercise response amplitude, recovery offset and pressure-induced changes revealed significant differences among gel types. The wetter gels caused a higher positive level change, a greater response amplitude, larger recovery offset and greater pressure-induced artifacts compared to the solid gels. Sweating on the T9 site led to negative skin conductance responses for the wetter gels. Correlations were found between the desorption measurements and the initial skin conductance level change (hypothenar: R = 0.988 T9: R = 0.901) RM-ANOVA on the Cole parameters revealed a significant decrease in Rs of the most resistive gel. Clinical implications are discussed.
Investigating fine temporal dynamics of prosodic and lexical accommodation

Conversational interaction is a dynamic activity in which participants engage in the construction of meaning and in establishing and maintaining social relationships. Lexical and prosodic accommodation have been observed in many studies as contributing importantly to these dimensions of social interaction. However, while previous works have considered accommodation mechanisms at global levels (for whole conversations, halves and thirds of conversations), this work investigates their evolution through repeated analysis at time intervals of increasing granularity to analyze the dynamics of alignment in a spoken language corpus. Results show that the levels of both prosodic and lexical accommodation fluctuate several times over the course of a conversation. Index Terms: prosodic accommodation, lexical alignment, dynamics, task-based interactions
Increasing the loadability of power systems through optimal-local-control actions

This paper deals with the problem of increasing the loadability of power systems which, in turn, can be linked to voltage collapse occurrences. As voltage collapses may be caused by insufficiency of reactive power support, and considering that reactive power can be locally supplied, for instance, by shunt capacitors, this paper addresses the impacts of local control actions on the system loadability. The study is carried out in two steps. First, by using the tangent vector technique, two important areas of the power system are identified: the critical area under the point of view of voltage collapse, and the area most sensitive to active power losses reduction. Second, once these two areas are identified, an optimization technique takes place to optimize the amount of shunt reactive power compensation that should be available in each bus. Numerical results are obtained using the IEEE 14- and 118-bus systems.
DIRICHLET HEAT KERNEL ESTIMATES FOR Δ + Δ

For d ≥ 1 and 0 < β < α < 2, consider a family of pseudo differential operators {Δ + aΔ; a ∈ [0,1]} on R that evolves continuously from Δ to Δ + Δ. It gives arise to a family of Lévy processes {X, a ∈ [0,1]} on R, where each X is the independent sum of a symmetric α-stable process and a symmetric β-stable process with weight a. For any C open set D ⊂ R, we establish explicit sharp two-sided estimates, which are uniform in a ∈ (0,1], for the transition density function of the subprocess X of X killed upon leaving the open set D. The infinitesimal generator of X is the nonlocal operator Δ + aΔ with zero exterior condition on D. As consequences of these sharp heat kernel estimates, we obtain uniform sharp Green function estimates for X and uniform boundary Harnack principle for X in D with explicit decay rate.