Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Initiation and Modulation Of Action Potentials in Salivary Gland Cells of Haementer1A Ghilianii by Putative Transmitters and Cyclic Nucleotides

1.The giant salivary cells of Haementeria ghilianii are known to produce Ca 2+ -dependent action potentials and to release their secretory products in response to stimulation of the stomatogastric nerve. In this study, the electrophysiological effects of some putative transmitters were examined by perfusion of the gland and two promising candidates were selected for detailed analysis. 2.Acetylcholine (ACh) was the only substance tested which excited the gland cells. It produced a large, Na + -dependent depolarization that elicited 1–3 action potentials and desensitized to about 24% of its maximal value within 2 min. 3.Carbachol, tetramethylammonium and nicotine elicited similar responses to ACh, whereas choline and pilocarpine had negligible effects. 4.The ACh response was completely blocked by d -tubocurarine and strychnine, and was reduced by tetraethylammonium, hexamethonium and atropine. The receptors, therefore, cannot be clearly distinguished as nicotinic or muscarinic. 5.ACh did not elicit secretion, but this does not necessarily preclude it from acting as a neuroglandular transmitter. 6.5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) was the only transmitter candidate that elicited secretion, though it did not excite the gland cells. 7.5-HT produced a subthreshold depolarization and an increase in input resistance. Action potentials, elicited by depolarizing pulses, were increased in amplitude and duration, and showed greatly reduced adaptation. 8.5-HT potentiated the net inward current, evoked by subthreshold depolarizing pulses, by reducing outward K + current. The inward current, carried by Ca 2+ , was not directly affected. In addition, 5-HT increased an inwardly rectifying current, carried by Na + and K + . All the effects of 5-HT tended to increase cell excitability. 9.Salivary cell responses to 5-HT were reversibly antagonised by methysergide. 10.Responses to ACh or 5-HT were not mimicked by 3′, 5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate, which greatly reduced spike amplitude and excitability. The effects were specific to the 3′, 5′ form; 2′, 3′-cyclic GMP had no effect. Cyclic GMP dramatically reduced the duration of action potentials that had been artificially prolonged by TEA + or removal of external Ca2 + . 11.Cyclic 3′, 5′-adenosine monophosphate and its dibutyryl derivative had little effect on membrane properties. 8-Bromo-cyclic AMP, however, mimicked all the effects of 5-HT. It is thought that 5-HT may exert its actions via cyclic AMP. 12.The possible role of 5-HT in salivary secretion is discussed.
Economic impact of COPD: Empirical and model-based studies on the cost-effectiveness of treatment options

textabstractChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease characterized by progressive airflow limitation that is not fully reversible and is accompanied by extra-pulmonary effects that can lead to important co-morbidities. The treatment of COPD is associated with substantial healthcare costs, which are expected to increase in the future. Therefore the need for information on efficient treatment options in terms of both effects and costs is high. This thesis aims to investigate the costs and cost-effectiveness of treatment options for COPD to contribute to evidence-based policy making. This introduction provides background information on COPD and describes the disease characteristics, epidemiology, the social and economic burden and the available treatment options and their potential cost-effectiveness.
Longitudinal study of vision and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in multiple sclerosis

Cross‐sectional studies of optical coherence tomography (OCT) show that retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness is reduced in multiple sclerosis (MS) and correlates with visual function. We determined how longitudinal changes in RNFL thickness relate to visual loss. We also examined patterns of RNFL thinning over time in MS eyes with and without a prior history of acute optic neuritis (ON).
Seven deadly sins of introductory programming language design

Discusses seven undesirable features that are common to many programming languages used to teach first-time programmers: (1) less is more; (2) more is more; (3) grammatical traps; (4) hardware dependence; (5) backwards compatibility; (6) excessive cleverness; and (7) violation of expectations. We illustrate typical pedagogical difficulties which stem from these features, with examples drawn from the programming languages ABC, Ada, C, C++, Eiffel, Haskell, LISP, Modula 3, Pascal, Prolog, Scheme and Turing. We propose seven language design (or selection) principles which may reduce the incidence of such undesirable features: (1) start where the novice is; (2) differentiate semantics with syntax; (3) make the syntax readable and consistent; (4) provide a small and orthogonal set of features; (5) be especially careful with I/O; (6) provide better error diagnosis; and (7) choose a suitable level of abstraction.
Cytokine-mediated regulation of chronic intestinal helminth infection

Most inbred strains of mouse infected with the intestinal nematode Trichuris muris are resistant to infection expelling the parasite before adult worms establish. However, a few susceptible strains exist that are incapable of worm expulsion and harbor chronic infections of mature adult worms. Analyses of in vitro cytokine production by cells from the draining lymph node (mesenteric lymph node) have indicated that expulsion phenotype is tightly correlated with the selective expansion of helper T cells (Th) of the Th1 or Th2 cell subset within the mesenteric lymph node, resulting in susceptibility and resistance to T. muris, respectively. We have now confirmed and extended our in vitro observations in a series of experiments involving the in vivo manipulation of host cytokine levels. Depletion of interferon (IFN)- gamma in normally susceptible mice resulted in expulsion of the parasite, representing the first evidence for a role for IFN-gamma in the establishment of chronic helminth infection. Blocking interleukin (IL)-4 function in normally resistant animals prevented the generation of a protective immune response allowing adult stages of the parasite to develop. Conversely the administration of IL-4 to a normally susceptible host facilitated expulsion and indeed enabled established adult worms to be expelled when administered late in infection. In all cases assessment of a variety of in vivo parameters indicative of a Th1- or Th2-type response (parasite-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G2a and the parasite-specific IgG1, total IgE levels and intestinal mastocytosis, respectively) demonstrated that the in vivo modulation of a Th1- or Th2- specific cytokine allowed the reciprocal Th cell subset to expand and become dominant with dramatic consequences for worm expulsion.
Decision Support in Space Situational Awareness

n To maintain the space catalog, the sensors of Air Force Space Command routinely track over 10,000 orbiting space objects. Because of the limited number of sensors, however, we cannot maintain persistent surveillance on these objects. This article describes algorithms and systems developed by Lincoln Laboratory to provide commercial and military analysts with better space situational awareness and decision support as they address problems in the space arena. The first problem is collision avoidance in the increasingly crowded geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) belt, where there is continuous potential for on-orbit collisions between active satellites and debris, dead satellites, or other active payloads. This case is known as cooperative monitoring, since the owners of the satellites of concern share their operating data. Another problem is noncooperative GEO satellite monitoring, in which space analysts have no information about the satellite station keeping and maneuver plans. In this case, space surveillance data provide the only method to determine orbital status. This article summarizes GEO satellite orbits and their control, and describes a cooperative monitoring system for assisting satellite operators in maintaining safe spacing to nearby objects. We also address the noncooperative GEO monitoring problem by using Bayesian networks to combine signature and metric information from space surveillance sensors, which allows us to detect satellite status changes and produce automated alerts.
Neuroprotective natural antibodies to assemblies of amyloidogenic peptides decrease with normal aging and advancing Alzheimer's disease

A number of distinct β-amyloid (Aβ) variants or multimers have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and antibodies recognizing such peptides are in clinical trials. Humans have natural Aβ-specific antibodies, but their diversity, abundance, and function in the general population remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate with peptide microarrays the presence of natural antibodies against known toxic Aβ and amyloidogenic non-Aβ species in plasma samples and cerebrospinal fluid of AD patients and healthy controls aged 21–89 years. Antibody reactivity was most prominent against oligomeric assemblies of Aβ and pyroglutamate or oxidized residues, and IgGs specific for oligomeric preparations of Aβ1-42 in particular declined with age and advancing AD. Most individuals showed unexpected antibody reactivities against peptides unique to autosomal dominant forms of dementia (mutant Aβ, ABri, ADan) and IgGs isolated from plasma of AD patients or healthy controls protected primary neurons from Aβ toxicity. Aged vervets showed similar patterns of plasma IgG antibodies against amyloid peptides, and after immunization with Aβ the monkeys developed high titers not only against Aβ peptides but also against ABri and ADan peptides. Our findings support the concept of conformation-specific, cross-reactive antibodies that may protect against amyloidogenic toxic peptides. If a therapeutic benefit of Aβ antibodies can be confirmed in AD patients, stimulating the production of such neuroprotective antibodies or passively administering them to the elderly population may provide a preventive measure toward AD.
Attributions for the negative historical actions of a group

Two field studies examined the attributions made for the historically negative behaviour of a group as a whole, depending on whether the actions were committed by the ingroup or an outgroup. In the first study, Jewish people assigned more internal responsibility to Germans for their treatment of Jewish people during the Second World War than Germans assigned to their own group. In the second study, people attributed the negative historical actions of another nation more internally (and less externally) than similar negative historical actions committed by their own nation. This pattern of intergroup attributional bias was more pronounced among people who highly identified with their national ingroup. Outgroup homogeneity and perceptions of differences between the groups were also significantly predicted by ingroup identification. Links between social identity theory and the intergroup attribution bias are considered. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genetic analysis of transcriptional activation and repression in the Tn21 mer operon

Transcription of the Tn21 mercury resistance operon (mer) is controlled by the toxic metal cation Hg(II). This control is mediated by the product of the merR gene, a 144-amino-acid protein which represses transcription of the structural genes (merTPCAD) in the absence of Hg(II) and activates transcription in the presence of Hg(II). We have used a mer-lac transcriptional fusion to obtain regulatory mutants in this metal-responsive system. Some mutants were defective in Hg(II)-induced activation while retaining repression function (a- r+), others were defective in repression but not activation (a+ r-), and some had lost both functions (a- r-). Mutations in three of the four cysteine residues of merR resulted in complete loss of Hg(II)-inducible activation but retention of the repressor function, suggesting that these residues serve as ligands for Hg(II) in the activation process. Other lesions adjacent to or very near these cysteines exhibited severely reduced activation and also retained repressor function. There were two putative helix-turn-helix (HTH) domains in merR, and mutants in each had very different phenotypes. A partially dominant mutation in the more amino-terminal region of the two putative HTH regions resulted in loss of both activation and repression (a- r-), consistent with a role for this region in DNA binding. Mutations in the more centrally located HTH region resulted only in loss of Hg(II)-induced activation (a- r+). Lesions in the central and in the carboxy-terminal regions of merR exhibited both Hg(II)-independent and Hg(II)-dependent transcriptional activation, suggesting that elements important in the activation mechanism may be widely distributed in this relatively small protein. The sole cis-acting mutant obtained with this operon fusion strategy, a down-promoter mutation, lies in a highly conserved base in the -35 region of the merTPCAD promoter.
Pathological behaviors for RLM and RLC

RLM [4] and RLC [7] are two well known receiver-driven cumulative layered multicast congestion control protocols. They both represent an indisputable advance in the area of congestion control for multimedia applications. However, there are very few studies that evaluate these protocols, and most of the time, these studies conclude that RLM and RLC perform reasonably well over a broad range of conditions. In this paper, we evaluate both RLM and RLC and show that they exhibit fundamental pathological behaviors. We explain in which context these pathological behaviors happen, why they are harmful, and why they are inherent to the protocols themselves and cannot be easily corrected. Our aim is to shed some light on the fundamental problems with these protocols 1 .
Un estudio de la influencia del autoconcepto multidimensional sobre el estilo de vida saludable en la adolescencia temprana.

The main purpose of this study was to examine health lifestyle and self-concept during early adolescence across the gender, age and socioeconomic status; and to examine the relationships among the health behaviours and the dimensions of self-concept. The sample was representative of students from the Valencian Community (N = 965) between 11 and 16 years old. Self-concept was evaluated by a Spanish version of Harters (1985) Self-Perception Profile for Children (Atienza, Balaguer & Moreno, 2002), and health behaviours and demographic variables were evaluated by a Spanish traslation of the WHOs research protocol about Health Behaviour in School-Children (HBSC) (Balaguer, 1990, 2002; Wold, 1995). The results of this investigation indicated that substance use (tobacco, alcohol and cannabis) is initiated during early adolescence. The perceptions on different domains of self-concept (excepting social acceptance) declined between 11 and 16 years old. Athletic competence and social acceptance are the dimensions with the strongest influence on physical activity and sport practice. Behavioral conduct and social acceptance have the most powerfull influence on sustance use. Finally, sports practice has a negative effect on substance use in girls.
Depression and Anxiety Following Psychosis: Associations with Mindfulness and Psychological Flexibility

Background: Individuals experiencing psychosis can present with elevated levels of depression and anxiety. Research suggests that aspects of depression and anxiety may serve an avoidant function by limiting the processing of more distressing material. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy suggests that avoidance of aversive mental experiences contributes to psychological inflexibility. Depression and anxiety occurring in the context of psychosis have a limiting effect on quality of life. No research to date has investigated how levels of psychological flexibility and mindfulness are associated with depression and anxiety occurring following psychosis. Aims: This study investigated associations psychological flexibility and mindfulness had with depression and anxiety following psychosis. Method: Thirty participants with psychosis were recruited by consecutive referral on the basis that they were experiencing emotional dysfunction following psychosis. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II) and the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) were used. A cross-sectional correlational design was used. Results: The depression and anxiety subscales of the HADS both had significant correlations with psychological flexibility (as assessed by the AAQ-II) and aspects of mindfulness (as assessed by the KIMS). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that psychological flexibility, but not mindfulness, contributed significantly to models predicting 46% of variance in both depression and anxiety scores. Conclusions: Although aspects of mindfulness are associated with depression and anxiety following an episode of psychosis, psychological flexibility appears to account for a larger proportion of variance in depression and anxiety scores in this population.
Application of proteomic strategies to the identification of urinary biomarkers for prostate cancer: A review

Abstract In the post-genomic era, genes and proteins are now studied on a more comprehensive scale. Studying disease processes at only the genetic or transcriptomic level will give an incomplete amount of information. A proteomic approach potentially allows for a more global overview of how disease processes affect the proteins present in cells, tissues and organisms. The challenge arises in determining which proteins are affected in specific diseases and establishing which of these changes are unique to a particular disease. Existing and emerging proteomic technologies allow for high throughput analysis of proteins in a variety of sample types. Prostate cancer is a significant male health problem in the Western world. It is widely accepted that more specific prognostic and diagnostic markers of prostate cancer are urgently required. The present paper suggests that urine may be an attractive biofluid in which to pursue the identification of novel biomarkers of prostate cancer. This review introduces some proteomic techniques including mass spectrometry and the newer, quantitative proteomic strategies. It focuses on the potential application of these platforms to novel urinary biomarker identification in prostate malignancy. It also includes a synopsis of the current literature on urinary proteomics.
Role of the TonB amino terminus in energy transduction between membranes

Escherichia coli TonB protein is an energy transducer, coupling cytoplasmic membrane energy to active transport of vitamin B12 and iron-siderophores across the outer membrane. TonB is anchored in the cytoplasmic membrane by its hydrophobic amino terminus, with the remainder occupying the periplasmic space. In this report we establish several functions for the hydrophobic amino terminus of TonB. A G-26-->D substitution in the amino terminus prevents export of TonB, suggesting that the amino terminus contains an export signal for proper localization of TonB within the cell envelope. Substitution of the first membrane-spanning domain of the cytoplasmic membrane protein TetA for the TonB amino terminus eliminates TonB activity without altering TonB export, suggesting that the amino terminus contains sequence-specific information. Detectable TonB cross-linking to ExbB is also prevented, suggesting that the two proteins interact primarily through their transmembrane domains. In vivo cleavage of the amino terminus of TonB carrying an engineered leader peptidase cleavage site eliminates (i) TonB activity, (ii) detectable interaction with a membrane fraction having a density intermediate to those of the cytoplasmic and outer membranes, and (iii) cross-linking to ExbB. In contrast, the amino terminus is not required for cross-linking to other proteins with which TonB can form complexes, including FepA. Additionally, although the amino terminus clearly is a membrane anchor, it is not the only means by which TonB associates with the cytoplasmic membrane. TonB lacking its amino-terminal membrane anchor still remains largely associated with the cytoplasmic membrane.
HIV Testing Among Transgender Women and Men — 27 States and Guam, 2014–2015

Transgender persons are at high risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection; in a recent analysis of the results of over nine million CDC funded HIV tests, transgender women* had the highest percentage of confirmed positive results (2.7%) of any gender category (1). Transgender men,† particularly those who have sex with cisgender§ men, are also at high risk for infection (2). HIV testing is critical for detecting and treating persons who are infected and delivering preventive services to those who are uninfected. CDC recommends that persons at high risk for HIV infection be screened for HIV at least annually, although transgender persons are not specified in the current recommendations. CDC analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to describe HIV testing among transgender women and men and two cisgender comparison groups in 27 states and Guam. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, transgender women and men had a lower prevalence of ever testing and past year testing for HIV (35.6% and 31.6% ever, and 10.0% and 10.2% past year, respectively) compared with cisgender gay and bisexual men (61.8% ever and 21.6% past year) and instead reported testing at levels comparable to cisgender heterosexual men and women (35.2% ever, and 8.6% past year). This finding suggests that transgender women and men might not be sufficiently reached by current HIV testing measures. Tailoring HIV testing activities to overcome the unique barriers faced by transgender women and men might increase rates of testing among these populations.
DYNAMICS OF PLAGUE IN A GUNNISON'S PRAIRIE DOG COLONY COMPLEX FROM NEW MEXICO

A plague (Yersinia pestis) epizootic spread through Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni), and possibly other rodent species, in the Moreno Valley in north-central New Mexico between winter 1984–1985 and autumn 1987. We observed the progress of the epizootic and subsequent population recovery at four prairie dog towns within the valley during this period. At two towns (Midlake and Val Verde) the prairie dogs were marked prior to the epizootic. At two additional towns (Vega and South Entrance) prairie dogs were marked following the epizootic. In 1988, a second epizootic occurred at Vega. One hundred thirty-nine serum samples were collected from prairie dogs and other rodents and 1,750 fleas were collected from animals and burrows. Fleas infected with Y. pestis were collected from prairie dogs, deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), and thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus). Prairie dog fleas included Oropsylla hirsuta, O. labis and O. tuberculata; deermouse associated fleas were Aetheca wagneri and Rhadinopsylla sectilis, and Oropsylla bacchi was associated with thirteen-lined ground squirrels. All of the above flea species were collected from prairie dog burrows. All rodent species shared some flea species. Thirteen-lined ground squirrels disappeared shortly before plague was identified in prairie dogs at Midlake. Meadow voles were rare following the epizootic at Vega in 1986, became abundant in 1987, and disappeared at the time of the second prairie dog epizootic in summer 1988. Although we collected serum from Gunnison's prairie dogs, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, deer mice, and meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus), we identified elevated serum titers against Y. pestis only in Gunnison's prairie dogs. Prairie dog mortality at all towns affected by plague was in excess of 99%. Serum antibody titers indicate that more than 40% of the few prairie dogs left to establish colonies following epizootics survived plague infection.